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North American F-100D Super Sabre.
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the USAF and a few other contries from 1954 to as late as 1979. As the first of the Century Series of USAF jet fighters , it was the first USAF fighter capable of supersonic speed in level flight. The F-100 was designed by North American Aviation as a high performance follow-on to the F-86 Sabre air superiority fighter.
Missing the F-100 Super Sabre in my collection of RDAF aircrafts, I decided it to be my next LEGO model. I always hesitate to build models that all ready are represented with very good or even excellent versions, and in this case there are some brilliant versions from (Lego Pilot) Wayne, Ralph Savelsberg and in particular Cody Osell. Having seen Cody´s excellent model I decided to use the same wedge pieces for the nose section as he did, but everything else is my own design. Funny thing though is that we ended up using the same pieces for the landing gear wheels and the main fuselage section, allthoug my version has a sligthly (half plate) raised middle section, to give it a little more curve of the upperside. The wings however are very different. The rear wings are angled at exactly 45 deg to the fuselage, and built as one continuous plate. The main wings are also angled at nearly 45 deg, built individualy, and attached with hinges inside the fuselage. Using this technique led to a very thin looking wing with a nice and clean leading edge. The model is equipped with two 450 US gal (1730 l.) droptanks and 4 AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. The color scheme is chosen from a period in the mid sixties, when ESK 727 had their F-100s painted with the distinctive red nose and striping. A single aircraft painted this way can be seen at Danmarks Flymuseum in Stauning, Denmark. The model has no working features and is solely built for display.
About the RDAF North American F-100D Super Sabre:
As a successor to the F-84G, squadron ESK 727 recieved 17 F-100D and 3 F-100F in 1959. Two years later also ESK 725 and ESK 730 recieved 31 F-100D and 7 F-100F leading to a total of 58 fighter aircraft. The delivery of these aircrafts was part of the postwar Military Assistance Programme.
Due to a lot of incidents and accidents, many aircrafts were lost, and by the end of 1966 only 41 aircrafts remained, and because of the Vietnam war it was impossible get any replacement. In 1974 a new opportunity oppened to buy 14 two-seater F-100F from USAF. After a number of modifications, to suit the Danish standards, these aircrafts were designated TF-100F.
In 1976 to 77 again a lot of planes were lost, this time because of bad service quality from the companies servicing the J-57 jet engine.
Over the past years a lot of changes and modifications was made to the F-100; Navigation system, bombsight, and weapon systems.
In august 1982 the F-100 Super Sabre flew for the last time, ending an era of 23 years with the Royal Danish Airforce.
Specifications:
Crew: 1
Dimensions:
wingspan 38 ft 9 in (11,81 m)
length 50 ft 0 in (15,2 m)
height 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m)
Powerplant:
1 × Pratt & Whitney J-57-P-21/21A turbojet, 10.200 lbf (45 kN),
16.000 lbf (71 kN) with afterburner
Performance:
max speed 864 mph (1.390 km/h), Mach 1,3
range 1.733 miles (3210 km)
service ceiling 50.000 ft (15,000 m)
rate of climb 22.400 ft/min (114 m/s)
Weight:
empty 21.000 lb (9.500 kg)
max 34.832 lb (15.800 kg)
Armament:
Guns:4x 20mm (0.787 in) Pontiac M39A1 revolver cannon w/200 rpg
Missiles:4x AIM-9 Sidewinder or
2x AGM-12 Bullpup or
2x or 4x LAU-3/A 2.75 in (70 mm) unguided rocket dispensers
Bombs:7.040 lb (3.190 kg) conventional or special.
More informations about the North American F-100D Super Sabre at
Hope you enjoy the pictures.
工場撮影は見えないところで色々こだわっています。
CANON EOS 7D + TOKINA AT-X 107 DX Fisheye
#cooljapan #kawasaki #technoscape
This particular view is captured from Fullerton Bay hotel in Singapore.
Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial centre with a tropical climate and multicultural population. In circa-1820 Chinatown stands the red-and-gold Buddha’s Tooth Relic Temple, Little India offers colorful souvenirs and Arab Street is lined with fabric shops. Singapore is also known for eclectic street fare, served in hawker centres such as Tiong Bahru and Maxwell Road.
Statue :battesimo di Clodoveo e Galleria dei Re . La parte riservata ai Re è sovrastata
da 2 torri per un totale in altezza di 83 metri .
Ripping currents and huge swells have conspired against me this week taking any decent photographs of the grey nurse sharks at South West Rocks. Truth be told I'm pretty happy to return to the boat with my camera and strobes in hand and safety stop completed.
This particular shark was one of the most curious in the bunch coming in closer for a look at the diver with the funny camera thingy that kept flashing. I loved his mosquito armada of pilot fish overhead walking the thin line between being a tasty snack and being brave hanging out with the big boys...
Inside Humayun's Tomb
This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.
Taken on March 13, 2019
EXIF
Nikon D850
24.0-120.0 mm f/4.0
ƒ/4.0
24.0 mm
1/15
450
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Outstanding Universal Value
Brief Synthesis
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi is the first of the grand dynastic mausoleums that were to become synonyms of Mughal architecture with the architectural style reaching its zenith 80 years later at the later Taj Mahal. Humayun’s Tomb stands within a complex of 27.04 ha. that includes other contemporary, 16th century Mughal garden-tombs such as Nila Gumbad, Isa Khan, Bu Halima, Afsarwala, Barber’s Tomb and the complex where the craftsmen employed for the Building of Humayun’s Tomb stayed, the Arab Serai.
Humayun’s Tomb was built in the 1560’s, with the patronage of Humayun’s son, the great Emperor Akbar. Persian and Indian craftsmen worked together to build the garden-tomb, far grander than any tomb built before in the Islamic world. Humayun’s garden-tomb is an example of the charbagh (a four quadrant garden with the four rivers of Quranic paradise represented), with pools joined by channels. The garden is entered from lofty gateways on the south and from the west with pavilions located in the centre of the eastern and northern walls.
The mausoleum itself stands on a high, wide terraced platform with two bay deep vaulted cells on all four sides. It has an irregular octagon plan with four long sides and chamfered edges. It is surmounted by a 42.5 m high double dome clad with marble flanked by pillared kiosks (chhatris) and the domes of the central chhatris are adorned with glazed ceramic tiles. The middle of each side is deeply recessed by large arched vaults with a series of smaller ones set into the facade.
The interior is a large octagonal chamber with vaulted roof compartments interconnected by galleries or corridors. This octagonal plan is repeated on the second storey. The structure is of dressed stone clad in red sandstone with white and black inlaid marble borders.
Humayun’s garden-tomb is also called the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ as in the cells are buried over 150 Mughal family members.
The tomb stands in an extremely significant archaeological setting, centred at the Shrine of the 14th century Sufi Saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Since it is considered auspicious to be buried near a saint’s grave, seven centuries of tomb building has led to the area becoming the densest ensemble of medieval Islamic buildings in India.
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After a big debut for 1984, the 1985 edition of the fourth-generation Corvette must have seemed like no big deal. But it was. It got a 230-horsepower V-8 with tuned-port fuel injection after the '84 'Vette had arrived with cross-fire injection. Chevrolet never stopped improving any Corvette.
This particular Corvette has been for sale for awhile, but as of August 2019, no takers. It's not just another used car; buy a new Corvette and you can sell it and get back as much as you paid for it.
The industrial vernacular, with its rusting railway signals and chain-link fences, speaks to a particular kind of American West that has migrated south to these Australian suburbs. The horizontal lines - the barrier, the tracks, the storefronts - are interrupted only by the vertical thrust of the signal pole, its crossing arms extended like a strange mechanical crucifix against the turbulent sky.
What draws the eye is the peculiar poetry in this thoroughly commercial landscape. The hand car wash sign, stark in its simplicity ($20), faces off against the more elaborate "WILD CARWASH" - two approaches to the same mundane service, separated by railroad tracks that bisect the community. The clouds above lend drama to what might otherwise be dismissed as mere urban sprawl.
There's an honesty in the weathering of the signal pole, its original paint giving way to rust, marking time like the businesses that come and go behind it. The security camera mounted high on its pole watches impassively, a modern addition to this scene of constant transition. Even the "No Bicycles" sign contributes to the narrative of how we navigate these spaces we've built - always with restrictions, always with rules.
