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TwitterCloud of dust at the centre of the Milky Way, smells of rum and tastes of raspberries:
Wheat Farm
Wheat (Triticum spp.) is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East and Ethiopian Highlands, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2010, world production of wheat was 651 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize (844 million tons) and rice (672 million tons).
A Beautiful Harbour
A harbor or harbour or haven, is a body of water where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial.
A Mirror Image Of Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Chelonii (or) Testudines characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield. "Turtle" may either refer to the order as a whole, or to particular turtles which make up a form taxon that is not monophyletic.
A Deer In Its Environment
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, mule deer such as black-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer (caribou), fallow deer, roe deer and chital
Environmental Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby something new is created which has some kind of subjective value (such as a joke, a literary work, a painting or musical composition, a solution, an invention etc.). It is also the impetus and motivational force behind any given act of creation, and it is generally perceived to be associated with intelligence and cognition.
Friday 31 May 2013
07:20
Environment Places
Black Holes Can Get Really Big, And We Have No Idea Why.
Artist’s rendering of the environment around the supermassive black hole at the center of Mrk 231. The broad outflow seen in the Gemini data is shown as the fan-shaped wedge at the top of the accretion disk around the black hole, in side view. A similar outflow is probably present under the disk as well. The total amount of material entrained in the broad flow is at least 400 times the mass of the sun per year. Credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA, artwork by Lynette Cook
Right now, as you read this article, it’s quite possible that the ultra-huge black hole at the center of our galaxy is feasting on asteroids or supercooked gas.
We’ve seen these supermassive black holes in other spots in the universe, too: merging together, for example. They’re huge heavyweights, typically ranging between hundreds of thousands to billions of times the mass of the Sun. But we also know, paradoxically, that mini supermassive black holes exist.
So while we’ve observed the gravitational effects of these monsters, a University of Alberta researcher today (May 30) is going to outline the big question: how the heck some of them got so massive. For now, no one knows for sure, but scientists are naturally taking a stab at trying to figure this out.
Maybe they were your ordinary stellar black holes, just three to 100 times the mass of the sun, that underwent a growth spurt. There’s a sticking point with that theory, though: ”To do this, the black holes would have to gorge excessively, at rates that require new physics,” stated the Canadian Astronomical Society.
“We might also expect to see some black holes that are intermediate in mass between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes in our nearby universe,” the society added, “like a band that is consistently releasing albums, but never making it truly big.”
Anyway, Jeanette Gladstone (a postdoctoral researcher) will make a presentation at CASCA’s annual meeting in Vancouver today outlining some ideas. Gladstone, by the way, focuses on X-rays (from black holes) in her work. Here’s what she said on her research page:
“I am currently trying to understand a strange group of curiously bright X-ray binaries. These ultraluminous X-ray sources emit too much X-ray radiation to be explained by standard accretion [of] only a regular stellar mass black hole,” she wrote.
“So I use various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to try and understand what makes them appear so bright. More recently I have started looking at the very brightest of these sources, a group of objects that have recently become a class in their own right. These are the hyperluminous X-ray sources.”
Astronomers were pretty excited with this 2012 work: “For the first time, we have evidence on the environment, and thus the origin, of this middle-weight black hole,” said Mathieu Servillat, a member of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics research team, at the time.
07:14
Environment Places
Genetically – Engineered Mosquitoes Lose Nose for Humans:
It has long been believed that detecting carbon dioxide was one of the ways that mosquitoes target their human prey. But the fact that mosquitoes tend to favor certain people over others indicates that some other odor also plays a part in the attraction. Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have genetically engineered mosquitoes to alter their sense of smell, which could provide the understanding required to block the pesky pests’ attraction to humans.
A team led by Leslie Vosshall altered the odor-sensing capabilities of Aedes aegypti, a mosquito found in tropical and subtropical regions that is a vector for dengue fever, yellow fever and other diseases. Following on from her lab’s previous success in genetically engineering flies to delete a gene called orco, which they knew affected the flies’ ability to respond to odors, Vosshall’s team used zinc-finger nucleases to specifically mutate the orco gene in the mosquito.
After injecting the targeted zinc-finger nucleases into mosquito embryos, the researchers waited for them to mature before identifying the mutant individuals and generating mutant strains that allowed them to study the role the orco gene plays in mosquito biology.
They found that the genetically engineered mosquitoes exhibited a reduction in neural activity related to odor-sensing, with subsequent tests revealing various behavioral changes. Whereas normal Aedes aegypti will make a bee-line (or mosquito line) for humans when given the choice between a human and another animal, the mosquitoes with orco mutations showed a reduced preference for humans over guinea pigs. These results were seen even in the presence of carbon dioxide.
“By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans,” says Vosshall.
However, the researchers still aren’t sure whether this confusion is due to an inability by the engineered mosquitoes to sense a “bad” smell coming from the guinea pig, or a “good” smell coming from the human, or both.
The researchers also found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations responded differently to DEET, the active ingredient in most insect repellents. When presented with two human arms, one covered in a solution containing 10 percent DEET, and the other untreated, the mosquitoes showed no preference for either arm, suggesting that they couldn’t smell the DEET. However, those that landed on the DEET-covered arm quickly flew away.
“This tells us that there are two totally different mechanisms that mosquitoes are using to sense DEET,” explains Vosshall. “One is what’s happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin.” The researchers say this dual mechanism had never been identified before.
The research team plans to continue their study of the orco protein and how it interacts with the mosquitoes’ odor receptors.
“We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans,” she says. “And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a next-generation repellant would look like.”
Even though mosquitoes cause more human deaths than any other animal, they do perform some beneficial ecological functions. So finding a more effective insect repellent would likely be a more palatable idea for those opposed to the idea of using genetic engineering to wipe the mosquito out altogether.
It has long been believed that detecting carbon dioxide was one of the ways that mosquitoes target their human prey. But the fact that mosquitoes tend to favor certain people over others indicates that some other odor also plays a part in the attraction. Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have genetically engineered mosquitoes to alter their sense of smell, which could provide the understanding required to block the pesky pests’ attraction to humans.
A team led by Leslie Vosshall altered the odor-sensing capabilities of Aedes aegypti, a mosquito found in tropical and subtropical regions that is a vector for dengue fever, yellow fever and other diseases. Following on from her lab’s previous success in genetically engineering flies to delete a gene called orco, which they knew affected the flies’ ability to respond to odors, Vosshall’s team used zinc-finger nucleases to specifically mutate the orco gene in the mosquito.
After injecting the targeted zinc-finger nucleases into mosquito embryos, the researchers waited for them to mature before identifying the mutant individuals and generating mutant strains that allowed them to study the role the orco gene plays in mosquito biology.
