Stargazers on the night side of Earth (that’s us!) will catch their first glimpse of our planet’s umbra (the darkest, innermost part of its shadow) creeping onto the moon’s surface at 10:33 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27. The vast shadow will continue its advance across the crater-scarred landscape in the hours that follow, until it hits the point of maximum eclipse at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28.
Around this time, you may notice the shadowed region of the moon take on a reddish-orange color, as sunlight filtered through Earth’s atmosphere is bent onto the lunar surface — a phenomenon often referred to as a “Blood Moon” during a total eclipse.
I first shared this amazing shot of a partial lunar eclipse over the Detroit skyline way back in 2015. See more great photos from Tom on Flickr.
Friends of the Rouge River share that the Hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) aka “hummingbird” moth resembles a hummingbird in looks and flight habits. To complete the mimicry, it makes a humming sound with wingbeats that sound similar to a hummingbird and even looks similar olive green and rust colored back with lighter colored abdomen. Adults have wingspans of 1.5 to 2.2 inches – about half the size of a ruby-throated hummingbird. The caterpillar of Hemaris thysbe is light green with a bluish “horn” on its terminal end and a light-colored stripe that resembles a leaf vein.
FUN FACT: Tiny hummingbird moths strongly resemble real hummingbirds. The hummingbird moth beats its wings 30 – 40 times per second in a figure eight pattern that is similar to the pattern a of a real hummingbird. (However, actual hummingbirds beat their wings 50 – 60 times per second.) The figure eight pattern made by the wings allows both hummingbirds and hummingbird moths to hover in mid-air and to fly briefly backwards.
“I want to live in the moment. There’s a lot of stuff going on around me that I have no control in. I try to be pretty present all the time. And when the fans get on their feet like that and give you a pretty good ovation, it’s special. It’ll never not be special, and it’s something I’ve always appreciated. And hopefully they feel the same way. Hopefully they feel like I’ve given everything to the team, to the city, because I truly have.” -Tarik Skubal, after his 1000th strikeout
I am one of the many fans who thinks that back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal has pitched his last game for the Detroit Tigers, and I am going to process by disappointment by telling you all of the accomplishments of one of the greatest left hand pitchers in Tiger history.
2-time Cy Young Winner (2024 & 2025) – fun fact: 3 of the 12 back-to-back winners in history are Tigers – Skubal, Max Scherzer & Denny McClain!
“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” —Eliezer Yudkowsky
Heather took this picture 5 years ago when she rode her bike to the pier in Frankfort for sunrise & was delighted with the Michigan cloud next to the bluff as was I because – WOW! 😍
Reposting even though it will have some people shouting about AI, just as they were about suspicions of photoshop when I originally shared it. I do this in hopes you will feel the truth that none of these AI reimaginings have an iota of the impact that seeing a marvel like this in real life holds.
I mainly wanted to share a cool shot of Turnip Rock on Lake Huron in the Thumb, but I do kind of wonder how the people in this 1906 photo managed to get on top of the 80′ tall Turnip Rock 🤔
The Grand Haven Lighthouse is operated by one manager and a host of volunteers! Our manager, Kyle Roffey is doing an amazing job as is the volunteers that have helped us out so far. But…we don’t have enough volunteers! If you’ve been having fun volunteering, you can sign up for some more. If you have been out to see our Lighthouse and love it so much you’d like to spend more time in it, sign up to volunteer! If you’re someone that volunteers for stuff all the time and is looking for something new to do, sign up to be here with us … Only 4 hour shifts, so it doesn’t take up your whole day. It’s fun and easy! You will get and talk with several hundred people, all smiling cause they are so happy to be there! Please help us if you can! We want to be open all summer, but we can’t do it alone!
Kevin took this photo way back in the summer of 2011 and speaking of talking to people, along witht he photo he shared, “My wife and two of my daughters camped at the Grand Haven State Park for a few days this week. Had a nice time, lots of sun and sand. I Just love meeting other photographers when you are somewhere taking pictures. Lots of fun! I would of never of gotten this shot if I did not start talking to this other photographer.“
A great reminder that connecting regardless of the pursuit, connecting with your fellow humans can make things better! Connect with Kevin on Flickr or at Kevin Povenz Photos for his latest!
I was 100% gonna save this smokin hot photo of Dodge Fountain on Detroit’s Hart Plaza for a post when the Pistons kick off next season, but when Sean shared this hilarious tweet from the National Park Service I knew it was time.
You do indeed know it’s hot simply by walking out the door. With the brutal conditions expected to last into the weekend, please take care of yourself & everyone in your life, especially children & pets who don’t understand the risks!