The photograph attempts to capture a moment of stillness in a place defined by movement: passing trains, cars being washed, people moving between the shops whose colourful facades attempt to enliven the utilitarian architecture. It's a landscape that resists romanticisation, yet in its very ordinariness reveals something essential about how we live now, about the infrastructure we depend on and the small businesses that persist at its edges.
This is not the sublime landscape of the American West, but rather its everyday descendant - functional, commercial, and unexpectedly poignant in its embodiment of contemporary life at the margins of the urban experience.
Westside Bitches!
One of several projects, that explore photography as evidence amongst other ideas.
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Local: Ituiutaba - Aeroclube de Ituiutaba (SNYB)
Modelo: North American Navion E
Matrícula: PT-AXI (cn NAV-4-287)
Operador: Particular
Fabricação: 1946 / Ex: N91492
I'm after a particular shot of this wee fall on the River Coe and this isn't it but will do till the water drops because I'm sick of waiting.
All rights reserved. Please do not use this or any of my pictures in any way without prior permission, including blogs.
Thanks for looking.
I spent sometime around this particular subject. Thinking...
When I stopped the car where I wanted, I checked the clock: 09:45. Checked accuweather: snow/slit... Temperature: -9. Bang... The sky was closing and a heavy slit started falling... My hands... Oh my hands (I am still in a hunt for a proper photography gloves). But if you aren't committed with your photography, well, you don't get it... After few minutes figuring out the composition and what I wanted as a final product, I simply put my hat to cover the camera/lens and sat for a minute or so. I enjoyed the moment, the connection and the solitude... Until my years where too cold :)
Post processing I worked with three different versions: a normal black and white, a underexposed and a overexposed version. In CS6, I used selections, mask and gradients to adjust the sky. Same for the sea, but added curves to the water to give that impact. I also dodged the post slightly so the white part would stand out a bit and finally another selection and gradient tool on the sides so your eyes don't rush out of the picture. What you guys think?
Nikon D7000 & Nikkor 16-35 F4
Post Production with Lightroom 4.3, Nik Software and CS6
©2013, byVini photography
With the end of the Second Colony War came the end of the UEF's control of the colonies and to a large extent, Earth as well. Although emerging as the victor, the war left the UEF in a pitiable state with it's fleets and armies scattered and more enemies than originally had been. The UEF no longer had the capability to go on all out wars as it had done twice before and the focus of it's military activities switched to a defensive role. With changes in military policy came the emergence of the Earth Colony Special Operations Division. Originally a minor special forces division that operated on the colonies during the First Colony War, ECSO had been steadily consolidating power and gathered the other special forces divisions under it's ever growing umbrella. By the time of the Second Colony War, ECSO was the largest special forces division available to the UEF with operations on Earth and in space. Following the end of the Second Colony War, ECSO became the spear point of all UEF military endeavours.
The MA-02F2D Seraphim III entered service with ECSO in NC 0192 often being used to harass Arcadian supply lines, take part in covert operations and scout ahead of the main assault forces. It would remain the mainstay of ECSO for many years to come, seeing action against Arcadian remnants and other colonial forces including the Union.
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-UEF is back, baby! :P
-The rather monotone colour scheme was supposed to be an indication of this model's special forces role.
-Additional photos will be sometime soon.
-The next few pages of the Patriot instructions will also be sometime soon. :P
I finally got a chance to do a little shooting over the weekend. I headed out to the desert with a storm in progress and found some nice lenticular clouds to play with. I must say I love the sharpness and resolution of the 5Dii. It's really a joy to use a beautiful instrument like this.
2/27/10: I replaced this image with a better-processed one with a more faithful representation of the colors and contrast. Also cloned out some anoying power towers/wires. And this one includes the EXIF data accidentally omitted from the prior version. Also this one I posted large on black
sorry if I nixed your favorites tags by this!!!
Commelina benghalensis, with many other names like Tropical spiderwort, Benghal dayflower, Bloselblommetjie in Afrikaans, and sometimes, wonderfully, Hairy honohono. It's found all over the world in semi-tropical areas but originates from Asia and Africa.
This particular specimen - nicely twinned - was photographed by flash in the shadier realms of the beautifully extravagant Botanical Garden of the Stellenbosch University in South Africa. As it was developed in 1922, the grounds were thoroughly reworked. As usual in cases like this, the edges of the garden were disturbed areas to which relatively little attention was given; they were thus especially conducive to the Commelina. The dark green, luscious leaves make for nice ground cover in the semi-darkness of the shade, with little flashing points of bright blue punctuated with yellow. Seen in situ, it is clear that they can easily spread and become a pest. This has happened, for example, in Georgia (where they have invaded cotton fields), in California (orange groves), and in Brazil (in the state of Sao Paulo, these pretty flowers are a problem in eucalyptus groves). Not without reason they are on the (US) Federal Noxious Weed List.
But the plant has its uses, too. In China it is employed as a diuretic and against various inflammations; in Pakistan as a laxative and in dermatology; and in South Africa to combat infertility in women. In some countries it is also eaten as a vegetable (I guess the leaves, not the flowers...).
The plant was first named Commelina by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753, after members of the Commelin (more properly in Dutch: Commelijn) family. Jan Commelin (1629-1692) was a famous professor of botany associated closely with the botanical garden at Amsterdam, which was in fact at first a Hortus Medicus. He grew immensely wealthy from his development and selling of herbs and drugs. (Incidentally, his brother Caspar was an early newspaper magnate.) Their nephew Caspar (1667-1734) continued his uncle's work, editing and publishing several of the former's catalogues and descriptions of plants from Asia and Africa. Caspar himself was apparently especially interested in South African succulents (which connects him nicely across the centuries to the founders of the Stellenbosch garden who were modern experts on succulents and lithops). There are some unclear romantic stories of how Linnaeus came exactly to use their family name for this pretty plant... but an elaboration would take up too much space here.
The pictured flowers are about an inch wide.
»Marcopolo Paradiso GV1150 // Volvo B-10M 6x2.«
→Tipo de Servicio: Particular.-
→Placa Patente: LZ*46·92.-
→Número de Orden Interno: ---.-
►Datos de Fotografía:
→Lugar: Valparaíso, Región de Valparaíso.-
→Fecha | Hora: 17.Junio.2016 || 13:54 hrs.-
═══════════════════════════════════════
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This is a macro shot of a cluster of small fungi that seem to have no particular shape. Wish I knew a lot about mushrooms and other fungi. I wonder if they are some kind of Saddle fungus - I came across Helvella elastica on an Internet search last night, but I've no idea if they could be that.
This fungus was one of only a handful I saw at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park this year, and was taken on 23 August 2015.
After visiting my daughter in hospital the day before, I thought I had better get out and do a bit of walking, so I drove SW of the city and plucked up my courage and went into Brown-Lowery. I only went in a short way, but managed to find a few fungi fit to photograph. The light is never good in the forest, but the sun managed to come through and touch a few of the mushrooms.
I met a couple of delightful young women along the path. I tried to point out an American Three-toed Woodpecker that was unfortunately very high up in a tree and barely visible. I had seen two others further along the path. Also lots of small birds, some of which were Warblers, but they were much too fast and distant for me to get photos. Then we got talking about mushrooms : ) Had a very interesting and enjoyable chat with them.
Busscar Urbanus / Mercedes Benz OF-1318
PPU: PU 59 05
N° de Orden Interno: *-*
Lugar de la Fotografía: Santuario Santa Teresa de Auco, V Región de Valparaíso, Chile.
Fecha y Hora de la Fotografía: Sábado 19 de Octubre del 2013, 19:37 Hrs.
Página Web de la Empresa:
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Visita el Flickr de una amiga! www.flickr.com/photos/miparteinsegura/
Rafa Fuentealba★Locura_Micrera </b
This photo was taken six days ago, on 6 August 2016, when I went on a mushroom foray at Rod Handfield's acreage. Though this was a fungi day (well, morning), we also came across a few wildflower species, too. This particular mushroom caught our attention, as it was on such a tall, narrow stalk - maybe 10" high? - which I have never seen before.
I found the whole day physically and mentally exhausting (a mix of excitement and stress). It was a great day, too, thanks to friend, Sandy! She very kindly picked me up around 8:15 am and we drove SW of the city and SW of Millarville to Rod Handfield's acreage. For a number of years, this has been one of my favourite places to explore, as Rod's forest tends to be full of all sorts of beautiful treasures. It is one of the two best places that I know for mushrooms, the other being Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. This year has turned out after all to be great for fungi, thanks to all the endless, torrential rain we have been getting the last few weeks, and are still getting, apart from the scattering of sunny days. This year has so far had such weird weather - a very mild, dry winter, a spring that was as dry and hot as a summer, and now a wet, thundery summer. We were expecting this year to not be good for mushrooms.
