Shot with PENTAX K10D, processed using K10D Ver 1.30

In this year’s first issue of Tähdet+Avaruus, there was a question sent by a reader about the distance that a lightning can be seen at. The answer referred to lightning seen in the upper parts of a cloud, which is silent when seen from farther than 15km away. The instant I read the answer, I realized I had shot such a phenomenon about a year ago. The Finnish wikipedia reveals that the phenomenon is called “crop lightning”, the proper english term seems to be “sheet lightning”. The phenomenon can be seen mainly in August, when the nights are already dark, but there are still thunders, and thus the finnish moniker “crop lightning” stems from an old belief that these silent lightnings have an effect in ripening the crop.

Unfortunately at the time of taking the picture, I didn’t realize the thunder sound was missing because of the distance, and therefore didn’t have the insight to look up the distance to the thunder cloud. Someone smarter and more knowledgeable in relation to thunderstorms might be able to calculate the distance to the cloud (of which you can only see the top) based on the average height of the cloud and the curvature of the earth. The picture was taken at 26.7.2008. The exposure was 4.0s at f/2.8, ISO100.

Shot with PENTAX K10D, processed using K10D Ver 1.30

When arriving home at around midnight on thursday, I found before this scene brightly lit by a moon accompanied by a planet I later learned was Jupiter. Being tired from the ride home, I settled for a quick snap from our balcony. The exposure time is 15 seconds (at f/5.0, ISO100), and you can already see the Moon and Jupiter starting to elongate. At the back you can see Lake Vuojärvi and the lights of some houses on the opposite shore.

Shot with , processed using Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Macintosh

I’ve felt for a long time that I should be able to identify more of the constellations. I mean, I can instantly locate the Big Dipper (or Plough) that is part of Ursa Major (as can probably every kid over 5 years in Finland), and I even knew that I could locate Polaris based on the big dipper, just didn’t know the exact details. Hitting the books to learn constellations is just so boring compared to watching the real formations on the sky, but you’re not bloody likely to have an astronomy book when you’re outside watching, are you?
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Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated with all things related to space and star sky. When I was little, I often gazed to the sky, wondering about the overflying satellittes, shooting stars and other phenomena of the sky. Even though reading the fantastic Tähdet & Avaruus (Stars & Space) magazine published by Ursa, the Finnish astronomical association, has often made me consider reviving the hobby in a more serious fashino, in the end I just never end up getting outside to watch the stars.
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