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Photos: Spectacular Total Blood Moon

Posted by Home bagus Selasa, 15 April 2014 2 comments


Stargazers across the United States were awed by last night's total eclipse of the moon, and they've got some amazing photos to prove it.
 
Observers in a North America, South America, Hawaii and parts of Alaska got a spectacular show as the moon turned blood red during the first total lunar eclipse of 2014. While the weather wasn't great for everyone in the path of the total eclipse, some stargazers got a break from the clouds to capture the celestial sight during the 3.5 hours it was visible. You can also watch a time-lapse video of the "Blood Moon" rising on Space.com.

"We lucked out on the weather, as skies were mostly cloudy during the afternoon and evening, and even during the eclipse we were viewing through a thin layer of cirrus much of the time," veteran rocket launch photographer Ben Cooper told Space.com via email of his Florida eclipse-viewing experience. While Cooper may have seen the eclipse through clouds, his mosaic photo is a standout. It features a blood red moon in the center of the image framed by the various stages of the lunar eclipse.

This kind of lunar eclipse is sometimes known as Blood Moon because the sunlight scattered by Earth's atmosphere casts a red pall on the face of the moon.

"Tonight's lunar eclipse was an unforgettable experience for me," Arizona-based cinematographer Sean Parker told Space.com via email. "It was such a great sight to see."

The April 14-15 total lunar eclipse was also paired with another stellar sighting. The bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo was positioned to the right and below the moon. Spica's bright bluish light would have been even more pronounced as the moon darkened during the eclipse.

Stargazer Victor Rogus captured this spectacular view of the total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014 from Jadwin, Missouri. "Very beautiful event!" Rogus exclaimed.

Just before the eclipse, Mars made its closest approach to Earth since 2008. The Red Planet passed within 57.4 million miles (92.4 million kilometers) of Earth, giving the moon a Martian companion during the night.

Some astrophotographers were able to capture the moon, Mars and Spica in the same frame.

"Very beautiful event," photographer Victor Rogus told Space.com via email. He sent in his view of the eclipse, Spica and Mars from Jadwin, Mo. "Clouds parted just in time, thank you!"

Some photographers blended Earth's natural beauty with the lunar eclipse by choosing the perfect spot for a celestial viewing. Photographer Ryan Watamura, for example, captured the eclipse from Grant's Grove in Kings Canyon National Park in California. His photos frame the copper-colored moon with the majestic trees of Grant's Grove. 

Photographer Ryan Watamura captured this amazing photo of the total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014 from Grant's Grove in Kings Canyon National Park in California using a Canon EOS 1dx camera, 70-200 2.8L IS II, Canon 600EX-RT flash with a CTO gel.


The 'blood moon' is seen through a Magnolia tree top in Texas, America. The phenomonen of the 'blood moon' is linked to Biblical tales and apocalypses. A passage in the Bible states: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." (AP Photo/Dr. Scott M. Lieberman)

 
A family pose for a photo with the 'Blood Moon' serving as a spectacular backdrop. in Melbourne, Australia. The lunar eclipse was seen in North and South America and partially from Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Later this month, from April 28 to April 29, the sun will turn into a "ring of fire" during an annular eclipse. That solar eclipse, however, will only be visible from an uninhabitated part of Antarctica, so it is possible that only be penguins can see it.

Mirrors House In the California Desert

Posted by Home bagus Jumat, 24 Januari 2014 2 comments
 
American artist Phillip K Smith has taken an abandoned desert shack in Joshua Tree National Forest, in the deserts of California, and transformed it into a stunning optical illusion art called "Lucid Stead." The artist took the cabin that has been slowly rotting in the harsh desert environments for seventy years, added mirrors between aged wood slats and created an illusion that you can see right through the building.

"Lucid Stead is about tapping into the quiet and the pace of change of the desert," said Smith. "When you slow down and align yourself with the desert, the project begins to unfold before you. It reveals that it is about light and shadow, reflected light, projected light, and change."
 
 
  
 
  

source : Amusing Planet

Spoonbridge and Cherry in Minneapolis, AS

Posted by Home bagus Selasa, 21 Januari 2014 1 comment

 
Spoonbridge and Cherry was commissioned for the Walker Art Center in 1985. The work was installed in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in 1988. This work is one of two fountain sculptures created by Oldenburg and his wife, Coosje van Bruggen. The other work, Dropped Bowl with Scattered Slices and Peels, is installed in Miami, Florida. For the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the two artists considered a design connecting Minnesota's Native American or Scandinavian heritages by creating a Viking ship prow or canoe pulled up on the shore of the pond. 
 
 
 
 
They finally chose the spoon and cherry design, which was closely connected with Oldenburg's use of common objects for the central theme in his monumental art. Oldenburg has used a spoon as a motif or theme in drawings or studies since the early 1960s. He has commented that the spoon was his idea and the cherry was van Bruggen's idea. Spoonbridge and Cherry has become a landmark for Minneapolis and this whimsical sculpture is a favorite among visitors to the Walker Art Center.

Amazing Narcisse Snake Pits In Manitoba

Posted by Home bagus Sabtu, 04 Januari 2014 3 comments

The Narcisse Snake Pits are located 6 km north of the rural settlement of Narcisse in the province of Manitoba in Canada. These pits harbour the largest concentration of Red-sided Garter Snakes in the world. During winter, the snakes hibernate inside subterranean caverns formed by the area's water-worn limestone bedrock. Shortly after the snow melts in late April and early May, tens of thousands of these snakes slip out of their limestone dens and hang out on the surface of the ground performing their mating rituals in great tangled heaps.

The male snakes are usually the first to awaken from the long winter hibernation and reach the surface where they wait patiently for the females to come out. As the females slither out of the caves, the males pounce on the helpless females eager to mate with them. As many as 50 or more males attack a single female forming a writhing, moving “mating ball” of snakes. These massive snake balls are everywhere - on ledges, tree limbs, on plants and on the ground. Some mating balls slowly roll down rocks like tangled balls of twine. Professor Mason, a professor of zoology from Oregon State University estimated that there were 35,000 snakes at one pit alone and more than 250,000 in the general area.




There are four active snake dens at the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area. The dens are connected by a three-kilometer self-guiding interpretive trail. Tourists come from all over the world to view this spectacle from observation platforms built next to the dens, as do many scientists to study these non-venomous creatures.

The population of red-sided garter snakes around Narcisse was roughly 70,000 until terrible weather in 1999 killed tens of thousands of them before they could reach their winter dens. This tragedy triggered concern about the snakes' biannual migratory path, which cuts right across Highway 17. Every year, ten thousand snakes trying to get to or from their winter dens had been crushed under the wheels of vehicles. This had not been a problem before, because the vast population compensated for the losses. After the winter of 1999, however, the population of garter snakes was dangerously low, causing Manitoba Hydro and volunteers to intervene.
source : Amusing Planet

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