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Photos: Spectacular Total Blood Moon

Posted by Review Kost 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 Review Kost 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 Review Kost 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 Review Kost 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

20 Spectacular Night Sky Photos of 2013

Posted by Review Kost Sabtu, 28 Desember 2013 0 comments
Source by : SPACE.COM

  



















Most Dangerous Diving Spot in Texas

Posted by Review Kost Sabtu, 21 Desember 2013 0 comments


Jacob's Well is one of the longest underwater caves in Texas. From the opening in the creek bed, the cave descends vertically for about ten meters, then continues downward at an angle through a series of silted chambers separated by narrow restrictions, finally reaching a depth of forty meters.
Through the years, many have successfully explored the first and second chambers of the well. The first chamber is a straight drop to about 30 feet; then it angles down to 55 feet. Nourished by the rays of sunlight that penetrate the crystal water, this cavern area is bright and is home to algae and wildlife. The second chamber is a long funnel to 80 feet, where there is a restricted opening to the third chamber. Inside the second chamber is a false chimney, which appears to be a way out of the well but has trapped at least one diver. The third chamber is a small room with a floor of unstable gravel. Divers must inflate water wings to navigate this chamber successfully, trying not to stir up silt or dislodge the gravel.


The passage into the fourth chamber is very tight. The few who have seen the fourth chamber say it is "virgin cave" with fantastic limestone formations and no gravel. Covering the bottom is fine silt that can totally obscure vision when kicked up by one misstep.
Ironically, there was a time when it was impossible to descend into Jacob's Well. "There's a picture of me at 3 years old at Jacob's Well in the family album," recalls 79-year-old historian Dorothy Wimberley Kerbow. "My dad would throw me into the well. You couldn't sink down because the spring would just bubble you up with such force."
Kerbow recalls that she and her friends would often visit Jacob's Well in the 1950s, and it was impossible to go more than two feet below the surface due to the force of the spring.

In 1924, Jacob’s Well was measured to have a flow of one hundred and seventy gallons per second (six hundred and forty liters per second) discharging water six feet into the air. Over the years, the well’s flow had diminished allowing divers to reach the deepest chambers. The spring ceased flowing for the first time in recorded history in 2000, and again in 2008.
The first time the spring stopped flowing, the event was considered by many as symbolic of the region's increasing water shortage and quality problems. “It was a wake-up call for everyone,” recalls landowner David Baker. “We don't want it to turn into Jacob's Cave."
David Baker has given up his home to form the Jacob’s Well Natural Area to restore and protect this sensitive area for future generations.



Source : Amusing Planet

Ward Charcoal Ovens of Nevada

Posted by Review Kost Sabtu, 23 November 2013 0 comments
 
Ward Charcoal Ovens are a collection of six 30 feet high, beehive-shaped charcoal ovens located inside the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park in the Egan Mountain Range approximately 18 miles south of Ely in Nevada, in the United States of America. Between 1876 and 1879, the Charcoal Ovens were built to produce charcoal from pinyon pine and juniper. After their function as charcoal ovens ended, they served diverse purposes, such as sheltering stockmen and prospectors during foul weather and even serving as a hideout for stagecoach bandits. Today they're the main attraction in Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park.

The ovens take their name from Thomas Ward who founded a local mining district in 1872. The mine produced go

ld and silver ore that required high burning temperature that can only be provided by charcoal, inspiring the construction of the ovens in the mid 1870s. The parabolic shape of the beehive ovens caused heat to be reflected back to the center where the wood slowly burned to produce charcoal.

Each of the six ovens stood thirty feet tall and was twenty-seven feet in diameter at the base. The walls are 20-inches thick, made from rocks with three rows of vents. Wood was cut into 5-foot to 6-foot lengths and stacked inside the ovens vertically using the lower door. The loaded oven was ignited and the metal door was cemented shut. It took 13 days to burn and empty a 35-cord (one cord is 4-feet high by 4-feet wide by 8 feet long) kiln.
Eventually, charcoal ovens were phased out by the discovery of coal, by depleted ore deposits, and by the shortage of available timber. 

The technique of burning wood to produce charcoal can be traced back to traditional Old World practices. Centuries ago, woodchoppers found that slowly burning timber in an oxygen-starved environment produced charcoal, which was easier to transport and burned at a higher temperature than wood. Charcoal production was especially common in the Alps, in Scandinavia, and in Eastern Europe. Charcoal burners traditionally used shallow pits without the benefit of permanent structures.
 
 
 
 
 
Immigrants brought the technique of charcoal burning to Nevada mining districts where it was particularly useful when milling stubborn ore bodies that required high temperatures. The charcoal burners consumed pinyon and juniper, which was of little use for building or for mine supports. The industry earned a place in Nevada history with the famed Charcoal Burner's War of 1879, when Italian and Swiss immigrants fought wealthy mill owners of the Eureka Mining District to the east of the Ward mines.


After suffering from vandalism and natural erosions, the long-abandoned ovens became a state park in 1957. These Ward ovens are the best-preserved of their kind in Nevada.


source : Amusing Planet

Island Dubai “The World” Artificial Archipelago

Posted by Review Kost Senin, 07 Oktober 2013 0 comments












 
The World Islands is an artificial archipelago consisting of about 300 small islands constructed in the rough shape of a world map, located 4.0 kilometers off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters. 321 million cubic meters of sand and 31 million tons of rock were used to build the islands that cover an area roughly 6 by 9 kilometers, and is surrounded by an oval-shaped breakwater island. The islands, which are named after countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, etc., themselves range from 14,000 to 42,000 square meters in area and located roughly 100 meters from each other.
The project debuted nearly 10 years ago, but work has been stalled periodically ever since due to the global recession. Two years ago, the entire project came very near to derailment when Penguine Marine, the company contracted to provide ferrying services to and from the shore, alleged that the islands were sinking into the shallow sea. Nakheel Properties Group, the property’s developer, denied these reports.
 

Although nearly 70 percent of the islands have been sold, according to a January 2012 report, the islands have remained mostly untouched due to the delay and lack of infrastructural necessities. Only two islands out of the 300 islands have any buildings on it. One of them, the Lebanon Island, is the only one that has so far been developed commercially. It’s owned by Abu Dhabi-based businessman Ravi Raman who plans to use it private corporate events and public parties.
Other plans are abound. Dubai-based Kleindienst Properties announced on May this year that it would soon start construction work on the “Heart of Europe”, an ambitious development that is planned to spread across six of the islands. Nakheel Group is itself developing a resort named “Coral Island” over 20 islands that make up the North American part of The World. Another investment group from Kuwait has purchased 14 islands that make up Australia and New Zealand where there’ll be another resort. Finland, Ireland, Great Britain and Moscow are acquired by different businesses groups with plans to transform them into villas, pubs, fashion-themed resorts and more.
 

 

 



 
source : Amusing Planet

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