winter solstice lunar eclipse

Captured in the crisp early morning at 1:17 AM (MST) in freezing temperatures, the once in a lifetime lunar eclipse—last observed on the Winter Solstice in 1638—was well worth the numb toes and performance anxiety.

While I generally have a confident command of my camera’s functionality, I had to navigate some ridiculous malfunctions. Experimenting with an ISO 100, f16, condensation fog,  an uncooperative focus, exposure meter, and archaic tripod pointed straight up in near darkness, I managed to pull it off while shivering through the camera manual in a snowbank. At least 3/4 of the 300 shots were a complete mess, and just as I fixed the exposure issues I managed to snap a sequence before the camera froze and the tripod buckled. Thankfully the composite turned out beautifully!

Read more at National Geographic

an environmental disaster unfolds

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

An explosion on April 20 destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gul of Mexico and caused a massive leak that, by one estimate, may be gushing more than 1 million gallons of oil a day into the waters.

The spill has disrupted much of the Gulf region’s economy and has stirred criticism of the Obama administration’s response to what appears to be the worst oil disaster in American history.

See the full story from the NY Times

the big picture: mount st. helens 30 years ago

Ash billows from the crater where the summit of Mount St. Helens had been only hours earlier during a huge eruption on May 18th, 1980. (USGS/Robert Krimmel)

On May 18th, 1980, thirty years ago today, at 8:32 a.m., the ground shook beneath Mount St. Helens in Washington state as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck, setting off one of the largest landslides in recorded history – the entire north slope of the volcano slid away. As the land moved, it exposed the superheated core of the volcano setting off gigantic explosions and eruptions of steam, ash and rock debris. The blast was heard hundreds of miles away, the pressure wave flattened entire forests, the heat melted glaciers and set off destructive mudflows, and 57 people lost their lives. The erupting ash column shot up 80,000 feet into the atmosphere for over 10 hours, depositing ash across Eastern Washington and 10 other states. Collected here are photos of the volcano and its fateful 1980 eruption.

Boston Globe: The Big Picture

montana wildfires

on top of the world on the beartooth highway

Mikeal Béland

From Red Lodge, the Beartooth Highway — U.S. Highway 212 —launches its steady ascent up the Rock Creek Valley, meandering uphill at a pace commensurate with the river’s froth. But at Parkside, a turnoff to a gaggle of campgrounds and trailheads up Rock Creek, the pitch of the road alters, and switchbacks rise up and up and up.

Near tree line, cars pull off and spew out tourists at the Rock Creek Vista Point. Exuberance to reach the overlook on the 800-foot paved walkway tempers many with labored breathing. From the vista, the eyes yo-yo from a 2,000-foot plummet down to Parkside and a swing up to a sea of rounded peaks strutting higher summits.

As the road tours from Montana through Wyoming and back to Montana, it tops out on Beartooth Pass, the highest point a few feet shy of 11,000 feet. The apex is almost lost amid the zillions of stops for lakes, mountains, the Beartooth, pikas, and ptarmigan. This summer, construction in two locations slows travel, but the stops offer more time to salivate over the scenery.