We met up with a group of other interested people, most of whom we didn't know, and we searched the land for fungi. Right at the start, I was telling Sandy that on the last visit there (or one of the last), maybe four years ago (17 August 2010, so six years ago - how time flies!), we had seen a beautiful Amanita muscaria / Fly agaric mushroom growing just a few feet from the start of the hike. Sure enough, there were several growing in exactly the same spot on Saturday, which was so exciting. Later in the walk, we saw two other patches of absolute beauties of this hallucinogenic, poisonous species. The rain was spitting during our walk, and the forest was so dark, but amazingly, some of my photos came out well enough. Thanks so much, Karel, for organizing and leading this trip and for sharing your knowledge with us! Many thanks to Rod, who kindly allowed us to explore his forest!
I have to admit that I always find a walk like this rather frustrating. It doesn't work too well when you have people who are photographers and people who are interested in picking mushrooms to eat : ) The latter tend to always be ahead and by the time you catch up to them, you can't see what has already quickly been picked and of course it is usually difficult or impossible to get a photo. This was private land and some of us know the owner, Rod Handfield. In places like the national or provincial parks, one is not allowed to remove anything from the area - but some people still do. You see people with large baskets full of picked mushrooms for cooking! This is especially an east European 'thing'. They have grown up with this tradition and seem to know which fungi are edible or not. Some poisonous mushrooms can look very similar to edible ones, which is why the warning is to never, ever eat any kind of fungus unless you are an expert! As our local Naturalist always says: "All fungi are edible, some only once!"
Sandy and I left the group around lunchtime, to go looking at vehicles at one of the dealerships. In the last year and a half, I have had to put far too much money into repairs for my poor old 17+ year old car and finally, I knew that I had no choice but to replace it. The muffler and catalytic converter died about a week ago and instead of spending a fortune on repair (estimate was $4,999), I decided I would rather put that money towards a new vehicle. I had been thinking about replacing it the last few years, but now, enough is enough!
Update re: car. Yay, I finally did it! Four days ago, friend Sandy and I returned to the dealership just after lunchtime. I had to drive my old car there so that they could do an appraisal on it and tell me how much I would get for a trade-in. Before I went, I was feeling more confused and uncertain about which car I would decide on. The few that the dealership had were not a colour I would want to drive or else they didn't have the right things installed. I was so relieved when I was told that I could order one to my liking and that the waiting period would be 2-3 weeks. Longer than I would have liked, but bearable (though I know I will be climbing the walls by the time my new car arrives!). The very patient, non-pushy salesman said why not take my old car home and use it just very locally till then. So, thankfully, I still have a (very noisy!) vehicle with which to go and get groceries, which was my main concern. No birding or mushroom trips, though, which will not be easy to bear. Having said that, I need to add that I know I am very fortunate that I am in a position to be able to replace my vehicle - feel very grateful and lucky. Thank you, again, Sandy, for helping me through this highly stressful (to me) ordeal!! It made an enormous difference .... THE difference.
En todos los enlaces pulsar botón derecho del ratón y abrir en una nueva pestaña.
Adjunto una enigmática y maravillosa canción de David Arkenstone.
Pulsar CTRL al mismo tiempo que el símbolo ♫♫
whytake.net/Portfolio/FranciscoDominguez/5334
www.linkingoo.com/foto/13/1304/francisco_dominguez.html
www.fluidr.com/photos/35196188@N03
www.fotonatura.org/galerias/6318/
www.youtube.com/user/25elgaucho
www.youtube.com/user/25elgaucho/videos?tag_id=&view=0...
es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do
La duración de la vida de las mariposas es muy variable. Puede durar desde varias semanas hasta unos pocos días, dependiendo de las especies. Un claro ejemplo de esto último es el caso de la "Bombix de la morera" (bombyx mori), que vive tan poco tiempo que no se llega a alimentar cuando es adulta. En cambio, otras especies viven mucho más tiempo, en particular las que hibernan en forma adulta. Pero cualquiera que sea su duración de vida, estos insectos deben atravesar cuatro fases sucesivas, dos de las cuales son activas y dos son pasivas.
Ver vídeo por el mismo autor: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLdxiSsA2EU
The life span of butterflies is very variable. It can last from several weeks to a few days depending on the species. A clear example of the latter is the case of "Bombix mulberry" (Bombyx mori), who lives so quickly that you do not get to feed as an adult. In contrast, other species live much longer, particularly wintering adult form. But whatever its lifespan, these insects must pass through four successive phases, two of which are active and two are passive.
please note: simple invites to post an image to a particular group are always welcome but no pictures, awards, or badges in comments. i call it dumping on the lawn. thanks very much for understanding, and I sincerely appreciate your visits.
» Marcopolo Viaggio GIV / Mercedes-Benz OH-1420.«
Placa Patente Única: RG•59*45.
Número de orden: --.
Tipo de Servicio: Particular.
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Lugar de la Fotografía: ConCon, Región de Valparaíso, Chile.
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Saluda Atte.
★ Bus150 - Géminis 139 Fenur™ // Pablo Del Canto. © ★
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Caio Vitoria
Mercedes Benz OF-1318.
________________________
>PPU: NZ*6962.
>Servicio: Transporte personal de Cosemar.
>Empresa: Particular.
>N° Orden: 027.
>Fotografía tomada el día: 24 de Agosto 2015.
>Foto: Pablo Duarte Gutiérrez.
>Actualización día 28-08-2015
»Metalpar Pucará 2000 // Mercedes Benz LO-914/42.5.«
→Tipo de Servicio: Servicio Privado.-
→Placa Patente: UK*77·64.-
→Número de Orden Interno: ---.-
►Datos de Fotografía:
→Lugar: Valparaíso, Región de Valparaíso.-
→Fecha | Hora: 30.Octubre.2016 || 15:55 hrs.-
═══════════════════════════════════════
Si desea la imagen original y sin marcas, favor enviar una solicitud a:
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This is my best 'stranger' story ever! I was in the Basilica in St Quentin, Picardie, taking photographs of the architecture when Cyrille, a local Frenchman, came up to me and we started talking (in English). It seems that Cyrille is a great fan of our Royal Family, and in particular our Queen and we spent some time talking about them and the UK, which he also loves.
He then produced a book from his bag called "Vive la Reine" which was published by the magazine "Point de Vue" with cartoons by Helene Tran and which celebrates 90 years of Queen Elizabeth's life. It's a funny and wonderful book and I asked where I could buy a copy. To my surprise - and delight - Cyrille said I could have it as a gift. I tried to pay for it, but he insisted I take it.
My husband then arrived wondering where I was (we'd been chatting for a long time) and wanting a cup of tea, so we invited Cyrille along and spent another half hour in the cafe with tea and delicious patisserie.
Cyrille wanted to have his picture taken, but was a bit reluctant when I asked if I could use it on this site, but said I could do as I wanted. I feel this is such a lovely story and one, in these days of so much uncertainty and disillusionment, that I had to share.
Thank you Cyrille - it was a real pleasure meeting you.
This encounter reinforces my enjoyment of photographing 'strangers' - and the fact that I meet and get to talk to people I wouldn't otherwise.
Cyrille is part of my project to photograph 100 strangers www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/
This is also another submission to the Human Family Group - for more photographs, see: www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily/
This particular mausoleum is for the Minerva Benevolent Society. Built in 1800's for local Jewish families who did not have a family tomb. The tomb has tombs lining the wall on both sides with an outside section of tombs also.
Night, near full moon, 120 second exposure, protomachines flashlight set to gold and green.
Click on the image, because it's best BIG on BLACK!!!
Buick Eight (1951?)
Transportation in Cuba - Taxi (Santiago de Cuba)
Privately owned and operated --- Im Privatbesitz und -betrieb --- Taxi particular
::Esfera particular:: Cada um tem a sua::
Nanquin sobre papel.
Imagem de referência por Dud: www.flickr.com/photos/28596527@N04/
2011
"Iterative design"
If you don’t know, November is Vic Viper month! This particular model originated back in 2008 during the first “Novvember” as my only contribution to the event. Since then, I’ve built nearly 20 other Vic Viper style starfigters, but I’ve held on to this thing, revising it over the years. A little exercise in iterative design.
