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October 11th and 12th saw the Northern Lights appearing off the Mendonoma Coast. Paul Kozal was at the ready!

Paul went to the White Barn at The Sea Ranch. Along with the Northern Lights, he photographed the setting Moon and the Milky Way. Yes, Paul is an over-achiever! And we're all thankful for that. Such beauty!

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's photography, here is the link to his website: https://www.paulkozal.com/ or visit his gallery, Studio 391 in Gualala.

We had some rain showers this morning and beautiful rainbows too. This afternoon it's sunny with some clouds and a chill wind. The forest smells wonderful from yesterday's rain. A little over 1/4 inches. More to come!

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I will be hosting a special Sightings presentation this Sunday, October 27th at the Gualala Arts Center at 4 pm. I'll be showing a slideshow my favorite, most unusual and rarest Sightings photos. This is a fundraiser for the ICO Community News, our local weekly non-profit newspaper where I write my Mendonoma Sightings column. There are no tickets, just bring your donation check made out to the ICOCN. Donation acknowledgement letters will be available.

The Four-Eyed Frog Bookstore folks will be there also. Some of my favorite reference books on nature will be for sale, along with my Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year book, and my four children's books, Sunny Loves Spring (and Summer, Autumn and Winter!) on the California Coast. I'll be happy to inscribe the books after the slideshow.

Hope to see some of you there! Here's a bonus photo - this morning's sunrise taken by me. Another beautiful day on the Mendonoma Coast!

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Kate Bloch first went to Ocean Ridge Airport to get this beautiful photo.

Copyright Kate Bloch 2024

And this one she took from her back deck of her home at The Sea Ranch.

Copyright Kate Bloch 2024

I'll have another photo to share with you tomorrow! This beauty in the sky occurred Oct. 10 - 11.

Thanks to Kate for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

oh, it's a lovely day here today. 70 degrees, just the hint of a breeze and a few clouds overhead.

 

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Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS  was a treat to see. Many coast residents photographed the sight. Shari Goforth took this photo.

You can see a very faint anti-tail. I read that the anti-tail is sometimes said to be an optical illusion, because it appears in the opposite direction of the comet’s dust tail. But it is a real phenomenon, visible only when Earth is crossing the comet’s orbital plane, which occurred Oct. 13 – 15.

Tim Daley also photographed the comet, from The Sea Ranch.

And Kathleen Chasey photographed it north of Anchor Bay.

Thanks to Shari, Tim and Kathleen for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We are having a mild autumn day today with just a gentle breeze.

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Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS made its debut in the night sky beginning last Sunday. Photos of the comet came in from various talented photographers. They were taken in different locations on the Mendonoma Coast. Here is Janet McElroy’s photo. I so enjoyed seeing Fred McElroy in the side of her photo looking at the comet through his spotting scope.

Paul Kozal got his customary awesome photo of the comet

Neil Silverman also photographed the comet, and I believe he used his iPhone.

Tomorrow I will share a few more, including Shari Goforth's which shows the faint anti-tail.

This particular comet isn't scheduled to do another flyby here for 80,000 years - amazing! Of course it may dissolve in the ensuing years.

Thanks to Janet, Paul and Neil for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Some clouds have arrived and temps are in the high 60's and no wind. It's a beautiful autumn day.

Bonus sighting: Last night, Sat. Oct. 19,  I witnessed one of the best green flashes I've ever seen - it was a triple green flash, one after the other.