Click any image to get an impressive view on Saturn.
I already envy future generations, who can jump into their spaceships and take a weekend trip around our solar system. Boy, I would love to fly by Saturn or Jupiter. That must be most amazing.
Click any image to get an impressive view on Saturn.
I already envy future generations, who can jump into their spaceships and take a weekend trip around our solar system. Boy, I would love to fly by Saturn or Jupiter. That must be most amazing.
Click image to zoom into Africa (warning this image is big).
It is scary that has less and less green spots. The Sahara is growing every year and the water is a scarce resource even in ‘green’ areas.
Africa is like South America one of our last remaining green lungs. We have to be careful or it turns into another barren land like most of Australia.
Pretty, but still fucking cold. I hate them, but I am surrounded by billions of them. Help!
Although we all know that Flash & Thunder are ‘just’ natural events we are still deeply impressed by them. Thunderstorms are amazing. Don’t fuck with this form of Shock & Awe.
Contrary to popular belief only one species of bees dies when they sting you (actually the quite common Honey Bee). But not to worry which ones they are - because if the bee dying continues they will be gone in a few years. And so will we if there is nobody to pollinate our crops.
The whole Colony Collapse Disorder really scares the honey out of me. Bees occupy such a specific niche in our ecosystem, that they can’t be substituted by any other insect.
Uhhh … scary! Nothing Hollywood invents will ever beat natures billions of years of experimentations …
Click image for more Australia.
Click image for Australia without clouds.
A great many good people and fascinating animals live down there. I should visit this awesome place someday!
Get a HUGE satelite image via Wikipedia.
Dedicated to my great StumbleFriend Lisabal and thanks for our many interesting discussions.
Click Moon for more detail.
I must admit I am addicted to space pictures. Gimme any old rock in space and I am happy to look at it for hours.
Click image for a larger valley.
Normally we humans are not patient enough to watch the gentle play between the sun, mountains and clouds in their full glory.
Photographer: unknown - can anyone help?
Click image for a larger perspective.
Imagine how different your perspective on life and the universe would be if were a bug. Grass would be a jungle to you. Any mammal or even humans would be godly moving objects to you. A simple rainfall would be a total menace to you.
But wouldn’t be bothered by windows updates, taxes and consumerism. A bug’s life might be quite nice actually …
Click image for a larger version.
Such images give me the shivers - a mixtures of oneness with the universe and pride that some of my tax money is well spent*.
*actually in this case that of my American friends. The image is from NASA.
The national icon of New Zealand - the Kiwi. What a rare and strange animal! And once again almost extinct by other animals introduced by European settlers. Grrrr!
Kiwi on Wikipedia and the Kiwi Recovery Program
Not every country is a green and pleasant land. Ever tried to eat sand? Most people in a mild climate, fertile lands with rich streams and lakes should always be happy to have so much ‘life support’ around them. There are some nasty places for us humans out there …
Lanzarote has some of the most obscure and moon like landscapes on this planet. So if you never made through NASA’s boot camp here is your chance to have a similar experience.
I think the Nile and the Ganges are true nation builders. They have created countries and great civilizations. I think they should be worshipped as gods and symbols of nature - nurturing us humans and allowing us to create our civilizations.
Too bad we don’t seem to care much about our life givers. The Ganges is incredibly polluted in some areas and therefore kills people and animals alike. What a shame.
From Wikipedia:
The Ganges River (Ganga in Indian languages; Ganges is the Latin form) is the major river in northern India and Bangladesh. The river has a long history of reverence in India and is often called the ‘holy Ganga’. It originates as the Bhagirathi from the Gangotri Glacier in the Uttaranchal Himalayas and joins the Alaknanda near Deoprayag to form the Ganga. Then on, the Ganga flows across the large plains of North India (called the Gangetic Plains) and empties into the Bay of Bengal after dividing up into many distributaries. One of them is the Hoogli River near Kolkata, another major distributary being the Padma River that enters Bangladesh and merges with Jamuna River, a branch of the Brahmaputra River.
The total length of the river is about 2,510 km (1,557 mi). One of the densest human population belts on earth is built around the Ganga. The region encompassing the delta near the Bay of Bengal coast is known as The Sundarbans (Beautiful Forests) — a region of thick mangrove forests, and one of the major habitats of the Royal Bengal tiger.
The Ganges Basin is incredibly fertile and, at present, about one in every 12 people in the world (8.5%) live in its catchment area. However, due to this incredible concentration of population, pollution and destruction of habitats is increasing at an alarming rate in the region. The Yamuna River — a major river in its own right, and nearly as sacred — is a tributary of the Ganga, and their confluence is near what is the site of the traditional holy Hindu city of Prayag, now known as Allahabad.
Two species of dolphin can be found in the Ganges, the Ganges River Dolphin and the Irrawaddy Dolphin. The Ganges is also notable in that it contains a rare species of freshwater shark, Glyphis gangeticus about which little is known.
Swords into Plough-Shares, Aircraft Carriers into Reefs. Watch this amazing photo documentation of the sinking of the USS Oriskany. Wow!
I just can’t help myself - these creatures look aristocratic, snobbish and funny at the same time. They can get pretty big (over 1 meter in length) and heavy (up to 60 kg) - bit like a large dog. They are domesticated in South America for meat.
Actually it would be funny to keep one of these as a pet. I would call mine Lord Mullberry or Lady Waffelhoffel … something like that.
Nature invented the male to create a greater genetic variety in the gene pool of it’s species. There are creature out there that simply clone themselves, but they are much more vulnerable to diseases and parasites.
So guy, we are just there to spread the code!
Volcanoes have always been a threat to humanity - although more on a local then a global scale. But scientist just recently discovered so called supervolcanos (for some good information visit this BBC section). Their eruption could devastate huge areas and influence global climate. If this thing blow Mount St. Helen will look like a tiny firecracker.
So is the end near? Nobody knows for sure. Seismic and volcanic observations are made constantly and the area is certainly active, but there are clear indicators if this thing goes off tomorrow or in a thousand years.
More? Wikipedia entry
An elephant and his mahut are a special kind of family. Sometimes when beloved work elephants die, people erect little temples in their honor. Too bad we hardly have any personal relationship to nature and the other inhabitants of this great planet.
On the other side - I can’t build a temple for every McChicken, Cow and Fish I ate …
Science us the ultimate tools to understand and appreciate the beauty of this great cosmos. Intelligent design doesn’t need an intelligent designer …
The Deep is a brilliant book and web site from Claire Nouvian about deep sea creature. And they are amazing! Who needs alien when we have creatures like the Dumbo Octopus on this very planet!
Make sure to watch the Gallery.
