Snow Boys, photo by Tom Hughes Photo
Tom says they were out playing in the first big snow of the year. View his photo bigger and see more in his Black & White slideshow.
More black & white photography on Michigan in Pictures.
Falling Skies: The Geminid Meteor Shower
Falling Skies, photo by Heather Higham
The annual Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight but will continue tomorrow as well. EarthSky explains:
The shower starts around the second week in December, but, in a bit of bad timing, full moon comes on the peak night (December 13-14) this year. Still, these meteors are known for being bright, so some Geminid meteors may well overcome this year’s moonlit glare. Watch on the evening of December 13 until dawn December 14. The nights before and after might be good as well. Geminid meteors tend to be few and far between at early evening, but intensify in number as evening deepens into late night.
…Your local peak will typically be centered at about 2 a.m. local time, no matter where you are on the globe. That’s because the constellation Gemini – radiant point of the shower – will reach its highest point for the night around 2 a.m. (your local time). As a general rule, the higher the constellation Gemini climbs into your sky, the more Geminid meteors you’re likely to see.
Heather took this photo in September of 2016, and there’s FOUR meteors!! View it bigger, see more in her Night Sky slideshow, and view & purchase photos at snaphappygal.com!
Lots more meteors on Michigan in Pictures.
Good morning from Bond Falls
Good morning from Bond Falls….Burrrrr, photo by Joe Garza
View Joe’s photo bigger and see more at JMG Photography on Facebook.
More Bond Falls on Michigan in Pictures.
Michigan’s Lake Effect Snow and the Ice Beast of the Frozen Tundra
Ice Beast of the Frozen Tundra, photo by Mark Miller
As Michigan deals with the first winter storm of the season, it’s a good time to brush up on how Michigan’s lake effect snow machine works with a nice video (below) from mLive chief meteorologist Mark Torregrossa who writes:
The areas hit by lake effect are called snowbelts. Some parts of the snowbelts typically get much more snow than other parts. This is because some locations get lake effect from multiple wind directions. Good examples are in the heart of the northwest Lower Peninsula snowbelt. Mancelona and Gaylord get heavy lake effect with northwest, west and slightly southwest winds. Also, the Keweenaw Peninsula, sticking out into Lake Superior, can get lake effect snow from west winds to north winds to northeast winds. That’s why they often shovel over 200 inches of snow in Houghton, MI.
The opposite is true for Grand Rapids and to some extent, Traverse City. Grand Rapids needs a west to southwest wind for heavy lake effect. West winds are common in winter, but don’t tend to last for more than 12 hours. That’s why Grand Rapids often gets only 12 hours of heavy lake effect and a few inches of snow. The wind then veers to the northwest and areas around Holland and Allegan get buried. Downtown Traverse City has a hard time getting heavy lake effect also. Traverse City needs a north-northwest wind to straight north wind for the heaviest lake effect to move into downtown. That wind flow does happen, but it only lasts 24-48 hours a few times each winter.
Thanks to another Mark, Mark Miller, for today’s photo of the Ice Beast of the Frozen Tundra aka Major. View the photo bigger and see more in his “Major” slideshow.
Here’s Mark Torregrossa’s video:
Alien Sheep
Alien Sheep, photo by Steve
The Truth is out there … if the sheep didn’t eat it.
View Steve’s photo bigger and see more in his Canon 5D Mark II / III / IV slideshow.
Gloom over West Grand Traverse Bay
Gloom over Grand Traverse Bay, photo by Amie Lucas
View Amie’s photo background bigilicious, see more in her Central Michigan slideshow, and be sure to follow Amie Lucas Photography on Facebook.
PS: You can get Amie’s 2017 Calendar on her website.
Jennie F. Clauson saw the world change
Jennie F. Clausen, photo by Marty Hogan
View Marty’s photo background big and see more in his Michigan Burying Grounds slideshow.
The December 7th anniversary of Pearl Harbor is one of the sign posts in American history. Marty writes that in nearly a century, Jennie F. Clauson from Grand Rapids, Michigan saw a world change. Here’s the entirety of his post:
Bay City Santa Attack!
Santa Attack!, photo by Tom Clark
The annual Santa Claus for the Cause in Bay City takes place next Thursday (December 15) from 5-10 PM. It’s a pub crawl and just $10 gets you a Santa Suit and supports local charities.
View Tom’s photo bigger, see more in his whimsical things slideshow, and follow him at TAC Photography on Facebook.
Good Morning: Sandhill Crane Edition
Good morning!, photo by Jiafan (John) Xu
View Jiafan’s photo bigger and see more in his sideshow.
More about Sandhill cranes on Michigan in Pictures.
Love & Hate in Michigan
The People of Detroit: Stylist | Make-Up Artist, photo by Noah Stephens
The Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan had the highest number of hate incidents among states in the Midwest in the 10 days following the Nov. 8 election, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center released this week.
There were at least 40 incidents involving bias against African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, Jews, Muslims, LGBT, and others in Michigan in the period following the contentious election, 18 of them involving suspects who mentioned Donald Trump, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
It saddens me greatly to see Michigan, a “home free” stop on the Underground Railroad and a state that has gained as much from immigrants & diversity as any in the Union, to lead in such an ignominious category.
Anyway, in the interest of tolerance and appreciating our shared diversity, I wanted to steer you all to one of my favorite photographic projects, Noah Stephens’ The People of Detroit. It’s a fantastic glimpse inside the vibrant mix of people that call Detroit home. His post on Sharon who is pictured above says in part:
Sharon is a stylist and make-up artist who immigrated to metro-Detroit at 16 from Puerto Rico. We had a really cool conversation about the differences between the two places – especially the weather.
…Sharon never became much of a fan of the winter weather, but she did say she loves summer in the D. She talked about how much she and her friends like to bike around downtown in the summer and then go down to the Riverwalk to relax, read a book, and maybe have a couple of sips of wine.
I told her about a large, male co-worker who works downtown but who has never spent a single afternoon walking around and doing some of the things Sharon likes to. He has these notions about about some sheathed menace that lies in wait, anxious to envelop him the second he steps out on Jefferson Ave.
Of course no such menace exists. As downtowns go, Detroit’s is as safe as any other major city’s. A fact Puerto Rico expat Sharon is well aware of.
Funny how sometimes the most accurate appraisals of a place come from one thousand miles away.
Indeed. View Noah’s photo bigger, see more in his The People of Detroit slideshow, and follow him on Facebook & Twitter.
Michigan in Pictures 