This is my season!  Once our variable spring weather begins to improve and warm up, the atmosphere starts to perk.  As for weather here in New England, the daily journey towards the summer solstice means warmer temps, cold fronts and instability.  Especially as we head into June, July and August, our chances for severe weather increases mainly in the form of thunderstorms.  I am planning on doing more "chasing" and "storm spotting" this season and hopefully capture more lightning events, using my Lightning Trigger, then I have in the last couple of years.  I purchased and downloaded a new radar app for severe weather called RadarLoop which was recommended by legendary storm chaser and imager Jim Reed.  Once we get into August and September, my focus (no pun intended) will shift towards tropical weather.  

     May through October is also the season for observing and imaging the night sky.  This year we have three solar system planets coming into opposition with earth.  Jupiter, currently, and by June, Saturn.  The red planet, Mars, will be our main event as it comes almost as close to earth as it did in 2003 giving us spectacular views of the planet's surface details.  This opposition is set to occur at the end of July 2018.  Don't miss it!  Also in the cosmos is the fantastic summer Milky Way arcing across the sky and the grand summer Triangle consisting of the bright stars Altair, Deneb and Vega.  And don't forget to get to a dark-sky site to see all of these cosmic wonders including satellite flybys, meteors, space stations, zodicial light, auroras and much more!  With the more comfortable, warmer temperatures, I begin my seasonal telescope observations and records and my astrophotography.  This year I have a full schedule and plan to attend 2 star parties, astrophotography in Arcadia National Park, Maine, and my annual weather conference.

     Of course, in between all of this will be my pursuit of outdoor nature photography with landscape subjects and any other "On the Edge" atmospheric events.  I am also planning on creating a photographic portfolio of Cape Cod's best sunset locations with a series of 19 outdoor, hands-on workshops at different locations on the Cape.  This is open to all my students and you can learn more about these spectacular workshops by going to my WORKSHOPS page, signing up for my email or contacting me directly by email.  

     Overall, it should be a fun-filled and exciting season for me and my obsessions!