Covering my favorite topics in the areas of science and nature. Concentrating on astronomy, meteorology, photography, and travel.
Jul 3rd, 2009 by CtCameraEye
Over the course of one day of collecting, the 2009 Connecticut BioBlitz identified 1,715 species in greater Hartford. Based out of Goodwin College in East Hartford, scientists worked round the clock to register a miriad of species from Hartford’s Keney Park, and the area surrounding Goodwin College. This was the BioBlitz 10th anniversary of collecting.
Jun 29th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
Thanks to a CtCameraeye follower Darlene who lives in Marlborough, who gave me some information about heavy damage around West Rd. in Marlborough. I immediately went down West Rd and Isleib Rd
where she directed me to go see for myself the results of the storm on Saturday night. I was amazed.
After talking to people at the firehouse on West Rd. and a few homeowners on Isleib Rd. this was no regular storm. Hundreds of fallen trees snapped off and twisted at the tops, wires down, and athletic equipment from the towns ball park were strewn around. Hard to believe that I live about 3 miles away and got very little damage. Even though I did get a picture of the rotating cloud Saturday night which traveled northeast when I lost sight of it. That’s exactly the direction West Rd, and Isleib Roads are. I wonder if it did turn into a tornado that touched down. At the least there must have been winds about 100 mph to do that much damage.
Why didn’t we hear anything about this damage? I guess it was overshadowed by the destruction of Wethersfield. Here are some pictures from the damage in Marlborough.
Destruction on West Rd. and Jones Hollow Rd.
Trees all around the firehouse on West Rd. are all toppled.
Logs and an overturned soccer goal by the athletic field on West Rd are only left due to a lot of hard work by the towns road crew! The roads are finally opened for traffic.
Thanks again Darlene for the comments, and the information about our town!
Jun 29th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
For a full report go to the National Weather Service for a Public statement about this tornado. Scroll down the page for the statement. Here is an abbreviated version.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
332 PM EDT SUN JUN 28 2009
…EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN WETHERSFIELD CT ON FRIDAY JUNE 26.2009
LOCATION… WETHERSFIELD…HARTFORD COUNTY…CONNECTICUT
DATE… FRIDAY JUNE 26 2009
TIME… 450-453 PM
MAXIMUM EF SCALE RATING… EF1
ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED… 100 MPH
MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH… APPROXIMATELY 40 YARDS
PATH LENGTH… APPROXIMATELY 1.7 MILES
*FATALITIES… NONE
*INJURIES… 1
*NOTE THESE NUMBERS COULD CHANGE AFTER ISSUANCE OF THIS PRODUCT.
…SUMMARY…
LATE IN THE AFTERNOON ON JUNE 26…A POWERFUL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
MOVED EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN HARTFORD COUNTY…DOWNING
TREES AND POWERLINES ACROSS MANY TOWNS…INCLUDING BURLINGTON…
FARMINGTON…PLAINVILLE…WEST HARTFORD…SOUTHINGTON…BRISTOL…
NEW BRITAIN…NEWINGTON…WETHERSFIELD…GLASTONBURY…AND
MARLBOROUGH. HARDEST HIT WERE THE TOWNS OF WETHERSFIELD AND
FARMINGTON.
Jun 28th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
After returning home last night from documenting the toronado that struck Wethersfield, Ct. a strong storm cell developed over Glastonbury, Ct. about 8 miles away. Following it’s growth on www.wunderground.com I knew it was going to be a bad one with winds over 50 MPH and 1″ hail.
I went outside to see what I could get a picture of if anything at all. As the edge of the storm approached I noticed a definite rotation of the clouds at about 2,000 feet. I ran inside and confirmed it on the doppler radar on the website. I went back out and watched as the storm basically stalled around Colchester, Ct. (just to the south of Marlborough) but the clouds were still rotating above our house.
Here is a picture of what I saw. Please click on the frame to see a larger version of the image.
Quite the interesting “end of the world is coming” cloud formation.
Within a half an hour the storm cell dissapated without wrecking to much havoc in the Marlborough area. This was a unbelievable experience to see natures fury, and get to document part of it!
Jun 28th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
Many homes heavily damaged or destroyed as Mayor declares Wethersfield, Connecticut a disaster area.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a “narrow toronado” had struck Wethersfield with winds of 85 to 100 miles per hour as over 10, 000 residents spent their second night without power.
Officials from Wethersfield and Farmington opened shelters in their town to accomodate resident who choose to spend the night there.
CtCameraEye was with Gov. M. Jodi Rell for about an hour yesterday while she toured the devestation. The Governor remarked that ” It’s unbelievable that it is almost 30 years to the month that a toronado struck Windsor Locks”. She late went on to console residents who had severe damage done to their homes.
