rainbow

End of the Rainbow along the Breezeway

Posted on May 10, 2016 by farlane

Thomas says that he got to the end of the rainbow, but no Pot ‘O Gold. He took it along the Breezeway in northwest lower Michigan near East Jordan Michigan. According to the Breezeway website, which Thomas is involved with and links to from his Flickr profile:

The “Breezeway” – a rural ride along C-48 from Atwood (U.S. 31) through Ellsworth & East Jordan, and ending in Boyne Falls (U.S. 131) – boasts scenic overlooks, great motorcycle & bicycle rides, recreational amenities galore, working farms & orchards, artist galleries & studios, resale shops, lodging facilities (cottages, campgrounds, B&Bs, motels, and a resort), retail and service businesses with superb customer service, and an epicurean’s selection of dining choices along the route.

View his photo background bigtacular and see more in his Sites Along the Breezway slideshow.

Lots more about rainbows on Michigan in Pictures!

Double Rainbow

Posted on April 14, 2016April 13, 2016 by farlane

Double Rainbow, photo by Your Hometown Photography

I simply love Atmospheric Optics for nearly everything about lights in the sky. Regarding secondary rainbows or “double rainbows” they say that the secondary is nearly always fainter than the primary, with colors reversed and more widely separated:

Light can be reflected more than once inside a raindrop. Rays escaping after two reflections make a secondary bow.

The secondary has a radius of 51º and lies some 9º outside the primary bow. It is broader, 1.8X the width of the primary, and its colours are reversed so that the reds of the two bows always face one another. The secondary has 43% of the total brightness of the primary but its surface brightness is lower than that because its light is spread over its greater angular extent. The primary and secondary are are concentric, sharing the antisolar point for a center.

About this particular rainbow from April 2, 2016, Gerry writes: “Double rainbow from the other night after the storms. The weather in Michigan can change quickly, from rainbows to snow. Yep, that’s Michigan.”

Indeed. View her photo bigger and follow Your Hometown Photography on Facebook for more.

More rainbows on Michigan in Pictures.

A Rainbow Primer

Posted on December 18, 2015 by farlane

Incomplete, photo by Jamie MacDonald

I’ve never found a better website for information about rainbows and other optical phenomena than Atmospheric Optics. They have information about all flavors of rainbows including the primary rainbow, and explain that rainbows are disks of light rather than sets of coloured rings:

Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to see them because the sun must not be too high. Rainbows are always opposite the sun and their centres are below the horizon at the the antisolar point. The lower the sun the higher is the bow.

Red is always outermost in the primary bow with orange, yellow, green and blue within. Occasionally, when the raindrops are small, fainter supernumerary arcs of electric greens, pinks and purples lie just inside the main bow.

A rainbow is not just a set of coloured rings. The sky inside is bright because raindrops direct light there too. The primary bow is a shining disk brightening very strongly towards its rim.

About this particular rainbow, Jamie writes:

This is the first time I have ever seen part of a rainbow in open skies. Look to the sky above the barn and you can just make out the missing portion of the rainbow.

View his photo bigger and see more in his Landscapes slideshow.

More rainbows on Michigan in Pictures!

Walking into an Autumn Rainbow

Posted on November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 by farlane

Walking into an Autumn Rainbow, photo by Owen Weber

Perfect title!

I feel like I didn’t get a chance to say farewell to fall, so I’ll do it this week. The first is from my backyard, on the trail that leads to the Empire Bluffs in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

View the photo bigger, see more in Owen’s Michigan slideshow. and also check out his website at owenweberphotography.com to view & purchase prints.

More fall color on Michigan in Pictures.

Isle Royale is the Pot Of Gold

Posted on September 3, 2015February 22, 2016 by farlane

Isle Royale is the Pot Of Gold, photo by Ross Ellet

I confess that I am more curious about what will happen with wolves & moose on Isle Royale than what candidates are up in the polls.

Isle Royale National Park is certainly one of Michigan’s crown jewels. Some of my favorite things about Michigan’s largest island:

The riveting account from Black Coffee at Sunrise of an encounter with wolves on Isle Royale. (<this is 110% the experience that Isle Royale can offer)
The incredible study of wolves & moose on Isle Royale. It started in 1954 and you can access it at The Wolves & Moose of Isle Royale. (<If you click any links, I hope it’s this one)
Moose. Up close and personal and doing what moose do.
It’s a great place to see the Northern Lights … the zodiacal light too.
There’s some amazing views like Mount Franklin & Rock Harbor Lighthouse.
17 islands.
Deep wilderness camping miles from anything.
It’s a great place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee.
Starbreeze.

Ross says that this was an awesome surprise one morning as they were filtering water from the lake. Check out his photo background bigtacular, see more including some Northern Lights photos in his Isle Royale slideshow, and view and purchase his work at rossellet.com.

More summer wallpaper and more really cool rainbows on Michigan in Pictures.

Prismatic

Posted on May 23, 2015 by farlane

lower harbor massive rainbow, photo by Lake Superior Photo

I’ve featured a photo of a rainbow and one of Marquette’s harbor in the last couple of days, but I haven’t featured a photo of both! Have a great weekend folks.

Shawn writes: prismatic is on the mind right now, recalling one of the most brilliant rainbows I’ve ever witnessed. View the photo background bigtacular and head over to Lake Superior Photo to view and purchase photos (including a stunning double rainbow) in her Lake Superior Landscapes gallery.

More rainbows & rainbow science on Michigan in Pictures.