Nature photos

[faceless]

These are all butterfly wings - they beat 'Jesus in a banana' any day!

[girldorksrule]

Awesome! Thanks Face!

[faceless]

www.nickveasey.com

Not exactly natural, but hey...

[nekokate]

I never knew that shoes had screws in. Seriously!

[faceless]

The lightning storm that engulfed an erupting volcano
By MICHAEL HANLON
7th May 2008

Few sights in nature can compare to the sheer magnificence of a volcano erupting in full flow. But while scenes of molten lava are relatively commonplace, this otherworldly picture of Chaiten Volcano in southern Chile shows a truly spectacular, and devastating, volcanic phenomenon.

As clouds of toxic ash and dust tower into the sky, they ionise the air, generating an explosive electrical storm. Colossal forks of lightning spark around the noxious plume as it spews from the volcano's crater, creating an image of raw, terrifying energy - as if the air itself were ablaze. Now, the worst-case scenario is the collapse of the volcano accompanied by a "pyroclastic flow" - a devastating super-eruption of scorching dense gas and molten rock that would roll down the mountainside at 100mph or faster, incinerating and flattening all in its wake. Thankfully, experts think this is unlikely at this stage.

Pyroclastic flows are also called nuees ardentes - or "burning clouds" - and are probably the single most destructive weapon in nature's armoury, capable of flattening cities in seconds. It was such a catastrophe that destroyed the Roman town of Pompeii in AD79.

The 3,300 ft Chaiten Volcano, 800 miles south of the Chilean capital Santiago, is erupting for the first time in thousands of years, sending a plume of ash into the sky that stretches as far as Argentina. It is also spewing out chunks of lava and hot rock. Authorities have already evacuated around 4,200 people from the town of Chaiten, six miles from the volcano, but 300 civilians and troops remain and are being evacuated now. Rescue is complicated by the fact that southern Chile is fragmented by fjords and access is often difficult.

The authorities are also evacuating a second town, Futaleufu. Some of Futaleufu's 1,000 or so residents had already crossed into neighbouring Argentina, where some areas have been showered with ash and where authorities last week closed schools and treated some for breathing problems. The ash is more than six inches (15 cm) thick in places, and has contaminated water supplies.

Chile, which sits right on the Pacific's volcanic "ring of fire", has the world's second most active string of volcanoes behind Indonesia.

---------------------

I read somewhere else that it was 9000 years since this last erupted... I'm sure that sits well with people living in the shadow of 'dormant' volcanoes all over the world... like the one that's about 12 miles from here!

[faceless]

The surfer who kept his cool in the face of a volcano
By Claire Bates
9th July 2008

Tell most people a volcano is erupting and you can bet most of them will start running in the opposite direction before you finish the sentence. But not in the case of pro-surfer C J Kanuha, who grabbed his board and paddled out to sea to get a closer look as the lava of the world's most active volcano, Kilauea, hit the waters.

Tentative at first, the adrenalin-junkie paddled to within 20ft of the lava, before moving back from water that reached 200C in places, melting the wax on his surfboard and burning his feet in the process.
Enlarge Lava lather: Pro surfer C.J Kanuha paddles towards the lava spilling out of the Kilauea volcano on Big Island

Kilauea, meaning 'much spreading', has been continually erupting in Hawaii since 1983, but more molten rock than usual is flowing from an outbreak that started last November. Lava has been spewing as high as 150ft in the air at temperatures up to 1,200C and a surface flow is snaking east from the crater.

The current lava flow has been pouring out of the Pu'u O'o vent since November 21, 2007 Meanwhile, underground 'tubes' are expelling lava into the Pacific ocean creating huge clouds of steam and ash. But none of this fazed C J as he set out on his daredevil mission.

Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have also reported an 'unusually high amount of sulphur dioxide gas' emerging from one of the craters. Kilauea is a low flat shield volcano. It is the youngest on Big Island and sits on the south-eastern side. The volcano has its own magma-plumbing system, extending to the surface from more than 60km deep in the earth.

