The Aber Swing Bridge, also known as the Pont yr Aber and Caernarfon swing bridge, is a pedestrian swing bridge in Gwynedd, Wales. This footbridge crosses over the Afon Seiont from the foreshore to the Watergate entrance in the centre of Caernarfon near Caernarfon Castle.

This bridge swings to one side to allow boats to enter or leave the harbour. It replaced a Victorian bridge which itself had replaced a ferry across the river Seiont. It leads from Caernarfon town to the parkland at Coed Helen.

Photo of original swing bridge at Caernarfon

The original swing bridge, courtesy of the RCAHMW and its Coflein website

The small building with castellated top, west of the bridge, was built in 1822 for the operator of the Coed Helen ferry. The Pritchard family of boat owners and builders ran the ferry from c.1859. In 1878 David Pritchard was praised for his prompt action to save a militiaman (volunteer soldier) who fell between the quay and boat while boarding. David died, aged 76, in 1884.

The first swing bridge, known as Pont yr Aber, was completed in 1899, amid arguing over compensation for loss of the ferry trade. A gas engine powered the swing mechanism. The bridge was too small to justify hydraulic power, which would have been ideal.

The metalwork was painted “stone colour” (off-white) to minimise heat absorption from sunshine. Excess heat would have distorted the ends of the swing span. White paint was rejected as it would soon have looked dirty. Tolls were levied on pedestrians and carriages.

The bridge was replaced by the current pedestrian bridge in 1970. You can still see some of the wooden supports for the original bridge as you cross.

A drive led from the ferry to Coed Helen house, thought to date from the early 17th century. The house belonged to a succession of influential families and is now part of a caravan park.

On the hill between the river and house stands a summerhouse, built in the 18th century. At various times, the military used the area for training and keeping watch on the Menai Strait. A battery of guns at Coed Helen was fired on important occasions, including in 1847 to salute Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their children.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Antioplelle (Antiopella cristata) – La Lauve –Cap d’Antibes - France

Delicate and elegant, Antiopella cristata glides among algae and hydroids like a colorful veil. Its translucent body reveals the intriate harmony of its internal organs, while its cerata — long, iridescent filaments — sway gently with the current.

Both ornamental and vital, each cerata contains a digestive diverticulum, an extension of the intestine where digestion and absorption take place. But this fragile structure also hides a clever defense strategy: nematocysts harvested from its tinging prey, mainly hydroids, are stored there, ready to deter

potential predators.

Under the light, the cerata glow with a crystalline radiance, highlighting the functional beauty shaped by evolution.

This image was captured off the coast of Cap d’Antibes, at the dive site La Lauve.

Using a Nikon D800E in an Aquatica housing, paired with a 105 mm macro lens, an SMC - 1 (2.3x) wet lens, and a snoot mounted on a Backscatter Mini Flash 2, I isolated texture, form, and light at F/22 to reveal the graphic details of this elegant biological ingenuity.

The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States, and the third largest in the world. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin.

The vivid colors in the spring are the result of pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water. The bacteria produce colors ranging from green to red; the amount of color in the microbial mats depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids and on the temperature of the water that favors one bacterium over another. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.

The deep blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from the intrinsic blue colour of water, itself the result of water's selective absorption of red wavelengths of visible light. Though this effect is responsible for making all large bodies of water blue, it is particularly intense in Grand Prismatic Spring because of the high purity and depth of the water in the middle of the spring. The spring is approximately 250 by 300 feet (80 by 90 m) in size and is 160 feet (50 m) deep. The spring discharges an estimated 560 US gallons (2,100 L) of 160 °F (70 °C) water per minute.

My first pass at this object. It appears this is one of those objects that needs more than narrow band filters. I am hoping to collect a lot more data in the future particularly in regular rgb to get color in the dust and reflection areas.

"The Cocoon Nebula, also known as IC 5146, is a relatively well-known nebula located in the constellation Cygnus, about 3,000 light-years from Earth. It is a combination of both an emission and reflection nebula, surrounded by a dark molecular cloud. Here’s an overview of its main characteristics:

Structure and Composition:

The Cocoon Nebula is a star-forming region that contains ionization, dust absorption and reflection. It appears as a small, bright core (the "cocoon") surrounded by the dark lanes of dust.

In the central region, new stars are forming, and their intense radiation ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow with the characteristic red color of an emission nebula.

At the same time, the dust around the young stars reflects their light, making parts of the nebula visible as a reflection nebula.

Star Formation:

The Cocoon Nebula contains a young star cluster known as Collinder 470, which is embedded in the nebula.

The star at the center of the nebula is particularly young and massive. Its energy drives the emission that we see from the surrounding gas. This star, along with others in the nebula, is in the early stages of stellar evolution.

Dark Nebula (Barnard 168):

A key feature of the Cocoon Nebula is its association with a long, dark cloud known as Barnard 168, which forms a "trail" leading away from the nebula.

This dark nebula absorbs background light and obscures stars behind it, creating a stark contrast with the glowing core of the Cocoon Nebula.

Size and Distance:

The Cocoon Nebula spans about 12 light-years across, with the surrounding dark nebula stretching even further.

It is located about 3,000 light-years away from Earth, making it a relatively close target for amateur astronomers with telescopes.

Visibility:

Although the Cocoon Nebula is relatively faint, it can be observed with medium to large telescopes, particularly under dark skies. It is located near the star Pi Cygni in the constellation Cygnus."

