Green Streak at the Mojave Preserve!

 I've strayed from my usual hangout of Joshua Tree National Park and traveled north to the Mojave Preserve near the ghost town of Cima. As mentioned in my previous post, our trip here seemed to be jinxed right from the get-go. But as sunset settles in, the rain has stopped and the wind has died down, and the skies are truly amazing. In this case anyway, perseverance seems to have paid off!

I think I read that the Joshua trees in the Mojave Preserve are a different species, or maybe subspecies, than what is found in Joshua Tree National Park. Here, it's common to see multiple branches coming up from the base of the tree, and the foliage is more dense. You don't see that in Joshua Tree. 

 

 

 

Mitch has a nice view from his tent!

 

Mammatus clouds glowing pink in the sunset!

 

 

 

And now, for my favorite photo of the trip. I was excited to shoot the Milky Way because night skies are darker here. Not only was it a new moon night, but there was supposed to be a meteor shower at its peak. Looking through my camera, I wasn't seeing any meteors, but the MW looked wonderful. I used a 15 second exposure for the MW, and right after I activated the shutter, I saw a huge meteor streak across the sky! I remember thinking "Please please please be on the photo!!" It not only showed up, but the composition was perfect, with the meteor streak running parallel to the MW. Added bonus: the meteor streak was green, which is something I've not seen before! Here's what Google says. 

"A green streak from a meteor happens when specific chemical elements inside the space rock- most notably magnesium or nickel- vaporize and glow brightly as the rock speeds through Earth's atmosphere. A green streak from a meteor is quite rare."

Interesting, wouldn't you agree?

Thanks for stopping by!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.