Rees Erwin & the Northern Lights

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Northern Lights - May 11, 2024

photos by Rees Erwn 
 

 

Two days ago Rees Erwn captured a spectacular light show near Napa, California, when a powerful solar storm produced the Northern Lights aka the aurora borealis. The aurora is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). However, due to a rare incident it moved further south so it could be seen in the upper United States.     

 

For all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event. The northern lights are created when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph), but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught as Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles.           

There are some vivid images on the government NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center that can be seen on their website (link below). All the links below have spectacular images and information.     

 

Rees said he could not see it very well with his naked (this will definitely get the blog X-rated) eyes . . . 

 

 

 

. . . but his trusty iPhone captured the brilliant images, top and below.

 

         

        

        

        

Viewfinder links:        

        

Rees Erwin        

        

Net links:        

         

ABC News ~ Stargazers, astronomers show up for 2nd night of Northern Lights in Bay Area       

AP News ~ Missed Friday’s Northern Lights? The global light show, in photos   

BBC ~ What are the Northern Lights?            

CBS News ~ Maps of northern lights         

Cnet ~ Aurora Light Shows Could Brighten Up Skies All Week   

LA Times ~ Northern lights not visible in L.A. What we missed      

Library of Congress ~ What are the northern lights?     

SF Chronicle ~ Rare, intense solar storm makes northern lights visible in California    

SF Gate ~               

       Northern lights illuminate the San Francisco Bay Area night sky  

       Why photos of the Bay Area's northern lights were better than in person  

Space.com ~    

       Northern lights: What causes them & why do they vary     

       Northern lights: What they are & how to see them             

SWPC ~ Aurora Viewline for Tonight and Tomorrow (Experimental) 

        

YouTube links:        

         

Aurora Borealis & The Northern Lights with Relaxing Music (3 hours)  

NBC News ~ Northern lights visible across U.S. due to solar storm   

Northern Lights in Real Time (30 mins.)       

Today ~ Northern lights dazzles coast-to-coast amid solar storm     

World Cam ~ LIVE Sun Solar Flare Alert | NOAA: First Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch        

         

        

        

        

        

         

        

         

        

Styrous® ~ Monday, May 13, 2024                 

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Kai Hansen articles/mentions

  

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mentions:     

Helloween ~ Halloween 45 RPM      

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Kai Hansen     

date & photographer unknown     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

 

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Music People

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Markus Grosskopf articles/mentions

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Helloween ~ Halloween 45 RPM      

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Markus Grosskopf     

date & photographer unknown     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

 

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Michael Weikath articles/mentions

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Helloween ~ Halloween 45 RPM      

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Michael Weikath     

date & photographer unknown     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

 

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Ingo Schwichtenberg articles/mentions

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mentions:     

Helloween ~ Halloween 45 RPM      

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Ingo Schwichtenberg     

date & photographer unknown     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

 

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Music People

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Norman Wilkinson articles/mentions

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mentions:       
Dazzle ships, Vorticist art & BLAST     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Norman Wilkinson

photo by Howard Coster

      

   

     

     

        

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John Jacob Astor IV, his gold pocket watch & the RMS Titanic

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John Jacob Astor IV - gold pocket watch  

 

 

A recovered gold pocket watch, which belonged to the richest man on board the Titanic, John Jacob Astor IV, sold for 10 times its estimate and set a new record last month.      

 

His 14-carat gold Waltham watch was sold at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in Wiltshire for a record-breaking £1.175 million, six times the guide price, matching the record paid, £290,000, for a Titanic artifact – the violin played by bandmaster Wallace Hartley.       

 

 

 

    

The sale has led to criticism on social media, with amateur historians taking to X, formerly Twitter, to slam the sale, claiming that the piece belonging to Mr Astor should be displayed in a museum. However, the auction house has said that it's a misunderstanding to assume that such artifacts end up in private collections, with many going on display in museums around the world.           