Askar 120APO: 840mm f/7

ZWO ASI533MC Color Camera at -10C

43xuvir@3m

ZWO ASI533MM Mono Camera at -10C

6xHa, 6xSii, 6xOiii@10m

Guided on ZWO AM5

Processed with PixInsight, Ps

I wish a happy Easter and I hope that after Easter I will emerge from nowhere again :-)

My first reaction to this abundance of foam floating down the river was to think there had been some sort of toxic spill. Turns out there was a more benign explanation. At this point in the season tons of organic materials are being washed into the river. As they decay they produce surfactants which reduce the water's natural surface tension, and this allows for an easy absorption of large quantities of air into the water. Just above the site of this shot is a small set of falls which are roiling at quite a pace thanks to all the rain. End result: foam.

The three components that comprise a jaw coupling, sometimes also referred to by the brand name shown in the picture, used to attach a motor to a driven device, typically in industrial equipment.

The design of this coupling offers a means of shock and vibration absorption through the rubber spider used to join the two hubs. Selling each hub separately allows mixing and matching shaft sizes as circumstances require, within reasonable limits.

This is another image I completed on my recent trip to Kartchner Caverns. I had been collecting data with three different combinations of camera and telescope, but just could not get the signal to noise ratio I wanted. After this last run, I had a ton of data, over 100 subframes in each channel of LRGB. With so many subs, I skipped the calibration frames and just stacked them all. Pretty much all the flaws were rejected by the algorithm, and it came out pretty clean. A little cleanup with GraExpert, plus normal processing in PI. Description below is stolen from APOD.

In this celestial abstract art composed with a cosmic brush, dusty nebula NGC 2170, also known as the Angel Nebula, shines just above the image center. Reflecting the light of nearby hot stars, NGC 2170 is joined by other bluish reflection nebulae, a red emission region, many dark absorption nebulae, and a backdrop of colorful stars. Like the common household items that abstract painters often choose for their subjects, the clouds of gas, dust, and hot stars featured here are also commonly found in a setting like this one -- a massive, star-forming molecular cloud in the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). The giant molecular cloud, Mon R2, is impressively close, estimated to be only 2,400 light-years or so away. At that distance, this canvas would be over 60 light-years across.

Cameras: QSI 683, ASI 2600mm

Telescopes TEC 140, Vixen VC200L

Taken from multiple locations in multiple years, finished in Southern Arizona, October 2024.

Reprocessed Aug 2025 with GraXpert

This Danaus genutia butterfly is also known as the "Common Tiger" due to its bright orange color with dark stripes. Similar in appearance to the Monarch commonly found in the US, Danaus genutia can be found in India and Sri Lanka. This specimen is in a black frame with white background and species name located inside.

Tirumala limniace, the blue tiger is a butterfly found in South Asia and Southeast Asia that belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterfly family. This butterfly shows gregarious migratory behaviour in southern India.

In general, all butterflies can directly absorb heat from the sun via their wings to facilitate autonomous flight. Studies on blue tiger butterflies show that high-intensity light significantly increased flight activity. Blue tiger butterflies have a wing surface color that is composed of both light and dark colors. The dark areas on the wing surfaces are the heat absorption areas that allow for the facilitation of autonomous flight.

Many thanks to all those who view, comment and or fave my photos....It is greatly appreciated ......Chandana ❤️

Explored on 28th October 2025

Debated on the colour or mono version. To be fair there isn't much difference.

Casa Cavassa, a refined Renaissance residence in the historic heart of Saluzzo, was transformed in the late 15th century by Marquis Michele Antonio di Saluzzo into an elegant urban palace blending medieval structure with Renaissance elegance. Today home to the Civic Museum Casa Cavassa, it preserves original frescoes, stuccoes, and period furnishings, offering a rare glimpse into the domestic life and artistic tastes of the noble elite in the Marquisate of Saluzzo. Its harmonious courtyard and richly decorated interiors reflect the cultural flourishing of this independent Piedmontese state before its absorption into the Duchy of Savoy.

Just around the curve is San Luis Obispo train station, looking north west. The hills are Cerro San Luis, aka, Madonna Mountain (L), and Bishop Peak (R), two of the Nine Sisters, a chain of ancient volcanic peaks, which stretch from San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay. The bike is my vintage 1990 Diamondback Apex, a high-end bike at the time when front shocks were first coming out on MTB. $525 was a lot to spend back then but with 21 gears I could climb just about any hill. Grade and terrain were the only limiting factors. Grinding up a hill in lowest gear and coming down in control gets in your blood if you’re into that sort of exercise. Today’s 3 to $6000 bikes, some electric, give riders opportunities and comfort that this bike never had. This bike and I once muscled up to 11,000 feet near Mammoth Lakes. The up is hard enough but coming down on the rocky 4 x 4 Road is tough on the forearms, the eyeballs and the body because there’s no shock absorption like modern dual suspension bikes. Another memorable ride was 5,700 foot Mt. Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. These days this bike sees more mild rides around town with occasional off roading. If this bike could talk, the stories it could tell… happy trails🚵

Diese schöne Hibiskusblüte fotografierte ich im Botanischen Garten in Erlangen. Dabei wählte ich wieder eine halboffene seitliche Perspektive mit Gegenlichtaufnahme. Als Hintergrund nahm ich den blauen Himmel mit Wolken, um ein harmonisches Gesamtbild zu bekommen. Viel Spaß beim betrachten.

