Category: Photo Gallery

Photos: Science Fest achieves Dunn Meadow liftoff

(Science Fest Oct. 9, 2021)
(Science Fest Oct. 9, 2021)
IU professor of physics Paul Sokol. (Science Fest Oct. 9, 2021)
Launching his rocket was Tommy Rasmusson. (Science Fest Oct. 9, 2021)
Covering her ears is Grace Johnson assisted by her dad Bo Johnson. (Science Fest Oct. 9, 2021)

In Dunn Meadow on Saturday morning, Indiana University’s Science Fest provided touchdowns aplenty despite the football team’s bye week.

Every 20 minutes or so, a model rocket or two, sometimes four at a time, were sent soaring 800 feet or more into the clear skies, undisturbed by much of a measurable breeze.

After its engine backfired (by design), to pop off the nose cone and deploy the parachute, one of the rockets landed just a few feet from the launch pad. Others landed a bit farther away, towards 7th Street.

Supervising the activity was IU professor of physics Paul Sokol and lecturer Dilara Sultana, along with a handful of graduate students in the department.

Science Fest activities were planned for much of the campus. The B Square confined its coverage to Dunn Meadow.

More photos are included after the jump. Continue reading “Photos: Science Fest achieves Dunn Meadow liftoff” →

Photos: Bird, Butterflies, Bees

2021-07-18 butterflies IMG_4584
2021-07-18 butterflies IMG_4522
B Square file photo of a healthy goldfinch taken on the Monroe County courthouse grounds (July 2021).
B Square file photo of a healthy goldfinch taken on the Monroe County courthouse grounds (July 2021).

It’s monarch butterfly season in downtown Bloomington.

That’s because the pollinator plantings in the flower beds at the intersections of Bloomington’s downtown courthouse square are working their magic again this year.

Here’s some photos, all taken in the last week or so.

I threw in the goldfinch, because he was flitting around the courthouse grounds when I had my camera out. Besides butterflies and the goldfinch, there’s also a bunch of shots of bumble bees. On the courthouse square…bees. Bees….square. That’s an easy joke just half a block away from where I live. Enjoy.
Continue reading “Photos: Bird, Butterflies, Bees” →

Photos: 2020 Little 500 Cyclocross

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The Little 500 bicycle race is a spring tradition at Indiana University. Complementing the spring race is a fall racing series, which includes a cyclocross event. The women’s races were run Saturday. Men’s races are set for Sunday, starting at 1 p.m.

The course through the tailgating field just south of the Indiana University football stadium is laid out with orange “Happy Halloween” tape. It includes places where riders are forced to dismount and then navigate an obstacle like a sand pit or a set of hurdles. Teams of two riders compete in the race, alternating laps for a total of 12.

Plowing through the uneven turf of the field and maintaining a straight line on a standard-issue Little 5 bicycle makes cyclocross an event that’s a test of sheer power. Temperatures on Saturday had climbed from freezing in the early morning to the mid-50s by 1 p.m. when the racing started. Some of the colorful fall foliage remained on the trees, but much of it was already sprinkled across the green carpet of the tailgate field. It was a spectacular fall day—the kind you see in picture books. So here’s some pictures. Continue reading “Photos: 2020 Little 500 Cyclocross” →

Photos: Climate Strike Bloomington Dec. 6, 2019

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On Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, a coalition of several groups staged a sit-in at Bloomington’s city hall. The Beacon captured some of the activity there, before heading over the county courthouse to cover a city-county meeting about the convention center expansion.

In this audio clip, the city hall foyer reverberates with voices of climate strikers singing “Little Bird”: [mp3 file of Little Bird]

 

Photos: Hawk eats dove

cropped 12-06-hawk IMG_1980

On Friday afternoon, The Beacon left the climate strike at city hall early to walk over to the county courthouse for the meeting between county and city officials about the convention center expansion. It’s been a contentious issue.

Along the way, a Cooper’s hawk was spotted with a rock dove in tow.

The meeting among the city and county officials was way more in the spirt of a true and equal partnership than the encounter between the hawk and the dove. More on that later. For now, here’s what wildlife looks like in downtown Bloomington, Indiana.
Continue reading “Photos: Hawk eats dove” →

Basketball Photos: Bloomington South vs. Columbus North

The Bloomington South Panthers played at home Friday night against the visiting Columbus North Bulldogs. The Panthers clawed out a 75–69 overtime victory.  Here’s some photos from the game. (Click on a photo to see the rectangular version and self-navigate through a slideshow.) Continue reading “Basketball Photos: Bloomington South vs. Columbus North” →