July Squirrel Watch caption contest July 30, 2013

Congratulations to Dalora Miller whose caption, “Where is Jack Hanna when I need him,” won our July Squirrel Watch Caption contest.

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WHO made me laugh uncontrollably this morning July 22, 2013

It was a hotshot that I knew Owen would react to, but I didn’t think it would be me doing all the reacting.  Click the image above to see what got me laughing uncontrollably.

These are not rainbows July 11, 2013

Photo by: Ric Fennell

This is called a 22-degree halo and forms on days with cirrus clouds covering the sky.   (The 22-degrees is the radius around the sun.)  These halos aren’t that rare but occur more often in the northern United States and in colder climates.   Cirrus clouds are made of tiny ice crystals and are 20,000-30,000 feet in the sky.  The crystals refract sunlight and bend the tiny crystals into a circle.

Photo by: Clay Spence, Brookshire

Weather folklore states halos foretell of coming rain, but this isn’t true.  With some weather systems cirrus clouds move in ahead of a warm or cold front, but this isn’t always the case either.  They are almost always mistaken as rainbows circling the sun or moon but aren’t because these halos form on dry days.   Cirrus clouds do not produce rain.  They are a treat to see.

This a rare double 22-degree halo.  Photo by: Emily Gibson

Houston From Space July 4, 2013

Texas from space. The Expedition 36 crew on the International Space Station took this picture 240 miles above the Earth with a 50mm lens. You can clearly see Houston on the bottom right hand part of the screen. Can you see Galveston, Beaumont, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas? Oklahoma city is tough to see because of thunderstorms.

To see other hotshots shown on our morning show click here:

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You can e-mail your hotshot pictures to: hotshots@click2houston.com