This is the second time I've made somewhat significant changes to this model which originated years ago. One thing I like best when I see my favorite musicians at live concerts is when they take an old classic song and switch it up in a fresh new way. That's sort of what I've been doing a lot over the past year or two-- since I tend to keep so many MOCs in tact, I've started revamping them with updated parts and a fresh eye on design, sometimes going in a vastly different direction, other times (like this) staying closer to the original.
So yeah, iterative design: you should try it sometime...
Yea so, this happens to be the 20th Vic Viper I’ve made (if you count the previous iterations).
Oh, the memories...
¿Qué os parece el chiringuito? Lo mejor es la calma y la tranquilidad que allí se respira....
Debería haber publicado la foto del 52 semanas, pero no la he hecho, no significa que abandone, sino que me tome un respiro....
Schweiz / Berner Oberland - Jungfraujoch
Aletsch Glacier seen from Sphinx Observatory.
Aletschgletscher gesehen vom Sphinx-Observatorium.
The Jungfraujoch (German: lit. "maiden saddle") is a saddle connecting two major 4000ers of the Bernese Alps: the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres (11,362 ft) above sea level and is directly overlooked by the rocky prominence of the Sphinx. The Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, situated on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch.
Since 1912, the Jungfraujoch has been accessible to tourists by the Jungfrau line, a railway from Interlaken and Kleine Scheidegg, running partly underground through a tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch. The Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of 3,454 metres (11,332 ft) is the highest in Europe. It lies east of the saddle, below the Sphinx station, and is connected to the Top of Europe building, which includes several panoramic restaurants, shops, exhibitions, and a post office. Several tunnels lead outside, where secured hiking trails on the crevassed glacier can be followed, in particular to the Mönchsjoch Hut. The normal route to the Jungfrau and Mönch starts from there.
The Sphinx Observatory, one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world, provides an additional viewing platform at a height of 3,572 metres (11,719 ft), the second-highest in Switzerland. It can be reached by an elevator from the Jungfraujoch. The observatory houses one of the Global Atmosphere Watch's atmospheric research stations. The Jungfraujoch radio relay station, which is not accessible to the public, is installed west of the Jungfraujoch, on the Jungfrau ridge. It is Europe's highest radio relay station.
Etymology
Swiss and Austro-Bavarian German Joch (lit. 'yoke') is a term for 'ridge between two higher peaks' recorded in the 14th century (Grimm, Deutsches Wörterbuch "bereits im 14. jahrh. als ortsname: des gotzhus zwing und ban vahet an Rotenhalden und denne die roten bachtalen uf unz an den grat, und den grat obnan hin ob Grüblen hin iemerme, unz an Joch. und ab Joch unz an Stoerben. weisth. 1, 4 (Zürich)").
The name Jungfrau ('maiden, virgin'), which refers to the highest mountain overlooking the Jungfraujoch, is most likely derived from the name Jungfrauenberg given to Wengernalp, so named for the nuns of Interlaken Monastery, its historical owner. However, the "virgin" peak was heavily romanticized as a "goddess" or "priestess" only in late 18th- to 19th-century Romanticism. After the first ascent in 1811 by Swiss alpinist Johann Rudolf Meyer, the peak was jokingly referred to as Mme Meyer (Mrs. Meyer).
Geographic setting
The Jungfraujoch is a snow saddle located directly between the summits of Mathildespitze (west) and Sphinx (east). It is, however, most notably the lowest point between the Jungfrau and the Mönch, respectively third and fourth highest mountains in the Bernese Alps, and the key col of the former. The south side (canton of Valais), almost flat, is constituted by the Jungfraufirn, one of the branches of the Aletsch Glacier, the longest in the Alps. From the south, the Jungfraujoch can be relatively easily accessed by mountaineers in two days from the region of Fiesch, via the Konkordia Hut. The north side (canton of Bern) is almost vertical with a difference of height of nearly 3,000 metres from the bottom of the valley at Interlaken, with no easy natural access. For those reasons, the only easy and quick access to the Jungfraujoch is through the 7 kilometre-long tunnel of the Jungfrau Railway, accessed via Kleine Scheidegg on the north side, the railway pass between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald.
Administrativelly, the Jungfraujoch is split between the territories of the municipalities of Lauterbrunnen and Fieschertal. Nearly all built infrastructure, including the Jungfraujoch railway station, Top of Europe complex and the Sphinx Observatory, are on the Valais side of the border, therefore in the municipality of Fieschertal. The ridge between the Jungfrau and the Mönch is a major European watershed as well. The north side is drained by the Weisse Lütschine, the Aare and the Rhine. The south side is drained by the Massa and the Rhone.
First crossing
There is a tradition in the Bernese Oberland, supported by some documentary evidence, that a pass existed between Grindelwald and Fiesch in Valais in the late medieval period, later lost to the advancing glaciers. With the early development of tourism in Switzerland and the exploration of the High Alps in the 19th century, there were once again attempts to traverse the great ridge that encloses the head of the Aletsch Glacier, and connecting Fiesch with Grindelwald and Wengernalp. Four such routes were found, with the Jungfraujoch and the Eigerjoch being among the most difficult passes in the Alps, despite the former having a relatively easy southern approach on the Aletsch Glacier.
The first ascent of the north side of the Jungfraujoch succeeded in July 1862, by a party of six English climbers and six Swiss guides: Leslie Stephen, F. J. Hardy, H. B. George, Living, Moore, and Morgan, with Christian Almer, Christian and Peter Michel, Ulrich Kauffmann, P. Baumann, and C. Bohren as guides. The time of ascent from Wengernalp was nine hours.
The party turned back on the first day at a bergschrund, returning on the following day with a ladder 25 ft (7.6 m) in length, carried by Peter Rubi, a porter from Grindelwald. The way lay at first by the rocky buttress of the Mönch, separating the Eiger and Guggi glaciers. From the buttress the route descended a short distance in order to reach the Guggi Glacier, which could be ascended to a plateau. This halting place was reached in about three hours.
Above the bergschrund was a second and smaller plateau which was situated immediately under the long slopes of broken neve that lay below the saddle. The final and very arduous stage in the ascent was a single patch of dark rocks jutted out from the snow in the ridge connecting the Jungfrau with the Mönch. After more than an hour of climbing, a great wall of ice, whose projecting cornice of snow was fringed by long icicles, had to be avoided bearing left in the direction of the Mönch, along the base of the wall by a slippery pathway of ice formed from the dripping from the icicles above. At a point where the pathway thinned out nearly to a point, and was cut across by a transverse crevasse, the wall became low enough to be scaled by the ladder. This was the last serious obstacle: a moderate slope of névé, unbroken by crevasses, then led up to the summit of the saddle.
After reaching the first patch of rocks, a short way below the saddle on the south side, the party divided: George and Moore, with C. Almer and U. Kaufmann went down to the Eggishorn and Fiesch, therefore completing the first crossing of the Jungfraujoch, while the remainder of the party returned to Grindelwald by the Mönchsjoch.
Jungfrau Railway
History
Adolf Guyer-Zeller first thought of the idea of a tunnel in 1893, and at that point, he had planned to have seven stations inside the tunnel before reaching the peak of the Sphinx. The building of the tunnel started on July 27, 1896 and took 16 years to complete.[6] The construction phase was troubled by many problems including monetary shortages, inclement weather and mounting deaths due to construction accidents. The worst accident occurred in 1908, when 30 tons of dynamite accidentally exploded.
When construction finally finished, the railway reached only to the height of the Jungfraujoch saddle, rather than the summit of the Sphinx, and had only two intermediate stations. However, even in its current state, the Jungfraubahn is a significant achievement in engineering and construction, still holding the title for highest railway in Europe.
Railway
The train into the mountain leaves from Kleine Scheidegg, which can be reached by trains from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The train enters the tunnel running eastward through the Eiger shortly after leaving Kleine Scheidegg.
It runs close behind the Eiger's north face, stopping at Eigerwand, where there is a window about 8 m long and a metre high, halfway up the face. The windows have been placed in holes used to remove excavated rock from the tunnel during construction, and are also occasionally used as access points, by climbers, and also rescue parties. This window was used for one of the final scenes of a Clint Eastwood spy movie, The Eiger Sanction. There one can get off the train to admire the view before the train continues five minutes later. The tunnel then turns west, heading towards the Jungfrau. There is a second stop at a window looking out on the Eismeer ("Sea of Ice") before the train continues to the Jungfraujoch. The tunnel was constructed between 1898 and 1912; it is about 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) long, with gradients of up to 25%. The journey from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch takes approximately 50 minutes including the stops at Eigerwand and Eismeer; the downhill return journey taking only 35 minutes.