At the height of the storm over 30,00 people had lost power according to Frank Poirot, CL&P spokesman.
This tree on Davidson Rd. knocked down a electrical pole with a transformer on it on to a home.
The Broad Street Green was devestated with huge fallen trees that were hundreds of years old.
Jun 26th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
It’s been a week I always look forward to during the year as professional golf comes to Connecticut.
I have always had fun photographing the pro golfers and seeing their amazing shots. That’s not to mention the celebrities that show up on Pro-Am Day. I have met and photographed a few over the years that include Jackie Gleason, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, and a lot more. This year was no different. A lot of work and a lot of fun working 12-16 hours a day to get the right shot or to produce a nice video. Today, was one of those special days. It was the second day in the tourneyment when some severe weather moved in with 50 mph wind, rain, and lightning. When thousands of people were being evacuated off the golf course I was getting suited up to get into the storm at this unique event at a PGA Golf Tourneyment. The shot above was just before the storm hit with all of it’s fury. Towns around Cromwell, Ct. where the Travelers Championship is being held got hit hard with power outages, trees down, and houses badly damaged. I finally was able to leave at about 8:00pm from the Media area only to find the picture below on the way home. a fitting end to a great and exciting day of golf and severe weather.
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Jun 22nd, 2009 by CtCameraEye
It’s hard to believe but it has been 10 months since I started this Science Blog called CtCameraEye.
We have covered subjects such as spacecraft, swans, skating and the sun. Cars, conjunctions, clouds, and Connecticut. The planets, Pleiades, people, and peepers. Block Island, Rhode Island, and the Island of St. Martin.
I hope you all have enjoyed the articles and photographs that I have posted covering all of the above subjects. I, certainly enjoy reading all of the comments and all of the encouragement that I have gotten to keep going, to “show and tell” more about our world, science, and most of all, Connecticut.
So, with this 100th posting I am unvailing this new logo that I have come up with for CtCameraEye.
I hope you enjoy it, and all of the posting yet to come on this site.
Have a great summer!
CtCameraeye - Alan Chaniewski
Jun 18th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
Summer is upon us, and what better getaway is there than to see two icons of the U.S. space program within an easy drive from Connecticut.
Head to Queens, New York and the New York Hall of Science. With in a few hours you will see Rocket Park. A 5,000 square foot exhibition that features an Atlas booster with a replica Mercury capsule and an Titan II booster with a Gemini capsule. The park also features a Friendship 7 interactive exhibit in which visitors can actually climb into the capsule itself.
Still not enough for you? In the shadow of the rockets you can learn about “rocket science” in a brand new Rocket Park Mini Golf course. Designed in the motif of the 1960’s you can putt through 9 holes with names such as Launch Window, Blast Off, and Space Junk. Players learn about key concepts of space technology, and gravity as they play.
All of this and you have not even entered the New York Hall of Science yet! Check out their website for more information. CtCameraeye is putting this on his to-do list this summer for sure.
Clear Skies..(I hope soon)…
Jun 13th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
The Center for Conservatation and Biodiversity, and the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History join together to host a program called the “BioBlitz”. Designed as part contest, part educational event, and part scientific endeavor, the BioBlitz bring scientists together from the University of Connecticut and other organizations across the state to see how many species that they can count in a 24 hour period in a Connecticut park.
BioBlitz “collectors” leave Goodwin College in East Hartford Saturday morning to go out and find more species of “Biodiversity”. The college was headquarters for this years BioBlitz.
Inside Goodwin College tables are set up showing many different types of species from around Connecticut and beyond.
This aquarium full of tadpoles was just one of scores of creatures that you can see, touch, and even smell if you wanted too.
Here is a website that you can find out more information about this BioBlitz. Check out http://web.uconn.edu/mnh/bioblitz/ .
Jun 12th, 2009 by CtCameraEye
Matt Fluery, President & CEO of the Connecticut Science Center welcomes the hundreds who attended the opening ceremonies. “At a time when people seek good news and good value, the Connecticut Science Center is here to offer an easy to reach, affordable, highly entertaining and powerfully educational destination,”
Gov. M. Jodi Rell shows off a copy of the USA Today Newspaper which showcased the opening of the Connecticut Science Center in one of their section fronts in todays paper. “Today, Connecticut looks forward with vision to the world of the future and the readiness of our state and our children tosucceed with awareness, knowledge and skills,” said Governor Rell. “Far too many children find science distant and intimidating, and the Connecticut Science Center is here to reveal the importance, possibility and enjoyment of science that will help them embrace this important subject throughout their lives.”
NASA news Sky & Telescope
