bambino64's Blog

St Louis is under a slight risk of severe storms this afternoon and for the past year or so I've followed these storms with the help of different weather bloggers.  They talked about MCS, CAPES, MUCAPES, caps, wind shear and all sorts of things I didn't understand.  The talked about GFS models and NAM models and which models were good long range or short range.  If a current storm system disappointed, bloggers were there to lift our spirits by pointing out a potential for storms 10 days hence.  It was magic, it was lively, and it was addictive. 

But, WHERE THE HECK IS EVERYONE?

Angela Hutti posted a blog on June 22nd but not one since (is she on vacation?  If so, why didn't she say goodbye?  Why can't she check in on us to see how we are doing and if we need her expert advice?  Dave does and Chris used to do that).  Even so, only a smattering of posts in the past day or two by different bloggers.  MAD, WEAX and that kid from Belleville -- all gone.  Not to mention Foxfan and a few fellow blogger from the great city of Florissant.

How am I going to know what the dew point levels are around the viewing area?  Does everyone have sunshine or is it just me?  How are the Morrel Mushrooms this year?  What do the storms look like toward the center of the state?  How are things looking on the east side?

I am so lonely.

My name is Al and I am a weather addict.

Please...WHERE HAVE ALL THE WEATHER BLOGGERS GONE?

It is warm and sunny today...maybe they're at the pool?

As Dave Murray reported in his blog, the ISS (International Space Station) will be spending a lot of time in sunlight, giving us a good opportunity to see it as it passes overhead.  There was a really good sighting last night (Tuesday, May 20th) and there will be an even better one tonight (Wednesday, May 21st), provided the weather cooperates, which it looks like it might.

It will begin at 9:40 (and my experience has been that these sightings are right on time) in the SW, about 10 degrees above the horizon.  10 degrees is about 1/9 of the way up the sky, or about a handspan at arm's length.  The space station will then arc up to about 80 degrees (almost overhead!) and the arc back down, exiting in the NE at about 10 degrees.  I am not sure if it will arc to the north or to the south - that depends on if it is passing to our north or to our south, but since it is passing nearly overhead, it should be easy to spot.

What will you see?  Well, you won't make out any details.  I haven't even tried to spot this in a telescope since it is moving so fast, but others have been able to capture images through their telescopes.  I might try a pair of binoculars tonight. 

Instead what you will see is a bright light that follows the path described above.  At first you might think it is an aircraft of some kind, but then you will see that there are no blinking lights (although it might appear to blink because of atmospheric interference).  The light will move smoothly across the sky.

Tonight's viewing is ideal for two reasons -- duration and brightness.  This flyover will last 6 minutes, while most only last 2-3 minutes.  It will also be very bright and should be the brightest object in that area of the sky.  Also, the fact that it will be flying nearly overhead will make it easier to see.

There are other flyovers this week and the Weather Buffet has links to websites that give details.  Some of the evening flyovers of over a few minutes include:

Thursday, May 22 @  10:03 PM (5 minutes)

Friday, May 23 @ 8:50 PM (5 minutes) -- another overhead pass

Saturday, May 24 @ 9:12 PM (5 minutes)

All three look to start in the W/SW and will proceed to the N/NE.

Good luck and let me know if you see it!

 

 

 

My wife and I took advantage of the warm weather last weekend and did some planting.  She planted some annuals in two planters which are now inside (serving as an oversized centerpiece).  I also have a butterfly bush that I haven't planted yet sitting on the kitchen table.

I did plant some annuals (begonia and coleus) around a St Jude statue and I imagine I have to cover those up.  But what about rose bushes I just planted?  Hostas that are just coming up?  I also planted a clematis and was wondering what I should do about that.  Both the rose bush and clematis have started to bloom.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.  I know Dave Murray said to wait until after May 1st, but I didn't hear that until AFTER we had finished the planting.

No offense to the fine Fox2 meteorologists, but I wanted to pay homage to my favorite St Louis Meteorologist, Ben Abell, who was a regular contributor to KWMU.  He recently announced his retirement from broadcasting but will continue to teach at St Louis University.  I think what I liked about him is that he would put everything out on the table without fancy graphics or terms.  He told it plain and simple while not patronizing his listeners.  He didn't give "for sure" predications about rain or snow, but instead gave the listener a rundown of the factors contributing to the weather and gave the listener a few possible outcomes.  Instead of saying something like "looks like we are in for some rain tomorrow" he would say something like "we have a warm front pushing up from the south that will bring us a chance of rain" and then go on to give you the probable outcomes of the situation setting up.  One of his favorite sayings was "I can't rule out a chance of a stray shower."  I just really enjoyed listening to him a lot and I really am going to miss him.  I hope St Louis metereorlogists can learn a lesson from Ben -- appreciate the intelligence of your listeners.  One more thing about Ben is that he always stuck his head out the window before making his broadcast.

I have been looking for a new telescope for a few months now.  I have owned telescopes off and on over the course of my life but they haven't been the quality telescope I was looking for now.  With seven kids, my budget was tight so I looked for deals.  I searched catalogs from Orion and Meade and even checked out Wal-Mart.  I almost bought a $300 telescope at Wal-Mart but have heard bad reviews about the quality of their optics.  I wanted to do it right this time.  I finally found a great starter scope in the classifieds.  It was an Orion Skyquest XT4.5.  It is a reflector with a 4.5" mirror and a dobsonian mount.  The Orion catalog listed it for $229 and I was able to pick it up (no shipping charges) for only $75.  It included the standard 9mm and 25mm eye pieces.  I quickly order a 2X barlow lens and moon filter (next to buy: a sun filter).  This is on the small end of scopes, but far a starter scope that is portable and that I can use with kids, it was the perfect size.  My kids, though, thought quite the opposite and commented on how large it really was.  What's more, a lot of the reviews I read stated that this was bought as a second telescope for many and has grown to become a favorite.

The first time I used the telescope I was not disappointed and I readily experienced the quality of its optics.  The resolution was much higher than anything I had ever owned before.  My first target was Saturn.  It was amazing.  With the 9mm lens I was able to clearly make out its rings and even the faint tint of the planet's cloud bands.  With the barlow lens I was able to see one of the cassinni divisions in the ring.  I saw at least one moon, although I can't figure out with the charts I have which moon it was.  I am guessing Titan since that is Saturn's brightest moon.

I then turned to the moon and the clarity of its surface was amazing.  I was quickly drawn to a feature that I found out later was "Montes Riphaeus" -- a mountain chain near the landing sites of Apollos 12 and 14.  There are many moon resources on the web that I plan to check out.  My goal is to observe all of the Apollo landing sites.

After that, I went to look at some nebula and was a bit dissapointed. I could make out the "fuzines" of the nebula, but no details -- probably because there was too much light from the moon and neighborhood.  I'm sure results will be better with less light interference.

Future targets include some more of these nebulas (maybe the Messiers) and in particular, galaxies and star clusters.

Tips for buying a telescope:
- Avoid Wal-Mart or department store telescopes (even if made by a reputable manufacturer).
- You don't have to spend a lot of money for a good telescope.
- Magnification isn't all that it is cracked up to be.
- Intelliscopes take some of the fun out of exploring the sky and may not be worth the price.
- Check out telescope.com and reviews on amazon.com