This beautiful hibiscus flower I photographed at the Botanical Garden in Erlangen. Here I chose again a semi-lateral view with counter-light absorption. As background, I took the blue sky with clouds to create a harmonious overall picture. Enjoy the view.

这个美丽的芙蓉花拍在植物园中的根。在这里，我选择了一个半侧面与反光吸收。作为背景，我在蔚蓝的天空与云彩，以创造一个和谐的大局。欣赏。

هذه الزهور الجميلة خبازى الأول صورت في حديقة النباتات الملكية. اخترت هنا مرة أخرى شبه الأفقي مضادة بهدف امتصاص الضوء. معلومات أساسية ، وأخذت السماء الزرقاء والسحب مع متناغم لخلق صورة عامة. يتمتع الرأي.

sunrise on the welsh hillsides giving way to subtle absorption of light and colour from the surrounding landscape, taken on the clwyd hill range uk

This is Virje waterfall, near Bovec, Slovenia. The waterfall itself is lovely, if not very large, but the pond is incredible! Of a deep, emerald green, absolutely transparent. One could think that the Lady of the Lake was going to appear at any moment.

I'm not sure why it is so green Possibly, the yelowish color of the rocks at the bottom, combined with the clear water and the laws of light absorption, result in those wonderful tones.

To reach it, go to Bovec and then west to Plužna. A bit pass Plužna there is a parking not 5 min from the waterfall. We tried to get there by a road that goes through "Golf Bovec", but the people at the club entrance refused to let us pass (!), or park there and walk the rest of the way. There was a van with a German family in front of us and they were, naturaly, quite pissed with the golf club people. Anyway, the way through Plužna is much more convenient.

With the absorption of the Western Maryland into Chessie System most of the Western Maryland mainline west of Big Pool, MD was abandoned. This freed up WM power and it began to show up on the B&O. Here a WM AB set of F units brings a westbound across the Potomac River.

In the 2nd Anniversary of the loss of the man I love the most,

my Papà Silvio.

"Addio Signor Maestro" video turned by Stefano Wolf mainly with some of my old archive photos, then put apart and published with added piano music "We'll Meet Again" kindly put at disposal by author composer and pianist Jeremy Blacke, on the day my Daddy sadly left : youtu.be/gND-a_3QXyQ

My Dad for his books and historical researches has also been a documentaristic photographer.

Anche i fiori stanno piangendo

Non passa mai, papà...

Do you see me

Can you hear me

Are you smiling

or are you anguished

Watching over, please, save me

Ref.Piena fioritura 019\boccioli ok VM in-door macro in natural daylight. "Cymbidium Orchid" #AtmosphericPhotography #LightPainting #Explore

EXPLORE (selected & #explored in the manually curated Contest "Through Her Lens - March Women's Photography Month") www.flickr.com/explore/2022/03/30

www.flickr.com/photos/white-angel/51912208032/in/explore-...

On Fluidr: www.fluidr.com/photos/white-angel/51912208032/ # 174 > 159

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

For my video; youtu.be/woR1hl_9AAo

The Nethercutt Collection, in Sylmar, California, USA

One of the key technical features that distinguished the Minerva AM Convertible Town Cabriolet 1928 was its advanced suspension system. It was built with a beefed-up version of the conventional leaf-spring suspension that was common at the time. This system used a double-spring setup that allowed for better shock absorption, ensuring a smoother ride even on bumpy roads.

The car was powered by a robust 6.6-liter inline-six engine that was capable of 65 horsepower. This engine was mated to a four-speed manual transmission that provided excellent control over the car's power output. The car could easily accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 12 seconds, making it one of the fastest cars of its time.

The Minerva AM Convertible Town Cabriolet 1928 was also notable for its exceptional braking system. It was one of the first cars of its time to be equipped with hydraulic brakes, which provided more control and better stopping power than the mechanical brakes that were commonly used at the time. The car's braking system was so advanced that it even came with a failsafe system that prevented the car from rolling backward on steep hills.

1928: The body of the car is designed by Belgian coachbuilder Joseph Figoni, known for his artistic and aerodynamic designs

The rising Full Moon of September 9, 2022, the Harvest Moon for 2022, coming up over a rolling harvested prairie field near home in southern Alberta, on a very clear evening.

This is a composite of 11 exposures blended with Lighter Color mode onto the base layer exposure of the Moon just coming up and the sky and ground. The subsequent exposures were shot at increasingly shorter shutter speeds to preserve the colour and brightness of the Moon's disk (ie. exposing for the Moon not the sky or ground). Shot at 1 minute intervals, but exposures taken every 3 minutes were selected for the composite except at the start when atmospheric refraction makes the Moon rise faster than it does later in the sequence.

All were shot with the Canon R5 and RF70-200mm lens at 200mm.

Dedicata alla mia cara Zia Gianna.

www.flickr.com/photos/white-angel/51887672818/#comment721...

(announcement in the last 3 comment boxes)

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

I wanted to fix the moment, this Feb. 17 2022, first birthday of my Flickr profile, something I wanted to post...

Not inda mood for big celebrations, real life is being too tough for me & relatives... I'm loosing my most beloved Aunt, my biggest source of great open-minded Philosophy, of Stoic thinking and positive thoughts ...

And, evidently hospital doctors think, as she overpassed the 80 years, cures and pain releaving, even her bed in the ward can be spared for someone else...But there is always something that can be done!!!

