Things I saw today

[Spotted Horses]

I saw a Tesla Pickup Truck on the road for the first time. It looks as weird in person as it does in the photos in the media.

[Jo498]

a hornet, apparently they are active much earlier than normal wasps. I don't know where they live, hopefully no nest nearby. They are protected (even normal wasps are here), so one cannot do anything against them.
Strangely, I can hardly remember seeing any hornets when I was a kid 40 years ago whereas most other critters seem to have been more plentiful in the 1980s.
Of course, they are usually harmless, less aggressive than wasps but being about twice the size of a normal wasp they are among the larger insects in temperate Western/central Europe and quite impressive.

[pjme]

If it is an Asiatic hornet (vespa velutina), then it is... not welcome! It is a quite invasive exotic species, dangerous  to bees. It has been noticed since a couple of years in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. 
 
https://www.velutina.de/

[Florestan]

a hornet, apparently they are active much earlier than normal wasps. I don't know where they live, hopefully no nest nearby. They are protected (even normal wasps are here), so one cannot do anything against them.

Suppose I live in Germany and kill an annoying, even threatening wasp. Will I go to jail? 

[SimonNZ]

Suppose I live in Germany and kill an annoying, even threatening wasp. Will I go to jail? 

https://www.euronews.com/2018/07/11/can-you-really-be-fined-50-000-for-killing-a-wasp-in-germany-

[Florestan]

https://www.euronews.com/2018/07/11/can-you-really-be-fined-50-000-for-killing-a-wasp-in-germany-

While the law exists on paper, infringements are rarely reported to authorities, and Ackenheil told Euronews that a fine for killing a single wasp "doesn't actually happen".

Thanks. Exactly as I thought. 

[Jo498]

It was a European hornet, bright yellow, I am not sure I have ever seen one of the darker Asian ones. And would kill single wasps without a second thought about fines...

[steve ridgway]

LOL I will save wasps from drowning in the hope that some living thing will survive - any thing .

[Jo498]

I wouldn't go out of my way to kill a normal wasp but if I cannot easily shove it out of a window or so, I'll smash it. It's been a while I got stung but I hated them as a kid because I got stung almost every summer.
Hornets are special, though and regardless of the laws protecting them, I would try to avoid killing them.

[DavidW]

I saw a partial solar eclipse today.  Here is the view through the old solar scope.

[Cato]

I saw a partial solar eclipse today.  Here is the view through the old solar scope.

Here in western Ohio we had a total eclipse for almost 4 minutes!

Despite predictions, local birds did not head for their nests or act strangely in any way: squirrels, however, were not seen, even when the sun was at 100%

Of interest was that even with 95% of the light blocked, with 5 minutes to go to totality, things were still fairly bright!

Then, when totality hit, and the sun was only a white glow around the moon, things faraway on all the horizons were lit up in a weird way, but, where our house lies, things were somewhat dark.  And you could look at the eclipse with the naked eye for almost 4 minutes: quite a sight!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I saw a partial solar eclipse today.  Here is the view through the old solar scope.

Cool that you own a solar scope (sounds like you might have a newer one too?). 

I was fortunate that at virtually the last minute, I was able to get a hold of some special glasses.  Loved watching it though it was a tad fuzzy as I had to take off my glasses to hold the solar ones up to my eyes.  Still, it was worth it.  Earlier in the day, I also watched some chunks of it on the Weather Channel on t.v. (much better pictures).  Cool also to see the reactions of those who were there...some of them begging the galaxy/powers-that-be for even a short glimpse of the total eclipse (clouds "interrupted" in some areas).

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Here in western Ohio we had a total eclipse for almost 4 minutes!

Despite predictions, local birds did not head for their nests or act strangely in any way: squirrels, however, were not seen, even when the sun was at 100%

Of interest was that even with 95% of the light blocked, with 5 minutes to go to totality, things were still fairly bright!

Then, when totality hit, and the sun was only a white glow around the moon, things faraway on all the horizons were lit up in a weird way, but, where our house lies, things were somewhat dark.  And you could look at the eclipse with the naked eye for almost 4 minutes: quite a sight!

Excellent!  I did notice the light darkening too (and I think the temp dropped a tiny bit too).

[DavidW]

Cool that you own a solar scope (sounds like you might have a newer one too?). 

Well I don't personally, the school does!  I ordered it for the last eclipse and then after that I used it teaching Astronomy every year.  We can identify solar flares, prominences, and sunspots.

We also have a solar filter for our eight inch Schmidt-Cassegrain and once in Astronomy class we observed Mercury transiting across the Sun.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Well I don't personally, the school does!  I ordered it for the last eclipse and then after that I used it teaching Astronomy every year.  We can identify solar flares, prominences, and sunspots.

We also have a solar filter for our eight inch Schmidt-Cassegrain and once in Astronomy class we observed Mercury transiting across the Sun.

Wow!  So were you with a bunch of students today...letting them have turns looking through it and talking about what you all were seeing?

[DavidW]

Wow!  So were you with a bunch of students today...letting them have turns looking through it and talking about what you all were seeing?

Yup.

[Karl Henning]

Cool that you own a solar scope (sounds like you might have a newer one too?). 

I was fortunate that at virtually the last minute, I was able to get a hold of some special glasses.  Loved watching it though it was a tad fuzzy as I had to take off my glasses to hold the solar ones up to my eyes.  Still, it was worth it.  Earlier in the day, I also watched some chunks of it on the Weather Channel on t.v. (much better pictures).  Cool also to see the reactions of those who were there...some of them begging the galaxy/powers-that-be for even a short glimpse of the total eclipse (clouds "interrupted" in some areas).

Wonderful!

[DavidW]

I shockingly have another special thing I saw today!  One of my light bulbs died.  I didn't have any of that type... or so I thought... I find the previous owner left me a couple of incandescent bulbs.  I had not seen these in action for many a year.  I plugged it in and... the soft glow is so lovely.  Leds don't really compare, even with the same color temp rating. 

I looked it up and discovered that incandescent bulbs are banned in the US now.  It probably was posted on the unimportant news thread but I wasn't paying attention.

They might be painfully inefficient, but I'll salute the incandescent bulb of the past.  What a treat!

[drogulus]

    I prayed to Quetzalcoatl and he brought the sun back from a 93% eclipse. He's famous for that sort of thing. I don't know why people are so down on him.

[Mapman]

Here in western Ohio we had a total eclipse for almost 4 minutes!

Despite predictions, local birds did not head for their nests or act strangely in any way: squirrels, however, were not seen, even when the sun was at 100%

Of interest was that even with 95% of the light blocked, with 5 minutes to go to totality, things were still fairly bright!

Then, when totality hit, and the sun was only a white glow around the moon, things faraway on all the horizons were lit up in a weird way, but, where our house lies, things were somewhat dark.  And you could look at the eclipse with the naked eye for almost 4 minutes: quite a sight!

I traveled to western Ohio for the eclipse, and my observations were similar to yours. It was (unsurprisingly) as spectacular as the 2017 eclipse.