Last Years Road Trip
6 years ago
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Fists in the Air on the Finish Line
Team JD crosses the finish line for the 100 Mile Course of the Livestrong Challenge San Jose 2009 ride.
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Perseid Meteor Detail
Photo picked up by #meteorwatch host Newbury Astronomical Society thanks to Paul Thompson! Sphere: Related Content
Perseid Meteor
Tonight we trekked up to Skyline Boulevard to Skegg's Point to take in another night of stargazing and scoping for Perseid Meteors. The location was fairly familiar to us as it is near the peak elevation of some of our bike rides. This particular location came up as a result of the extensive research I had done on best spots to view the Perseid Meteor shower. Like my experience last night, it did not disappoint.
As we traveled up the hill to our destination, i could tell we were going to be in for some awesome viewing conditions. The moon had yet to pop up and the area was so remote that none of the light pollution affected our ability to make out starts, even as we drove up in the car.
Upon arriving at the location we threw down a blanket and set up camp in an ideal spot. We were perhaps the second or third group to arrive at the spot but those there before us seemed a bit clueless.
"What time does the meteor shower start?," one fellow inquired, as if the celestial display had a programming schedule. Meanwhile, we were busy getting our eyes adjusted and taking in the first meteors of the evening. I took pity on him and let him know that the shower was already in full effect and that his best bet was to look up and wait.
Before too long we saw one, then two, then three or four meteors clearly in the night sky. It was quite a treat. After seeing a good number with the naked eye, I decided to try my luck with the camera.
Before too long some friends started sending SMS messages to my phone inquiring if our spot was good for stargazing. As if there was ever any doubt? I let them in on our not-so-secret spot and gave them driving directions from their sub-standard first perch.
Luckily, not too many folks wandered into our little world that evening. A few car headlights proved distracting for a moment or too but luckily nothing affected our ability to see the wonderful meteors.
At a little after 11 PM, I captured this meteor as it streaked across the sky, low in the horizon. The trees and bushes near our blanket provided just enough context to frame the meteor in all its glory.
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As we traveled up the hill to our destination, i could tell we were going to be in for some awesome viewing conditions. The moon had yet to pop up and the area was so remote that none of the light pollution affected our ability to make out starts, even as we drove up in the car.
Upon arriving at the location we threw down a blanket and set up camp in an ideal spot. We were perhaps the second or third group to arrive at the spot but those there before us seemed a bit clueless.
"What time does the meteor shower start?," one fellow inquired, as if the celestial display had a programming schedule. Meanwhile, we were busy getting our eyes adjusted and taking in the first meteors of the evening. I took pity on him and let him know that the shower was already in full effect and that his best bet was to look up and wait.
Before too long we saw one, then two, then three or four meteors clearly in the night sky. It was quite a treat. After seeing a good number with the naked eye, I decided to try my luck with the camera.
Before too long some friends started sending SMS messages to my phone inquiring if our spot was good for stargazing. As if there was ever any doubt? I let them in on our not-so-secret spot and gave them driving directions from their sub-standard first perch.
Luckily, not too many folks wandered into our little world that evening. A few car headlights proved distracting for a moment or too but luckily nothing affected our ability to see the wonderful meteors.
At a little after 11 PM, I captured this meteor as it streaked across the sky, low in the horizon. The trees and bushes near our blanket provided just enough context to frame the meteor in all its glory.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Perseid Hunting Grounds
Tonight I took off on a quest to see the Perseid Meteor Shower and it did not disappoint. I did some research this afternoon to help plan my stargazing for later that evening. I loaded up my camera, tripod, flashlight, warm clothes and some food and headed out on my bike at around 10:00 PM.
By 10:15 I was at my designated viewing spot and my eyes had adjusted to the dark conditions from the bike ride over. I laid down on a park bench right next to the San Francisco Bay and turned my attention to the sky above. It was a bit strange at first realizing how vast the sky was and not knowing where specifically to look for the meteors.
Within 10 minutes, I had seen the first signs of the meteor shower. The blue glow lasted for just an instant and traveled from my right to my left high in the sky. At the time, I wasn't sure I had seen a meteor at all. Perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me?
If the average Perseid meteor is the size of a pea, what I saw next must have been at least a golf ball!
A vibrant red glow appeared off to my right. There was no mistaking this one, it was a meteor for sure! I literally whistled as I saw it appear as one might upon seeing a fantastic soccer goal or exotic sports car. It was beautiful. The meteor shone brightly for nearly a second then fizzled away leaving me breathless. Scientists call it an Earthgrazer.
"Earthgrazers are meteors that approach from the horizon and skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond," explains Cooke. "They are long, slow and colorful—among the most beautiful of meteors." He notes that an hour of watching may net only a few of these at most, but seeing even one can make the whole night worthwhile.
The next half hour brought two or three more meteors. One other noteworthy sighting came into view directly above me. It appeared blueish in color and lit up nearly as brightly as the red one I had seen earlier. It solicited yet another whistle.
As the night wore on, I bundled up with a ski jacked and hat to keep warm. I was determined to see more and more meteors. There were just so beautiful I couldn't resist.
After the first four or five meteors, the Moon made its first appearance. My research earlier in the day indicated that the moonlight would diminish visibility of the meteors and should be filtered out by positioning yourself behind a tree or building. This was not possible in my case and I realized later that my stargazing window was rapidly shrinking. Adding to the decreased visibility, fog started to roll in and further put a damper on the night sky.
I managed to capture a few shots with my camera which I set up initially with the tripod and some long exposure settings. I tried desperatly to record one of the Perseids with my setup but it was not meant to be. The only time the camrea was rolling when one appeared, it must have been out of frame as I could find no evidence in the shot.
By 1 AM I decided to wrap it up for the evening. By that time I had counted 13 meteors, five of which I would say were brilliant. It was truly an awesome experience. I hope the photo above gives you at least some sense of what it was like to be out there. Sphere: Related Content
Friday, August 07, 2009
The Latest Addition to my Home Deejaying Setup
Now, where did they put the crossfader?
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Old La Honda
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