My Personal Learning Curve

In A Roundabout Sort Of Way

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

How do we know the world is round? For most of humanity, we’ll never get the chance to go up on a NASA mission to see Mother Earth from outer space. But if you have a wide enough vista of clear sky, just watch a commercial jet and you’ll actually see that while it maintains a straight, undeviating course, the earth’s curvature actually makes it look as if the jet is turning.

This shot was taken on the Easter weekend this year. The Authorbloglets and their friends were out and about near the sea – and a couple of camera buffs were shooting the coastline and other familiar scenes.

At one stage, I walked over to a nearby bench to change lenses. Unable to resist watching the condensation trail of an airliner high overhead, I happened to notice the contrail beginning to form an arc.

I instantly forgot all about changing my lens to the zoom I had in my camera bag. Instead, I stuck with my normal lens and shot this second image (below) while practically lying on my back.


For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.

Zoom In

The Sky Trail Of A Genuine High Flier

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Most days I’m up bright and early and on Monday morning, as I always do, I shot a couple of glances out the window to see if there was any chance of great dawn colour in the sky. Naaaah, I told myself as I turned my attention to other tasks.

About ten minutes later I went into the kitchen for something and noticed this pink slash across the sky. It was obviously not a cloud and because it was a relatively still morning I realised it was a contrail (or condensation trail) left by a high-flying jet.

The aircraft had obviously flown over after my first glimpse through the window, or else I would have seen the contrail before. But in the soft light of those magical minutes before true dawn, the contrail itself, now broadening from its original gossamer-like state, was the only thing above the horizon to reflect the light of the sun that was about to rise.

About twenty minutes later, the orientation of the contrail had shifted further east, but I couldn’t resist taking this last shot, despite the change in colour.


For other participants in Dot’s concept, go to Sky Watch HQ.