Trail Cam Update

From the trail camera trap line is a selection of photographs....

Sunset

Gobblers

Sandhill Crane

Doe and Fawn

Woodcock

 

Wiley Coyote

 

Summer Solstice

Solstice Stone - Stonehenge, UK

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice here in the northern hemisphere which means that on Sunday we receive more sunlight than any other day of the year.  Naturally, you would conclude that this date would have the earliest sunrise and latest sunset, no?  

Don't jump to conclusions.  Even though the solstice has the greatest amount of daylight - the earliest sunrise occurs before the solstice and the latest sunset falls afterward.  The occurrence of those events is dependent upon how far you are from the equator – a function of the tilt of the Earth on its axis.  

Here is an interesting factoid – I went to the US Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department and looked-up the Sunrise and Sunset times for my location here at The Platz before, during and after the solstice. 

June 17 Sunrise 5:03 Am Sunset 8:38 PM

June 18 Sunrise 5:03 AM Sunset 8:38 PM

June 19 Sunrise 5:03 AM Sunset 8:38 PM

June 20 Sunrise 5:03 AM Sunset 8:39 PM

June 21 Sunrise 5:03 AM Sunset 8:39 PM

June 22 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:39 PM

June 23 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:40 PM

June 24 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:40 PM

                                       June 25 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:40 PM

Notice that the three dates preceding the solstice have almost the same amount of daylight.  The implication is that the solstice lasts more than half a week. 

 

What's the explanation?  Does it have something to do with our location being almost equidistant from the North Pole and Equator?  Or is it a consequence of rounding the precise times?

 

The notion that the solstice lasts for a few days or a week is a very common perception that even ancient astronomers noted.  But mechanically-speaking, it's a beautifully precise illusion caused by trigonometry and orbital mechanics.  

 

The earth orbits the sun in a smooth, continuous curve.  Because the earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees the angle of the sun relative to earth's equator (called solar declination) changes throughout the year.  If you plot this change on a graph over 365 days it forms a sine wave.

 

At the Equinoxes the curve is at its steepest.  The sun's position changing rapidly every day meaning you notice significant differences in daylight length from one week to the next.

 

At the solstices the curve reaches its absolute peak (or trough).  In calculus and trigonometry the top of the smooth curve has a slope of zero.  As the earth approaches this peak the daily rate of change slows to a crawl. 

 

During the days immediately preceding and following the solstice the difference in length of daylight is measured in seconds (not minutes); consequently, to our everyday clocks and senses it appears static.

 

While the "effect" of the solstice lingers for about a week, the astronomical event itself happens in a precise fraction of a second.  That exact moment is when the earth's axial tilt is inclined closest (or farthest) from the sun.  It is a single point in time occurring simultaneously for everyone on earth regardless of time zone.  For me that is June 21, 3.25 AM CDT.

Apologies for making your head hurt.

Sunset

From tonight there was this...

View to the northwest

And the reflection in the view to the southeast  

 

Sunset

Good look’n sunset tonight. 

Shot an azimuth to record Old Sol’s relentless march north. 

Love me some spring…..

 

Front to Back

A sunrise

And a sunset

When you live in flyover country the views over the horizon are generally pretty nice.... 

Situational Awareness

Adds new meaning to basking in reflected glory.

Went out to fetch the oriole cam. No decent sunset action but there was this to the southeast. 8:06 PM. 

 

Sunset

click on image to enlarge

 

Big sunset in big peninsula sky.

Nicely-groomed trail too, eh?

 

Ruby Approved….

Midsummer

Shot an azimuth a few moments ago.

Happy solstice everyone…..

Beautiful Skies

Gentle spring storms moved thru late afternoon treating us to a colorful sky display.

View to the southeast...

And directly behind me the view to the northwest...

Ma Nature knocked one outta the part tonight.  

What To See In The June Sky

There is an old saying about making hay while the sun shines - a recognition that farm chores last as long as there is daylight.  The last four weeks have been witness to my neighbors fetching their first cutting of hay; along with spreading manure, tilling, discing and planting.  It has been a busy place here in flyover country. 

We know that the summer solstice tomorrow marks the longest day of the year yet the latest sunset of 2025 doesn't occur on that date.  Let me explain.

Solstice Stone - Stonehenge, UK

The solstice marks the farthest point of advance in the sun's relentless march to the north, delivering the maximum daylight hours of the year for the Northern Hemisphere and the minimum daylight hours of the year for the Southern Hemisphere.  The solstice this month marks the beginning of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter in the Southern Hemisphere.  

The word solstice literally translates to: sun standing still.  Following this event the sun begins to march in the opposite direction and heads south with our daylight hours getting shorter.  Daylight will continue to dwindle until December 21 - The dark days of the winter solstice - and the first astronomical day of winter after which the process reverses and repeats itself.    

All of this aside, there is a curious paradox in play as a few evenings immediately following the solstice seemingly and inexplicably get brighter.  