Antalgical and alternative treatments to reduce the speed and agressiveness of a lethal disease, new therapies aimed at lengthen life, yet maintaining an acceptable quality of survival, at relief and limitation of damages. I'm persuaded that every patient, even terminal should be accompanied to the end in the best way and before the end we should try any alternative therapy, always respecting the patient. It is never the end until the end!

...And my orchids plant (Cybidium), which had unespectedly blossomed in the wrong month (November) is there, smiling at me, blooming again so many buds and offering 27 new flowers...

Ref.New flow. orchids 044 OK VM Low light macro shot in-door in natural daylight.

Either than the stem chopping and shading, no retouching of any kind was applied. It matters me too much to reach certain results in the setting preparation and especially in the gesture of photographing itself with no extra unreal artifacts applied in post-processure. NATURE IS THE best and most beautiful special effect and the photographer should be able to lend this "magic" by photographing, nothing more, nothing less.

( I though love and have much esteem for the virtuosistic aesthetic effort using softwares like Octabox, but for those who are first of all able to still life with lots of art and photograph with as much.

My current stubbornness&respect for naturality, however, prevents me from using any software to improve the image more than a normal routine editing program aimed at minimal corrections ).

Let once for all specify: I never crop out my images to obtain a dark background.The dark background is there,really&physically! And I owe this auto-discipline &professional habbit to the masters photographers with whom I have been collaborating for my job.

For my notes: il colore dei boccioli é perfetto come nella realtà. Ottenuto che la luce "accarezzi" senza colpire direttamente i soggetti e senza bruciare alcuna porzione dei petali. Buono l'assorbimento luminoso generale senza forti rifrazioni, in studio a feb., in fascia oraria 15/17 con fondale posizionato a ovest.

⭐ EXPLORED 22-02-18 ⭐ (18/02/2022): www.flickr.com/photos/white-angel/51887672818/in/explore-...

In Explore: www.flickr.com/photos/white-angel/51887672818/in/explore-...

Explore on Fluidr # 245 > # 219 : www.fluidr.com/photos/white-angel/51887672818/

🌸First year Flickr profile, my explored photos🌸: www.flickr.com/groups/inexplore/pool/white-angel

#AtmosphericPhotography by #WhiteANGEL

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

3 exposures, hdr

The Moon on October 2, 2022

Credit: Giovanni Vincenzo Donatiello (@giovannivincenzo_donatiello)

Mak 127/1500 First Light + EOS 4000D single shot

The Moon, at the time of capture, was at its meridian transit but a little high above the horizon (about 25 deg). At this height, any object is affected by atmospheric absorption. The hue is often warmer and a very high definition is not achieved. Normally all the details are softer than in a zenith capture.

between setting sun and rising near-full moon,

this tiny presence in watchful absorption

Engine Company No. 20 was the first major public structure built in Tenleytown in 1900. At the time, Tenleytown was at the edge of Washington, DC’s development. Soon after, the nearby residential subdivisions of Armsleigh Park (1892) and American University Park (1897) expanded. The firehouse signaled the absorption of the former crossroads settlement into a growing neighborhood and the eventual development of the community.

Designed by architect Leon Dessez (1858-1918), Engine Company No. 20 is Italianate Revival in style. The façade has glazed buff brick with overhanging scrolled eaves, a terra cotta tile roof, and an expressed hose tower. With the addition of a one-story annex by Snowden Ashford (1866-1927), Engine Company No. 20 became the second motorized station in the city in 1913.

(Source: DC Historic Sites)

In a chapter called "A Poet's Alphabet", Mark Strand shares this in his book ""The Weather of Words" (Knopf 2000):

“D is for Dante, who has not influenced me, which is too bad. On the other hand, I am not sure what the influence of Dante might be, and I would think it quite strange to read somewhere that one of my contemporaries had been influenced by him. How very grand, I would think. But death, being so much more approachable– either here or just around the bend–has always been an influence. What I mean to say is that death is common. If you are having a good time and you conceive the possibility that the good time will end, then you are concerned with death, though in a mild and unremarkable way. But what I want to get to is something else: that death is the central concern of lyric poetry. Lyric poetry reminds us that we live in time. It tells us that we are mortal. It celebrates or recognizes moods, ideas, events only as they exist in passing. For what meaning would anything have outside of time? Even when poetry celebrates something joyful, it bears the news that the particular joy is over. It is a long memorial, a valedictory to each discrete moment on earth. But its power is at variance with what it celebrates. For it is not just that we mourn the passage of time but that we are somehow isolated from the weight of time, and when we read poems, during those brief moments of absorption, the thought of death seems painless, even beautiful.”

____________________________________________________________

Isaiah 65:17-21

Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13

John 4:43-54

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture: You may go; your child will live. (John 4:50)

Throughout Lent we have been encouraged to practice self-denial. Often we mistakenly see this only as an exercise in giving up things that give us pleasure. In truth God is calling us to do "spring cleaning," to rid our lives of worldly clutter to make room for Christ, the One sent to cleanse us of sin and create us anew in His image.

Many limit God's act of creation to His original formation of the cosmos with earth as humanity's home; but creation is ongoing, for God's Spirit constantly renews our world through its seasons and propagates life—plants, animals, and man—from seeds energized by God's life. Humans require most of His attention, since He created us to be spiritual creatures made in His likeness, able to commune with our heavenly Father and enter into a loving relationship with Him. Through this, God lifts us from our mire of sin to participate in His goodness so that we may also live at peace with one another.