The near constant eruptions have proved an invaluable resource to geologists but the volcano has proved to be a dangerous neighbour. Kilauea releases a volcanic gas, known as vog, which can irritate respiratory problems. High levels of the noxious fumes have killed several people in the past.

In 1993, a tourist died when the portion of cooled fresh lava on which he was standing broke away and fell into the ocean. The lava flow has also destroyed homes and sections of the coastal highway over the last two decades.

Kilauea is the home of Madame Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. Hawaiian chants and oral traditions tell of the many eruptions created by an angry Pele before the first European, the missionary Reverend William Ellis, saw the summit in 1823.

----------------

Everybody needs a hobby! haha

[faceless]

Extraordinary satellite images show an ordinary day in Britain - as seen from space
09th August 2008

This is Britain - but not as we know it. These extraordinary satellite images reveal what our nation looks like from the skies. From flight paths and road networks to telephone exchanges across London, the stunning aerial shots paint a striking new perspective on the British Isles. Everything from London taxi journeys to internet activity across the nation are replicated in the breathtaking images.

Using the latest satellite technology and innovations in aerial photography, the pictures will be shown for the first time on 'Britain from Above', a new BBC series that starts this Sunday. Presenter Andrew Marr takes to the skies by plane, helicopter, microlight and even parachute to give viewers a bird's eye view of landmarks across the UK.

The programme uses satellite data and the latest computer generated imagery to demonstrate how Britain keeps moving - tracking the planes that enter our airspace, the ships that cross the English Channel and the cars that travel our streets, all in the space of a single day.

Series director Cassian Harrison, said: 'It has been amazing to work with cameras mounted on so many helicopters and planes. The one disadvantage is that when we film we're contending so much with the weather. It has been a battle with the elements, but a brilliant one, working out how many different ways it is possible to get up in the sky and look down at the nation. In a way, though, the biggest privilege is being able to look down on the world you know. It's like Google Earth, but for real.'

'Britain From Above' begins on BBC1 on Sunday at 9pm.

------------------

The one with purple lines is supposed to show internet activity over Southern England, but how can that show up in a satellite pic?

[faceless]

Gorilla warfare...

[faceless]

[faceless]

[luke]

no prize for these, although if there was a prize for cuteness i'm sure this would be a contender


Have you got my good side? Three other penguins lark about in front of the camera as their companion zooms in on them


Get a little closer just move to the right a little, please. That's almost it.... Say: 'Freeze!'

Watch the birdie! Penguin peers through camera's viewfinder... as his feathered friends strike a pose

[btaylo24]

Amazing shots....

[faceless]

This eerily beautiful image is of a water flea with a radiant green 'crown of thorns' to protect it from predators. It took top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition, the world's foremost forum for showcasing microscope photos and movies. Dr Jan Michels, a zoologist at the University of Albrecht, Germany, took the honors for the photograph.


Second prize: Nucleus of a plant cell showing a ladder-like protein structure that forms between pairing chromosomes during cell division needed for reproduction.


Fourth prize (right): Fresh water algae taken with a 100X zoom


Fifth prize: A simple form of algae called Penium taken by David Domozych from Skidmore University, New York. The largest and most complex form of algae is seaweed


Sixth prize: Tentacle of a Portuguese Man of War, magnified 30X. It is notorious for its painful, powerful sting


Eighth prize: Flower of Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress), a popular model organism in plant biology and genetics using 20X zoom.


Ninth prize: The jelly-like embryos of an Atlantic salmon taken by Haruka Fujimaki from Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts

[faceless]

[pirtybirdy]

It looked very similar to Etna. My ex lived in Catania and we'd pass it all the time and can also see it on a clear day from his condo window. That thing was smoking every single day, and on active days there would be ash on the balcony that would have to be swept constantly and it would get inside as well. What a mess.