Wednesday 27 November 2013

Russian peninsula of Kamchatka is a land of volcanoes

The Russian peninsula of Kamchatka is a land of volcanoes. During my journey there between October 14 to 26, 2013, I visited the active volcanoes Klyuchevskoy and Sheveluch. The former erupted for the first time in three years. During its strongest eruptive phase (shown above), lava fountains rose up to 0.6 mi (1 kilometer) above the summit dome, and explosions could be heard at a distance of 19 mi (30 kilometer) away. Note the funnel shaped cloud of steam and smoke more than Klyuchevskoy's concealed, volcanic cone. picture taken on October 16, 2013, at a distance of approximately 9.5 mi (15 km).
Photographer: Marc Szeglat; Marc's Web site
Author Summary: Marc Szeglat
Photo details: Camera Maker: Panasonic; Camera Model: DMC-GH3; Focal Length: 35.0mm (35mm equivalent: 70mm); Aperture: f/2.8; Exposure Time: 3.200 s; ISO equiv: 500.

Saturday 23 November 2013

The Richat Structure, Mauritania

The Richat Structure is famous for mysterious Eye of Africa. The structure, situated in central Mauritania, was first discovered by astronauts on early space missions. The formation is around 30 miles in diameter. The first theory of its origin implied that it formed as a result of a meteorite hitting the Earth. Although in more modern theories, the uplift is supposed to be the result of erosion. Researchers have yet failed to explain the circular form of the structure.

Friday 8 November 2013

Colorful Creatures Stinging Nettle Slug Caterpillars

Stinging nettle slug caterpillars are gorgeous, colourful creatures found in most tropical parts of the world. They have urticating hairs (barbed bristles) to defend themselves from predators. Australian photographer John Hortsman captured this image near Yunnan, China

Eclipse at 44,000 Feet

Flying at 44,000 feet (13,000 meters), eclipse chasers on a chartered jet managed to intercept the Moon's shadow over the Atlantic Ocean during the November 3, 2013, solar eclipse. The remarkable flight made a perpendicular crossing of the central shadow track. The photograph below was taken by Ben Cooper of Launch Photography.

 

Unseen Sea HD Video from Simon Christen

This is the most beautiful video ever made by Simon Christen. Yes this is amazing! There are quite some timelapse videos going around on the web. And I can't get enough of it.. This one is one of the better I've seen.

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Whale Sharks

Chew on this: whale sharks have about 3,000 teeth, but they aren't used for feeding. As “filter feeders,” whale sharks eat plankton and other tiny organisms, and their rows of tiny chompers (just 3 mm, or about 1/10-inch, each) are remnants of their evolutionary past.

Hawksbill Sea Turtle

A hawksbill sea turtle swims past batfish and barracuda in this stunning image by photographer David Doubilet.

Thursday 31 October 2013

The most bizarre and haunting lifeforms on Earth

Just in time for Halloween: the most bizarre and haunting lifeforms on Earth, like this sea angel. Perhaps they'll insipire a last-minute costume idea.

Thursday 17 October 2013

Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013

  • Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
    2013: Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Grand Title WinnerWinners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
The shortlist includes hundred images that are first separated into two age groups, Adult and Young and then by category wise, Animal Portraits, Underwater World and Creative Vision. Out of all those images, here were the top 18 images.
Mother’s Little Headful Photo: Udayan Rao Pawar (India)
Winners of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition were just announced where more than 43,000 images from 96 countries were whittled down to just 18. Now in its 49th year, the competition showcases the very most excellent in nature photography and is led by two UK institutions, the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013

2013: 15-17 Years - Winner
Last Light
Photo: Mateusz Piesiak (Poland)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: 15-17 Years - Commended
 Harvest Gold
Photo: Etienne Francey (Switzerland)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: 15-17 Years - Runner-up
 Freeze Frame
Photo: Etienne Francey (Switzerland)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Animal Portraits - Joint Runner-up
 
Showdown
Photo: Peter Delaney (Ireland)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Behaviour: Mammals - Runner-up

 Bad Boys
Photo: Andrew Walmsley (United Kingdom)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Animals in their Environment - Winner


The Water Bear
Photo: Paul Souders (USA)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Underwater Worlds - Runner-up
Lionfish Bait
Photo: Alex Tattersall (United Kingdom)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Eric Hosking Portfolio Award - Winner
The Flight Path
Photo: Connor Stefanison (Canada)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Eric Hosking Portfolio Award - Winner
Camouflage
Photo: Connor Stefanison (Canada)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Eric Hosking Portfolio Award - Winner
Hot-Spring Magic
Photo: Connor Stefanison (Canada)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Wildscapes - Winner
The Cauldron
Photo: Sergey Gorshkov (Russia)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Wildscapes - Runner-up
Ice Aurora
Photo: Ellen Anon (USA)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Wildscapes - Runner-up
The Greeting
Photo: Richard Packwood (United Kingdom)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Creative Visions - Winner
Snow Moment
Photo: Jasper Doest (The Netherlands)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Creative Visions - Runner-up

Fish-eye View
Photo: Theo Bosboom (The Netherlands)
 Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013
2013: Nature in Black and White - Commended


Wednesday 16 October 2013

Art Works Made from Reclaimed Household Objects.

Sayaka Ganz is a talented Japanese artist, who works in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Japanese Shinto has strong beliefs, about the reality that all organisms and objects have spirits. She learned that objects thrown before the final of their usefulness “weep at night inside the trash bin”. Based on these beliefs and on her artistic qualities, she realized works of art, using discarded and reclaimed household objects. 

I only select objects that have been used and not needed. My objective is for each object to transcend its origin by being integrated into animal, organic forms that are alive and in motion. This procedure of reclamation and regeneration is liberating to me as an artist. Building these sculptures assist me to recognize the situations that surround me. It reminds me that even if there is a conflict right now, there is also a solution in which all the pieces can coexist peacefully. Although there are wide gaps in some areas and small holes in others, when viewed from the distance there is great attractiveness and accord in our community. I want to transmit a message of hope through my sculptures. 









Tuesday 15 October 2013

Amazing Boutique Aircraft Interiors

In a big airplane has a place for everything, particularly if it is aircraft - the largest in the world. One of the most interesting moments during a visit to the Airbus factory in Toulouse has become a "high-fashion boutiques aircraft interiors", or to be more precise, it is called Airbus Mockup Center. It was here comes the customers and representatives of airlines and wish the manufacturer of chairs, and even the configuration of the interior layout of the kitchen and the number of toilets. A number of airlines are very ascetic and simple in its interior, i.e, "Lufthansa". For others, the kitchen - is a major marketing trump card, for example for the "Emirates", as long as they are only installed showers for first class passengers on board the A380.