The Jungfraujoch complex plays an important role in John Christopher's The Tripods novels.
Climate
Located above the permanent snow line, the Jungfraujoch is officially the coldest place in Switzerland, although other higher locations with no weather station, for example the top of the nearby Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn, probably experience a more extreme climate. According to Köppen climate classification, the Jungfraujoch has an alpine climate on the border between tundra climate (ET) and ice cap climate (EF) with long, cold winters lasting most of the year and a brief period during summer where the average daily highs rise above freezing.
(Wikipedia)
The Aletsch Glacier (German: Aletschgletscher, German pronunciation: [ˈalɛtʃˌɡlɛtʃɐ]) or Great Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschgletscher) is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about 23 km (14 mi) (2014), has about a volume of 15.4 km3 (3.7 cu mi) (2011), and covers about 81.7 km2 (31.5 square miles) (2011) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The Aletsch Glacier is composed of four smaller glaciers converging at Konkordiaplatz, where its thickness was measured by the ETH to be still near 1 km (3,300 ft). It then continues towards the Rhône valley before giving birth to the Massa. The Aletsch Glacier is – like most glaciers in the world today – a retreating glacier. As of 2016, since 1980 it lost 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) of its length, since 1870 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi), and lost also more than 300 metres (980 ft) of its thickness.
The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
Geography
The Aletsch Glacier is one of the many glaciers located between the cantons of Bern and Valais on the Bernese Alps located east of the Gemmi Pass. The whole area is considered to be the largest glaciated area in western Eurasia. The Fiescher and Aar Glaciers lying on the east have similar extensions.
Except the Finsteraarhorn, all the highest summits of the Bernese Alps are located within the drainage basin of the glacier. The Jungfrau and Mönch constitute the northern boundary; the Gross Fiescherhorn and Gross Wannenhorn lie on its east side; finally the culminating point, the Aletschhorn (4,193 m (13,757 ft)) is located on the west side.
Before reaching the maximum flow, four smaller glaciers converge at Konkordiaplatz:
From the western mouth flows the Grosser Aletschfirn, which runs along the northern foot of the Aletschhorn and Dreieckhorn. The Grosser Aletschfirn is supplied from the north by three notable firns: the Äbeni Flue-Firn, the Gletscherhornfirn, and the Kranzbergfirn. All of these firns have their starting points at around 3,800 m (12,500 ft). From the Äbeni Flue-Firn to the Konkordiaplatz, the Grosser Aletschfirn is 9 km (5.6 mi) long and is on average about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) wide. On the west, the Grosser Aletschfirn connects with the Langgletscher over the 3,158 m (10,361 ft) high glacier pass, the Lötschenlücke, into the Lötschental.
From the northwestern mouth flows the Jungfraufirn. This firn in fact represents the straight continuation of the Aletsch Glacier, yet is the shortest of the four tributary glaciers. It has its origin on the southern flank of the Mönch and at the eastern flank of the Jungfrau with the Jungfraujoch in-between. Up to the Konkordiaplatz, the Jungfraufirn is a scarce 7 km (4.3 mi) long, and returns to flank the Kranzberg in the west and the Trugberg in the east. At its highest point, it is 2 km (1.2 mi) wide, and further down it is still a good 1 km (0.62 mi) wide.
From the northern mouth flows the Ewigschneefäld ("Eternal snow field"), where its starting point takes the east flank of the Mönch. In an elbow, it flanks from Trugberg in the west and the Gross Fiescherhorn and Grünhorn in the east, flowing on to the Konkordiaplatz. Up to here, it is about 8 km (5.0 mi) long and averages about 1.2 km (0.75 mi) wide.
The mouth at the Konkordiaplatz it follows over a rise with a descent from 25 to 30 percent; here, the glacier is sharply split. Against the north is the Ewigschneefäld over the snow-covered pass of the Unners Mönchsjoch (3,518 m (11,542 ft)), connected with the catchment area of the Ischmeer (Wallis German for "Ice Sea"). Through the Obere Mönchsjoch (3,624 m (11,890 ft)) between the Mönch and the Trugberg stands a connection to the Jungfraufirn.
From the east, the smallest firn arrives at the Konkordiaplatz: the Grüneggfirn. Its northern arm begins below the Grünegghorn (3,860 m (12,660 ft)). The southern arm collects its snow and ice in the pot flanked by the Wyssnollen, Fiescher Gabelhorn (3,866 m (12,684 ft)), and the Chamm. Between the peaks Wyssnollen and Grünhörnli another glacier pass, the Grünhornlücke (3,279 m (10,758 ft)), connects to the Fieschergletscher. The Grüneggfirn enters the Konkordiaplatz in a gap between the mountainsides Grünegg to the north and the Fülberg to the south. On the western side of the Fülberg the Konkordia hut (mountain hut) overlooks the whole Konkordiaplatz at an altitude of 2,850 m (9,350 ft).
South of Konkordiaplatz, the glacier runs towards the valley of the Oberwallis (Upper Valais); on the east side, near Bettmeralp, lies a small glacier lake, Märjelensee (2,301 m (7,549 feet)); from the western side used to enter the Mittelaletschgletscher, but since the end of the 20th century the connection with the Aletsch Glacier has been lost. Further down, until about 1880, the Oberaletschgletscher did also enter the Aletsch Glacier at its mouth. But since then both glaciers have been retreating so far that they do not connect anymore (the Upper Aletsch Glacier did retreat about 1.3 km (0.81 mi) from its connecting point with the Aletsch Glacier), but both serve now only as the source of the river Massa. The river flows through the Lake Gibidum (a reservoir, and coincidentally representing the glacier's mouth region in the 19th century, which is a retreat of more than 4 km (2.5 mi)) and a gorge of the same name before reaching the Rhône near Brig.
Tourism
The area of the Aletsch Glacier and some surrounding valleys is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, thus it is protected and the facilities are mostly restricted to the external zones. The region between Belalp, Riederalp and Bettmeralp (which is called Aletsch Region) in Valais gives access to the lower part of the glacier. The Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn are popular view points and are accessible by cable car. The Massa river can be crossed since 2008 by a suspension bridge, thus allowing hikes between the left and the right part of the glacier.
The Jungfraujoch railway station (3,450 m) gives a direct access to the upper Aletsch Glacier as well as the normal route to the Jungfrau. It can be reached only from Interlaken in the canton Bern. Hiking paths pass the Konkordia Hut or the Hollandia Hut, eventually reaching other glaciers in the massif.
On the Riederfurka, at 2,065 metres between Riederalp and the glacier, is located the historic Villa Cassel, former summer residence of many famous and influential guests from the worlds of politics and finance. The house is now one of the centers of the environmental organization Pro Natura, which hosts a permanent exhibition about the site.
Panorama
Also at the mouth of the Konkordiaplatz from the east is the small but important Grüneggfirn (3 km long and averaging 600 m wide). This firn is connected in the over the glacier pass Grünhornlücke (3280 m high) to the Fiescher Glacier in the east.
From the Konkordiaplatz, the Aletsch Glacier has a width of approximately 1.5 km and moves at a rate of 180 m per year to the southeast on course with the Rhône valley, bordering the Dreieckhorn in the west and the great Wannenhorn in the east. It then takes a great right turn and bends ever closer to the southwest, running through the edge of the Eggishorn and Bettmerhorn of the Rhône valley. The lowest part of the great Aletsch Glacier is largely covered with detritus of the lateral and medial moraines. The glacier's toe currently lies about 1560 m high, far beneath the local tree line. From it springs the Massa stream, which flows through the Massa Canyon and is used to generate hydroelectric power. It continues through the upper half of the Brig, eventually entering into the Rhône.
The great Aletsch Glacier shows considerable ice cover. At the Konkordiaplatz, it has an ice cover of more than 900 m, but as it moves to the south, the greater part of the ice melts, gradually decreasing the cover to around 150 m.
The characteristically dark medial moraine, situated almost in the middle of the glacier, runs protracted in two bands from the Konkordiaplatz along the whole length to the glacier's toe-zone. This medial moraine is collected from the ice of three large ice fields, which all run together. The westernmost medial moraine has been named the Kranzbergmoräne, and the easternmost carries the name Trugbergmoräne.
