Catching the Northern Lights Again

 I heard that there was going to be an aurora again tonight and it was supposed to be a big one.  I wasn't sure but as I was getting home, I could see it at home with my iPhone.  So I headed up to Port Huron, as I was getting up there, it was getting intense.

It wasn't quite as intense when I got to Port Huron, but I could still see it.  So I messed with my exposure times.  I kind of like this one.  This one was a 15 second exposure.

I noticed it was a little hazy on this one but I like this one a little more.  This was a 30 second exposure.

This one was between the two, an I think I like it the best.  I just wish I would have stopped when they were more intense but I would have had to figure out a place to take the pictures.  It looked cool though.  This one was 25 seconds.

I remember seeing an aurora when I was younger but I never saw one again.  Now I've seen two within a span of a few months.  I'm hoping that I see more.

A Stop at the Airport

One the way the home I decided to stop at the airport because there was at least one plane I wanted to catch.

First up was an A320neo.

The neo is powered by a more efficient engine.

This particular one was coming in from Orlando.

It was followed by a CRJ-900 from Providence.

Of course, the one plane that I wanted to catch was a 757.

This particular one was a 757-300 coming in from Orlando.

I love catching these.

They are so beautiful.

About to pass.

And the beamshot.

An A320 coming in from LaGuardia.

A 737 coming in on the other runway gave me a chance to get this shot.

This particular 737 was coming in from Charlotte.

An A320 coming in from Windsor Locks.

This one didn't have an origin point.

But it is a Dassualt Falcon.

This is a pretty beautiful looking aircraft.

So one more picture.

I was not expecting this one but when I saw it on Flight Radar, I had to stick around.

This is a 767 that was coming in from Munich.

I saw that it had a cancer related thing, and I thought it was the one with the pink ribbon.

And I jokingly called that one N318008.

But it wasn't.

One more shot before heading back home.

A Wolverine by Any Other Name

 I had one more ship to catch.

The Robert S. Pierson was coming down from Calcite I think.

She was heading over to Cleveland with a load of stone.

She is looking a bit on the rusty side.

She wasn't too far behind the Nantucket and I like the looks of these ships, so I decided to catch her.

The reason for the name of this post is that she used to be known as the Wolverine when she was owned by Oglebay Norton.

She was bought after Oglebay Norton declared bankruptcy and sold all of their ships.

She is being passed by a cormorant.

It was pretty windy and that made for some wave action.

She is approached by the Westcott.

I like this picture.

The passes under the Ambassador Bridge.

About the midpoint.

She clears the Bridge.

She continues down the River.

The tower of the Gordie Howe Bridge in the background.

One more shot.

Some Flying Things

 Every so often, the planes fly over Riverside Park.  Usually I am busy catching a ship to take pictures but sometimes I get pictures.

This is an A321 that was coming in from Atlanta.

A Robinson R44 Helicopter doing its normal tour.

A Coast Guard Response Boat

 The Littoral Combat Ship was being escorted by a Coast Guard vessel.

I'm not sure if that's because the Nantucket didn't have a pilot on her but it was cool to see it.

Catching the USS Nantucket

 As I looked at Facebook yesterday, I noticed that someone posted a picture of a littoral combat ship passing Port Huron yesterday.  So I looked at Marine Traffic and saw that I would have a chance to catch her in Detroit.  It was a nice day, so I headed down to Detroit.

The USS Nantucket is LCS-27 and is one of the Freedom class Littoral Combat Ships.  She is the 14th one that was built in Marinette, Wisconsin and the third to last one that will leave there.

She is heading on her way to Boston where she will be turned over to the Navy in a commissioning ceremony.  She is the third ship in the Navy to be named after Nantucket.  The first was a monitor that saw action in the Civil War.  The second was a survey ship.

After commissioning, I believe she will be joining her sister ships in Pensacola, Florida.

I'm not sure how long she will be in service as a number of her sisters have been decommissioned.

Anyone who has followed this blog knows that I do not particularly care for these ships.

They were supposed to be a low cost ship that could go into the littorals and fight closer to the shore.

However, because of cost overruns and other issues, that has not been the case.

As a result, when this ship is finished, a new class of frigates will be built.  Some of those will be built in Marinette.

They will be named the Constellation class and as of this writing, they are already behind schedule.

This is not a good thing for a ship that desperately needs new ships.

Even though I do not particularly like this class of ships, I still think it is cool to see Naval vessels pass by.

Anyway, I think she still needs some other things.

She passes under the Ambassador Bridge.

She continues on her way.

The Gordie Howe Bridge in the background.

I didn't use my drone because there is a rule that you are not supposed to fly them near military vessels.  I'm not sure if she counts as one as she hasn't been turned over to the US Navy, but I didn't want to take my chances.

She passes under the Gordie Howe Bridge and continues on her way out of the Great Lakes.