Langesund, Norway
October 10, 2012
March 8, 2013
March 7, 2013
Summer Lightning near Keota
The Pawnee National Grasslands in Colorado is an exceptional place both to observe nature and to stargaze. Observers have a nearly unobstructed view of the horizon. During the summer months, lightning can be seen miles away, and the night sky is generally free of annoying light pollution.
Image Credit: Robert Arn
March 6, 2013
Tornado & Lightning
Lightning can serve as a natural sensing tool that allows scientists to understand what else could be happening in a storm
Image Credit: F. Smith
March 5, 2013
The Milky Way Galaxy over Devils Tower
Was Devils Tower once an explosive volcano? Famous for its appearance in films such as Close Encounters, the origin of Devil's Tower in Wyoming, USA is still debated, with a leading hypothesis holding that it is a hardened lava plume that probably never reached the surface to become a volcano. The lighter rock that once surrounded the dense volcanic neck has now eroded away, leaving the dramatic tower. High above, the central band of the Milky Way Galaxy arches across the sky. Many notable sky objects are visible, including dark strands of the Pipe Nebula and the reddish Lagoon Nebula to the tower's right. Green grass and trees line the moonlit foreground, while clouds appear near the horizon to the tower's left. Unlike many other international landmarks, mountaineers are permitted to climb Devils Tower.
Image Credit & Copyright: Wally Pacholka
Explanation: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090729.html
March 4, 2013
Eclipse over the Temple of Poseidon
What's happened to the Sun? The Moon moved to partly block the Sun for a few minutes in January 2010 as a partial solar eclipse became momentarily visible across part of planet Earth. In this single exposure image, meticulous planning enabled careful photographers to capture the partially eclipsed Sun well posed just above the ancient ruins of the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, Greece. Unexpectedly, clouds covered the top of the Sun, while a flying bird was caught in flight just to the right of the eclipse. At its fullest extent from some locations, the Moon was seen to cover the entire middle of the Sun, leaving the surrounding ring of fire of an annular solar eclipse.
Image Credit & Copyright: Chris Kotsiopoulos & Anthony Ayiomamitis
Explanation from: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100118.html
March 3, 2013
Earth's Shadow
The dark, inner shadow of planet Earth is called the umbra. Shaped like a cone extending into space, the umbra has a circular cross section that can be most easily seen during a lunar eclipse. For example, in August 2008, the Full Moon slid across the northern edge of the umbra. Entertaining moon watchers throughout Earth's eastern hemisphere, the lunar passage created a deep but partial lunar eclipse. This composite image uses successive pictures recorded during the eclipse from Athens, Greece to trace out a large part of the umbra's curved edge. The result nicely illustrates the relative size of the umbra's cross section at the distance of the Moon, as well as the Moon's path through the Earth's shadow.
Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Ayiomamitis
Explanation from: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080820.html