Formation and evolution
The Aletsch Glacier resulted from the accumulation and compaction of snow. Glaciers generally form where snow and ice accumulation exceed snow and ice melt. As the snow and ice thicken it reaches a point where it begins to move due to a combination of gravity and pressure of the overlying snow and ice.
During the last glacial periods, the Aletsch Glacier was much larger than now. 18,000 years ago the lower part of the ridge, between Riederalp and the glacier, was completely covered by ice. Only the summits of the Bettmerhorn, Eggishorn and the Fusshörner were above the glacier. After an important retreat, the glacier again advanced 11,000 years ago during the last glacial period. The glacier reached the Rhône valley, and its ice the Riederfurka. Remaining moraines are still visible in the Aletsch Forest.
Since the last glaciation, the glacier generally retreated. However slight climatic changes happened and, in 1860, the glacier was 3 km longer and the ice level 200 m higher.
As for many other glaciers, records show a major longer-term retreat trend. The Aletsch Glacier receded by 3.2 km (2.0 mi) since 1870, including 1.3 km (0.81 mi) since 1980.[6] A record retreat of 114.6 metres (376 ft) happened in 2006 alone.
Since the end of the Little Ice Age in 1850 the glacier has lost 20 percent of its ice mass, considerably less than other glaciers in Switzerland, which have lost up to 50 percent. This is explained with the large size of the Aletsch Glacier, which reacts much slower to climate change than smaller glaciers. It is however estimated that, by 2100, the glacier will have only one tenth of its 2018 ice mass.
Photo opportunity
On August 18, 2007, photographer Spencer Tunick used hundreds of naked people in a "living sculpture" on the Aletsch Glacier in a photo shoot which he said was intended to draw attention to global warming and the shrinking of the world's glaciers. The temperature was about 10 °C (50 °F) at the time of the photo shoot. The 600 participants on the shrinking glacier said that they had volunteered for Tunick (a collaboration with Greenpeace) to let the world know about the effects of global warming on the melting Swiss glaciers.
(Wikipedia)
Das Jungfraujoch ist mit 3466 m ü. M. der tiefste Punkt im Verbindungsgrat zwischen dem Mönch und der Jungfrau in den Berner Alpen, auf der Grenze zwischen den Kantonen Bern und Wallis. Das Joch ist weit und stark überfirnt. Aufgrund der auch dort stattfindenden Gletscherschmelze sinkt es jedes Jahr im Schnitt einige Dezimeter ab. Es gehört zu den bedeutendsten Reisezielen in der Schweiz. Etwa 1 Million Touristen (Stand 2018) fahren jährlich zum höchstgelegenen Bahnhof Europas.
Umgebung
In der Umgebung des Jungfraujochs befinden sich einige Viertausender der Berner Alpen. Im Nordosten befinden sich der Mönch (4107 m ü. M.) sowie der Eiger (3967 m ü. M.) und im Südwesten die Jungfrau (4158 m ü. M.). Im Süden des Jungfraujochs ist hinter dem Konkordiaplatz das Aletschhorn zu sehen. 200 Meter westlich befindet sich auf dem Grat zur Jungfrau die 3557 Meter hohe Mathildespitze, etwa 600 Meter östlich des Jochs erhebt sich die Sphinx, eine markante kleine Spitze mit einer Höhe von 3571 Metern. Sie trägt eine Aussichtsplattform und ein wissenschaftliches Observatorium (Sphinx-Observatorium). In ihrem Innern befindet sich auf 3454 Metern Höhe die Endstation der Jungfraubahn. Diese Station ist der höchstgelegene Bahnhof Europas (daher der Beiname Top of Europe). Durch einen Stollen gelangt man von hier aus auf die Walliser Seite und zum Aletschgletscher. Der schnellste Aufzug der Schweiz führt auf den Gipfel der Sphinx. Ein im Sommer üblicherweise für Spaziergänger präparierter Weg führt vom Jungfraujoch zur Mönchsjochhütte. Beim Jungfraujoch selbst gibt es für Besucher keine Übernachtungsmöglichkeit. Die Stollen werden nachts verschlossen, so dass auch freies Biwakieren nicht möglich ist.
Passübergang
Als Übergang für Fuss- oder Skitouristen vom Berner Oberland ins Wallis oder umgekehrt besitzt das Jungfraujoch praktisch keine Bedeutung. Der Weg vom Wallis über den Aletschgletscher hinauf ist – von der Spaltengefahr im Jungfraufirn abgesehen – leicht. Der Aufstieg vom Berner Oberland her ist jedoch eine beschwerliche Hochtour (Steileis, G 5-6, zeitweise unmöglich).
Erschliessung
Seit dem 1. August 1912 ist das Jungfraujoch durch die Jungfraubahn erschlossen. Von Grindelwald oder Lauterbrunnen erreicht man mit der Wengernalpbahn die Station Kleine Scheidegg. Diese Station auf 2061 m ü. M. ist die „Talstation“ der Jungfraubahn. Von hier aus muss die Jungfraubahn 9,34 Kilometer bezwingen, davon verlaufen die letzten 7,32 km unterirdisch, bis sie am Jungfraujoch ankommt. Die unterirdische Endstation auf 3454 m ü. M. ist der höchste Bahnhof Europas. Auf ihrem Weg hält die Bahn an zwei Stationen: Eigergletscher (2320 m) und Eismeer (3158 m). Seit dem 11. Dezember 2016 wird die Station Eigerwand (2864 m) nicht mehr bedient.
Bauten und Anlagen
Seit 1912, mit der Eröffnung der Jungfraubahn, wird für das Wohlergehen der Besucher auf dem Jungfraujoch gesorgt. Mehrere Restaurants, aber auch spezielle Aussichtsplattformen und Erlebnisse wurden eigens dafür geplant und realisiert.
Restaurants
Bereits bei der Eröffnung weihte man das provisorische „Touristenhaus“ mit dem höchstgelegenen Restaurant Europas ein. Mit seiner Eröffnung in 1924 ergänzte das neue „Berghaus Jungfraujoch“ – mit Giebeldach und in die Felswand gebaut – dieses Touristenhaus. Es wurde als „Das Haus über den Wolken“ bekannt. Im Erdgeschoss befanden sich eine geräumige Wartehalle mit geheiztem Fussboden, Bahn- und Postschaltern und ein Bazar. Besonders ins Auge stach die „Walliserstube“, die mit der Arvenholztäfelung und Anwendung von Naturstein eine besondere Charakteristik erhielt. Gäste aus aller Welt übernachteten in einem der 18 gemütlichen, holzgetäfelten Schlafzimmer mit Waschbecken und Krügen auf dem Nachttisch. Auf der Aussichtslaube stand man am Ursprung des längsten und grössten zusammenhängenden Gletschers der Alpen, dem Aletschgletscher. 1972 wütete im Berghaus ein Feuer mit erheblichen Folgen: Lediglich das Bahnbüro, die Perronanlage in der rückwärtigen Felsenkaverne sowie die Forschungsstation konnten vor dem Feuer geschützt werden. Nach dem Unglück lud die Jungfraubahn Architekten zu einem Wettbewerb ein, ein neues Gebäude zu entwerfen. Der Gewinner war Ernst E. Anderegg mit dem im Hang eingefügten „Top of Europe“, das 1987 eingeweiht wurde.
Sphinx-Observatorium und Forschungsstation
Bereits vor Baubeginn der Jungfraubahn war die Einrichtung eines Observatoriums und einer meteorologischen Forschungsstation vom Gründer der Bahn, Adolf Guyer-Zeller, geplant. 1931 konnten die Laboratorien für Meteorologie, Glaziologie, Strahlungsforschung, Astronomie, Physiologie und Medizin auf (3571 m ü. M.) mit einem Felsenheim für 13 Forscher eingeweiht werden. 1937 wurde das Sphinx-Observatorium bezogen. 1950 wurde dem Observatorium die Kuppel für astronomische Beobachtungen aufgesetzt, die seither immer wieder den modernsten Erfordernissen der Wissenschaft angepasst wird. Das Forschungsgebäude selbst ist nicht zu besichtigen.
Unterhalb des Sphinx-Observatoriums und östlich des Bahnhofs und der Restaurants befindet sich die Hochalpine Forschungsstation, eine an die Universität Bern angegliederte Forschungseinrichtung der International Foundation High Altitude Research Stations Jungfraujoch and Gornergrat. Die Gästezimmer der Forschungsstation sind die einzige Übernachtungsmöglichkeit auf dem Jungfraujoch, aber nur Wissenschaftlern und den Betreuern vorbehalten.
