Muscular crepuscular rays

Posted on by farlane
Crepuscular rays over Sunday Lake by Michigan Nut Photography

Crepuscular rays over Sunday Lake by Michigan Nut Photography

Atmospheric Optics shares that crepuscular rays:

…also known as sun rays, are a mesmerizing atmospheric optics phenomenon that captivates the imagination. These ethereal beams of light, streaming through gaps in clouds, create a breathtaking display of nature’s beauty. The parallel columns of sunlit air, separated by darker cloud-shadowed regions, give the impression of diverging rays, much like the parallel furrows of freshly ploughed fields or a road that appears to narrow with distance.

The visibility of crepuscular rays is made possible by the scattering of sunlight by various atmospheric components. Airborne dust, inorganic salts, organic aerosols, small water droplets, and even the air molecules themselves all play a role in scattering the sunlight and making the rays visible.

I shared this photo several years ago and I’m not gonna say I won’t share it again! 😅 John took the pic at Sunday Lake in Wakefield. For more, follow him on Facebook & view and purchase his work at michigannutphotography.com.

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Knowledge written on stone: the Sanilac Petroglyphs

Posted on by farlane

Petroglyphs by Ashleigh Mowers

The Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park in Michigan’s Thumb is the home of Michigan’s largest known collection of early Native American teachings carved in stone. The 420-acre park is open seasonally & managed jointly with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. The excellent Stateside Podcast shares that the name of the park in Anishinaabemowin is ezhibiigaadek asin, which means “knowledge written on stone” and says in part:

One of the most popular petroglyphs in the park is a figure of an archer, known in Anishinaabemowin as ebmodaakowet. The figure’s body is an arrow, as is his hat, and he holds a bow and arrow in his hands.

“Early on, when archeologists who were not consulting with tribes, you know, saw that, they thought, oh, surely this must be a hunting magic. They took it very literally. ” explained Tchorzynski. “But actually, this ebmodaakowet is actually shooting the arrow of knowledge seven generations into the future. And this was a carving that was left with great love and great affection for descendants in the future, to remind people of our responsibilities to be good ancestors, to preserve and remember, and our obligation to shoot the arrow of knowledge into the future as well. We all must be good ancestors.”

The fragile carvings are easily affected by natural forces. The Marshall sandstone is a very soft rock, and so many of the petroglyphs have faded naturally throughout the centuries. Over the years, the petroglyphs have also been damaged by human hands. Parts of them have been vandalized, and pieces of the stone have been chipped away and taken. In order to protect the carvings from degrading over time, a wooden pavilion was erected over the site. A rope now separates visitors from the rock.

Read (or listen to) a lot more at Stateside!

Ashleigh took this photo back in 2017. You can read her great writing about traveling in Michigan (and elsewhere) at Go See Do Explore. She has a brief article about her visit as well.

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Sanilac Petroglyphs by Leon Baker (don’t have a link for him anymore!)

Nothing can prepare you for Detroit’s Giant Slide

Posted on by farlane

Looking Down the Giant Slide by Belle Isle Park

Detroit’s Belle Isle Park shares that the infamous Giant Slide – which briefly opened last August before quickly closing after riders were going way too fast – will reopen for the summer this Friday (July 19) from 11-6pm. Regular hours through Labor Day will be Friday 12:30 -5:30pm and Saturday & Sunday from 10:30-3:30pm. It only costs $1 per ride so I’m expecting plenty of pics from all of you!!

Now here’s a look courtesy GmacCash at what’s in store for you on the Giant Slide!

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Turnip Rock at Sunset

Posted on by farlane

This photo was the second most popular photo of 2024 on Michigan in Pictures!!

Turnip Rock at sunset by Tom Clark

Turnip Rock at sunset by Tom Clark

Tom shares that Turnip Rock is a beautiful, wondrous land formation off the coast near Port Austin:

The gigantic stone developed its signature look after millennium of being worn away by waves thumping across its bow. After being separated from the mainland in prehistoric times, Turnip Rock is an island inhabited by some trees and very little else.

Turnip Rock was one of twenty finalists in the 2013 “Seven Wonders of Michigan” contest sponsored by the Detroit Free Press and the Lansing State Journal, but it wasn’t selected as one of the final ten.

He took this back in July of 2014. See more in his Lake – Water gallery on Flickr and for sure head over to his website to view & purchase his work!

PS: Head over to the post on Facebook for another angle on Turnip Rock by Tom & a 1906 pic!!

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Stormy Tuesday

Posted on by farlane
Double Strike by Ethan Honke

Double Strike by Ethan Honke

As you can see from the weather radar, a powerful summer storm has been rocking & rolling its way across the state this morning leaving cooler temps in its wake. Hoping you’re staying safe & dry!

Ethan got this double stroke of lightning on Sunday just before a storm dumped buckets of rain. Follow him on Facebook at Captures By Ethan and view & purchase his work on his website.