Today's Gospel narrates one example of Christ's infinite power to create life anew, His healing of a dying child. In doing so, He prompted a renewal of the parents' lives and possibly that of all those to whom they would tell of God's healing mercy. This "good" was set in motion by the father's faith in Christ, his immediate obedience in going home, fully believing his child would be well; this fact was affirmed when he learned that the healing coincided perfectly with the time that Jesus had pronounced its taking place.

Blessed Lord, may this Lenten season commit us to allowing Your Spirit of love and truth to create us anew that we may share Your blessed life with others. Amen.

- Marie Bocko, OCDS | email: mlbocko@twcny.rr.com

EXPLORE # 309 at initial list on Monday, March 3, 2008.

>>>> null.daten <<<<

.

# solar imagery from THE TRONA LO-FI SCIENCE OBSERVATORY

.

[EN]

The vineyard is ready for pruning.

Pruning of the vine begins from leaf drop in the fall to bud break around April.

But what happens to the vine to make it weep?

The plant reawakens from its winter sleep and recommences its lifecycle. The “tears” are little droplets of sap, rising up the stalk of the vine and seeping out. This happens when the roots start working again, when the sap begins to rise up through the wood. It’s as though the vine is taking a deep breath before the birth of the new buds.

The budding phase is preceded by a typical phenomenon of the vine called “weeping”, which is actually the release of fluid from the xylem vessels where they have been pruned. This is due, on one hand, to the reactivation of the sugar metabolism – the transformation of starch into simple sugars – and the consequent reactivation of cellular respiration, and, on the other, the high level of absorption that characterises the roots, which peaks during this phase (Google Translate: :-))

[IT]

Il vigneto è pronto per la potatura.

La potatura della vite va dalla caduta delle foglie in autunno, al "pianto della vite" in aprile.

Ma che cosa accade alla vite da portarla a piangere?

La pianta si risveglia dopo il riposo invernale e ricomincia il suo ciclo vitale. Le «lacrime» sono delle piccole goccioline di linfa, che risalgono il legno della vite e fuoriescono. Avviene con la ripresa dell’attività delle radici, quando nei vasi legnosi inizia appunto a risalire la linfa. È una sorta di respiro prima della nascita dei nuovi germogli.

La fase del germogliamento è preceduta da un fenomeno tipico della vite chiamato “pianto”, ossia l’emissione di liquido dai vasi xilematici a livello dei tagli di potatura: ciò è dovuto da una parte alla riattivazione del metabolismo degli zuccheri – la trasformazione di amido in zuccheri semplici – e alla conseguente riattivazione della respirazione cellulare e dall’altra all’elevato livello di assorbimento che caratterizza le radici, che tocca il massimo proprio in questa fase»

FR]

Le vignoble est prêt pour la taille.

La taille de la vigne commence dès la chute des feuilles à l'automne au débourrement vers avril.

Mais qu'arrive-t-il à la vigne qui la fait pleurer?

La plante se réveille après le repos hivernal et recommence son cycle de vie. Les "larmes" sont de petites gouttelettes de sève, qui remontent le bois de la vigne et en ressortent. Cela se produit avec la reprise de l'activité des racines, lorsque la lymphe commence à monter dans les vaisseaux ligneux. C'est une sorte de souffle avant la naissance des nouvelles pousses.

La phase de germination est précédée d'un phénomène typique de la vigne appelé "pleurs de la vigne", c'est-à-dire l'émission de liquide des vaisseaux du xylème au niveau des plaies de taille: cela est dû d'une part à la réactivation du métabolisme du sucre - la transformation de l'amidon dans les sucres simples - et la réactivation conséquente de la respiration cellulaire et d'autre part au niveau élevé d'absorption qui caractérise les racines, qui atteint son maximum dans cette phase.

More pictures provided below...

I am going green :D

Well I bought me a new 2011 GIO Moped in white. This is the crazy purchase I spoke about a few images ago.

This 500w electric scooter is classified as an electric bicycle since pedals can be used. I however took mine out and have them stored in the storage compartments. Since it is classified as a bicycle, you do not have to register it, you do not have to insure it and can also operate without any driver license.

My e-scooter comes with front and rear lights, mirrors, large seat for 2 riders, large trunk box, turn signals, horn, low/high beam headlights, alarm, wheel locks and plenty of storage. First off there is the rear trunk box with ample room for my camera :). There is also a glove compartment and under seat storage.

It starts with a flip of a key and when you do start it you hear nothing! Just a low buzz as you buzz off :)!

More features include dual shocks which cushions my ride when going over bumps, curbs or objects. Frotn and rear drum brakes is located in the center of the wheel and provides plenty of stopping power even when I ride at higher speeds.

Specifications:

Engine Displacement (cc) 350w/500w

Transmission Auto

Engine Type 500w, Brushless, Electric, Double speeds

Min/Max. torque 32-55 Nm

Starting System Electric Start

Chassis Max Speed 32Km/h (20mph), Double speeds

Reverse No

Suspension/Front Dual Shock

Suspension/Rear Dual Shock

Brakes/Front Drum brake

Brakes/Rear EABS (Electric Absorption Braking System)

Dimensions Vehicle Size Full Size

Tires/Front 2.5in

Tires/Rear 63 x 406.4 mm , Mag Wheels

Size Adult

L x W x H 1650 x 690 x 1010 mm

Seat Height 710 mm

Lighting Fuel Capacity Battery Capacity: 48V/12AH

Dry Weight 74Kg (168 lbs)

Head Light Yes

Tail Light Yes

Brake Light Yes

Blinkers Yes

Remote Start/Stop No

MORE TO COME :D

Chicory flower with an insect, seen on the lawn in my hometown :)

Common chicory (Cichorium intybus), is a bushy perennial herbaceous plant with blue, lavender, or occasionally white flowers. Various varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or for roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive. It is also grown as a forage crop for livestock. It lives as a wild plant on roadsides in its native Europe, and in North America and Australia, where it has become naturalized. Chicory (especially the flower) was used as a treatment in Germany, and is recorded in many books as an ancient German treatment for everyday ailments. It is variously used as a tonic and as a treatment for gallstones, gastro-enteritis, sinus problems and cuts and bruises. (Howard M. 1987). Chicory contains inulin, which may help humans with weight loss, constipation, improving bowel function, and general health. In rats, it may increase calcium absorption and bone mineral density.

