9/16/2003: Isabel threatens
 

http://cellar.org/2003/isabel.jpg

It's today's Astronomy pic of the Day, and Fark has also chosen it, and we have a separate Cellar thread discussing it, but this is such an amazing image that I had to include it here too.

If you go to the Apod site, and click on the photo, you can see a brilliant 1700 x 2200 version which shows enormous detail.

The entire east coast is concerned about this one, but it may turn out to be nothing. As I write this, Isabel's winds have calmed to 105 MPH (170 km/h), down from a high of about 160 (260).

It may be that the reason there's all this urgency this time is that the people who predict hurricanes have changed their approach. They are starting to forecast further out in time - partly, I think, because they are getting better at it, and partly because they want to give people more time to prepare.

In this case, it means that the urgency started on Saturday (five days out) instead of Monday (three days out), and the weekend gave everyone the chance to worry about it.

Not that there shouldn't be this kind of urgency; a little more prep time for hurricane Andrew would have helped back then and Isabel may gain power again before it hits.

Just to give everyone some idea of scale, the land mass at the bottom of the pic is Haiti, the one at lower-left is the eastern half of Cuba. From the left side of the pic to the right is probably around 800 miles.

If I may say so, Isabel looks like quite the BITCH. Beautiful to look at, but I wouldn't want to get in her way. Hope all who are in her possible path are hunkering down. One reason I'm glad to be on the west coast, even if I'm gettin' screwed at the gas pumps;)

That's what I call "full service".

Great picture, but I'm glad we don't get those here in Australia. Wouldn't mind a bit of rain, send some over. :angel:

Are you too far south for the typhoons, Leah?

I don't know Bruce, we just never get them. Lucky hey.:cool:

We are, Luv. Check the other thread UT mentioned for the latest.

leah - what city?

I live in Sydney Jaguar.
What country are you in.:D

Melbourne - Australia
Good to see a fellow aussie around here (I think there was another at some point but i lost track). Used to post here far too much(postcount to prove it), now I mostly lurk.

I hope it burns out. My namesake (Andrew) is the current recordholder for most costly hurricane...

In a perverse sorta way, I'm not ready to give up the crown yet!!:p

Yes Jaguar it is good to have another Aussie on board. I must say it's great chatting with our friendly Yankee neighbours. :rolleyes:

      Of course it's great chatting with us Leah. We're just as cute and cuddly as we can be, never a cross thing to say to anyone. Just a big bunch of sweethearts around here. Yep, that's us. :D

Whit beat me to it.
Just don't mention Isreal, palastine, Iraq, suicide bombers, terrorists, bush, clinton, anything associated with neocons in general and this place is a world of love and kindness. Except for dave who insists on telling people how he washes his ass.

Hey poop-boy, if you wanna go around without cleaning your ass, that's fine with me. I haven't got to deal with it. But for those interested in hygiene, I highly recommend actually washing one of the dirtier parts of your body.

Or have someone do it for you. Preferably not the same one that peels the grapes.:D

Dave it's more the lack of need of intimate directions. We should put a 'here be monsters' on that thread.

Hey maybe that should be the new cellar tagline