They found that the genetically engineered mosquitoes exhibited a reduction in neural activity related to odor-sensing, with subsequent tests revealing various behavioral changes. Whereas normal Aedes aegypti will make a bee-line (or mosquito line) for humans when given the choice between a human and another animal, the mosquitoes with orco mutations showed a reduced preference for humans over guinea pigs. These results were seen even in the presence of carbon dioxide.
“By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans,” says Vosshall.
However, the researchers still aren’t sure whether this confusion is due to an inability by the engineered mosquitoes to sense a “bad” smell coming from the guinea pig, or a “good” smell coming from the human, or both.
The researchers also found that the mosquitoes with orco mutations responded differently to DEET, the active ingredient in most insect repellents. When presented with two human arms, one covered in a solution containing 10 percent DEET, and the other untreated, the mosquitoes showed no preference for either arm, suggesting that they couldn’t smell the DEET. However, those that landed on the DEET-covered arm quickly flew away.
“This tells us that there are two totally different mechanisms that mosquitoes are using to sense DEET,” explains Vosshall. “One is what’s happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin.” The researchers say this dual mechanism had never been identified before.
The research team plans to continue their study of the orco protein and how it interacts with the mosquitoes’ odor receptors.
“We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans,” she says. “And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a next-generation repellant would look like.”
Even though mosquitoes cause more human deaths than any other animal, they do perform some beneficial ecological functions. So finding a more effective insect repellent would likely be a more palatable idea for those opposed to the idea of using genetic engineering to wipe the mosquito out altogether.
Tuesday 28 May 2013
12:56
Environment Places
Mantis:
Mantodea (or mantises, mantes) is an order of insects that contains over 2,400 valid species and about 430 genera in 15 families worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. Most of the species are in the family Mantidae.
The English common name for any species in the order is "praying mantis", because of the typical "prayer-like" posture with folded fore-limbs, although the eggcorn "preying mantis" is sometimes used in reference to their predatory habits.In Europe and other regions, the name "praying mantis" refers to only a single species, Mantis religiosa. The closest relatives of mantises are the termites and cockroaches (order Blattodea). They are sometimes confused with phasmids (stick/leaf insects) and other elongated insects such as grasshoppers and crickets.
Praying Mantis Attacks Snake:
Praying Mantis attacks a snake many times its size and lives to tell about it! Watch the praying mantis fight the snake:
SPECIAL THANKS TO https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentPlaces FOR PROMOTING THIS MAGNIFICENT INSECT!
Mantis slays Mouse:
SPECIAL THANKS TO https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentPlaces FOR PROMOTING THIS MAGNIFICENT INSECT!
Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird:
How to Take Care of a Praying Mantis:
A fascinating insect, the praying mantis is widespread in the world and makes an awesome choice for a pet. Even people who don't like a lot of bugs can be persuaded to enjoy the antics of a praying mantis, as it swivels its head to look behind its shoulder at you (indeed, it's the only insect that can do this!)
Praying mantises (or mantids) come in many colors such as pink like a flower (the orchid praying mantis – Hymenopus coronatus) and white, although most are brown or green. The type of praying mantis species you'll be able to keep will depend on where you live and whether you're obtaining your praying mantis from the great outdoors or your local exotic pet store. Raising a praying mantis is fairly straightforward, a lot of fun, and it's likely you'll learn a lot more about this unique and entertaining insect simply by observing its daily antics.
Steps:
1
Find a praying mantis. The praying mantis is found in many parts of the world and some were introduced to the United States in the early nineteenth century and have since become naturalized.
If you know you have them in your local area, consider finding one from the wild. Praying mantises are usually about 3 inches (7-8cm) in length and mostly brown or green, and they look much like sticks and leaves, making them blend in well with their environment.
2
Get a container for your mantis. Get a small container to put your mantis in once you find it. It doesn't have to be very big - just a 6" x 6" square (15.2cm x 15.2cm) should do for most mantises. The container should be well ventilated and preferably made out of mesh, or chicken wire, to give the mantis and its prey something to cling onto. It should also have a secure top. Never use a container that had chemicals in it.
3
Catch your mantis. More than likely, you won't need any gloves, unless you're squeamish about touching bugs. Simply place the opening of your container in front of the mantis. Coax the mantis into the container using a twig, or your hand if you are okay with that. Soon, he or she should willingly go into the container. Close the top, because mantises are smart, and they'll seize any opportunity to escape.
4
Purchase a praying mantis. If you can't find one or they aren't in your area, visit your local pet store and ask for advice as to whether they can get a particular praying mantis for you. This might give you wider options for different species, depending on the laws in your country as to importing insects and keeping them as pets.
If purchasing a praying mantis, they are usually sold as nymphs. Each nymph comes packed in small container.
5
Prepare the home for your praying mantis. For the praying mantis to remain happy and healthy, she will need a good environment within your home. Choose a suitable structure to house your praying mantis, such as a vivarium. The structure should be large enough for a growing mantis if you've purchased a nymph and it needs to be kept warm, at around 24ºC (75ºF), and a few less degrees at night.
Provide climbing items. The praying mantis needs to be able to clamber up on things such as twigs, branches, small dowel poles, etc.
Decorate with foliage, twigs, and other natural items that allow the praying mantis to climb and clamber around. Some people place a living plant or two into the display, as the mantis will enjoy being able to climb it.
Warmth can be provided by using a spot lamp or a heater pad. Speak to your pet supplies specialist to see what they have in stock.
6
Keep your praying mantis separate from any other ones you plan on keeping. Praying mantises have voracious appetites for insects, including one another. They're top predators in the insect kingdom and will stalk or wait until their chance comes, so don't give them the chance to also be a cannibal.[5] Have separate housing for each praying mantis you intend to keep.
7
Feed your mantis properly. The food requirements of a praying mantis will vary depending on their growth stage:
For a nymph purchased from the pet store: Feed with fruit flies, micro crickets, gnats, aphids, and other mini bugs.
For a mantis that has grown and is molting or shedding, (the instar stage): Start to increase the insect size; then for each shedding period, feed normally but remove anything she ignores because she may not eat during molting.
For a fully grown praying mantis, get busy: Catch butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers or even house flies. In the wild praying mantises will consume anything they can catch and hold. They are also known to eat bees and wasps in the wild but you probably don't want to mess with them.
Buying crickets from the pet store is not necessary, although some people will tell you that using wild crickets could make your pet sick. This may or may not be true for store-raised mantises, but for wild-caught ones, some harm should come to them. As for store-bought crickets or some pet stores over feed their crickets, some caution should be exercised. Many pet stores do not feed or properly care for crickets, and any diseases those crickets have as a result can be passed on to your mantis. If you're not sure, spend a few days feeding store-bought or wild-caught crickets high nutrition diets to help manage the bacteria in their gut, and they should be fine.
