As far as photography goes, I
haven't done SQUAT since the last chase back June 21st. I should
probably shake the dust off the camera. There have been some CME's that
were earth-directed, but I missed my opportunity apparently. There were
a series of two CME's; first a shot from sunspot 1092, then an eruption
from a magnetic filament linked to 1092's blast. My idea was to wait
for the first CME (a C-3) to disrupt the magnetic field then wait for
the secondary shot to rush in from behind and surge southward. That
never happened. They ended up combining into one huge solar wind field,
which would have been faintly visible from my location, as I sat on the
couch and watched the Chicago Cubs get smoked yet again. Solar maximum
isn't for another couple of years though, so I'll be anxiously awaiting
for that to happen.
Lightning. Yeah, non-existant. This has been, BY FAR, the WORST year
for lightning opportunities I can remember. The two best active months
have come and gone with little to show for. I might combine the two or
three mediocre outings I've had into one just to get another entry up
here. This definitely sucks because lightning is one of my favorite
things to photograph and I haven't been able to put to use some ideas
I've had in mind for a year and a half now.
As far as everything else goes photography-wise...well, I live in
Illinois. What else is there? I can go shoot star trails, but that just
doesn't sound appealing to me anymore. Hopefully soon we'll get
something going here. I'm crossing my fingers for one last good fall
chase to justify the lack of lightning-filled nights. To tell the
truth, I'm sort of glad storm season is behind me since all the best
days ALWAYS fell at inopportune times, with the exception of May 10th.
Now I'm getting excited for bald eagle season. Just 4 months away!!