Took a cool pic?

Havent been anywhere "exotic" recently, so I have been limited to catching neat stuff close to home.

Due West (270 degrees on your compass) on the autumnal equinox 9/22/17. Looking down an East/West road (Nine Mile for the locals, Ferndale crossing into Oak Park).

Notice two things... if you looked at a map, the road is a straight line. obviously not.

second, i can't get over the Sun. 93 million miles away and its that big (atmospherics make it bigger tho) in the sky and we can feel its heat on our faces .

without it, we'd die along with everything else on the planet pretty much (except bacteria, cockroaches, and Twinkies :) )

2017-09-22 19.23.05.jpg
2017-09-22 19.23.051.jpg
 
Western NY .. just coming out of a post office.

My cell phone doesnt do justice the the neon 'brilliance" of this sunset. The clouds looked like glowing embers in a campfire.

2017-09-28 19.04.32.jpg
2017-09-28 19.04.15.jpg
2017-09-28 19.04.01.jpg
 
On my way to Lansing MI, I-96 Westbound to watch the MSU/UM game (Michigan State vs Michigan) in enemy territory yesterday :)

Obviously a sunset but a bunch of wispy thin Cirrus clouds that look like jet engine contrails. They spanned the sky, well beyond the frame of this photo, from north to south.

Supposedly they precede some severe weather storm fronts (early spring/early fall) when the air aloft is kinda "polar: (alternatively, the other air is warmer than normal for the time of year).

About three hours later, there would be a tornado warning in this area (Howell Michigan) last night when the storm front came through.

2017-10-07 18.45.50.jpg
 
Last edited:
This is a puzzler .. so much so I had to look it up. Any of you seafaring types already know this so it wont be news to you.

I-90 East-bound near Erie PA, a mile or so east of the I-86 interchange. Looking northerly toward Lake Erie, about 4-5 miles distant.

Elevation on the road, is 1,300 ft and Lake Erie US and Canadian shore are about 600 ft, so that of course makes Lake Erie surface 600 ft elevation too.

Two pics, same shot but second one cropped and enlarged upper right quadrant of top photo, arrows pointing to Lake.

Why does Lake Erie look to be "elevated", to my eye level, farther in the distance .. when this cannot possibly be when I am physically 700 ft HIGHER than the Lake? Lake level even appears higher than the roof of the house a thats just across I-90.

2017-10-17 13.37.43.jpg
2017-10-17 13.38.43.jpg
 
Last edited:
If you’re higher than the lake you are seeing across its surface to the horizon.
 
Not arguing your point Matt .. just I have seen this my whole life and didn't look it up till today. :)

Shouldn't the lake look "lower" from an elevation? Plus, the Earth is curving AWAY (down) in the distance (the whole line of sight thing), so why doesn't the lake look lower from 700 ft above it?

The photos don't give the effect as well as in person, but if one did NOT know it was the lake, the farthest edge may look like distant hills.

There is a mathematic explanation 2,000 years old, it seems, for this apparent "lifting" of an expansive body of water to an observer from a level or only "slightly" (under a 1,000 meters or so) elevated distance.

Its called "angular error" and the rest is here for inquiring minds:

Why does the sea horizon line always seems to be at the same height as one's eyes?

00-1-2-6.jpg
00-1-3-000.jpg
 
Last edited:
So that's where all the water goes! A decent breeze out of the west drops the water level at Toledo Beach Marina over a foot. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
amazinblue82 said:
...

Shouldn't the lake look "lower" from an elevation? Plus, the Earth is curving AWAY (down) in the distance (the whole line of sight thing), so what doesn't the lake look lower from 700 ft above it?
...
Click to expand...

It would, if the elevation beyond the lake was also higher, to give context to your brain.
 
Hmmmm....

Many years ago I was headed out to work at the GE plant in Erie. I had a coworker with me and we had to get there the night before. It was storming hard, we were the only fools out driving in it. Right about there on RT 90, we had a huge blast of lightening with an ear shattering noise. It was so bright that I couldn't see for a few seconds after the flash...which was tough because I was driving.

I really think we were hit by the lightening strike or it was right next to us. I don't know....

We had been talking about religion at the time..... We decided to change the subject and go back to talking about cars.

C-Body related content... The guy I was with had a 70 Fury convertible.... A few years later he sold it and bought a 70 300 convertible. That is the car I have now.
 
Big_John said:
Hmmmm....

Many years ago I was headed out to work at the GE plant in Erie. I had a coworker with me and we had to get there the night before. It was storming hard, we were the only fools out driving in it. Right about there on RT 90, we had a huge blast of lightening with an ear shattering noise. It was so bright that I couldn't see for a few seconds after the flash...which was tough because I was driving.

I really think we were hit by the lightening strike or it was right next to us. I don't know....

We had been talking about religion at the time..... We decided to change the subject and go back to talking about cars.

C-Body related content... The guy I was with had a 70 Fury convertible.... A few years later he sold it and bought a 70 300 convertible. That is the car I have now.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. Had a lightning strike at our house years ago. It hit a tree and the garage roof. I was in the house yet still blinded by the flash that came through the windows. Definitely not in line of site but still bright as hell.
It was pretty scary getting my Charger out of a smoke filled garage. The smoke was so thick it looked like silt sliding down the windshield as the engine kicked over.
 
amazinblue82 said:
Not arguing your point Matt .. just I have seen this my whole life and didn't look it up till today. :)

Shouldn't the lake look "lower" from an elevation? Plus, the Earth is curving AWAY (down) in the distance (the whole line of sight thing), so why doesn't the lake look lower from 700 ft above it?
Click to expand...
You are only 700 ft above the lake relative to 90 miles across it therefore the elevation difference is negligible. A rule of thumb I learned from one of my flight instructors years ago about traffic avoidance, if you spot another aircraft that appears lower than the horizon he is lower than you. If he is above the horizon he is higher than you are. Similar to the house which is lower than your position relative to the lake horizon.
 
amazinblue82 said:
Your shots are hard to top. Setting for these?

thanks as always :)
Click to expand...
As in location?
1 Just after departing port of Bridgetown, Barbados
2 Soufriere Bay, St Lucia
3 Somewhere over PA on the way to Toronto. I have a bunch of these "wing shots".


Thanks for the compliment.
 
amazinblue82 said:
This is a puzzler .. so much so I had to look it up. Any of you seafaring types already know this so it wont be news to you.

I-90 East-bound near Erie PA, a mile or so east of the I-86 interchange. Looking northerly toward Lake Erie, about 4-5 miles distant.

Elevation on the road, is 1,300 ft and Lake Erie US and Canadian shore are about 600 ft, so that of course makes Lake Erie surface 600 ft elevation too.

Two pics, same shot but second one cropped and enlarged upper right quadrant of top photo, arrows pointing to Lake.

Why does Lake Erie look to be "elevated", to my eye level, farther in the distance .. when this cannot possibly be when I am physically 700 ft HIGHER than the Lake? Lake level even appears higher than the roof of the house a thats just across I-90.

View attachment 147992 View attachment 147993
Click to expand...

This is due to the curvature of the earth.... pretty cool thing to realize that we can see this wonder of the world if you ask me. I live near to the highest point in Ontario in the Niagara area where we can see both Lake Erie and Ontario at the same time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top