Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Early Bird Photos

 Here are a couple views from a before-work bike ride this week. The recent very heavy rains triggered some Kibrahacha trees to pop. I hadn't noticed them until i saw a picture on Facebook. I think it was too dark when i was riding my bike North and I must have been suffering from tunnel vision when I passed by on the way home.



 

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Wardrobe Malfunction

 It hasn't been very windy this week, which is great for bike riding.  There are still some "puddles" stretching completely across the dirt roads in places, from the heavy rains earlier in the week.  I suffered a wardrobe malfunction as I eeked my way around one of them.



 


Thursday, March 11, 2021

Planets on Parade Update

 The morning sky, here on Bonaire, was pretty clear on Wednesday morning.  So i got to see the cool lineup (from lower left to upper right) of Mercury, Jupiter - Moon, and Saturn.



Tuesday, March 09, 2021

Planets on Parade

 

I saw (from bottom left to top right) Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon this morning on my bike ride. I took a picture with my phone but only Jupiter and the Moon showed up on it. Here on Bonaire, by about 06:15, the sky is getting too bright to see Mercury and Saturn. Jupiter is quite bright. By tomorrow morning, the Moon will be next to Jupiter, with Saturn to their upper right and Mercury to their lower left. The computer simulation below shows what it will look like here on Bonaire. (if it is clear) 
 

In other planet news, I took another picture, Monday evening, of Mars moving between the Hyades and the Pleiades. Mars has almost moved to the spot where it was when i took a picture of them in 2006. If it is clear tonight, I'll take another picture to see if i get a better match.
 

 

Monday, March 08, 2021

Mars on the Move update

 Here's where Mars was Sunday night. It's not quite where it was back in 2006, but its getting closer. I'll shoot it again Monday night if the skies are clear. There were fast moving clouds Sunday evening, but i was able to get a couple shots in.


 

Monday, March 01, 2021

Full Moon Bike Ride

 The Moon was a little less than two hours past full when i set out on my bike at 6am on Saturday morning.  It looked great hanging there in the West, as I pedaled NW to Bopec, here on Bonaire.  The sky brightens very quickly here in the tropics.

I lost sight of the moon when i headed East to Rincon, but there were lots of birds chowing down on Shimarukus to keep me company.





March Mars Madness

 Mars is on the move. During the next week or so, it will drift between the Pleiades star cluster and the "horns of the bull." (what we call the Hyades cluster in Taurus) Mars is bright orange in color, as is Aldebaran, which forms one of the pointy ends of the horns of the bull. Now that they moon is waning, you should be able to spot the Pleiades overhead in the evening sky. The horns of the bull need a slightly darker location.

 Interestingly enough, i noticed that Mars will be in pretty much the same spot in the sky, relative to the Hyades and the Pleiades, as it was back on Feb. 25, 2006 when I snapped a picture of them.


Above, you can see the shot from 2006 as well as a computer simulation of what you will see on March 8. The simulation is how it will look on Bonaire. Other locations will be slightly different, but close enough that you'll be able to identify the Pleiades, Mars and Aldebaran. Now that i look at it again, March 7 might even be closer to what i saw in 2006.