Don't give the mantis live food that is bigger than it or your mantis might be the one that gets eaten.
Spray mist the enclosure to provide water for the praying mantis
8
Clear uneaten food out of the mantis' home. Mantises aren't the tidiest of diners and they'll leave behind all manner of debris including legs, wings, chewy or hard bits they didn't like, etc., and you need to remove these daily. When this debris piles up, the praying mantis will stress out and won't cope well in her artificial environment.
When cleaning out the leftovers from her meals, also remove your praying mantis' fecal matter (pellet shaped).
9
Handle with care. Your praying mantis is delicate no matter how strong she appears. Avoid picking her up as there are several risks involved; she might be crushed by an over-enthusiastic grip, or she might defend herself against your attempt by stabbing you with her forearms.[8] It will probably surprise you more than hurt you but it will definitely stress her and put on the defensive. The answer is to allow her to climb onto your outstretched palm, finger, or top of your hand, at her leisure. Be patient!
Praying mantises have wings once they're adults, meaning that they can fly. If you want to hold her, close all windows and doors before removing her from her home.
When molting, leave your praying mantis alone and don't touch her.[9] She'll shed her old exoskeleton and gain a new one. Once the new one is in place, you can handle her again.
10
Consider breeding the praying mantises if you want to have several praying mantises over time. A praying mantis has a short lifespan, of around six months from nymph to adulthood, and another six months as an adult. With good care, this can be extended up to a year and a half in the easy home life you're providing. Identify the gender of your praying mantis first - the female has six segments on her underside while the male has eight. If a female is mated, she can produce several egg cases (oothecae), and may well eat the male (and be aware that unmated females will probably still lay eggs, they just won't hatch).
Be prepared for nursery duty if you catch or mate a female mantis. She will grow a big belly, and lose the ability to fly. When your mantis lays eggs, it should be in the early fall, or late spring. Don't worry. You will have plenty of time to prepare for your eggs to hatch next spring.
The egg case will have a ridge along the center of it. It's not to everyone's liking to look at but shelve your squeamishness!
Come springtime, the eggs should soon hatch, and the nymphs should emerge through tiny holes in the egg case. A word of caution – they can, and will often eat each other if they are not separated, and when they reach molting stages, many mantises will stop eating for a day or two, so it's easier to squeeze out of that old shell.
Feed as outlined above.
Those you don't plan on keeping can be set free in your garden.
11
Maintain hygiene. Wash your hands after handling your praying mantis, its cages, or cage accessories.
Thank you
Visit again
Mantodea (or mantises, mantes) is an order of insects that contains over 2,400 valid species and about 430 genera in 15 families worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. Most of the species are in the family Mantidae.
The English common name for any species in the order is "praying mantis", because of the typical "prayer-like" posture with folded fore-limbs, although the eggcorn "preying mantis" is sometimes used in reference to their predatory habits.In Europe and other regions, the name "praying mantis" refers to only a single species, Mantis religiosa. The closest relatives of mantises are the termites and cockroaches (order Blattodea). They are sometimes confused with phasmids (stick/leaf insects) and other elongated insects such as grasshoppers and crickets.
Praying Mantis Attacks Snake:
Praying Mantis attacks a snake many times its size and lives to tell about it! Watch the praying mantis fight the snake:
SPECIAL THANKS TO https://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentPlaces FOR PROMOTING THIS MAGNIFICENT INSECT!
Mantis slays Mouse:
Praying Mantis vs Hummingbird:
How to Take Care of a Praying Mantis:
A fascinating insect, the praying mantis is widespread in the world and makes an awesome choice for a pet. Even people who don't like a lot of bugs can be persuaded to enjoy the antics of a praying mantis, as it swivels its head to look behind its shoulder at you (indeed, it's the only insect that can do this!)
Praying mantises (or mantids) come in many colors such as pink like a flower (the orchid praying mantis – Hymenopus coronatus) and white, although most are brown or green. The type of praying mantis species you'll be able to keep will depend on where you live and whether you're obtaining your praying mantis from the great outdoors or your local exotic pet store. Raising a praying mantis is fairly straightforward, a lot of fun, and it's likely you'll learn a lot more about this unique and entertaining insect simply by observing its daily antics.
Steps:
1
Find a praying mantis. The praying mantis is found in many parts of the world and some were introduced to the United States in the early nineteenth century and have since become naturalized.
If you know you have them in your local area, consider finding one from the wild. Praying mantises are usually about 3 inches (7-8cm) in length and mostly brown or green, and they look much like sticks and leaves, making them blend in well with their environment.
2
Get a container for your mantis. Get a small container to put your mantis in once you find it. It doesn't have to be very big - just a 6" x 6" square (15.2cm x 15.2cm) should do for most mantises. The container should be well ventilated and preferably made out of mesh, or chicken wire, to give the mantis and its prey something to cling onto. It should also have a secure top. Never use a container that had chemicals in it.
3
Catch your mantis. More than likely, you won't need any gloves, unless you're squeamish about touching bugs. Simply place the opening of your container in front of the mantis. Coax the mantis into the container using a twig, or your hand if you are okay with that. Soon, he or she should willingly go into the container. Close the top, because mantises are smart, and they'll seize any opportunity to escape.
4
Purchase a praying mantis. If you can't find one or they aren't in your area, visit your local pet store and ask for advice as to whether they can get a particular praying mantis for you. This might give you wider options for different species, depending on the laws in your country as to importing insects and keeping them as pets.
If purchasing a praying mantis, they are usually sold as nymphs. Each nymph comes packed in small container.
5
Prepare the home for your praying mantis. For the praying mantis to remain happy and healthy, she will need a good environment within your home. Choose a suitable structure to house your praying mantis, such as a vivarium. The structure should be large enough for a growing mantis if you've purchased a nymph and it needs to be kept warm, at around 24ºC (75ºF), and a few less degrees at night.
Provide climbing items. The praying mantis needs to be able to clamber up on things such as twigs, branches, small dowel poles, etc.
Decorate with foliage, twigs, and other natural items that allow the praying mantis to climb and clamber around. Some people place a living plant or two into the display, as the mantis will enjoy being able to climb it.
Warmth can be provided by using a spot lamp or a heater pad. Speak to your pet supplies specialist to see what they have in stock.
6
Keep your praying mantis separate from any other ones you plan on keeping. Praying mantises have voracious appetites for insects, including one another. They're top predators in the insect kingdom and will stalk or wait until their chance comes, so don't give them the chance to also be a cannibal.[5] Have separate housing for each praying mantis you intend to keep.
7
Feed your mantis properly. The food requirements of a praying mantis will vary depending on their growth stage:
For a nymph purchased from the pet store: Feed with fruit flies, micro crickets, gnats, aphids, and other mini bugs.
