Michigan helped fly Artemis to the Moon

Posted on by farlane

Fly Me to the Moon by Morgan Andrew Somers

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.

All told, at least 78 Michigan-based entities contributed to the mission, said Mark Ignash, director of strategic initiatives at Michigan’s Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation.

…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.

I shared this stunning photo of a plane flying across the April 8, 2024 eclipse taken in Flint by Morgan Andrew Somers two years ago. It was the third most popular photo of 2024, and for my money far and away the best pic of the eclipse taken from Michigan that I’ve seen & also kind of perfect for this post. Head over to the MASphoto Facebook for more including the answer to “is this photo fake” (no, it is not). View & purchase prints at morganandrewsomers.com!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

See the March 3rd Blood Moon Eclipse in Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Blood Moon over Grand Haven by Randy Riksen Photography

Blood Moon over Grand Haven by Randy Riksen Photography

The Detroit Free Press shares that Michigan’s chances of viewing the “Blood Moon” eclipse early tomorrow morning will depend on the weather:

The “blood moon” eclipse takes place during March’s full moon, which will occur in the early morning of Tuesday, March 3. The full moon’s peak and eclipse’s totality to coincide at 6:38 a.m., according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Clear skies permitting, the Worm Moon could be visible for part of the eclipse in Michigan, with the moon to set for local viewers during totality.

Our friends over at EarthSky explain that total eclipses can turn the moon a deep shade of red, and have lots more detail about viewing. They explain why this eclipse called a Blood Moon eclipse and that the shade of red on the moon will depend mostly on what’s happening in Earth’s atmosphere at the moment of the eclipse.

Randy took this photo of the October 2014 total lunar eclipse over the Grand Haven South Pierhead Lighthouse and says that keeping the camera still enough in the howling wind was a chore in itself!! View & purchase his work including some killer fishing photos on his website.

Lots more solar & lunar eclipse photos on Michigan in Pictures!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

No Saturday Sunrise Solar Eclipse for Michigan

Posted on by farlane
Eclipse - June 16, 2021 by Rod Burdick

Eclipse – June 16, 2021 by Rod Burdick

If you thought (like me) that you could see the solar eclipse on Saturday in Michigan, I regret to inform you that no you can’t 🫤

Back in 2021, Rod also got a shot of the Canadian laker Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin in subdued light of the eclipse. You can see a BUNCH more shots of ships on his Flickr! Lots more eclipses on Michigan in Pictures!

Canadian laker Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin, passage in subdued light from a solar eclipse by Rod Burdick

Canadian laker Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin, passage in subdued light from a solar eclipse by Rod Burdick

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Supermoon Eclipse Tuesday night!

Posted on by farlane

Super Moon Total Lunar Eclipse by Kenneth Raymond

Bridge Michigan shares that the supermoon tomorrow night (September 17) could be (literally) overshadowed by another astronomical event, a partial lunar eclipse:

Full moons are likely every month, but supermoons, which occur when the moon is closest to Earth, are rarer. Only 25% of all full moons are supermoons, according to NASA. The next ones are Oct. 17 and Nov. 15. But the September supermoon will be brighter and red because of the partial lunar eclipse, which is when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, and casts its shadow on the moon.

“Supermoon is a popular science term for when full moons occur close to the perigee of the moon’s orbit about Earth,” said Seth Jacobson, natural science professor at Michigan State University.

“Lunar eclipses occur at full moons when the sun, Earth and moon are all in the same plane and in that order. In this case, the moon will simultaneously be closer and in almost the exact same plane, so we get a partial lunar eclipse and a supermoon at the same time. The chance of both occurring during the same full moon cycle is about 5% or once every one-and-a-half years,” Jacobson said.

The partial eclipse is predicted at 10:44.

I’ve featured this sweet shot Kenneth took this during the total lunar eclipse of Steptember 27, 2015 before & I will probably do so again! See more in his Night Sky gallery on Flickr and view & purchase his work on his website.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Fly Me to the Moon

Posted on by farlane

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

Fly Me to the Moon by Morgan Andrew Somers

I have seen a lot of amazing photos of the April 8, 2024 eclipse, but this shot from Flint by Morgan Andrew Somers of a plane flying into the eclipse is one of the coolest!!

Head over to the MASphoto Facebook for more including the answer to “is this photo fake” (no, it is not). View & purchase prints including this one at morganandrewsomers.com!

More eclipse photos on Michigan in Pictures & please share yours in the comments, to the post on Facebook or our Michigan in Pictures group!

