• ES Picture of the Day 14 2022

    From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Monday, March 14, 2022 12:00:34
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Grosvenor Double Arch

    March 14, 2022


    Tom_Mc_EPOD.AmscoGrosvenorArch#3 copy (002)

    Photographer: Thomas McGuire

    Summary Author: Thomas McGuire

    Over the past 20 plus years, the Earth Science Picture of the Day has
    featured a number of arch formations. Shown above is the
    Grosvenor Arch, south of Cannonville, Utah. It’s an unusual double
    arch 150 feet (46 m) above the desert floor. The largest of the two has
    a span of approximately 100 feet (30 m).

    If the name Grosvenor sounds familiar, it’s because this arch was named
    for Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor who was the president of the
    National Geographic Society for 34 years (1920–1954). He was also a
    founding proponent of our National Park System.

    The arch is an iconic feature of human architecture, from bridges and
    dams, to towering cathedrals. Building materials such as stone and
    concrete have great compressional strength making them prime materials
    for use in load-bearing arches. Structural arches can support
    exceptionally heavy loads, and even cable-stayed suspension bridges
    often take advantage of arches (inverted arches) to handle the
    tremendous loads they support. Photo taken on March 26, 2007.
    * Grosvenor Arch, Utah Coordinates: 37.4564, -111.8316

    Related EPODs

    Grosvenor Double Arch Punta Bianca Rock Outcropping Archive
    - Red Beach, Peru Archive - Cave of Kastania Idaho's Pass of
    the Standing Rock Steep Moki Steps
    More...

    Geology Links

    * Earthquakes
    * Geologic Time
    * Geomagnetism
    * General Dictionary of Geology
    * Mineral and Locality Database
    * Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
    * This Dynamic Earth
    * USGS
    * MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
    * USGS Ask a Geologist
    * USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
    * USGS Volcano Hazards Program

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 2 weeks, 20 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Thursday, April 14, 2022 12:01:08
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Eyelash Viper

    April 14, 2022

    Eyelash viper_Costa Rica

    Photographer: James Van Gundy

    Summary Author: James Van Gundy

    The Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) is a member of the
    Pit Viper family and a relative of the North American
    rattlesnakes, cottonmouths. and copperheads. This viper is
    a small poisonous snake found in Central America and northern South
    America. It gets its name from the small fleshy protuberance that sits
    above its eyes. Across its geographic range, this snake species
    demonstrates a wide variety of color morphs including, red, green,
    and yellow forms with the yellow often predominating in areas where
    bananas are grown.

    This particular individual was encountered at Volcan Arenal
    National Park in Costa Rica. The snake was perched atop a small
    epiphytic bromeliad on the side of a tree and was attempting to
    look like a large yellow flower. This stance is known as aggressive
    mimicry, where a predator appears to be something that is attractive to
    its prey. The eyelash viper preys upon a variety of small animals
    including lizards, frogs, and birds. The snake strikes quickly and
    injects its venom through two movable fangs. Like its pit viper
    relatives, its poison is hemotoxic.

    Mimicry, or the act of attempting to look like something that you
    are not, is practiced widely in the animal kingdom. In contrast to the
    eyelash viper, animal mimicry is generally more frequently used to
    avoid predation than it is to foster it.
    * La Fortuna, Costa Rica Coordinates: 10.458205, -84.674390

    Related EPODs

    Eyelash Viper Hiking to Eagle Peak in Yosemite National Park
    Patterns Created by a Water Strider A Bison at Home on
    Yellowstone’s Range Sphinx Moth Feeding on a Lilac Bush Sea
    Lung Jellyfish
    More...

    Animal Links

    * Animal Diversity Web
    * ARKive
    * BirdLife International
    * Bug Guide
    * Discover Life
    * Integrated Taxonomic Information System
    * Microbial Life Resources
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the
    -
    Universities Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 6 weeks, 3 days, 21 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 12:01:02
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Asperitas Clouds Observed Above Hong Kong

    June 14, 2022


    498AAFB0-742E-403C-8842-4C7D4AB7CBD4

    259B41D1-2135-47FF-A6F5-485E472C90D5

    Photographer: Chow Kwok Pun
    Summary Authors: Chow Kwok Pun; Jim Foster

    The breathtaking photos of the sky shown above were captured during my
    morning walk in Hong Kong, on March 30, 2022. At the time, I was on a
    hillside (Ho Man Tin) near the center of the city. These are
    asperitas clouds, which on occasion can be observed in the hours
    following the passage of potent storms. They take shape when air cooled
    by the sublimation of ice crystals protrudes through an
    existing cloud base. Strong wind shear creates the wavy patterns,
    referred to as undulatus. How wonderful it was to see such a sky,
    which to me resembled upside-down waves.
    * Hong Kong, Coordinates: 22.3193, 114.1694

    Related EPODs

    Asperitas Clouds Observed Above Hong Kong Anticrepuscular Rays
    at the Winter Sunset Kelvin-Helmholtz Wave Clouds Over Taipei
    Fallstreak Hole and Circumzenithal Arc over Hong Kong Cloud
    Corona and Iridescence Above Curitiba, Brazil Iridescent Pileus
    Cloud Over Barra Grande, Brazil
    More...