For a mantis that has grown and is molting or shedding, (the instar stage): Start to increase the insect size; then for each shedding period, feed normally but remove anything she ignores because she may not eat during molting.
For a fully grown praying mantis, get busy: Catch butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers or even house flies. In the wild praying mantises will consume anything they can catch and hold. They are also known to eat bees and wasps in the wild but you probably don't want to mess with them.
Buying crickets from the pet store is not necessary, although some people will tell you that using wild crickets could make your pet sick. This may or may not be true for store-raised mantises, but for wild-caught ones, some harm should come to them. As for store-bought crickets or some pet stores over feed their crickets, some caution should be exercised. Many pet stores do not feed or properly care for crickets, and any diseases those crickets have as a result can be passed on to your mantis. If you're not sure, spend a few days feeding store-bought or wild-caught crickets high nutrition diets to help manage the bacteria in their gut, and they should be fine.
Don't give the mantis live food that is bigger than it or your mantis might be the one that gets eaten.
Spray mist the enclosure to provide water for the praying mantis
8
Clear uneaten food out of the mantis' home. Mantises aren't the tidiest of diners and they'll leave behind all manner of debris including legs, wings, chewy or hard bits they didn't like, etc., and you need to remove these daily. When this debris piles up, the praying mantis will stress out and won't cope well in her artificial environment.
When cleaning out the leftovers from her meals, also remove your praying mantis' fecal matter (pellet shaped).
9
Handle with care. Your praying mantis is delicate no matter how strong she appears. Avoid picking her up as there are several risks involved; she might be crushed by an over-enthusiastic grip, or she might defend herself against your attempt by stabbing you with her forearms.[8] It will probably surprise you more than hurt you but it will definitely stress her and put on the defensive. The answer is to allow her to climb onto your outstretched palm, finger, or top of your hand, at her leisure. Be patient!
Praying mantises have wings once they're adults, meaning that they can fly. If you want to hold her, close all windows and doors before removing her from her home.
When molting, leave your praying mantis alone and don't touch her.[9] She'll shed her old exoskeleton and gain a new one. Once the new one is in place, you can handle her again.
10
Consider breeding the praying mantises if you want to have several praying mantises over time. A praying mantis has a short lifespan, of around six months from nymph to adulthood, and another six months as an adult. With good care, this can be extended up to a year and a half in the easy home life you're providing. Identify the gender of your praying mantis first - the female has six segments on her underside while the male has eight. If a female is mated, she can produce several egg cases (oothecae), and may well eat the male (and be aware that unmated females will probably still lay eggs, they just won't hatch).
Be prepared for nursery duty if you catch or mate a female mantis. She will grow a big belly, and lose the ability to fly. When your mantis lays eggs, it should be in the early fall, or late spring. Don't worry. You will have plenty of time to prepare for your eggs to hatch next spring.
The egg case will have a ridge along the center of it. It's not to everyone's liking to look at but shelve your squeamishness!
Come springtime, the eggs should soon hatch, and the nymphs should emerge through tiny holes in the egg case. A word of caution – they can, and will often eat each other if they are not separated, and when they reach molting stages, many mantises will stop eating for a day or two, so it's easier to squeeze out of that old shell.
Feed as outlined above.
Those you don't plan on keeping can be set free in your garden.
11
Maintain hygiene. Wash your hands after handling your praying mantis, its cages, or cage accessories.
Thank you
Visit again
Monday 27 May 2013
10:30
Environment Places
The Largest Flower in the World:
It looks from inside
The largest organisms found on Earth can be determined according to various aspects of organism size, such as: mass, volume, area, length, height, or even genome size. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism, but such are not classed as single large organisms. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest structure composed of living entities, stretching 2,000 km, but contains many organisms of many species. The organism sizes listed are frequently considered "outsized" and are not in the normal size range for the respective species.
Thank you
It looks from inside
The largest organisms found on Earth can be determined according to various aspects of organism size, such as: mass, volume, area, length, height, or even genome size. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism, but such are not classed as single large organisms. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest structure composed of living entities, stretching 2,000 km, but contains many organisms of many species. The organism sizes listed are frequently considered "outsized" and are not in the normal size range for the respective species.
Thank you
Saturday 25 May 2013
Friday 24 May 2013
23:10
Unknown
Apophis in 2029 or 2036:
Apophis
previously known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) is a
near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December
2004 because initial observations indicated a probability of up to 2.7%
that it would strike the Earth in 2029.
Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029. However, a possibility remained that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole, a small region no more than about 800 m (half a mile) wide, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036.
This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006, when the probability that Apophis would pass through the keyhole was determined to be very small. Apophis broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered.
The diameter of Apophis is approximately 325 metres (1,066 ft). As of the April 15, 2013 observation arc, the probability of an April 13, 2036 impact has been eliminated.
Preliminary observations by Goldstone radar in January 2013 effectively ruled out the possibility of an Earth impact by Apophis in 2036.Of objects not recently observed, there are about ten asteroids with a more notable Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale than Apophis.On average, an asteroid the size of Apophis (325 meters) can be expected to impact Earth about every 80,000 years or so.
Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029. However, a possibility remained that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole, a small region no more than about 800 m (half a mile) wide, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036.
This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006, when the probability that Apophis would pass through the keyhole was determined to be very small. Apophis broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered.
The diameter of Apophis is approximately 325 metres (1,066 ft). As of the April 15, 2013 observation arc, the probability of an April 13, 2036 impact has been eliminated.
Preliminary observations by Goldstone radar in January 2013 effectively ruled out the possibility of an Earth impact by Apophis in 2036.Of objects not recently observed, there are about ten asteroids with a more notable Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale than Apophis.On average, an asteroid the size of Apophis (325 meters) can be expected to impact Earth about every 80,000 years or so.
Saturday 18 May 2013
14:08
Naiz Digital Solutions
Top 10 Plants That Will Kill You:
Ok, I know I wasn’t supposed to do any more plant lists, but I couldn’t help myself. By killer plants I do not mean as in Top 10 Carnivorous Plants, plants that kill little insects, and the occasional rat, but plants that are well known to kill people. All plants contain some toxins as protection against predators. We already know, from Top 10 Poisonous foods we love to eat, that even apple seeds contain traces of cyanide. In this list we are going to look at some plants that contain such high doses, of toxins to which humans are sensitive, that some can kill you in a matter of hours. In some cases, many animals have a much higher tolerance to the poison than humans, and all the plants on this list are known human killers. It’s shocking to read this and recognize some of the plants that you grew up playing around, knowing that just one bite could have killed you, and knowing just how curious children are. Many of these plants’ main victims are children, as they often have bright fruit that look rather appetizing, and children have an even lower tolerance to the poison, so it takes a lot less to do the job. Who knows, this information might come in handy someday.
