Topic: Stars above the storm...

[Intheswamp]

I was coming home last night and spotted a storm in the distance.  I pulled over into the hayfield across the house and tried to get some shots of the storm.  Handheld braced against the edge of the window, shakey hands, rather grainy, not great quality, but it was a nice little storm to watch...   Ed

[Randall Kayfes]

Ed,

I would argue they are great shots!! 
The stars are pin points and clearly visible.
A remarkable job of taking awesome photos!

Randall

[miraculon]

Indeed these are impressive. By any chance, did you see anything unusual above the anvil-top? This looks like it would be an ideal situation to have observed "sprites" (discharge/plasma/who-knows) events above the tops.

Greg H.

[DanS]

Indeed these are impressive. By any chance, did you see anything unusual above the anvil-top? This looks like it would be an ideal situation to have observed "sprites" (discharge/plasma/who-knows) events above the tops.

Greg H.

That's my first thought when I saw those great pics also. I'm thinking a video shot from there might have caught some.
Nice steady pics Ed considering you using free hand with no mount!

[Intheswamp]

Thanks ya'll.  I'll go back and look at some of the other shots and see if I detect anything along the top of the anvil...really didn't know to look there for anything.  We had been getting ready for Vacation Bible School at church and as I headed home I saw the storm.  I should have went ahead and pulled over then as the storm was more intense at that moment.  But, it was only about five minutes to the hayfield so I figured I'd way till I got there.<sigh>

Nothing like hanging your face in your vehicle window in the south, in the summertime...bugs just *love* to come visiting...big ones, little ones, stinging ones, smelly ones, biting ones, etc.,.  The humidity was up but thankfully I didn't have a problem with the lens fogging up....much.

Why is it that whenever you take some time to go setup for lightning pictures you never get good bolt pictures, but when you're riding down the road needing to get somewhere for an appointment the sky looks like the electrodes in Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory??

Dan and Randall...trust me, all the shots were not pinpoint stars!!! 

Greg, I'll go back and look at some of the other shots and see if I see anything along the top of the anvil.  I didn't know that's a place for activity, thanks for cluing me in to it!!!

Ed

[DanS]

will give you an idea where to look for them. They're really fast.

[Intheswamp]

Thanks Dan.  I had to play it a few times to be sure of what I was looking at.  I'll keep my eyes open for those.  Rather neat event.   The heat (and humidity levels) here in the south will continue to grow for a couple of months as we get into the summer season so thunderstorms should be more prevalent.  A couple of years ago I recall one afternoon where numerous individual thunderheads were floating around and each giving it's on light show...a really interesting sight.  Having a half decent camera now I hope maybe to catch another day like that one.  Whatever the case, I enjoy trying to shoot storms.  I definitely be looking for sprites, now!

Ed

[morfeas2002]

Beautiful anvil !!!

[miraculon]

Thanks Dan.  I had to play it a few times to be sure of what I was looking at.  I'll keep my eyes open for those.  Rather neat event.   The heat (and humidity levels) here in the south will continue to grow for a couple of months as we get into the summer season so thunderstorms should be more prevalent.  A couple of years ago I recall one afternoon where numerous individual thunderheads were floating around and each giving it's on light show...a really interesting sight.  Having a half decent camera now I hope maybe to catch another day like that one.  Whatever the case, I enjoy trying to shoot storms.  I definitely be looking for sprites, now!

Ed

Here is another resource about sprites. I posted this a while back, watch the PBS program "at the edge of space". It was really interesting and shows a lot of sprites and other phenomenon.

http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=20792.msg199801#msg199801

The local PBS station repeated it the other night.

Greg H.

[SlowModem]

Was it actual storms or just heat lightning?  We see heat lightning all the time around here.  No thunder and no rain, just a light show.

[GregJ]

Wow.... You did that without a tripod....  You are either REALLY good... or REALLY lucky.... or maybe a little of both...

Greg

[DanS]

Thanks Dan.  I had to play it a few times to be sure of what I was looking at.  I'll keep my eyes open for those.  Rather neat event.   The heat (and humidity levels) here in the south will continue to grow for a couple of months as we get into the summer season so thunderstorms should be more prevalent.  A couple of years ago I recall one afternoon where numerous individual thunderheads were floating around and each giving it's on light show...a really interesting sight.  Having a half decent camera now I hope maybe to catch another day like that one.  Whatever the case, I enjoy trying to shoot storms.  I definitely be looking for sprites, now!

Ed

Hi Ed, I saw today showing a good size sprite. Watch how fast it appears then disappears even with the camera slowed down. I haven'r seen one yet but keeping a look out as well.

[tweatherman]

Was it actual storms or just heat lightning?  We see heat lightning all the time around here.  No thunder and no rain, just a light show.

Definition of heat lightning:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/07/17/heat-lightning-a-sterling-example-of-the-fake-phenomenon/

tweatherman

[Intheswamp]

Greg H, I watched some of the video...hopefully I can find it on satellite to record.  Thanks for the link!!! Cool video.

Greg J, well I'm not really that good and I don't believe in luck but I have years of *attempting* available light photography....up the ISO, prop on the edge of the window, brace yourself, breath in...hold it and shoot.  Image stabilization helps some, too!

DanS...great video!!!  I'm taking it that it would be a *very* outside chance that I'd get a shot of one of these.  How big would they look from our vantage point on the ground?  I'm thinking we would see small points of light on top of the anvils?

It looks like we have t-storms predicted for the next week (which isn't good as I need to get into my honey bees and possibly extract some honey but this rain....<groan>).  But, since I can spin honey maybe I can catch some more shots...we will see.

Ed

ETA:  Btw, those sprites are some mighty strange looking critters!!!!