Basalt columns on the coast of Northern Ireland (by Rhodesjmartin)
(Source: scinerds)
Top Photo: Bryce Window Wall Sunrise (by jander5)
Bottom Photo: A Small Person In A Big World (by Dene’ Miles)Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by wind, water, and ice erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).
(via scinerds)
Svartifoss, Iceland (by Xindaan)
Svartifoss (Black Fall) is a waterfall in Skaftafell National Park in Iceland, and is one of the most popular sights in the park. It is surrounded by dark lava columns, which give rise to its name. The hexagonal columns were formed inside a lava flow which cooled extremely slowly, giving rise to crystallization. Similar well-known lava formations are seen at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, and on the island of Staffa in Scotland.
The base of this waterfall is noteworthy for its sharp rocks. New hexagonal column sections break off faster than the falling water wears down the edges.
These basalt columns have provided inspiration for Icelandic architects, most visibly in the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, and also the National Theatre.
(via scinerds)
Tibetan Halo
The particularly colorful halo featured above was snapped at Yamdrok Tso Lake, Tibet. This is a 22-degree halo — the radius of the inner ring to the Sun.
by Alan Millar
Cave Of The Crystals | Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico
I remember when this was first discovered, and how blown away I was when photos were released of this magnificent wonder. There’s a documentary out there called, “Naica: Beyond The Crystal Cave” and another that hits on other sister caves as well, “Into The Lost Crystal Caves”. Definitely interesting if you want to watch them go through the cave to get samples and explore. A dangerous but extremely satisfying task! Here’s a bit of information on the Crystal Caves in Naica, Mexico.
- It contains some of the largest (in size, mass, length, etc) natural crystals ever found on Earth. A Gypsum beam was found to be 11 metres (36 feet) in length, 4 metres (13 feet) in width, and weigh around 55 tons.
- It is found in a horseshoe-shaped cavity of limestone rock, which used to be full of mineral-rich hot water, but has since been kept drained.
- The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 58 °C (136 °F) with 90 to 99 percent humidity.
- The cave was filled with mineral-rich hot water (a constant 50 °C+) for around 500,000 years, which let these crystals form under the right conditions.
I’ve added a few links that take you to more photos and articles as well (along with its sister caves).
take me there
(via scinerds)
National Geographic introduces you to the ten weirdest life-forms discovered in 2011, including the completely real cyclops shark pictured above.
Cyclops myths, coincidentally, might be a result of this strange developmental malfunction, termed cyclopia, likely the result of incorrect protein signaling cascades in developing embryos.
(via National Geographic)
I’ve posted on this before but whatever I find this story and catch astonishing, the things nature churns up never ceases to amaze.
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National Geographic introduces you to the ten weirdest life-forms discovered in 2011, including the completely real cyclops shark pictured above.
Cyclops myths, coincidentally, might be a result of this strange developmental malfunction, termed cyclopia, likely the result of incorrect protein signaling cascades in developing embryos.
(via National Geographic)
I’ve posted on this before but whatever I find this story and catch astonishing, the things nature churns up never ceases to amaze.
help
Big Five from Africa and Twilight Arch
The photo above shows a gathering of planets and the waning crescent Moon as captured from Tivoli, Namibia just before dawn on May 30, 2011. The “Big Five” in Africa refers to the top five big game animals; lion, leopard, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, and elephant.
On this late autumn morning (Southern Hemisphere), however, I was able to a bring down a prize night-sky quarry — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and our Moon all in the same frame. Venus shines brightly at magnitude -3.9, Jupiter at -2.2; Mercury at -1.0, and Mars glows dimly at 1.4 magnitude.
Only five percent of the slender Moon was illuminated. The shallow arching band of red, gold and yellow at the bottom of the photo is the twilight arch. Sunlight from the rising Sun (still about six degrees below the horizon) is scattered by the cloud-free atmosphere.
Photography & Summary by Eduard von Bergen
Moonrise Behind The Museum
Two days after the Harvest Moon, rising behind the National Musem in Prague.
by © 15 sunrises
Schmidt Telescope Dome and the Milky Way
By Emil Ivanov