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Kwiat cykorii z jakąś muszką (niestety, nie wiem co to za owad), pstryknięty na trawniku :)

Cykoria podróżnik (Cichorium intybus) – gatunek rośliny należący do rodziny astrowatych. Znany też jako podróżnik błękitny. Rodzimy obszar jego występowania to znaczna część Europy, Azji oraz Algieria i Tunezja w Afryce Północnej, ale rozprzestrzenił się szeroko i obecnie występuje na wszystkich kontynentach z wyjątkiem Antarktydy. Jest także uprawiany w Azji, Europie, Australazji, Afryce i Ameryce Północnej. W polskiej florze jest rośliną pospolicie występującą na całym obszarze. Cykoria podróżnik to roślina lecznicza, korzeń łagodnie pobudza wytwarzanie soku żołądkowego, żółci oraz ma działanie moczopędne. Jest stosowany w wielu mieszankach ziołowych do leczenia zaburzeń trawienia i przy ogólnym osłabieniu. Młode listki cykorii można wiosną dodawać do sałatek, ze względu na zawartość witamin C, B i mikroelementów.

A back-to-back, basic black pair of Illinois Central 70s--austere, spartan, plain--rushing down the table-flat, ruler-straight, north-south oriented big iron nearing Humboldt, IL, speedometer pegged at a 40 per with local traffic bound for the many yards and branches stemming off the Mainline of Mid-America between Chicago and Centralia. It's a typical sight out here, as appropriate as the barren croplands and bucolic homesteads of which this region is known, a continuation of the traditions present since the Illinois Central Railroad was chartered in the 1850s and legally represented by an emerging Illinoisan by the name of Abraham Lincoln. But things aren't as rosy as they may seem. Remove the grimy, road-worn locomotives and one will uncover a picture more despondent--this is a CN train, on CN rails, run by employees earning a CN paycheck, collecting revenue for CN's bottom line. In the 21 years post merger, when the freshly privatized Canadian National just freed from the restrictions of the crown pounced on the assets and operations of the Illinois granger, the Mainline of Mid-America has become mostly devoid of its heritage during its assimilation into North America's Railroad. Train A408 and its northbound counterpart A407 preserve the flavor of the IC on the rails and through the towns which owe their existence to it, holding captive a significant percentage of locomotives from the final large equipment procurement the railroad before absorption: the 40 SD70s delivered in 1995 numbered from the millennium mark. The class unit and a subsequent example have the honors this occurrence, presenting a nearly perfect pure look at how things were prior to the Canadian invasion with their sights on the next work event at Effingham, daylight fading but the pride of the IC holding strong in their presence as they race across its namesake.

Minimalist Still Life with apricots shots at the sole light of some candles (macro). Obtained with preparation, display arrangement, my hands, my eyes & one of my reflex camera (Canon EOS 250D). No retouching, no filters!

Entered in the July 2023 Explore TakeOver Contest by Flickr Social on the theme #Orange www.flickr.com/groups/2684497@N24/discuss/721577219189465...

Ref.Albicocche 063 okkk VM DEF. Shot on 04.07.2022 19:25

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

August 07, 2017

Macro Mondays Theme: Staying Healthy

After my kidney stone operation, orange juice and orange fruit are now part of my special diet.

"Delicious and juicy orange fruit contain an impressive list of essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals for healthy growth and development and overall well-being.

•Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but rich in dietary fiber, pectin. Pectin, by its virtue as a bulk laxative, helps protect the mucosa of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. By binding to bile acids in the colon, pectin has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing its re-absorption in the colon."

All comments are highly appreciated. It will help me a lot to improve my photography skills. Big thanks to all of you for the comments, faves and views.

Happy clicking to all! HMM!

©All Rights Reserved

Er ist einer der grössten Schmetterlinge und leuchtet geöffnet in einem satten, metallischen Blau – in der Schmetterlingswelt ist er durch seine Farbe einzigartig.

Gerne wird er auch 'Himmelsfalter' genannt, weil seine blaue Farbe so glanzvoll wie der blaue Himmel leuchtet. Er zeigt sein schillerndes Blau nur auf der Innenseite so intensiv, dies um Geschlechtspartner auch von weit her anzulocken.

Klappt er seine Flügel hoch, kommt seine braune Unterseite mit den rotbraunen Augen zum Vorschein. So sieht er plötzlich aus wie ein braunes Blatt.

Der Morphofalter besitzt unzählige dünne Schuppen auf seinen Flügeln, die wie Dachziegel übereinander geschichtet sind. Wenn Licht auf die Schuppen fällt, nehmen sie alle Farben des Lichts auf, was man im Fachchinesisch als „absorbieren“ bzw. „Absorption“ nennt.