Das Observatorium ist mit einem 111,4 Meter langen Lift erschlossen. Die Aussichtsplattform bietet den Besuchern bei schönem Wetter einen Ausblick bis in die Nachbarländer Frankreich, Deutschland und Italien. 1993 wurde die Sphinx für die Besucher renoviert. Drei Jahre waren nötig, um sie gemeinsam mit der schnellsten Liftanlage der Schweiz, der verglasten Aussichtshalle und der rund um das Gebäude verlaufenden Terrasse fertigzustellen.
Eispalast
Zwei Bergführer begannen in den 30er Jahren eine gewaltige Halle aus dem Gletschereis zu schneiden. In Handarbeit, mit Eispickel und Säge, entstand ein 1'000 Quadratmeter grosses Labyrinth – der Eispalast. Das 1934 begonnene Werk ist nie vollendet worden. Durch die Ausdünstung der tausenden Besucher muss die Grotte auf minus drei Grad künstlich klimatisiert werden. Die Decken und das Gewölbe der Gänge müssen regelmässig nachgehauen werden. 1992 bekam der Eispalast einen neuen Zugang und ist seit 2002 durch den Ice-Gateway erreichbar.
Post
Auf dem Jungfraujoch liegt auch das höchstgelegene Postbüro Europas mit der eigenen Postleitzahl 3801. Obwohl die Postleitzahl gemäss Schweizerischer Post dem Kanton Wallis zugewiesen ist, so befindet sie sich dennoch im Zahlengebiet 38xx der im Tal liegenden Gemeinden des Kantons Bern.
Richtstrahlstation Ostgrat
Am Ostgrat der Jungfrau auf nicht ganz 3700 Meter Höhe befand sich die 2011 abgebaute Richtstrahlstation Ostgrat. Vom Jungfraujoch führen eine teilweise durch den Gletscher geführte Stollenbahn sowie eine einspurige Standseilbahn zur Anlage. In der Mitte der Standseilbahnstrecke befindet sich eine Zwischenstation, welche für Forschungszwecke genutzt wird. Es existieren dort Photovoltaik-Testanlagen.
Versorgung
Die intensive Sonnenstrahlung bietet sich zur Energienutzung an. So wird die tagsüber einfallende Wärme für die Nacht gespeichert. Aber auch die zahlreichen sonst kaum beachteten Wärmequellen – von Lampen über Elektrogeräte bis zur Körperwärme der anwesenden Personen – werden in die Regulierung der Raumtemperatur einbezogen. So gibt es im gesamten Berghaus keinen Heizkörper. Sogar wenn die Sonne nicht scheint und die Aussentemperatur bei minus 30 °C liegt, kann tagsüber auf zusätzliche Heizungen verzichtet werden. Nur nachts wird über die Lüftungsanlage mit elektrischer Energie so viel Wärme zugeführt, dass eine Raumtemperatur von mindestens 18 °C erhalten bleibt.
Brauchwasser wird aus Schnee gewonnen und aufbereitet. In Trockenperioden muss es nach wie vor mit Zisternenwagen auf der Schiene von der Kleinen Scheidegg heraufgebracht werden. Für das Jahr 2012 ist ein neues Projekt geplant, bei dem das Wasser durch Leitungen von der Kleinen Scheidegg mit Druckluft hinauf auf das Jungfraujoch gepumpt wird. Somit können die Zisternentransporte reduziert werden.
Das Abwasser lässt sich nicht mehr in den Gletscherschrund einleiten. Deshalb wurde eine 9,4 Kilometer lange Abwasserleitung ins Tal installiert. Sämtliche Abwässer aus Küchen, Unterkünften und Toiletten können auf diese Weise umweltfreundlich entsorgt werden.
Klima
Auf dem Jungfraujoch herrschen extreme Klimabedingungen. Die mittlere Jahrestemperatur beträgt −6,7 °C mit Schwankungen von −37 °C bis +13 °C. Die Windgeschwindigkeit kann bis zu 260 km/h betragen. Die Sonne scheint jährlich durchschnittlich 1773 Stunden. Zu jeder Jahreszeit muss mit starken Vereisungen, Schneefall und Lawinen gerechnet werden. Die Messstation von MeteoSchweiz liegt auf einer Höhe von 3571 m ü. M.
Tiere
Bis zum Jahr 2009 waren auf dem Gletscher täglich 25 Polarhunde im Einsatz. Auf einer präparierten Piste (rund 500 Meter lang) zogen die Hunde Schlitten mit Besuchern, waren aber auch für Postsendungen und Lebensmitteltransporte von Wengen zum Eigergletscher im Einsatz. Das Rudel galt als das meistfotografierte Motiv auf dem Jungfraujoch.
Für Ornithologen ist die Hochgebirgsregion interessant, da verschiedene Vogelarten zum Teil auch überwintern. Der Schneefink beispielsweise nistet und schläft in den schroffen Felswänden und findet bei den Behausungen der Forscher Futter.
(Wikipedia)
Der Grosse Aletschgletscher ist der flächenmässig grösste und längste Gletscher der Alpen. Er befindet sich auf der Südabdachung der Berner Alpen im Schweizer Kanton Wallis. Die Länge des Gletschers beträgt 22,6 km, die Fläche wird mit 78,49 km² angegeben. Der Aletschgletscher entwässert über die Massa in die Rhone. Die Fläche des gesamten Einzugsgebiets der Massa beträgt 195 km², wovon 1973 etwa zwei Drittel vergletschert waren. Oft werden bei der Flächenangabe der Ober- und Mittelaletschgletscher einbezogen, da diese früher mit dem Grossen Aletschgletscher verbunden waren. Die gesamte vergletscherte Fläche einschliesslich dieser Gletscher betrug 1973 etwa 128 km², für das Jahr 1863 wird eine Fläche von 163 km² angenommen.
Ursprung am Konkordiaplatz
Der Ursprung des Grossen Aletschgletschers liegt in der rund 3800 m hoch gelegenen Jungfrau-Region. Am Konkordiaplatz (♁645905 / 150101), einer 6 km² grossen und nur wenig geneigten Eisfläche, fliessen drei mächtige Firnströme zusammen:
Von Westen mündet der Grosse Aletschfirn, der entlang dem Nordfuss von Aletschhorn und Dreieckhorn fliesst. Der Grosse Aletschfirn wird von Norden her durch drei weitere bedeutende Firne gespeist, nämlich durch den Ebnefluhfirn, den Gletscherhornfirn und den Kranzbergfirn. Alle diese Firne nehmen ihren Ausgangspunkt auf rund 3800 m ü. M. Einschliesslich des Ebnefluhfirns hat der Grosse Aletschfirn bis zum Konkordiaplatz eine Länge von 9 km und ist durchschnittlich fast 1,5 km breit. Gegen Westen ist der Grosse Aletschfirn über den 3173 m ü. M. hohen Gletscherpass der Lötschenlücke mit dem Langgletscher verbunden, der ins Lötschental abfliesst.
Von Nordwesten mündet der Jungfraufirn, der zwar die gerade Fortsetzung des Aletschgletschers darstellt, jedoch der kürzeste der drei Tributärgletscher ist. Er hat seinen Ursprung an der Südflanke des Mönchs, am Jungfraujoch und an der Ostflanke der Jungfrau. Bis zum Konkordiaplatz legt der Jungfraufirn eine Wegstrecke von knapp 7 km zurück und wird dabei im Westen vom Kranzberg, im Osten vom Trugberg flankiert. Er ist in seinem oberen Teil 2 km, weiter unten noch gut 1 km breit.
Von Norden mündet das Ewigschneefeld, das seinen Ausgangspunkt an der Ostflanke des Mönchs nimmt und in einem Bogen, flankiert vom Trugberg im Westen sowie dem Gross Fiescherhorn und dem Grünhorn im Osten, zum Konkordiaplatz fliesst. Bis hierher ist es ungefähr 8 km lang und durchschnittlich 1,2 km breit. Die Mündung in den Konkordiaplatz erfolgt über einen Steilhang mit einem Gefälle von 25 bis 30 %; der Gletscher ist hier stark zerklüftet. Gegen Norden ist das Ewigschneefeld über den firnbedeckten Pass des Unteren Mönchsjochs (3529 m ü. M.) mit dem Einzugsgebiet des Unteren Grindelwaldgletschers verbunden. Durch das Obere Mönchsjoch (3627 m ü. M.) zwischen dem Mönch und dem Trugberg besteht eine Verbindung zum Jungfraufirn. Ferner mündet am Konkordiaplatz von Osten noch der wesentlich kleinere Grüneggfirn (3 km lang und durchschnittlich 600 m breit). Dieser ist nach Osten über den Gletscherpass der Grünhornlücke (3280 m ü. M.) mit dem Fieschergletscher verbunden.