10
White snakeroot:
White snake root, also known as White Sanicle or Tall Boneset, is a highly poisonous plant, native to North America. Their flowers are white and, after blooming, small fluffy seeds blow away with the wind. This plant has a high % of the toxin tremetol, which is not known for killing humans directly, but indirectly. When the plant is eaten by cattle, the toxin is absorbed into their milk and meat. When humans then, in turn, eat the beef or drink the milk, the toxin enters the body and causes something called milk sickness, which is highly fatal. Thousands of ignorant European settlers died from milk sickness in America in the early 19th century. It is also believed that Abraham Lincoln’s mother, Nancy Hanks, died from milk sickness.
9
Doll’s eyes:
Doll’s eye, also known as White Baneberry, is a flowering plant native to Eastern and Northern North America. The Doll’s eyes comes from the striking fruit of the plant, which is a 1cm in diameter white berry with a black stigma scar, which looks very eye like. Although the whole plant has been declared toxic for human consumption, the most poisonous part is the concentrated toxins in the fruit, which have sadly claimed a number of children’s lives, as they also have a sweet taste. The berries contain a carcinogenic toxin, which has an almost immediate, sedative effect on human cardiac muscles and can easily cause a quick death.
8
Angel’s trumpet:
Angel’s trumpets are flowering plants, native to the tropical regions of South America, but found around the world. The name Angel’s trumpet comes from the pendulous trumpet shaped flowers, covered in fine hairs, that hang from the tree. Flowers come in a variety of sizes (14-50cm) and in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, orange and pink. All parts of the plant contain toxins, such as tropane alkaloids scopolamine and atropine. The plant is sometimes turned into a tea and ingested as a hallucinogenic, recreational drug. As levels of toxicity varies prom plant to plant, and part to part, it is almost impossible to know how much toxins you have ingested. As a result of this, many users have overdosed and died from it.
7
Strychnine tree:
The Strychnine tree, better known as poison nut or Quaker Button, is a medium sized tree, native to India and South East Asia. The small seeds inside the trees’ green to orange fruit, is highly toxic, being filled with poisonous alkaloids’ Strychnine and Brucine. 30 mg of these toxins are enough to be fatal to an adult, and will lead to a painful death from violent convulsions due to simultaneous stimulation of sensory ganglia in the spine.
6
English Yew:
The English Yew is native to Europe, Northern Africa and South West Asia. It is a small to medium tree that has seeds enclosed in a soft, red, berry like armor. The berry armor is the only part of the fruit that is not poisonous and this allows birds to eat the fruit and spread the seeds without ill effect. It takes a dose of about 50g to be fatal to a human. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, muscle tremors, convulsion, collapse and finally cardiac arrest. In cases of severe poisoning, death can set in so fast that the other symptoms are missed.
5
Water hemlock:
Water hemlock, or poison parsnip, is a group of highly poisonous plants that is native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The plants all have very distinctive small white or green flowers, arranged in an umbrella shape. Water hemlock is considered to be North America’s most poisonous plant as it is incredibly poisonous to humans. The plants contain a toxin named cicutoxin which causes seizures. This poison is found in all parts of the plant but is most concentrated in the roots, which is most potent in the spring. Besides the almost immediate seizures, other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, tremors and confusion. Death is usually caused by respiratory failure or ventricular fibrillation and can occur just a few hours after ingestion.
4
Wolfsbane:
Wolfsbane, also known as leopard’s bane, woman’s bane or devils helmet, is a plant belonging to the buttercup family. These perennial plants are native to mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere. The plant contains very large quantities of a poison called alkaloid pseudaconitine, which used to be used by the Ainu people of Japan as poison for hunting, on the tips of their arrow heads. In cases of ingestion, symptoms, which include burning in the limbs and abdomen, sets in immediately. In cases of large doses, death can occur within 2-6 hours and 20ml is enough to kill an adult human.
Interestingly, Wolfsbane is also mentioned in mythology and werewolf lore as being able to either repel the werewolves/lycanthropes, or to induce the wolf state regardless of the moon phase. Hence the name.
3
Rosary Pea:
The Rosary Pea, also known as Crab’s eye or Jumbie bead, is a slender perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs and hedges. The plant is native to Indonesia, but grows in most parts of the world. It is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads, and have a bright red to arrange color with a single black spot (not unlike an inverted black widow). The poison contained in the plant (abrin) is very similar to the poison ricin, found in some other poisonous plants. There is one main difference between these poisons, and that is that abrin is about 75 times stronger than ricin. This concludes that the lethal dose is much less, and in some cases as little as 3 micrograms can kill an adult human. Using seeds as beads even poses a huge threat, as people have been known to die, just from pricking their fingers on the drill bits used to drill the tiny holes in the seeds.
2
Belladonna:
Belladonna, also known as Devils berries, death cherries or deadly nightshade, is native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It is also one of the world’s most poisonous plants as it contains Tropane alkaloids, some of which cause delirium and hallucinations. Other symptoms of Belladonna poisoning include loss of voice, dry mouth, headaches, breathing difficulty and convulsions. The whole plant is poisonous, but berries usually play the greatest risk, as they are sweet and tend to attract children. 10 – 20 berries can kill an adult, but it only takes 1 leaf (in which the poisons are much more concentrated) to kill a full grown man.
Strangely, our very “intelligent” ancestors of the Elizabethan era (1500s) used Belladonna as part of their daily cosmetic routine. They used drops made from the plant as eye drops, to dilate their pupils, which was considered attractive and gave the user a dreamy look. Not being very knowledgeable at the time, the women also drank cyanide, or “bled” themselves to obtain a pale, translucent skin color, in addition to painting their faces white with a lead based paint called cerise.
1
Castor plants:
Thinking back to the time your mother forced Castor oil down your throat, I bet you would never have guessed that it came from the most poisonous plant in the world (even if it did taste like it).
Castor plants are indigenous to the Mediterranean basin, eastern Africa and India, but are widely grown as an ornamental plant. A toxin called ricin is found throughout the plant, but is concentrated in the seeds/beans (which castor oil is made from). One raw seed is enough to kill a human in 2 days, which makes for a long, agonizing and unstoppable death. The first symptoms will be experienced within a few hours and will include a burning sensation in the throat & mouth, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. The process is unstoppable and the final cause of death will be dehydration.
Strangely, humans are the most sensitive to these seeds, as it takes 1-4 to kill a full grown human, 11 to kill a dog and a whopping 80 seeds to kill a duck. The castor plant currently holds the Guinness World Record for most poisonous plant.