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Michigan Central Station (and Detroit) beat the haters

Posted on by farlane

haters by Chris

Back in the day, a regular part of Michigan in Pictures were photos from the Flickr-based Exposure.Detroit. It was through that group that I got my first glimpses of the massive, ruined interior of Michigan Central Station aka MCS. As I watched the building crumble virtually, I had no idea that it would or even could be brought back, let alone restored in such spectacular fashion.

I don’t know what else I have to say on the matter except that it’s good to see Detroit restore another piece of Michigan’s heritage & hope that you have a chance to see the renovations live in person or on TV tomorrow! From their release:

The sold-out, ticketed 90-minute outdoor concert will bring to life the spirit and soul of Detroit through an incredible lineup of musical performances, short films, appearances by local leaders, and creators telling stories of innovation and culture from around the city and the region. The star-studded program features iconic musicians and cultural legends, including Michigan natives Diana Ross, Big Sean, Illa J, Jack White, Kierra Sheard, Theo Parrish, Slum Village, the Clark Sisters, Sky Jetta and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. They will be joined by presenters including Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders and stars Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown. These Detroit entertainment stars will be joined by other performers, including Common, Fantasia, Melissa Etheridge and Jelly Roll, along with presenters Mike Epps and Sophia Bush.

Chris took this photo at Michigan Central way back in 2009. See more in his Abandoned Detroit album.

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An Aurora for the Ages

Posted on by farlane

Aurora Borealis over Saginaw Bay by Tom Clark Photography

Last weekend saw a truly historic outburst of the aurora borealis, with the intensity scale reaching G5 three times, something that normally happens only 3 or 4 times every decade!! So many photographers featured in our Northern Lights category have great photos shared on their social media, but I wanted to get a pic from a place that’s normally left out of the cosmic fun!

Tom got this shot looking over Saginaw Bay on Friday night saying “I kid you not – these brilliant colors are in the Aurora as it first appeared. Minimal and normal editing of the raw files is all I did (except maybe the first image which i may have increased yellow and green saturation). As the night wore on the reds, pinks, disappeared and it was brilliant green.” See a bunch more on his Facebook!!

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Solar Storm could bring northern lights to all of Michigan tonight!

Posted on by farlane

Aurora Borealis over Lake Superior by Lake Superior Photo

Shawn Malone shared this photo yesterday saying: Incredible. There are now 4 CME’s earthward directed headed our way in the next few days. Levels of up to G4 storming are now forecast for auroras (see below for chart). Two of the CME’s merging late the 10th into the 11th are responsible for the G4 forecast for that time. I can’t ever remember this many earthward CME’s in such a short period of time from one region (3664 in this case).

…This is pretty amazing. Region 3664 is HUGE. Looks like that region alone has released 5 CMEs now, the last one tbd if it is earthward, but the rest appear to be with G4 storming in the forecast for Fri into Sat and very possibly beyond. This is the weekend to make a trip if you can, however we have cloud cover tomorrow night (aka tonight), MN looks better in that respect

FYI a G4 level solar storm can make it possible to see the aurora as far south as Detroit!!! She took this near Marquette. Follow her on Facebook or Instagram and FOR SURE view & purchase her work at LakeSuperiorPhoto.com where she has a massive northern lights gallery!

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Shelf cloud over the Mackinac Bridge

Posted on by farlane
Shelf Cloud Over Mackinac Bridge by Michigan Native Photography

Shelf Cloud Over Mackinac Bridge by Michigan Native Photography

I saw a couple other photos of this cloud as it rolled across the Straits of Mackinac & northeast Michigan the other day but wowzas – the Mighty Mac takes it!! Our friends at the Earth Science Picture of the Day have an excellent post on the difference between roll clouds & shelf clouds:

Roll clouds and shelf clouds are found near the leading edge of thunderstorms and form when relatively cool air, from the storm’s downdraft, forges ahead into the warm, moist air that’s feeding the storm. The main difference between roll clouds and shelf clouds (both are called arcus clouds) is that a roll cloud is detached from the parent thunderstorm, whereas a shelf cloud (right) is affixed to the base of a cumulonimbus cloud.

NOTE: Just learned that this picture is from 2018 – still love it! (buy it here)

You can follow Michigan Native Photography on Facebook or Instagram and view & purchase more work on their website.

There’s more weird, wild Michigan weather on Michpics including a monster roll cloud over Lake Michigan from June of 2016.

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2024 NFL Draft in Detroit

Posted on by farlane

2024 NFL Draft Stage in Detroit by Brad Galli WXYZ

The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off TODAY in Detroit, Michigan. WXYZ Sports Director Brad Galli shared this photo of the stage lit up & ready to go! In case you’re wondering, they didn’t use Ford Field, Comerica Park, Fox Theatre or any of Detroit’s other big venues because the crowd is so massive. Detroit is anticipating 300,000 – 400,000 people over three days!!

I live in Detroit & will be posting a lot of updates to the Michigan in Pictures Facebook & also to my personal Instagram. You can get a lot of general info about the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit along with some events I’m looking forward to right here.

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