Bolts of lightning adorn the urban skies over Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, April 30, 2007. Daniel Pendick
Last week I told you about my west window on the urban sky above Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sight of Venus and a crescent Moon above downtown at sunset was a real treat. Then, at 2:30 A.M. the following Friday, severe pain slapped me out of my slumber at 2:30 A.M. — the result, I found out a few days later, of a kidney stone stuck I my gizzard. Amidst moans and groans and waiting for the pain to subside, I watched a big yellow Moon set behind the Three Holy Women Catholic Parish church on the opposite side of Cass Park from my building.
The sky treats kept coming: Monday evening, April 30, severe thunderstorms rolled into southeastern Wisconsin. My west window, again, provided a view worthy of a high-end plasma TV, except it was free!
I set up my little Canon digital camera on a miniature tripod and snapped frames as fast as I could, hoping to catch some lightning. I shot hundreds, and the images posted in this blog are the pick of the litter.
This made me curious how many others in the astronomy community are like me — equally fascinated by severe weather, sunsets, and clouds as by stars and planets. Are you in this crossover group? Please feel free to drop me a message here and tell us more about your interest in the sky — the place where meteorology and astronomy meet.