SkyPix

A digital photographic storybook of clouds, weather and water by Roger Edwards.

Derailed

By

We don't often see the undercarriage of rail-freight cars, but a complex of severe thunderstorms the prior night shoved these over and permitted just such a view.  The crosswinds here were unknown in strength but likely severe; 82-mph gusts occurred a few miles south of nearby York.  The storms responsible for this mess began the prior afternoon over eastern Colorado and hurled a broad swath of … [Read more...]

Edge of Dettifoss

By

Raw, intense, undammed, untamed, natural as can be:  the largest river that drains the largest glacier in Iceland plunges 144 feet over a basalt ledge in a roaring torrent powerful enough to feel underfoot as low-frequency vibrations a hundred yards distant.  Nary a rope or guardrail is to be found; step a step too far and you die, your fault, period.  The wholly uninhibited character of the place … [Read more...]

Baily’s Beads

By

On the other side of an annular eclipse from the first crescent sun, the visual edges of the lunar and solar discs became juxtaposed, rendering a beaded edge for just a few seconds.  This phenomenon, which also shows up during total solar eclipses, is known as Baily's beads after its 1836 documentation by Francis Baily.  The rough terrain of the moon differentially blocks sunlight, breaking up the … [Read more...]

Salzburg Twilight Reflective

By

Birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christian Doppler, and most importantly my wife Elke, Salzburg justifiably earns wide renown as one of Europe's most beautiful cities.  The eleventh-century Festung Hohensalzburg fortress overlooks a treasure trove of baroque architecture.  In a relaxing, rainy twilight, lights from the Old City reflected off both the Salzach River and wet streets.  This was … [Read more...]

Iridescent Cloud

By

This colorful high cloud chunk, detached from the south side of an extensive anvil shield to the NW, exuded marvelous iridescence for just a few minutes.   Young, thin clouds with small variations in drop size sometimes produce this effect through diffraction—usually near the sun, as in this instance.   Through its short lifespan, the formation blazed yellow-orange, orange-red (right before I … [Read more...]

Sunset over Downtown KC

By

From deep in the archive of film slides comes this jewel that I finally scanned in 2011, nearly 18 years after clicking the shutter.  The downtown skyline of Kansas City, as seen from the 17th floor of the Federal building, framed another splendid sunset.  Thunderstorms from late afternoon had weakened and moved east, leaving behind a plethora of middle- and high-level clouds, some of them … [Read more...]