    Cloud Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * The Cloud Appreciation Society
    * Cloud Atlas
    * Color and Light in Nature

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 15 weeks, 1 day, 21 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Thursday, July 14, 2022 12:01:20
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Planetary Alignment of April 27, 2022

    July 14, 2022

    Fillipo_Allineamento_FG

    Photographer: Filippo Galati
    Summary Author: Filippo Galati; Jim Foster

    Featured above is the majestic planetary alignment visible in the
    early morning hours of late April and early May 2022. This eye-catching
    conjunction was observed from the Hyblaean countryside of Sicily,
    Italy, on April 27, 2022. From left to right and from the lowest to the
    highest are Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn. The old crescent
    moon, at lower left, adds a little panache to the twilight sky.

    Photo details: Sony ILCE-7M3 camera; Tamron 28-75 lens; 35mm; 4 second
    exposure; f/4; ISO 400.
    * Modica, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 36.849998, 14.766667

    Related EPODs

    Planetary Alignment of April 27, 2022 Trails of Stars Along the
    Celestial Equator Startrails on the Agave Annular Solar Eclipse
    of 2021 The Bolide: Make a Projection of the Full Moon
    More...

    Night Sky Links

    * Space Weather Live
    * Space Weather Live Forum
    * About the Moon
    * American Meteor Society
    * Arbeitskreises Meteore e.V.
    * Global City Lights
    * Heavens Above Home Page
    * The International Meteor Organization
    * Lunar and Planetary Institute
    * MoonConnection
    * NASA Eclipse Web Page
    * Understanding The Moon Phases

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 19 weeks, 3 days, 21 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Sunday, August 14, 2022 12:00:34
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Distortion of the Setting Moon and Lower Mock Mirage

    August 12, 2022


    Lorenzo_IMG_20220517_095942

    Photographer: Lorenzo Busilacchi

    Author: Lorenzo Busilacchi

    As shown above, the atmosphere acts to flatten the apparent lunar
    disk when it’s on or close to the horizon. This photo was captured at
    Porto Ottiolu, Sardinia. Light emanating from the bottom of the Moon
    passes through more of our atmosphere when it’s closer to the
    horizon than does light from the upper reaches of the Sun. The Sun's
    bottom is thus refracted upwards a greater amount than at the top -
    this holds for all celestial objects as they approach the horizon. Note
    also the lower mock mirage, caused by a sharp temperature
    inversion, which further exaggerates the shape of the lunar disk. Photo
    taken on May 15, 2022.


    Porto Ottiolu, Budoni, Sardinia, Italy Coordinates: 40.7374, 9.7079


    Related EPODs

    Distortion of the Setting Moon and Lower Mock Mirage Fogbow
    Observed from the Ground and from a Tower Atacama Desert and
    Volcanic Twilight Triple Halo Event - 22° Circular Halo, 9° Halo,
    and Circumscribed Halo Fogbow over Sebago Lake, Maine Cloud
    Corona Over the SIerra Nevada
    More...

    Atmospheric Effects Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
    * Color and Light in Nature
    * The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
    * Refraction Index
    * Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
    * What is a Rainbow?

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 23 weeks, 6 days, 20 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 12:01:26
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah

    September 14, 2022


    P1140643A

    Photographer: Rick Stankiewicz
    Summary Author: Rick Stankiewicz

    While touring the U.S Southwest a few years ago, my wife and I found
    many small but spectacular State Parks in our travels. One that stands
    out is Kodachrome Basin State Park in southern Utah, just 8 miles
    (13 km) from Cannonville along Hwy-12.

    Its 2,250 acres (910 ha) is almost surrounded by the Grand
    Staircase-Escalante National Monument and fits right into the beauty
    and grandeur of the region. Originally called “Thorny Pasture,” it
    supposedly got its current moniker from a National Geographic
    photographer in 1948, in honor of the latest (soon to be iconic)
    Kodak film. The park is aptly named, as its rich earth-toned colors
    draw a photographer’s eye in every direction. I haven’t shot Kodachrome
    for many years, but even “digital” can do it justice.

    Sandstone spires and columns are common throughout the park and are
    thought to have formed by previous geysers and hot springs filling with
    sediments that solidified. When the surrounding Entrada Sandstone
    ( Jurassic Period mudflats, beaches and sand dunes) eroded away,
    these structures were revealed. The “ sand pipes”, as they’re
    called, range in size from about 6.5 ft. (2 m) to 170 ft. (52 m)

    This park was designated as an “ International Dark Sky Park” by the
    International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) in 2021. Photo taken on
    October 10, 2013.

    Photo details: Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 camera; ISO 100, 1/400
    second exposure; f/5.9; 22.8 mm.