Weiterer Verlauf
Vom Konkordiaplatz aus bewegt sich der Eisstrom mit einer Breite von ungefähr 1,5 km und mit einer Geschwindigkeit von bis zu 180 Metern pro Jahr nach Südosten in Richtung Rhonetal, gesäumt vom Dreieckhorn im Westen und dem Gross Wannenhorn im Osten. Er zeichnet dann eine grosse Rechtskurve und biegt immer mehr nach Südwesten ab, nun durch den Grat des Eggishorns und Bettmerhorns vom Rhonetal getrennt. Der unterste Teil des Grossen Aletschgletschers ist weitgehend durch das Geschiebematerial von Seiten- und Mittelmoränen bedeckt. Die Gletscherzunge liegt derzeit auf rund 1'560 Meter Höhe, weit unterhalb der lokalen Waldgrenze. Aus ihr entspringt der Bach Massa, welcher nach der Massaschlucht und einer Nutzung in einem Wasserkraftwerk, in Bitsch, oberhalb von Naters, in die Rhone (Rotten) fliesst.
Der Grosse Aletschgletscher weist beachtliche Eisdicken auf. Am Konkordiaplatz hat der Gletscher eine Eisdicke von mehr als 900 Metern, gegen Süden nimmt die Mächtigkeit des Eises allmählich auf rund 150 m ab. Charakteristisch sind die beiden dunklen, fast in der Mitte des Aletschgletschers gelegenen Moränenspuren, welche sich ab dem Konkordiaplatz auf der gesamten Länge bis in den Zungenbereich hinziehen. Es sind die Mittelmoränen, die das Eis der drei Hauptfirne voneinander trennen. Die westliche Mittelmoräne wird auch Kranzbergmoräne genannt, die östliche trägt den Namen Trugbergmoräne.
Gletscherschwankungen
In seinem Hochstadium während der Kleinen Eiszeit um die Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts erstreckte sich der Grosse Aletschgletscher noch rund 2,5 km weiter talabwärts. Aufgrund der allgemeinen Erwärmung seit etwa 1870 hat er besonders unterhalb des Konkordiaplatzes massiv an Volumen eingebüsst und sowohl an den Seiten als auch im Zungenbereich Flächen von mehreren Quadratkilometern freigegeben. Der einstmalige, in der Neuzeit höchste Gletscherstand kann gut an den noch fast vegetationslosen Seitenmoränen abgeschätzt werden. Seit 1850 hat die Eisdicke um teilweise über 100 m abgenommen. Früher waren auch die Eisströme des Oberaletschgletschers und des Mittelaletschgletschers direkt mit dem Grossen Aletschgletscher verbunden.
In der Senke zwischen dem Strahlhorn und dem Eggishorn liegt der Märjelensee, der im 19. Jahrhundert beim Gletscherhochstand zu einem Gletscherrandsee aufgestaut wurde. Seine wiederholten plötzlichen Ausbrüche durch Gletscherspalten verursachten immer wieder starke Schadenshochwasser der Massa hin zum Rhonetal.
Gegen kurzfristige Klimaschwankungen ist der Gletscher aufgrund seiner grossen Masse relativ immun. Während viele andere Gletscher Ende der 1970er Jahre bis Anfang der 1980er Jahre vorstiessen, reagierte der Aletschgletscher auf die vorübergehende Abkühlung kaum – ebenso wenig wie auf die warmen Jahre seit 1983. Aufgrund der zunehmend extremen Hitze der letzten Jahre zieht er sich aber nun doch – wie alle übrigen Alpengletscher – deutlich verstärkt zurück.
Die relative Trägheit in seinen Reaktionen auf Klimaschwankungen macht den Aletschgletscher auch zu einem idealen Untersuchungsobjekt zur Erforschung der Klimaentwicklung im Alpenraum. Die Längenschwankungen des Aletschgletschers in der Vergangenheit dürften sogar eine Rekonstruktion aller grösseren Klimaveränderungen der letzten 3200 Jahre erlauben. Die Bestimmung der verschiedenen Längenstadien des Aletschgletschers in der Vergangenheit erfolgt durch die Radiokohlenstoffdatierung fossiler Baumstämme, die der Gletscher bei einem früheren Vorstoss einmal überfahren haben muss und nun während seines aktuellen Rückzuges wieder freigibt. Der Befund fossiler Böden und von Wurzelwerk garantiert dabei, dass es sich bei dem Fundort auch um den Wuchsstandort des fossilen Baumes handelt. Durch Zählung der Jahresringe der geborgenen Stämme kann sogar der Zeitraum bestimmt werden, während dessen der Aletschgletscher den Fundort nicht erreicht hat. Mit dieser Methode wurde festgestellt, dass der Aletschgletscher bis etwa 1200 v. Chr. um einiges kleiner gewesen sein muss als gegen Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts. Für die Jahre etwa von 1200 bis 1110 v. Chr., 850 bis 750 v. Chr. und 350 bis 250 v. Chr. sind Vorstösse festgestellt worden. Dabei ist der Aletschgletscher von 900 bis 400 v. Chr. jedoch kleiner gewesen als am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts, genauso wie von etwa 100 v. Chr. bis ins Jahr 250. Um das Jahr 300 ist eine Gletscherlänge vergleichbar der des Höchststandes im 19. Jahrhundert festzustellen.
Laut der letzten Studie der Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Juni 2020) schmolz die Oberfläche des Grossen Aletschgletscher zwischen den Jahren 2001 und 2014 um mehr als fünf Meter pro Jahr in den unteren Lagen.
Tourismus
Der Aletschgletscher galt schon früh als besondere Sehenswürdigkeit für Reisende und als willkommenes Untersuchungsobjekt für Forschende. Forschungsstationen gibt es seit 1937 auf dem Jungfraujoch und seit 1976 auf der Riederfurka oberhalb der Riederalp. Durch zahlreiche Luftseilbahnen besonders gut erschlossen ist der Berggrat zwischen dem Riederhorn und dem Eggishorn, der sehr schöne Einblicke in den Zungenbereich und den unteren Teil des Gletschers gewährt. Mit dem Bau der Jungfraubahn auf das Jungfraujoch (auf der Sphinx 3571 m ü. M.) wurde 1912 auch für nicht berggewohnte Leute ein Blick in den oberen Teil des Gletschers ermöglicht.
Am Felshang des Faulbergs östlich des Konkordiaplatzes stehen auf 2850 m ü. M. die Konkordiahütten des Schweizer Alpen-Clubs SAC. Sie dienen als wichtiger Etappenort auf der hochalpinen Gletscherroute vom Jungfraujoch oder vom Lötschental in das Gebiet des Grimselpasses.
UNESCO-Weltnaturerbe
Das Gebiet des Grossen Aletschgletschers ist zusammen mit dem einzigartigen Aletschwald und den umliegenden Regionen seit dem 13. Dezember 2001 Bestandteil des UNESCO-Weltnaturerbes Schweizer Alpen Jungfrau-Aletsch.
(Wikipedia)
This particular evening the bugs were moving around pretty good.
There is usually a pretty stiff breeze across the tundra to keep them at bay, but not this evening.
This particular truck is the king of all rear loaders in Australia. I don’t think there are any other semi-trailer versions of a rear loader elsewhere, or any with a compactor featuring an apparent 38m body volume. This mammoth unit belongs to G&S Waste which has been using this giant to remove loads of kerbside clean-up from the Hornsby area in bulk, twice what the average truck can pull, or even 3 times the amount of some other 6x4 models. I understand this was produced in 1999 for WM to use for their hard waste collection contracts in Melbourne, but it came up for sale around 2015 and was quickly scooped up by this Sydney operator. Given the heavy duty fleet already used by G&S, this beast was the perfect addition. It’s basically an extended Compaction Systems rear loader, with the hydraulics powered by an auxiliary engine at the front of the trailer, and the whole unit pulled by this tidy 2008 model Western Star.