Moon Halo in the pitch dark

A moon halo is this enchanting optical phenomenon caused by the refraction and reflection of light, mostly through ice crystals in thin, cirrus or cirrostratus clouds high in the atmosphere. It results in a ring of light around the moon that looks almost supernatural. It’s pretty special when you catch one! You get to see a glimpse of how light and ice play together in our atmosphere.

To see a moon halo, you need three main ingredients: a bright moon (usually a full moon), clear skies, and those high, thin cirrus or cirrostratus clouds with ice crystals way up in the atmosphere. When the light of the moon hits those ice crystals, it bends and creates that mystical ring. It's like nature’s own little light show! 

It is quite fascinating now days to photograph night skies with your cellular phone. I mean it was almost pitch dark, but pointing phone on the sky and press the shutter button and 3 seconds later you get this.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Colourful October

Usually cloudscapes are great all year around, but especially cloudscape is awesome around autumn, since the landscape is changing colours too.

I had a lucky situation the other day when I was driving to work. Sun is just about to rise above the horizon. 

And when I turn to the bigger road, there it is, risen above the horizon. It felt like a... victory. Whole drive to work was kind of awesome, except few spots where the sun shined straight into my eyes as it were still low and the road leads straight in the path of sunshine.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

After rainy weather cloudscape is wonderful

While I was driving home from long drive, I noticed that the rain clouds have made away, and as the sun was ready to settle in, it gave a wonderful cloudscape in the sky. 

Rainbow was shooting almost straight into the sky, almost. The arc reached higher in the sky than normally because the sun was just above the horizon.

And the colours were magnificent. This purple haze lasted just a brief moment and then turned into orange reddish, as the sky would be on fire. Which also lasted just a brief moment too.

Check my other sunset cloudscape post.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Few Cloudscape timelapses

In my last post I wrote that I have managed to shoot few cloudscape timelapses in the summer time and here are some of those.

This one I shot at the end of July:

 

 And this just around midsummer festival:

I have few others from summer and I will posting them when I get around to post production.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Gone with the wind

This summer has really gone with the wind. I planned to shoot timelapses whole summer and I think I managed to shoot only few. And I need to start to carry my actual camera with me when I am walking my dog.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

Magnificient Cumulus cloud

I was driving regional road 204 to Säkylä and it was raining quite heavily, but then I entered this opening and all of the sudden sun was shining brightly. I saw with my left that there was this tall cumulus cloud, kind of like mushroom cloud, but all white. 

Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds characterized by their distinct puffy, cauliflower-like appearance. They form due to localized convection, where warm, moist air rises, cools, and condenses into visible water droplets or ice crystals. 

The highest cumulonimbus clouds, which are a more intense type of cumulus cloud associated with thunderstorms, can reach peaks of up to 12,000 meters (39,000 feet) or even higher. So, while cumulus clouds themselves are generally found at lower altitudes, their more powerful cousins can soar to impressive heights

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish

The Phoenix and Black Widow in the sky

The phoenix, a mythical bird, has fascinated cultures worldwide. It symbolizes renewal, resurrection, and exceptional qualities. Its fiery plumage—purple, orange, and gold—captures the imagination. In ancient Egypt, it was as large as an eagle, with scarlet and gold feathers. The word “phoenix” comes from Greek and Latin, related to the Phoenicians’ red dyes. Legends vary: some depict its fiery death and rebirth, while others emphasize decomposition. Regardless, the phoenix embodies resilience and the eternal cycle of life and death.

The Black Widow spider (Latrodectus spp.) is notorious for its neurotoxic venom, which specifically affects nerve cells. Found worldwide, it’s commonly associated with urban areas and agricultural habitats.

 Let’s unravel their web of secrets:

Distinctive Features:

• These spiders belong to the genus Latrodectus and sport an hourglass-shaped marking on their abdomen.
• Females, often shiny black, exhibit an hourglass in shades of red, orange, or yellow.
• Males, smaller and less venomous, lack the hourglass and have varying stripes or dots.

Venom and Reputation:

• Black widows are the most venomous spiders in North America.
• Their bite rarely proves fatal to humans, causing muscle pain, nausea, and mild paralysis.

Mating Rituals:

• The name “black widow” stems from the females’ tendency to consume their mates after mating.
• A dance of desire and doom unfolds—a kiss that binds souls and weaves fate.

Warnings in Color:

• Bright markings serve as warnings to predators: “Do not eat!”
• Males bear similar marks, aiding predators in discerning prey.
• In their silk-spun tapestry, life and death pirouette—a cosmic dance of creation and destruction.

So, when you encounter a black widow’s web, remember its whispered tales—a blend of desire, danger, and moonlight venom.

My other blogs:

Roadscape Photography
Chevrolet El Camino 1970
Life @ Köyliö, mostly Finnish