    Cannonville (Kodachrome Basin State Park), Utah Coordinates: 37.50056,
    -112.00056

    Related EPODs

    Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah Idaho’s Gravity-Defying
    Balanced Rock Eastern Flank of Mt. Etna Carachipampa Volcano,
    Argentina The Marmolada and the Partial Lunar Eclipse of May 16,
    2022 Idaho’s Granitic City of Rocks
    More...

    Geography Links

    * Atlapedia Online
    * CountryReports
    * GPS Visualizer
    * Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
    * Mapping Our World
    * Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
    * Types of Land
    * World Mapper

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 28 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Friday, October 14, 2022 12:00:28
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Dew Drops

    October 14, 2022


    IMG_8940

    IMG_8941

    Photographer: Marco Meniero

    Summary Author: Marco Meniero

    When my mother asked me to photograph the roses in her garden with my
    iPhone11 Pro, I happened to notice these beautiful dew drops. The
    temperature at which the air is saturated with vapor is called the
    dewpoint. When the surface temperature falls to the dewpoint, the
    water vapor contained in the atmosphere condenses to form drops
    (dew drops) on leaves and other surfaces. This process distinguishes
    dew from precipitation that forms directly in the air – raindrops.
    Photos taken on October 10, 2022.


    Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy Coordinates: 42.0924, 11.7954


    Related EPODs

    Dew Drops Golden Cumulus Clouds over Mt Makiling at Sunrise
    Thunderstorm and Rainbow over Zagreb, Croatia Etna Volcano at
    Night Crepuscular Rays Observed from Turin, Italy Sylvanshine
    More...

    Atmospheric Effects Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
    * Color and Light in Nature
    * The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
    * Refraction Index
    * Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
    * What is a Rainbow?

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 32 weeks, 4 days, 20 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Monday, November 14, 2022 11:01:06
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    What is the Color of the Lunar Seas?

    November 14, 2022

    MarioFreitas-may15-2016-P1110556 (1)

    Photographer: Mario Freitas

    Summary Author: Mario Freitas

    The above photo showing the waxing gibbous Moon was taken on a
    sunshiny afternoon near Curitiba, Brazil. Bright areas of the lunar
    crust correspond to highlands, while the darker ones are basaltic
    plains, named by early astronomers as “ maria”, the Latin word for
    seas.

    As we can see in the photo, in full daylight the basalt seas display a
    hue of blue that’s due to Earth’s atmosphere, being just a little
    brighter than the portion of the Moon that’s not illuminated by the
    Sun. Lunar highlands are bright enough to appear whitish on photos.
    This subtle contrast increases when the Moon is observed in a
    nighttime sky.

    The annotated image below gives the names of some famous lunar
    craters and maria, among them the Sea of Tranquility, the first
    location on another world visited by human beings. Photo taken on May
    15, 2016,

    Photo details: Panasonic LUMIX FZ-70 camera; focal length 215 mm.

    MarioFreitas-may15-2016-P1110556-names (1)

    Curitiba, Brazil Coordinates: -25.4372, -49.2700


    Related EPODs

    What is the Color of the Lunar Seas? Wafer Thin Moon and
    Pumpkin Sky Paraselene, Antares and Supermoon Witches Broom in
    Cygnus Observing Six Major Annual Meteor Showers Loana Valley
    of Italy at Night
    More...

    Night Sky Links

    * Space Weather Live
    * Space Weather Live Forum
    * About the Moon
    * American Meteor Society
    * Arbeitskreises Meteore e.V.
    * Global City Lights
    * Heavens Above Home Page
    * The International Meteor Organization
    * Lunar and Planetary Institute
    * MoonConnection
    * NASA Eclipse Web Page
    * Understanding The Moon Phases

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 37 weeks, 21 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Wednesday, December 14, 2022 11:01:04
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Evaporation Fog in Meuse Valley

    December 14, 2022

    Sept-meuses-brouillard-pano (1)

    Photographer: Thierry Lombry
    Summary Author: Thierry Lombry

    The photo above shows a foggy morning in the Meuse Valley at as
    seen from the Sept Meuses viewpoint, Rivière, Belgium. Such fog is
    common in the Meuse Valley from October to January. This is referred to
    as a radiation, evaporation, or valley fog. It’s likely that clear
    skies during the overnight period here permitted the ground to cool to
    the dew point temperature, resulting in a net heat loss and the
    formation of fog. The densest fog formed in the valley bottom, where
    the lowest temperatures were reached. Photo taken on November 13, 2022.
    Photo details: Canon Powershot S120 camera; panoramic image composed of
    8 separate pictures, generated with Hugin, a freeware; high quality CCD
    and image processing software.

    Rivière (lieu-dit les Sept Meuses), Belgium Coordinates: 50.3566,
    4.8745


    Related EPODs

    Evaporation Fog in Meuse Valley Cumulus Clouds with Spikes
    Mamattus Observed in Stratus Cloud Roll and Lenticular Clouds
    Above Taiwan Moonlit Monte Viso Cumulonimbus Montage Above
    Taipei, Taiwan
    More...

    Cloud Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * The Cloud Appreciation Society
    * Cloud Atlas
    * Color and Light in Nature

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

    --- up 41 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)