# Today in nature I saw **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 20, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854 "2020-07-20T18:22:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 204
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4064 "2026-03-24T15:44:53Z")
Last night, I thought I’d try a little experiment. I wanted to see what kind of photo I could get of the Orion nebula, without a telescope or tracker. The following image was a 1 second exposure, because anything longer caused significant star trailing. The lens I used was not particularly fast (600mm, f/6.3), so I had to crank the ISO to 12,800 to get much of an image. But - it’s not terrible: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55166282264_7009ae77b0_b.jpg "DSC\_4646") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/55166282264/in/dateposted-public/) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4065 "2026-03-24T15:57:05Z")
Not terrible indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4066 "2026-03-24T16:13:27Z")
“Not terrible” is one way to put it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4067 "2026-03-24T22:07:55Z")
Wow, is that true color (or at least, color as seen by a sensor designed to mimic the human eye’s response, as used on most cameras)? And if that’s what you can get from a single one-second exposure, think of what you could get from frame-stacking! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4068 "2026-03-24T22:51:00Z")
Yes. I increased the saturation a bit. It’s slight overcast today. If it clears up tonight, I’ll reduce the exposure time to 1/2 second, and take a sequence and stack them. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4069 "2026-03-25T03:28:13Z")
The sky cleared up nicely, so I set up again, and took 99 images at 1/2 second, ISO 25,600 (!). I stacked them using Starry Landscape Stacker, then adjusted the composite in Luminar Neo: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55167373554_5c008e6502_b.jpg "DSC\_4750-Min Horizon Noise") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/55167373554/in/dateposted-public/) For reference, a single frame looked like this: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55167128536_4e1ae14551_b.jpg "Untitled 2") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/55167128536/in/dateposted-public/) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4070 "2026-03-25T03:47:29Z")
Before I packed up, I took a shot of the Moon: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55166252412_33bb6a5832_b.jpg "DSC\_4854") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/55166252412/in/dateposted-public/) ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4071 "2026-03-25T04:17:28Z")
Those are fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4072 "2026-03-25T04:25:55Z")
Yes, these are pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4073 "2026-03-25T05:05:38Z")
I know this is an old post, but I once saw a rainbow in the due north. I was in the St. Louis area during the winter, and it was a warm day and it had rained. Today, I saw my first dandelion. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4074 "2026-03-25T13:59:11Z")
I finally saw and heard some robins today! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4075 "2026-03-25T23:09:21Z")
Spent a couple of hours this morning on the [Hunting Hollow Trail](https://scvbirdalliance.org/self-guided-birding/hunting-hollow-spring) in Henry Coe State Park. A nice 5-mile stroll through a narrow valley bordered by rolling foothills with numerous stream crossings. Very peaceful and very green. [![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczPXwhwav01GXYT5xtEv79ws_UTY0FG2xoybvD6J5IMG1QUWGSMEov1wOiecm2fn2TQu4X0Vj3BhFUAIO-fgJ-bzXWqWfbi_YIw2wz4N2UhR1SKmZv658CpvCL4kf9Y8upxROnukNOFc38OG_DHoAuxA_Q=w1415-h796-s-no?authuser=0) ](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczPXwhwav01GXYT5xtEv79ws_UTY0FG2xoybvD6J5IMG1QUWGSMEov1wOiecm2fn2TQu4X0Vj3BhFUAIO-fgJ-bzXWqWfbi_YIw2wz4N2UhR1SKmZv658CpvCL4kf9Y8upxROnukNOFc38OG_DHoAuxA_Q=w1415-h796-s-no?authuser=0) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4076 "2026-03-26T23:04:58Z")
I saw this antler-less Moose today: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55170851640_3db1641c73_b.jpg "DSC\_4897") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/55170851640/in/dateposted-public/) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4077 "2026-03-27T00:30:52Z")
Ah, they shed them. I did not know that. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4078 "2026-03-27T00:42:27Z")
Here you go: > **[VIDEO: Moose loses antlers in rare moment captured on camera](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/video/2025/11/15/video-moose-loses-antlers-rare-moment-captured-camera/)** > > A video captured by Christie Ericson shows a moose in Anchorage shaking, resulting in its antlers popping off and startling it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4079 "2026-03-27T01:32:25Z")
Interesting that they both fell off at the same time. Probably evolved to happen that way, because only one would be unbalancing. I wonder if they itch when they’re just about to fall off? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4080 "2026-03-28T00:18:44Z")
Not really sure if this is “nature” or not: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55172489928_966ab7d723_b.jpg "DSC\_4930") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/11822576@N08/55172489928/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4081 "2026-03-30T13:32:56Z")
I didn’t get a good picture, but yesterday I saw the First Robin Of Spring. 🙂 Living in Texas for so long, where robins overwinter (and get drunk on fermenting berries) seeing them in early spring was absolutely no big deal, but having moved to the ~~frozen tundra~~ western Mitten State, that 1st sighting actually _means_ something now! Also, daffodils starting to bloom where there were bare spots just a few days ago. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4082 "2026-03-30T14:05:41Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I didn’t get a good picture, but yesterday I saw the First Robin Of Spring. 🙂 Ooh - reminds me. The hummingbirds will be showing up soon. I need to make some nectar and put the feeders out. Hummingbird Thunderdome is always fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854/4083 "2026-04-01T16:46:05Z")
> [@Maus\_Magill](#): > > Hummingbird Thunderdome is always fun to watch. Who knew beings so tiny could be such huge assoles? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854.md?page=203) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/915854.md?page=205)