Ein ganz besonders zauberhafter Flattermann - aussen und innen eine grosse Augenweide!

Geniesst alle einen wunderschönen Sonntag!

Rio de Janeiro

1220

A Great Blue Heron seems absorbed in self-admiration.

There are many different types of figs, from dark purple to green and slightly purple.We have four fig trees, one of which is over 8 metres tall and unfortunately only bears false fruit. The smaller ones bear fruit at different times, so that we can harvest new fruit every month...Figs are very healthy

..Vitamin A (retinol) is good for the skin and mucous membranes as well as the eyesight of our eyes.

Vitamins B1, B2 and B6 regulate the metabolism and are important for the nerves.

The absorption of folic acid is a prerequisite for cell division and blood formation.

Biotin (vitamin B7) supports healthy skin, healthy hair and strong fingernails.

A high magnesium content promotes cell regeneration and energy balance.

It also contains potassium, phosphorus and iron. Potassium can help to normalize blood pressure. Iron is needed for blood formation.

Feedb

Following the blooming progress of my orchid plant which, after a premature flowering for the season (November), right now is bloming for the second time just after two months 27 new flowers. Will follow the gradual progression in blossoming with continuous new shootings and some experimentation in natural in-door / outdoor daylight.

Ref.New flow. orchids 031 OK VM DEF. Macro shot in-door in natural daylight, no retouching.

#AtmosphericPhotography

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

The Trona Railroads power perfectly mirrors the UP’s absorption of the SP as armor yellow took over. Roughly 30 years later, history repeats itself somewhat with most of the SP heritage sidelined in the shops, Armor Yellow making up most of Trona's consists today. Only TRC 2006, their last operating tunnel motor (hopefully for the time being), still rolls toward Searles.

8-4-25

Canon R50

The Iris Nebula, NGC 7023 or Caldwel 4, includes an open star cluster and its associated reflection nebula, surrounded by dark absorption nebulosity. These images were taken the mornings of 2022-06-01 and 2022-06-02 from just NW of Flagstaff, Arizona. The nebula is about 3 light years in diameter and 1300 ly distant.

A total exposure of 225 minutes taken as 45 five minute exposure. Photographed with a with a William Optics RedCat 250/51mm telescope, Baader UV/IR cut filter, ZWO ASI 533 MC camera, SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5 mount, and ASI electronic auto focus and guide camera. All were controlled with a ZWO ASIAir Plus Controller.

Proess in PixInsight with *XTerminator and GHS plugins with final exposure and crop in Photoshop.

The Grand Canyon is a very wide and deep canyon in the north of the American state of Arizona. Over millions of years, the waters of the Colorado have created this gap in the landscape. This extreme erosion was made possible by the fact that the area in which the gap is located rose further and higher. The Colorado erodes about 16 cm every 1000 years. The canyon is about 435 kilometers long and has a width that varies between 15 and 29 kilometers. According to measurements, the rock that is now exposed is approximately 2 billion years old. The geological structure is part of the Grand Staircase.

From the age of the canyon itself, very different assignments were made in various published studies. A study published in Nature came to 70 million years. A very recent study comes to 6 million years.

Despite the great width, the other side of the canyon is clearly visible from almost every point. This is due to the extremely low humidity in the desert-like area, so that the light absorption here is extremely low.

The walls of the Grand Canyon are streaked reddish due to the different compositions of the layers in succession. The Grand Canyon's red rock is prized at its most beautiful just after sunrise and just before sunset. It is therefore often recommended to visit the Canyon around these times.

Source: Wikipedia

better resolution: nicolasillustrations.com/project/ldn-1235

LDN 1235 (or Lynds Catalog of Dark Nebulae n° 1235) is a dark/absorption nebula in the constellation Cepheus. It is composed by interstellar dust that is so dense that it obscures the visible wavelengths of light from objects behind it, such as the Horse Head Nebula or the Cone Nebula. It also blocks light from background stars.

Lynds Catalog of Dark Nebula is an updated version of the original version of the Lynds’ Catalog of Dark Nebulae that was published in 1962.

The data was acquired by my friend Démoniak's Alexkid using his ASKAR 400 in August 2021 from Ardèche in France (bortle 4). Two CMOS were used to capture this faint object:

ASI 2600MM with Luminance filter

ASI 2600MC for RGB data

RA: 21h 58m 36.2s

DEC: +72° 47' 23.5"

Size: 3.97 x 2.75 deg

Orientation: Up is 356 degrees E of N

Location: Cepheus

Distance : 650 ly

Acquisition 2021-08

Total acquisition time of 15 hours.

Technical Details

Data acquisition: Démoniak's Alexkid

Processing: Nicolas ROLLAND

Location: Ardèche, France

L: 10 hours

RGB: 5 hours

Optics: ASKAR 400 @F/5.6

Mount: iOptron CEM70

Camera: ZWO ASI 2600MM & ASI 2600MC

Pre Processing: CCDstack, Pixinsight & Excalibrator

Post Processing: Photoshop CC

Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128, is a peculiar lenticular galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, which appears to be an elliptical galaxy with a huge superimposed dust lane. It is one of the closest radio galaxies, and its active galactic nucleus has been extensively studied.

Discovery and Identity

NGC 5128 was discovered by James Dunlop on August 4, 1826. John Herschel was next to see it, from South Africa in 1834; he cataloged it as h 3501, which became GC 3525 in his General Catalogue of 1864, and NGC 5128 in J. L. E. Dreyer's New General Catalog. Herschel was first to note this galaxy's peculiarity, in 1847.

