Tuesday, December 20, 2011

In The Evening

I had much bigger computer problems than I thought. I expected to have a post up yesterday, but it seems like everything fell apart at once for me. I already knew my computer was messed up a bit, and it still is. If I disappear unexpectedly, that means my computer died before I could get parts.

The other problem I had was that my internet went down for the second time in a week Friday afternoon. I had to wait until Monday to get it fixed. They finally found the problem for the internet was at the main telephone box down the street.

And so now that I'm back, the real subject is my pictures for today. I had no idea what I was going to see when I went to the front of my house and down to the creek to get these. The sun was going down and I was out in the back putting wood in my stove when I saw something peculiar in the still daytime sky.

You can see in these pictures that while the Sun was going down, there was still some daylight out there. It was much brighter to my eyes than to the lens of the camera. But what was it that I was seeing then? It wasn't this red glow. No, not yet. The house was blocking that from sight at the moment. So what was it?

Take a look at the red circle that I've drawn towards the right of the picture. In the center you should see a white spot. I was seeing that in the sky as it was still daylight! I ran out to the front of the house with my camera hoping to get a better view, only to find it obscured behind the trees. And I also found that brilliant evening sunset glow.

So after getting those other pictures and trying in vain to find a good angle for that spot in the sky, I finally went out back as it got a little darker. I took this picture as I looked out over my garage. I'm guessing that the glowing object in the sky is the planet Venus, but I'm not 100% sure. At first I thought it must be an airplane because it was still so light outside.

But then as the light faded, other stars began to appear in the sky. I've only ever seen an effect like this once before, and I'll only mention that over at Rat Tales some day. The stars actually came out before it got dark! That is a little bit scary to me for reasons I can't explain here. But it is also very fascinating.

That night I saw my third shooting star since I've been living here these past few months. They're the only ones I've ever seen now. Seeing each of these things was a magical experience. Seeing them all on the same day/night was something even better. I wonder what it all means.


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16 comments:

  1. It means: "life is good", Ratty! Your evening sky photos are beautiful.

    Have a fantastic Holidays!

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  2. Hope you have a happy Christmas Ratty.

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  3. A wish upon a star can be valuable. This made me think of watching for shooting stars while camping outdoors as a kid.

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  4. One of the things that it means is that you have less light pollution than you've had in the past.

    I've taken a few shots of Venus and the crescent moon a day or two after new moon. It's neat when they are both close to each other in the evening sky.

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  5. Indeed fascinating shots of the sunset and the evening sky. And good to see you back with your system up and running now perfectly.

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  6. @Icy BC
    I agree, it does mean life is good. I hope it means life will always get better.
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    @Don't unplug your hub
    I hope you have a happy Christmas too.
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    @Out on the prairie
    I always watch for shooting stars at night now. It's a fun new experience for me.
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    @Secondary Roads
    That sounds exactly right. It's been much more fun looking up at the stars here away from the city.
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    @Elvirah
    Thanks. My system is up and running, but it isn't quite perfect yet. Hopefully soon.

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  7. What a beautiful sky that is. I can't recall ever seeing a shooting star.
    Merry Christmas to you Ratty.

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  8. @Ann
    I never saw a shooting star either until I spent this time away from the city. Merry Christmas to you too.

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  9. It means you are very lucky!! To be in a spot where you can see everything up there in the sky better. Merry Christmas Ratty!

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  10. @Ginnymo
    I hope my luck continues. I need it. Merry Christmas to you too!

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  11. Ratty, Did you make a wish while witnessing the shooting star?
    Wishes plus positive action do make wishes come true...just believe in the process.
    Merry Christmas!

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  12. @Jean
    I made a wish each time I saw a shooting star, Now if only i could remember what the wish was.

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  13. What a coincidence! Now that I have a new one with a new system to learn I am back reading everything I missed in the last two weeks. After 15 years my old d
    dinosaur died in seconds. I must have worked it to death blogging. Oh well!

    It is a bit frustrating when tech doesn't work . I never thought I would hear myself say that.

    Here's hoping yours revives. Good luck!

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  14. @thepowmill
    I use my computers too much so I end up with problems every once in a while. usually I have extra parts laying around, but i haven't moved any of that stuff with me yet.

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  15. Love the colors of the sun behind the trees.

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  16. @Sharkbytes
    This time the camera showed them off better than the naked eye.

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