Thank You
Ok, I know I wasn’t supposed to do any more plant lists, but I couldn’t help myself. By killer plants I do not mean as in Top 10 Carnivorous Plants, plants that kill little insects, and the occasional rat, but plants that are well known to kill people. All plants contain some toxins as protection against predators. We already know, from Top 10 Poisonous foods we love to eat, that even apple seeds contain traces of cyanide. In this list we are going to look at some plants that contain such high doses, of toxins to which humans are sensitive, that some can kill you in a matter of hours. In some cases, many animals have a much higher tolerance to the poison than humans, and all the plants on this list are known human killers. It’s shocking to read this and recognize some of the plants that you grew up playing around, knowing that just one bite could have killed you, and knowing just how curious children are. Many of these plants’ main victims are children, as they often have bright fruit that look rather appetizing, and children have an even lower tolerance to the poison, so it takes a lot less to do the job. Who knows, this information might come in handy someday.
10
White snakeroot:
9
Doll’s eyes:
Doll’s eye, also known as White Baneberry, is a flowering plant native to Eastern and Northern North America. The Doll’s eyes comes from the striking fruit of the plant, which is a 1cm in diameter white berry with a black stigma scar, which looks very eye like. Although the whole plant has been declared toxic for human consumption, the most poisonous part is the concentrated toxins in the fruit, which have sadly claimed a number of children’s lives, as they also have a sweet taste. The berries contain a carcinogenic toxin, which has an almost immediate, sedative effect on human cardiac muscles and can easily cause a quick death.
8
Angel’s trumpet:
Angel’s trumpets are flowering plants, native to the tropical regions of South America, but found around the world. The name Angel’s trumpet comes from the pendulous trumpet shaped flowers, covered in fine hairs, that hang from the tree. Flowers come in a variety of sizes (14-50cm) and in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, orange and pink. All parts of the plant contain toxins, such as tropane alkaloids scopolamine and atropine. The plant is sometimes turned into a tea and ingested as a hallucinogenic, recreational drug. As levels of toxicity varies prom plant to plant, and part to part, it is almost impossible to know how much toxins you have ingested. As a result of this, many users have overdosed and died from it.
7
Strychnine tree:
The Strychnine tree, better known as poison nut or Quaker Button, is a medium sized tree, native to India and South East Asia. The small seeds inside the trees’ green to orange fruit, is highly toxic, being filled with poisonous alkaloids’ Strychnine and Brucine. 30 mg of these toxins are enough to be fatal to an adult, and will lead to a painful death from violent convulsions due to simultaneous stimulation of sensory ganglia in the spine.
6
English Yew:
The English Yew is native to Europe, Northern Africa and South West Asia. It is a small to medium tree that has seeds enclosed in a soft, red, berry like armor. The berry armor is the only part of the fruit that is not poisonous and this allows birds to eat the fruit and spread the seeds without ill effect. It takes a dose of about 50g to be fatal to a human. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, muscle tremors, convulsion, collapse and finally cardiac arrest. In cases of severe poisoning, death can set in so fast that the other symptoms are missed.
5
Water hemlock:
Water hemlock, or poison parsnip, is a group of highly poisonous plants that is native to the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. The plants all have very distinctive small white or green flowers, arranged in an umbrella shape. Water hemlock is considered to be North America’s most poisonous plant as it is incredibly poisonous to humans. The plants contain a toxin named cicutoxin which causes seizures. This poison is found in all parts of the plant but is most concentrated in the roots, which is most potent in the spring. Besides the almost immediate seizures, other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains, tremors and confusion. Death is usually caused by respiratory failure or ventricular fibrillation and can occur just a few hours after ingestion.
4
Wolfsbane:
Wolfsbane, also known as leopard’s bane, woman’s bane or devils helmet, is a plant belonging to the buttercup family. These perennial plants are native to mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere. The plant contains very large quantities of a poison called alkaloid pseudaconitine, which used to be used by the Ainu people of Japan as poison for hunting, on the tips of their arrow heads. In cases of ingestion, symptoms, which include burning in the limbs and abdomen, sets in immediately. In cases of large doses, death can occur within 2-6 hours and 20ml is enough to kill an adult human.
Interestingly, Wolfsbane is also mentioned in mythology and werewolf lore as being able to either repel the werewolves/lycanthropes, or to induce the wolf state regardless of the moon phase. Hence the name.
3
Rosary Pea:
The Rosary Pea, also known as Crab’s eye or Jumbie bead, is a slender perennial climber that twines around trees, shrubs and hedges. The plant is native to Indonesia, but grows in most parts of the world. It is best known for its seeds, which are used as beads, and have a bright red to arrange color with a single black spot (not unlike an inverted black widow). The poison contained in the plant (abrin) is very similar to the poison ricin, found in some other poisonous plants. There is one main difference between these poisons, and that is that abrin is about 75 times stronger than ricin. This concludes that the lethal dose is much less, and in some cases as little as 3 micrograms can kill an adult human. Using seeds as beads even poses a huge threat, as people have been known to die, just from pricking their fingers on the drill bits used to drill the tiny holes in the seeds.2
Belladonna:
Belladonna, also known as Devils berries, death cherries or deadly nightshade, is native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It is also one of the world’s most poisonous plants as it contains Tropane alkaloids, some of which cause delirium and hallucinations. Other symptoms of Belladonna poisoning include loss of voice, dry mouth, headaches, breathing difficulty and convulsions. The whole plant is poisonous, but berries usually play the greatest risk, as they are sweet and tend to attract children. 10 – 20 berries can kill an adult, but it only takes 1 leaf (in which the poisons are much more concentrated) to kill a full grown man.Strangely, our very “intelligent” ancestors of the Elizabethan era (1500s) used Belladonna as part of their daily cosmetic routine. They used drops made from the plant as eye drops, to dilate their pupils, which was considered attractive and gave the user a dreamy look. Not being very knowledgeable at the time, the women also drank cyanide, or “bled” themselves to obtain a pale, translucent skin color, in addition to painting their faces white with a lead based paint called cerise.
1
Castor plants:
Thinking back to the time your mother forced Castor oil down your throat, I bet you would never have guessed that it came from the most poisonous plant in the world (even if it did taste like it).
Castor plants are indigenous to the Mediterranean basin, eastern Africa and India, but are widely grown as an ornamental plant. A toxin called ricin is found throughout the plant, but is concentrated in the seeds/beans (which castor oil is made from). One raw seed is enough to kill a human in 2 days, which makes for a long, agonizing and unstoppable death. The first symptoms will be experienced within a few hours and will include a burning sensation in the throat & mouth, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. The process is unstoppable and the final cause of death will be dehydration.
Strangely, humans are the most sensitive to these seeds, as it takes 1-4 to kill a full grown human, 11 to kill a dog and a whopping 80 seeds to kill a duck. The castor plant currently holds the Guinness World Record for most poisonous plant.
