Photograph Friday: Morro Baycam Captures Rainbow, Moonset, and Noctilucent Cloud

This Photograph Friday, we bring you some of our favorite photographs from this winter. Our Baycam captured boats and birds passing by, part of the lighted boat parade, a rainbow, and a fascinating weather phenomenon called a noctilucent cloud. (Scroll to the bottom of the post to watch a timelapse video that includes a moonset and the noctilucent cloud!)

Boats

*Members of the SurviveOars Dragon Boat Team paddle by.*

A lighted boat makes its way south during Morro Bays 2018 Lighted Boat Parade. — *A lighted boat makes its way south during the Lighted Boat Parade.*

Sunrise and Sunset

A pink and purple sunrise behind Morro Rock — *Morro Bay woke up to this pink and purple sunrise on February 1, 2019.*

*Lights on the Embarcadero turn on as the sun casts an orange glow behind Morro Rock.*

Rain

Cloud patterns

White clouds marble a bright blue sky on this sunny afternoon and a seagull flies across the estuary and toward the ocean. — *A seagull flies west across a white and blue marbled sky.*

Billowy clouds float over a deep blue sky. — *Billowy clouds float across a deep blue sky and over a choppy, steel-grey bay.*

Weather phenomena

A rainbow arches over Morro Rock on a February morning. — *A rainbow arches over Morro Rock on a February morning as birds fly by*.

A noctilucent cloud hangs in the sky over Morro Rock — Shortly after Vandenberg Airforce base scrubbed the launch of a Delta IV missile on December 19, people began reporting a strange light in the sky. The light was determined to be a noctilucent cloud. You can see it here, in the sky to the right above Morro Rock.

Timelapse video

Watch the timelapse video below to see the moon set, the sun rise, the afternoon roll by, and a rare noctilucent cloud flash across the sky just before sunset.

Help us protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary!

Come see S.L.O.P.E.’s show Flowing Estuary to Living Sea, at the Morro Bay State Park Natural History Museum now through March 31, 2019. A portion of proceeds from art sales will benefit the Morro Bay National Estuary Program and the Central Coast State Parks Association. We hope to see you there!

Watch the video below for a preview of more artwork from the show.

Donate to the Estuary Program today and support our work in the field, the lab, and beyond.
The Estuary Program is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We depend on funding from grants and generous donors to continue our work.
Support us by purchasing estuary-themed gear from ESTERO. This locally owned and operated company donates 20% of proceeds from its Estuary clothing line and 100% of Estuary decal proceeds to the Estuary Program. Thank you, ESTERO!
Purchase items from the the Estuary Program’s store on Zazzle. Zazzle prints and ships your items, and the Estuary Program receives 10% of the proceeds. Choose from mugs, hats, t-shirts, and even fanny packs (they’re back!) with our fun Estuary Octopus design, our classic Estuary Program logo, or our Mutts for the Bay logo.

Thank you for your support!

Feb 22, 2019