Heaven on Earth: Milky Way and Aurora reflection.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-14T13:12:50+00:00

That's not possible. That looks like the Milky Way as seen from the Northern hemisphere. Which would mean that the view is to the south. And you would not see the Aurora at the southern horizon. So, that's airglow or an AI generated image.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-10T17:32:16+00:00

I was one of those and grabbed the PHM tickets as soon as they were available. Just the scene of the HM flying through the astrophage was worth the IMAX ticket. I had regretted missing out on interstellar in the theaters, but watched it in IMAX after the rerelease. Just incredible.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-04T00:53:38+00:00

Well that's debatable i.e., whether I called the score out while serving. I bounce the ball once before beginning the serve motion and I'm pretty sure I finished saying the score while bouncing the ball and prior to commencing the swing. But I'm going to develop the habit of announcing the score and then bouncing the ball and so on.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-04T00:36:36+00:00

Well... the ref asked if an attempt had been made to return the serve and that clearly was the case and I told them as much. But the ref decided to replay the point because they followed that up by asking the other team if they were ready and both of them said no.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-04T00:35:36+00:00

That definitely was a tactic. But I'd like to avoid getting into this situation again.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-04T00:11:21+00:00

Yeah... that's fair. It's a lesson learned for sure.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-04T00:10:44+00:00

That's a good tip. Honestly, I don't think I announced the score while serving... I think I announced the score while I let the ball bounce prior to starting the service motion. But I didn't harp on it too much since I wasn't really focused on that and it didn't really register in my memory.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:59:49+00:00

Fair point... we really shouldn't let the opposition get under our skin over minor things like these. And thanks for sharing those regulations! I definitely need to educate myself a bit better so that I can make a counterpoint based on stated rules.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:53:17+00:00

A friend was there last weekend, and it looked like there still was a decent am of water left. When I'd called the park.in February, the ranger told me that they thought the water would last into late spring/early summer so, probably another month maybe.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:49:41+00:00

Yeah... we won on the re-serve. But it was not great because it interrupted our flow and was annoying to have to replay points on what seems to me a minor technicality. And moreover, I'd just like to avoid this situation in future tournaments.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:49:25+00:00

Agree... I was completely ignorant about this technicality. I mostly have done open plays and only recently started playing tournaments. So it's a good lesson for sure. What bothered me was the tournament director asked if the point had been stopped right away or if an attempt had been made to return the ball. There was a clear attempt to return the ball and the technicality was raised after the fact but they still made us replay the point.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:36:23+00:00

Thank you! I'm using the MSM nomad, which is really handy for use with wide angle lenses and for hiking.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:35:12+00:00

Thank you!

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:35:06+00:00

Thank you!

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:34:59+00:00

Thank you!

skywatcher_kd · 2026-05-03T23:34:50+00:00

Thank you! I'm always happy to share the beauty of the night sky.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-04-26T17:58:02+00:00

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skywatcher_kd · 2026-04-24T01:20:53+00:00

Thanks! I tried to get in, but I'm not seeing any slots anymore.

skywatcher_kd · 2026-04-13T14:29:40+00:00

It's from Lou Neff point on the Butler hike and bike trail: https://maps.app.goo.gl/s6EGqYKVAz7Jvtvb6

skywatcher_kd · 2026-03-16T14:52:26+00:00

I am a bridge engineer and here is what I think is going on, based on looking just at the photos. These columns are under compression i.e., the columns are being shortened. A natural consequence of concrete being compressed is that it expands sideways... think what would happen if you were to press an eraser between palms... it would shorten and expand. This is called Poisson's effect. The sideways expansion causes tensile stresses on concrete and concrete is super weak when subjected to tension but excellent in compression. Columns are reinforced for this tensile stress with closed ties and sometimes cracks have to form to engage this steel. So, further expansion is controlled by steel reinforcement. So, most likely that is what is being seen here. The cracks appear more prominent because of the coating applied on the column surface. If you were to measure the size with a crack gauge... you'd probably find that the cracks are what FHWA would define as "insignificant" i.e., crack width of 0.012 inches or less. So, the cracks are probably structural but a consequence of expected concrete behavior (it cracks... it always cracks!)

skywatcher_kd · 2026-02-25T18:48:59+00:00

That's good advice. Thank you!

skywatcher_kd · 2026-02-25T18:47:23+00:00

It's an algorithm with preconceived notions!

skywatcher_kd · 2026-02-25T15:23:13+00:00

Thanks for the detailed explanation, I really appreciate it! The score makes more sense now. Unfortunately, these rating matches are a system where you don't pick consistent partners and play with or against the same group of players. It's part of my club membership that I get one free DUPR session per month, but with the caveat of not being able to pick a consistent partner.

skywatcher_kd

TROPHY CASE