Thank You
Wednesday 15 May 2013
Monday 13 May 2013
08:00
Environmental Places
20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena {Pics}
Iridescent clouds:
Howard Nemerov said “Nothing in the universe can travel at the speed of light, they say, forgetful of the shadow's speed.” But what about the amazing effects and contrasts of light and dark. In their invisible race to the finish line, what effects or phenomena do they create? We decided to explore 20 of the most stunning images for your viewing pleasure, such as incredible ice and water refractions, natural fireworks and light displays and piercing rays and solemn shadows.
Ice and Water Refractions:
Circumhorizontal Arc
Also known as a ‘fire rainbow’ these streaks of colour are created when light is refracted through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. The phenomenon is especially rare as both the ice crystals and sun must be oriented in exact horizontal alignment to create the effect. This particularly dramatic example was captured in the sky over Spokane, WA, in 2006.
Brocken Spectre:
As the sun shines from behind a climber or other object at altitude their shadow is projected through the upper surfaces of clouds, creating a curiously magnified triangular shape. The effect is often seen in conjunction with the glowing rings of a glory (Heiligenschein) – rings of coloured light that appear directly opposite the sun when sunlight is reflected by a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets. It takes its name from the frequent fogs and low-altitude accessibility of the Brocken peaks in Germany, a region in which it is often witnessed.
Upside down rainbow:
Appearing like an ‘upside down rainbow’ the circumzenithal arc is similarly formed by the refraction of light through horizontal ice crystals in specific cloud forms. The phenomenon is centered at the zenith, parallel to the horizon, its colours running from blue to red towards the horizon and always in the form of an incomplete circular arc – a complete circle in a similar situation is the exceptionally rare Kern Arc, only captured on camera for the first time in 2007.
Fog Bow:
This dramatic halo was seen below the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, appearing like an all-white rainbow. Like a rainbow it is created by the refraction of light through water droplets in the clouds, yet the unlike a rainbow the small size of fog droplets accounts for its lack of colour. Mariners often refer to them as ‘sea-dogs’ or ‘cloud bows’.
Glory:
When light is backscattered (a combination of reflection, refraction and diffraction) back towards its source by water droplets in clouds, the shadow of an object between the cloud and source may be wreathed in coloured bands. Named after the majestic effect it imparts – in some parts of China it is even called Buddha’s Light – it is often seen in conjunction with the Brocken Spectre. Here the beautiful bands dramatically surround a plane’s shadow against a cloud.
Natural Fireworks and Light Displays:
22º Halo
Halos are among the most well-known of optical phenomena and appear under a variety of guises. The most frequently scene is the 22º halo, caused by ice crystals in high altitude cirrus clouds, yet the particular shape and orientation of the crystals can create variation in the appearance of the halo. During very cold weather halos formed by crystals close to the ground reflect sunlight between them sending it in several directions at once, an effect known as diamond dust.
Iridescent Clouds:
When the sun is positioned at precisely the correct angle behind clouds water droplets in them diffract light away, creating an intense streaking effect. The colouring is, like a rainbow, caused by the differing wavelengths of the light – different wavelengths are diffracted to different degrees, altering the angle of diffraction and consequently the colour of the light as it is perceived. In this image cloud iridescence is accompanied by a sharply coloured ranbow.
Moonbow:
The combination of a low moon and dark sky often creates moonbows, essentially rainbows produced by the moon’s light. Appearing in the opposite end of the sky to the moon itself, they usually are seen as completely white due to their weak colouring, however long-exposure photography can capture the true colours, as in this example taken at Yosemite National Park, California.
Parhelic Circle:
The parhelic circle appears like a white band circling the sky and always at the same height above the horizon as the sun. Usually only fragments are seen, extending from ‘sundogs’ in the directions away from the sun. Millions of vertically facing ice crystals mirror the sun around the sky to form the beautiful phenomenon.
Rainbows:
Rainbows can take many forms: multiple bows, bows that cross, red bows, twinned bows, coloured fringes, dark bands, spokes and many more, but they all share in common their range of colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. They are formed when light refracts through water droplets in the earth’s atmosphere, most often rain, but mist or fog can create similar effects, and are rarer than one might imagine. Over history many different cultures have ascribed to them a variety of meanings and explanations from the ancient Greek’s belief they were a path to the heavens, to the curious saying that the Irish leprechaun’s pot of gold lies at their end.
Light Displays:
Aurora
The collision of electronically charged particles in the earth’s upper atmosphere often creates magnificent light displays over the polar regions. The colour depends on the elemental content of the particles – most auroras appear green or red due to oxygen, however nitrogen sometimes creates a deep blue or violet appearance. This particular display is the famous Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the ancient Greek for the northern wind, Boreas.
Contrails:
The vapour trails that follow aircraft through the sky cause stunning man-made patterns in the atmosphere. They are created by either aircraft exhaust or airflow over wingtip vortices as it emerges into cold temperatures at high altitudes and condenses into water and ice droplets. In this example a flurry of trails crisscrosses the sky creating an intricate pattern.
Rocket Exhaust Trails:
High altitude winds contort the trails of rockets and their small exhaust particles diffract sunlight into vivid iridescent colours, sometimes carried by the same winds thousands of kilometres before dissipating. The image shows the trails of the Minotaur rocket launched from the US Air Force Base at Vandenberg, California.
Sky Polarisation:
The sky, like many other things around us, scatters polarised light consisting of a certain electromagnetic orientation. Polarization is always perpendicular to the light path itself and if only a single polarization direction is present in the light, the light is said to be linearly polarized. This image was captured with a wide-angle polarised filter lens to show just how spectacular the electromagnetic charge of the skies are.
Star Trails:
Not technically visible to the naked eye this breathtaking image was captured by leaving a camera with a shutter opening of over an hour at night. The natural rotation of the earth causes the stars in the sky to move across the horizon, creating these wonderful trails behind them. The only star in the night sky that appears stationary at all times is Polaris, the North Star, which hovers above the celestial North. The same would be true in the south but there is no star bright enough over it.
Zodiacal Light:
A faint triangular glow seen in the night sky extending up towards the heavens, the Zodiacal light is easily masked by light pollution or moonlight. It is produced when sunlight reflects off dust particles in the cosmos, known as cosmic dust and consequently its spectrum is the same as the solar system. Solar radiation causes the dust particles to spiral slowly, creating a majestic constellation of delicately sprinkled lights in the sky.
Piercing Rays and Solemn Shadows:
Corona
The Corona is a type of plasma atmosphere that surrounds a celestial body and the most famous example is the sun’s which is visible during a total solar eclipse. It extends thousands of kilometers into space and contains ionized Iron at temperatures of almost 1 millionº C (1.8 millionº F). During an eclipse its shining light surrounds the darkened sun, an appearance from which its name is taken, derived from the Latin for ‘crown’.