       

The preservation group Titanic Memorial Lighthouse wrote: 'We are increasingly uneasy with the auctioning of recovered Titanic family artifacts. We hope John Jacob Astor's watch now finds its way to a museum and not into the hands of a private collector never to be seen again.'      

RMS Titanic

 

 

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic, marketed as unsinkable, began its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, towards New York. It never reached its destination but sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg in the early hours of April 15. Of the 2,224 people on board, only 710 survived the disaster and 1,514 lost their lives. Among those who perished was the 47-year-old American John Jacob Astor IV, whose fortune would be equivalent to several billion dollars today. After putting his pregnant wife Madeleine into lifeboat No. 4, Astor was last seen on board, smoking a cigarette and chatting with another passenger.    

 

His body was recovered from the North Atlantic seven days later dressed in a blue suit and brown flannel shirt. He was later identified by the initials 'JJA' engraved on the watch and sewn onto his jacket.      

    

 

 

 

His body was recovered from the water near the site of the accident a week after the sinking and taken to Halifax, Canada, where he was identified by his son Vincent based on the personal items he was carrying. As well as Astor, fellow millionaire passengers Isador Strauss and Benjamin Guggenheim were unable to get a place on the lifeboats despite their wealth and died.          

                 

        

        

Viewfinder links:        

         

John Jacob Astor IV              

Titanic        

        

Net links:        

         

Biography ~ John Jacob Astor IV

Business Insider ~ John Jacob Astor IV: richest man in the world        

Daily Mail UK ~ Auction house in row over sale of gold pocket watch   

Henry Aldridge & Son ~ Auction of Titanic Memorabilia       

        

YouTube links:        

        

John Jacob Astor IV ~ various Titanic items       

        

        

         

        

        

        

        

         

        

         

        

Styrous® ~ Monday, May 6, 2024                 

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John Jacob Astor IV articles/mentions

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    The gold pocket watch & the Titanic   

   

          

mentions:

John Jacob Astor IV - 1895

photographer unknown

        

       

        

        

       

       

        

       

       

        

       

       

 

 

 

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Jens Jensen articles/mentions

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mentions:

Gothic Festival & the USS Hornet       

 

 

 

 

 

Jens Jemsen & Rerun - January 22, 2023

Photo by Styrous®

        

        

        

        

       

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Gothic Festival & the USS Hornet

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Gothic Festival - May 5, 2024

photos by Styrous®
 except where noted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I had a blast when I checked out the The Menagerie Oddities Market World Goth Day Festival that took place on board the USS Hornet which is permanently docked at the old naval base in Alameda.        

 

 

photo by Jens Jensen
 

 

I went with friends Rees and Jens and I'm telling you, it made all the difference in the world to enjoy it with them.                   

 

 

 

 

 There were food trucks on the dock beside the ship . . .

 

 

 

photo by Jens Jensen

 

 

 

 

 We were greeted by a VERY lovely Goth lady . . .

 

. . . but her buddy made me prove I was over 21!

But I am so I got in!

. . . lots of vendor stalls with merchandise to sell (link below) on the ship . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

photo by Jens Jensen

Hermit Victor

 

 

 

 

 

 

. . . and, of course, heavy metal gothic music at both ends of the ship . . .   

 

 

 

photo by Jens Jensen

 

 

. . . unfortunately, I hadn't brought my ear plugs so we had to make a hasty exit.      

 

 

 

 

  

photo by Jens Jensen

 

 

 

photo by Jens Jensen

 

 

 

 

 

        

        

        

        

        

Viewfinder links:        

         

Alameda, California            

Gothic merchandise            

Rees Erwin        

Jens Jensen          

        

Net links:        

         

Body Grim           

Hermit Victor      

The Menagerie Oddities Market World Goth Day Festival       

World Goth Day 2024 - Saturday, May 4th                

        

YouTube links:        

        

Menagerie Oddities Market World Goth Day Festival        

        

        

         

        

        

        

        

         

        

         

        

Styrous® ~ Sunday, May 5, 2024                 

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