If you were to check your Farmers' Almanac sunset tables on pages 150 and 151 you would note that at latitude 40 degrees north the sunset occurs at 8:33 every day from June 21st thru July 3rd.  On June 27th it will set a few seconds later compared to the 26th or 28th.  

What gives?

We all know that following the solstice the days grow shorter so logically the sun should be setting earlier, no?

Here in the northern hemisphere, where you live halfway between the equator and the north pole, on the 27th of June the sun will set just a few seconds later.  While this would seem to defy both logic and the science about days getting shorter; as a consequence of our elliptical orbit around the sun and the phenomenon astronomers call analemma the earth is several million miles farther from the sun and moving at the slowest speed around it. Which would explain the hiccup in the sun setting.

Most of you may not be making hay today; nevertheless, on Friday of next week enjoy a couple of extra seconds of sunlight as you take-in another sunset.

Cheers! 

Bachelor Life

Doggo and I are roughing it for a couple of day while Jill is away. 

This evening we enjoyed porch peanuts and a frosty import.

Fresh sautéed mushrooms.

Steak and baked potato - including snipped chives from the kitchen garden.

And a beautiful peninsula sunset for for desert....

 

 

Pretty good chow if you can get it......

The Magic Hour

Google Photo periodically furnishes unsolicited photo vignettes using their AI platform.  Like these brief, fleeting, moments associated with the rising and setting of the sun.

Characterized as the Magic Hour almost always these moments are not even close to an hour.  Most often they are there and gone in a heartbeat.  You snooze you lose.

This is nice slideshow....

The Magic Hour

Google Photo periodically furnishes unsolicited photo vignettes using their AI platform.  Like these brief, fleeting, moments associated with the rising and setting of the sun.

Characterized as the Magic Hour almost always these moments are not even close to an hour.  Most often they are there and gone in a heartbeat.  You snooze you lose.

Nevertheless,they are a welcome addition to my day; especially travel photos set to music.

 

Day Is Done

The sun continues its relentless march north as we slog our way towards spring.

Shot an azimuth of the setting winter sun.....

 

The Magic Hour

On this last day of the year it seem appropriate to share some highlights of those brief, fleeting, moments associated with the rising and setting of the sun.

Most always these moments are not even close to an hour.  Most often they are there and gone in a heartbeat.  You snooze you lose.

Happy New Year and thank you for reading, following and sharing.  See you next year on the flip side....

 

Summer Solstice

Tomorrow is the Summer Solstice here in the northern hemisphere - 3:51 PM to be precise.  Which means that on Thursday we receive more sunlight than any other day of the year.  Naturally, you would conclude that this date would have the earliest sunrise and latest sunset, no?  

Don't jump to conclusions.  Even though the solstice has the greatest amount of daylight - the earliest sunrise occurs before the solstice and the latest sunset falls afterward.  The occurrence of those events is dependent upon how far you are from the equator – a function of the tilt of the Earth on its axis.  

Here is an interesting factoid – I went to the US Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department and looked-up the Sunrise and Sunset times for The Platz before, during and after the solstice.

June 17 Sunrise 4:03 Am Sunset 8:38 PM

June 18 Sunrise 5:03 AM Sunset 8:38 PM

June 19 Sunrise 5:03 AM Sunset 8:38 PM

June 20 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:39 PM

June 21 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:39 PM

June 22 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:39 PM

June 23 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:40 PM

June 24 Sunrise 5:04 AM Sunset 8:40 PM

June 25 Sunrise 5:05 AM Sunset 8:40 PM

 

Notice that the three dates preceding the solstice have almost the same amount of daylight.  The implication is that the solstice lasts more than half a week. 

 

What's the explanation?  Does it have something to do with our location being almost equidistant from the North Pole and Equator?  Or is it a consequence of rounding the precise times?  I think it is the latter rather than the former.

 

Nonetheless, any difference is the amount of daylight will not be discernible to this old guy’s eyes.

 

 

Day Is Done

Canadian wildfires are still delivering spectacular sunsets; at the expense of our air quality….

Red Rubber Ball

Canada wildfires are raising heck with air quality around here. 

But amazing sunset….

Friday Dinner

Sometimes you pull out the stops on dinner. 

This evening there was Romaine dressed with bleu cheese, croutons and bleu crumbles, venison tenderloin seared rare and baked tater.   Deglaze of fresh shrooms and Merlot.  The kitchen garden yielded fresh chives for the sour cream. 

 

Pro Tip - rub your spud in bacon drippings for added crisp and flavor. 

Peninsula sunset for dessert…..

 

Solstice Follow-up

 

I took these photos yesterday at sunset.

There are way too many trees on the horizon and likely some atmospheric refraction.  Our lofty altitude of 710 feet above sea level and a latitude that is almost halfway between the equator and the North Pole might also come into play.

Nevertheless, it was the solstice so it seemed like a good idea to shoot an approximate azimuth of the sunset.

Daylight begins to increase today...