Crepuscular Rays:
When darkly clouded regions or permeable obstacles such as tree branches filter the sun’s beam, rays of sunlight appear as straight columns radiating from a single point in the sky. The phenomenon, often used in horror movies, is most commonly seen at dawn or dusk and can even be witnessed under the ocean as the sun shines through sheets of cracked ice. This beautiful scene was captured at the Arches National Park in Utah.
Fata Morgana (Mirage):
The interaction between cold air near ground level and warm air immediately above it may act as a refracting lens and produce an upside down image of objects on the horizon, over which the actual
image appears to hover. In this picture, taken in Thuringia, Germany, the horizon in the distance seems to have vanished leaving the furthest posts floating in mid-air, however the blue part of the road is merely a reflection of the sky above it. The common perception that mirages are entirely non-existent images that appear to those lost in the desert is a misnomer, probably confused with the effects of extreme dehydration which can cause hallucinations. Mirages are always of real objects, although it is true they can appear closer due to the effect.
Light Pillar:
The reflection of light by ice crystals with almost perfect horizontal planar surfaces creates a powerful beam that is reminiscent of sci-fi movies. The light source may be the sun, moon or artificial light and an interesting characteristic is that the pillar will take on the colour of this source – in the image taken in Kaijonharju, Finland, the orange sunlight of dusk creates a similarly coloured magnificent pillar.
thank you.
Iridescent clouds:
Ice and Water Refractions:
Circumhorizontal Arc
Also known as a ‘fire rainbow’ these streaks of colour are created when light is refracted through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. The phenomenon is especially rare as both the ice crystals and sun must be oriented in exact horizontal alignment to create the effect. This particularly dramatic example was captured in the sky over Spokane, WA, in 2006.
Brocken Spectre:
As the sun shines from behind a climber or other object at altitude their shadow is projected through the upper surfaces of clouds, creating a curiously magnified triangular shape. The effect is often seen in conjunction with the glowing rings of a glory (Heiligenschein) – rings of coloured light that appear directly opposite the sun when sunlight is reflected by a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets. It takes its name from the frequent fogs and low-altitude accessibility of the Brocken peaks in Germany, a region in which it is often witnessed.
Upside down rainbow:
Appearing like an ‘upside down rainbow’ the circumzenithal arc is similarly formed by the refraction of light through horizontal ice crystals in specific cloud forms. The phenomenon is centered at the zenith, parallel to the horizon, its colours running from blue to red towards the horizon and always in the form of an incomplete circular arc – a complete circle in a similar situation is the exceptionally rare Kern Arc, only captured on camera for the first time in 2007.
Fog Bow:
This dramatic halo was seen below the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, appearing like an all-white rainbow. Like a rainbow it is created by the refraction of light through water droplets in the clouds, yet the unlike a rainbow the small size of fog droplets accounts for its lack of colour. Mariners often refer to them as ‘sea-dogs’ or ‘cloud bows’.
Glory:
Natural Fireworks and Light Displays:
22º Halo
Halos are among the most well-known of optical phenomena and appear under a variety of guises. The most frequently scene is the 22º halo, caused by ice crystals in high altitude cirrus clouds, yet the particular shape and orientation of the crystals can create variation in the appearance of the halo. During very cold weather halos formed by crystals close to the ground reflect sunlight between them sending it in several directions at once, an effect known as diamond dust.
Iridescent Clouds:
When the sun is positioned at precisely the correct angle behind clouds water droplets in them diffract light away, creating an intense streaking effect. The colouring is, like a rainbow, caused by the differing wavelengths of the light – different wavelengths are diffracted to different degrees, altering the angle of diffraction and consequently the colour of the light as it is perceived. In this image cloud iridescence is accompanied by a sharply coloured ranbow.
Moonbow:
The combination of a low moon and dark sky often creates moonbows, essentially rainbows produced by the moon’s light. Appearing in the opposite end of the sky to the moon itself, they usually are seen as completely white due to their weak colouring, however long-exposure photography can capture the true colours, as in this example taken at Yosemite National Park, California.
Parhelic Circle:
The parhelic circle appears like a white band circling the sky and always at the same height above the horizon as the sun. Usually only fragments are seen, extending from ‘sundogs’ in the directions away from the sun. Millions of vertically facing ice crystals mirror the sun around the sky to form the beautiful phenomenon.
Rainbows:
Light Displays:
Aurora
The collision of electronically charged particles in the earth’s upper atmosphere often creates magnificent light displays over the polar regions. The colour depends on the elemental content of the particles – most auroras appear green or red due to oxygen, however nitrogen sometimes creates a deep blue or violet appearance. This particular display is the famous Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the ancient Greek for the northern wind, Boreas.
Contrails:
The vapour trails that follow aircraft through the sky cause stunning man-made patterns in the atmosphere. They are created by either aircraft exhaust or airflow over wingtip vortices as it emerges into cold temperatures at high altitudes and condenses into water and ice droplets. In this example a flurry of trails crisscrosses the sky creating an intricate pattern.
Rocket Exhaust Trails:
Sky Polarisation:
Star Trails:
Not technically visible to the naked eye this breathtaking image was captured by leaving a camera with a shutter opening of over an hour at night. The natural rotation of the earth causes the stars in the sky to move across the horizon, creating these wonderful trails behind them. The only star in the night sky that appears stationary at all times is Polaris, the North Star, which hovers above the celestial North. The same would be true in the south but there is no star bright enough over it.
Zodiacal Light:
A faint triangular glow seen in the night sky extending up towards the heavens, the Zodiacal light is easily masked by light pollution or moonlight. It is produced when sunlight reflects off dust particles in the cosmos, known as cosmic dust and consequently its spectrum is the same as the solar system. Solar radiation causes the dust particles to spiral slowly, creating a majestic constellation of delicately sprinkled lights in the sky.
Piercing Rays and Solemn Shadows:
Corona
The Corona is a type of plasma atmosphere that surrounds a celestial body and the most famous example is the sun’s which is visible during a total solar eclipse. It extends thousands of kilometers into space and contains ionized Iron at temperatures of almost 1 millionº C (1.8 millionº F). During an eclipse its shining light surrounds the darkened sun, an appearance from which its name is taken, derived from the Latin for ‘crown’.
Crepuscular Rays:
Fata Morgana (Mirage):
image appears to hover. In this picture, taken in Thuringia, Germany, the horizon in the distance seems to have vanished leaving the furthest posts floating in mid-air, however the blue part of the road is merely a reflection of the sky above it. The common perception that mirages are entirely non-existent images that appear to those lost in the desert is a misnomer, probably confused with the effects of extreme dehydration which can cause hallucinations. Mirages are always of real objects, although it is true they can appear closer due to the effect.
Light Pillar:
thank you.
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