Halton Arp included NGC 5128 in his 1966 Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as one of the best examples of a "disturbed" galaxy with dust absorption.

Amateur Observation

Centaurus A appears approximately 4° north of the naked-eye globular cluster Omega Centauri. At magnitude 7.0, this galaxy is the fifth brightest in the sky, making it ideal for observation, although it is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes. Centaurus A has been spotted with the naked eye by expert observers under very good conditions. The bright central bulge and dark dust lane are visible in finderscopes and large binoculars, and additional structure may be seen in larger telescopes.

NGC 5128 is a "lenticular" galaxy, of intermediate type between elliptical and disk (spiral) galaxies. Its main body has all characteristics of a large elliptical, but a pronounced dust belt is superimposed over the center, forming a disk plane around this galaxy.

The only supernova discovered in Centaurus A so far is SN 1986G, a Type Ia event that reached mag 12.5 in May, 1986.

Properties and Evolution

Centaurus A is located about 11 million light-years away, at the center of one of two subgroups within the Centaurus A/M83 Group. Messier 83 (the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy) is at the center of the other subgroup. These two groups are sometimes identified as one, since the galaxies around Centaurus A and the galaxies around M 83 are physically close to each other, and both subgroups appear to be stationary relative to each other. The Centaurus A/M83 Group is part of the Virgo Supercluster.

NGC 5128's strange morphology is the result of a merger between two smaller galaxies. The bulge of Centaurus A is comprised mainly of evolved red stars. Its dusty disk, however, has been the site of more recent star formation; over 100 star formation regions have been identified in the disk. As observed in other such "starburst" galaxies, a collision is responsible for the intense star formation. Scientists using the Spitzer Space Telescope have confirmed that Centaurus A is an elliptical galaxy going through a collision, devouring a spiral.

In the radio part of the spectrum, Centaurus A exhibits two vast regions of radio emission, running along the polar axis of NGC 5128's disk and extending hundreds of light years in both directions. A relativistic jet from what is believed to be a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy is responsible for emissions in the X-ray and radio wavelengths. Radio observations of the jet indicate that the inner parts of the jet are moving at about 1/2 the speed of light. X-rays are produced farther out, as the jet collides with surrounding gases, creating highly energetic particles.

Source: skysafari

RA: 13h 25m 27;8s

DEC: -43° 01’ 04"

Size: 28.9 x 28.9 arcmin

Orientation: Up is 0.397 degrees E of N

Location: Centaurus

Distance: 10-16 Mly

Magnitude: 6.8

Acquisition April 2021

Total acquisition time of 2.5 hours.

Technical Details

Data acquisition: Telescope.Live

Processing: Nicolas ROLLAND

Location: El Sauce Observatory, Rio Hurtado, Chile

L 6 x 600 sec

R 3 x 600 sec

G 3 x 600 sec

B 3 x 600 sec

Optics: Planewave 24“ CDK @ F6.8

Mount: Paramount ME

CCD: FLI PL 9000

Pre Processing: CCDstack, Pixinsight & Excalibrator

Post Processing: Photoshop CC

Tiny droplets still cling to Montbretia leaves nearly a day after condensing from a coastal fog. The plant’s waxy surface prevents absorption, allowing the water to bead and persist in the calm, humid air. It’s a small-scale version of the process that sustains lomas [1] vegetation on Peru’s desert coast, where plants rely on fog rather than rain for moisture.

This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT.

[1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomas

Panoramic view of the Noctulescent clouds (NLC) seen on Monday, June 22 (morning) over Normandy, France.

These clouds are made of meteorite particles that burn in the atmosphere and are mixed up with water ice. Evolving at 80 km altitude, in the mesosphere, they are subject to high winds (~ 200 km/h or more) and experience complex effects of air turbulence in the form of "gravity waves"...

Monday morning, their incredible brightness made them visible to the naked eye without any problems, from North-North-West to North-North-East. Their intense "electric" blue color is obvious, as well as a red / pink border, explained by the atmospheric absorption.

This panorama is composed of 2 photos taken with a Canon 700D + Sigma Art 18-35 mm F / 1.8.

4 seconds, F / 2.8, ISO 400

Antioplelle (Antiopella cristata) – La Lauve – Cap d’Antibes - France

Delicate and elegant, Antiopella cristata glides among algae and hydroids like a colorful veil. Its translucent body reveals the intricate harmony of its internal organs, while its cerata — long, iridescent filaments — sway gently with the current.

Both ornamental and vital, each ceras contains a digestive diverticulum, an extension of the intestine where digestion and absorption take place. But this fragile structure also hides a clever defense strategy: nematocysts harvested from its stinging prey, mainly hydroids, are stored there, ready to deter potential predators.

Under the light, the cerata glow with a crystalline radiance, highlighting the functional beauty shaped by evolution.

This image was captured off the coast of Cap d’Antibes, at the dive site La Lauve. Using a Nikon D800E in an Aquatica housing, paired with a 105 mm macro lens, an SMC-1 (2.3x) wet lens, and a snoot mounted on a Backscatter Mini Flash 2, I isolated texture, form, and light at F/22 to reveal the graphic details of this elegant biological ingenuity.

Nikon D800E in its Aquatica housing, f/22 for depth of field and sharpness, 1/125 s, ISO 100, 105 mm macro, Backscatter Mini Flash 2 with snoot, Nauticam SMC-1 lens (2.3x).