190 years ago today on June 15, 1836 Congress passed the Northern Ohio Boundary Bill to resolve the ongoing boundary dispute between the state of Ohio and the Michigan Territory. Both claimed the mouth of the Maumee River (present-day Toledo) and offered surveys supporting their positions. The congressional compromise awarded Toledo to Ohio and granted Michigan the western Upper Peninsula and immediate statehood. Ohio was elated, but Michigan struggled, and eventually accepted a solution they believed was unfair.
Michigan State University’s Geography Department takes a deeper dive into the Toledo War and its aftermath. It is well worth your time to read in full, but here’s an excerpt:
Sentiment against the proposed compromise was almost universal at first. A resolution adopted in March had dismissed the area that Michigan was to receive as a “sterile region on the shores of Lake Superior, destined by soil and climate to remain forever a wilderness.” The Detroit Free Press called it “a region of perpetual snows—the Ultima Thule of our national domain in the north.”
Senator Lyon said the region could furnish the people of Michigan with Indians for all time and now and then a little bear meat for a delicacy, but he was nevertheless one of the few who thought that Michigan might eventually find it got the better of the bargain. There was resentment of the fact that Arkansas had been granted statehood unconditionally the same day that Michigan had been offered admission only on conditions that most Michiganians regarded as disadvantageous to the state.
If Michigan did not want the huge area in the northland that Congress offered, it is equally true that some of the residents of the Upper Peninsula did not want to be part of Michigan either. Congress had received a number of petitions from persons in this region asking that the area south of Lake Superior be organized as the territory of Huron. Michigan Territory, as originally established in 1805, had included the eastern Upper Peninsula, including the settlements at the Straits of Mackinac and at Sault Ste. Marie. These areas had been represented in the 1835 convention that drafted Michigan’s constitution and had defined the new state’s boundaries so as to include these parts of the Upper Peninsula within that state. Thus the statement that Michigan received the entire Upper Peninsula in return for surrendering the Toledo strip is not correct, but nevertheless the error continues to be perpetuated. It was approximately the western three-quarters of the Upper Peninsula that was involved in the compromise. Some people in the eastern section preferred to become part of the proposed Huron Territory, pointing out that Sault Ste. Marie was cut off from Detroit for six months each year and claiming that the region was treated by the rest of Michigan as a remote and neglected colony. Congress, however, paid no attention. Politics was more important than geography, and Michigan was saddled with the problem–never satisfactorily resolved–of uniting two areas which nature, for many thousands of years, has set asunder.
…Sure, Michigan did “lose” to Ohio in a way. At the time, we didn’t get what we wanted, the Toledo Strip, and they did. However, as a state we never really lost anything. While Toledo was conveniently located on the water, we still had Detroit, which was and continues to be the center of industry here in Michigan. We lost a little bit, but gained tremendously. At the time of statehood, surely the acquiring of the Upper Peninsula was thought to be a disadvantage. Time proved to tell that it was nothing like that at all. We really lost nothing, and gained immense mineral wealth, fortune from logging, and vast natural beauty.
I’ll definitely take that trade! Tom took this photo back in October of 2013. See more in his awesome Upper Michigan gallery on Flickr!
One turret remains on Miners Castle, the best-known feature of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The collapse was reported via cell phone by fisherman in the area, according to chief ranger Larry Hach.Most of the rock fell north and into Lake Superior, and there were no injuries.
While the rockfall at Miners Castle on April 13 was startling, such events are not rare along the Pictured Rocks escarpment. At least five major falls have occurred over the past dozen years … Rockfalls along the cliffs typically occur in the spring and fall due to freezing and thawing action of Mother Nature.
Given the state of the world these days, it’s probably not surprising that a lot of people are turning their eyes to the future and to outer space. Bridge Michigan’s Paula Gardner shares that this includes the State of Michigan that is opening a space innovation hub to seek a portion of what is projected to be a nearly $2 trillion sector:
Blades and nozzles in the four engines of the Artemis II rocket came from Moeller Aerospace in Harbor Springs, a state supplier to NASA contractors. Elmet Technologies in Lewiston Coldwater tooled more equipment. And NASA used solar particle forecasts from the University of Michigan.
…The Michigan Economic Development Corp. is seeking proposals to establish the state’s first Space Innovation Hub. With up to $1.2 million budgeted for the first year, the hub is an early step towards connecting and growing the space-centered business in the state.
Editor’s Note/Unpaid Promotion: I left the links in the text from Bridge so you can get an idea of the incredible depth they bring to their reporting. At a time when many news outlets are reducing local coverage or shutting their doors, it’s great to have companies like this bringing hard hitting & well researched journalism to the issues that impact the future of all Michiganders. For sure follow them at bridgemi.com or on any social media.