When You Look into the Sun

Posted on by farlane

Solar Eclipse 2012 by Diane

So when you look into the sun and see the words you could have sung
It’s not too late, only begun
We can still make summer
Yes, summer always comes anyway

-Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull)

There’s a lot of wild stories flying around about today’s eclipse. One that isn’t is the fact that there are a LOT of counterfeit glasses out there. If you are not CERTAIN the ones you have are legit, DO NOT WEAR THEM. You could go permanently blind.

Diane took this back in May 2012. See more in her Sunrise~Sunset album on Flickr.

Have a great eclipse & for sure share any pictures here or to this post on Facebook!

All or nothing for the April 8th eclipse

Posted on by farlane

Solar Eclipse, October 23, 2014 by David Marvin

So…. you will see the sky darken in most of Michigan BUT you won’t get the total eclipse:

“There is no such thing as a 99% total solar eclipse,” Dr. Rick Fienberg, Project Manager, AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force at the American Astronomical Society, said in a press briefing. “Just like there’s no such thing as being 99% pregnant — it’s all or nothing.”

More from Space.com & if you do want to see how much coverage you’ll get, check out this Freep article which lists Start time for partial eclipse in Detroit as 1:58pm, max coverage (99%) at 3:14pm, ending at 4:27pm.

David took this photo back in 2014. See his latest on Flickr!

May 15th Lunar Eclipse & what the heck is a Blood Moon anyway?

Posted on by farlane

Super Moon Total Lunar Eclipse by Kenneth Raymond

Super Moon Total Lunar Eclipse by Kenneth Raymond

On the night of Sunday, May 15th, a lunar eclipse will begin at 10:28 pm with total eclipse (when the moon turns red) occurring at 12:11 am. The red cast of the moon at total eclipse has inexplicably become popularized as a “blood moon” in recent years. NASA’s page on viewing the total lunar eclipse gives viewing information & explains why the moon turns red during a lunar eclipse:

The same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse. It’s called Rayleigh scattering. Light travels in waves, and different colors of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength.

Red light, on the other hand, travels more directly through the atmosphere. When the Sun is overhead, we see blue light throughout the sky. But when the Sun is setting, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere and travel farther before reaching our eyes. The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light pass through.

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear. It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.

Kenneth took this in Detroit back in September of 2015 during the super moon total eclipse. See more in his The Night Sky gallery on Flickr and view & purchase prints & other products on his website.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Leonids + Lunar Eclipse = TONIGHT!

Posted on by farlane

Lunar Eclipse by the Lighthouse by Sathya

Lunar Eclipse by the Lighthouse by Sathya

If the weather cooperates, tonight & early tomorrow morning hold a whole lot of skywatching potential for Michiganders! In addition to the peak of the Leonid meteor shower, NPR shares the details on tonight’s lunar eclipse:

West Coast night owls and East Coast early risers will have the best view of the upcoming lunar eclipse this Friday. Overnight, the moon will pass into the shadow of Earth cast by the sun, illuminating the gray orb with a red hue.

It will be the second and final eclipse of the year. NASA predicts the eclipse will last over 3 hours and 28 minutes. That would make it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years, according to the Holcomb Observatory at Butler University.

…For U.S. viewers the peak of the eclipse — when the moon is the most covered by Earth’s shadow — will be at 4:03 a.m. ET.

But the moon will begin to pass into the Earth’s shadow much earlier, around 1:00 am ET. At 2:19 a.m. ET the moon will move into the umbra, the inner part of Earth’s shadow, and begin to look like a chunk is missing from it. It will turn red around 3:45 a.m. ET

Sathya shares the story behind this photo from April 2015, saying in part, “Witnessing the lunar eclipse was magical. Planning and shooting the same was a lot of fun. Out here, in the north east of US, the lunar eclipse was not total, so missed out on the blood moon, but it was still a scintillating experience. As the moon was getting into total eclipse, it set over the horizon … This shot is a mix of landscape and time slice – in an attempt to highlight the lunar eclipse in the context of the surrounding landscape. This was a panorama made out of a composite. Though it does not look like a wide view, that is what helped capture the moon and the lighthouse in context.”

See more in his Showcase gallery on Flickr & on his website Like the Ocean.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

TBT: Last Week’s Eclipse

Posted on by farlane

Eclipse June 10 2021 by Rod Burdick

Eclipse June 10, 2021 by Rod Burdick

Sure it’s a little early for a “Throwback Thursday” pic, but I had to share this shot from last week’s eclipse over the foggy St. Clair River.

Head over to Rod’s Flickr for many more shots of the St. Clair River & Great Lakes marine subjects!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon