NGC2170, known as the Angel Nebula is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Monoceros. The nebula formed about 6 million years ago and lies at a distance of 2700 light-years. It was discovered on October 16, 1784 by William Herschel.

In this image are bluish reflection nebula, a red emission nebula and many dark absorption nebula.

Color image taken at the remote observatory from the E-Eye site in Spain. The image is composed of 14 hours of exposure time with the ZWO ASI-2600MC color camera using a Takahashi Epsilon 180-ED Astrograph, riding a unguided 10Micron GM2000.

For this image, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope turned its powerful eye toward an emission-line galaxy called NGC 3749.

When astronomers explore the contents and constituent parts of a galaxy somewhere in the universe, they use various techniques and tools. One of these is to spread out the incoming light from that galaxy into a spectrum and explore its properties. This is done in much the same way as a glass prism spreads white light into its constituent wavelengths to create a rainbow. By hunting for specific signs of emission from various elements within a galaxy’s spectrum of light —so-called emission lines — or, conversely, the signs of absorption from other elements — so-called absorption lines — astronomers can start to deduce what might be happening within.

If a galaxy’s spectrum shows many absorption lines and few emission lines, this suggests that its star-forming material has been depleted and that its stars are mainly old, while the opposite suggests it might be bursting with star formation and energetic stellar newborns. This technique, known as spectroscopy, can tell us about a galaxy’s type and composition, the density and temperature of any emitting gas, the star formation rate, or how massive the galaxy’s central black hole might be.

While not all galaxies display strong emission lines, NGC 3749 does. It lies over 135 million light-years away and is moderately luminous. The galaxy has been used as a “control” in studies of especially active and luminous galaxies — those with centers known as active galactic nuclei, which emit copious amounts of intense radiation. In comparison to these active cousins, NGC 3749 is classified as inactive, and has no known signs of nuclear activity.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, D. Rosario et al.

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Too much water, caused by excessive watering or heavy rain, can lead to a plant wilting. Overly saturated soil can make it harder for plant roots to absorb water, because they do not have the oxygen they need for absorption. ... Root rot and other fungal diseases fostered by a wet environment can also cause wilting.

Taken in Les Halles, a large "shopping center" in the center of Paris. The wall is actually a work by Nathalie Junod-Ponsard called "Trajectoires absorbées" which means "absorbed trajectories" (not sure if the title relates to the absorption of light, or the fact that people in that gallery walk "absorbed in their thoughts" -the frenh expression "absorbées dans leurs pensées" ?)

*"Following" is an awesome movie dy director Christopher Nolan, the same as memento. Highly recommended !

Part of "A stroll in Paris"

“Colibrí”

This past July I was fortunate enough to spend 11 days trekking the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru. For years visiting the Huayhuash had occupied a spot near the top of of things to experience at least once in my lifetime. The journey produced far too many stories to share in a short post like this so I’m (slowly) putting together a blog post. I have released ten new images from the Huayhuash trek on my website (www.michaelbollino.com/new-releases/) for those who care to see a sneak peak.

This particular image is from the second to last day of the trek and marks a particularly memorable moment. The day’s route climbed to a 16,000 foot pass and then remained high as it meandered along a long ridge. The ridge was continually swept by high winds which pushed and pulled the swirling clouds seen here over Jirishanca. By this point Jirishanca had easily become my favorite mountain in the Huayhuash but I had yet to capture it properly. Three condors soon appeared overhead, taking turns soaring between myself and the summit of Jirishanca then back again. I found cover from the wind behind a large boulder and began shooting. I sat there for a long while taking everything in. The scene felt massive. As a person with a deep connection to the natural world, and as a photographer who enjoys recording and interpreting this connection, moments like these leave impressions which remain long after the event itself ends. This sort of pure experience has always been my primary answer to the question of “why” I go into nature and, subsequently, why I photograph the natural world. During these moments thoughts and words drop away, become meaningless (perhaps burdensome), and act only to cloud the mind and detract from the experience. Look, listen, absorb, react, shoot. These moments may last for a few minutes or much longer, as it did on this day. Then, in an instant, the spell is broken, the absorption ends, and the only thing left to do is to move on your way, grateful for the experience. To me this is what exploring nature is all about.

About the title: Jiri is the word for hummingbird in the Quechuan language. Colibri is the word hummingbird in spanish.

I could enjoy processing of old data taken just before COVID-19 era.

Hydrogen-alpha 656.3nm red and Oxygen-III 500.7nm greenish blue were dominant here. Bluish reflection of gas was faint but wide, which is usually invisible in imaging with narrow-bad pass filters.

Those colors were not homogeneous due to overlapping dust and gas. Strong hydrogen-alpha red area tends to change into striking color near genuine Red, when it is overlapped by relatively dense brownish dust and gas due to stronger absorption of shorter wavelength light by the dust and gas. I love all of those colors.

Here is a frame taken at the same site in Hawaii January 2012:

www.flickr.com/photos/hiroc/7648303232

equipment: Takahashi FSQ-130ED, F3 Reducer 0.6x, and Canon EOS R-sp4II, modified by Seo-san on Takahashi EM-200 Temma 2 Jr, autoguided at a star nearby with Fujinon 1:2.8/75mm C-Mount Lens, Pentax x2 Extender, Starlight Xpress Superstar Autoguider, GPUSB, and PHD2 Guiding

exposure: 3 times x 30 minutes, 4 x 15 min, 4 x 4 min, and 4 x 1 minute at ISO 1,600 and f/3.0

site: 11,000 feet or 3,280m above sea level at lat. 19 32 31 North and long. 155 34 00 West near Mauna Loa Observatory in The Big Island Hawaii

The Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Salterforth

Taken from Bridge #150, 'Hatter's Bridge'. So named because Foulridge was famous for hat-making from the 17th Century.

The term "mad as a hatter" comes from the use of mercury in the production of felt hats in the 18th and 19th centuries, where absorption of mercury through the skin can cause neurological disorders.

Salterforth, Lancashire, UK

©SWJuk (2021)

All rights reserved

10 November 2020: Update on The Corona Pandemic – The corona restrictions are beginning to pay off, with the number of hospitalisations dropping and the number of new infections going down strongly. Last week, 597 patients had to be taken to hospital each day on average, coming from 656 the week before. Yesterday's figure came in at 400, while 294 patients were allowed to return home again. The best news we’ve heard in a long time came from Pfizer announcing yesterday that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly effective in preventing Covid-19. A first analysis of the data found that the vaccine that they developed together with the German pharma company BioNTech was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease among trial volunteers. If the results hold up, that level of protection would put it on par with highly effective childhood vaccines for diseases such as measles. Other interesting reading was the outcome of a study of 186 coronavirus patients at a Belgian hospital revealing that a lack of sufficient vitamin D on admission can be linked to increased risk of severity and death from a Covid-19 infection. I knew that Vitamin D stimulates the absorption of calcium and magnesium but did not know that it strengthens and regulates the immune system. Fully loaded with vitamins and supplements I continue my search for eye-catching scenes in my hometown. On display today is the old post office on the Korenmarkt – Korenmarkt, Ghent, Belgium.

The rising of the Full "Hunter's Moon" of October 9, 2022, with the Moon reflected in the calm waters this night at Crawling Lake Reservoir in southern Alberta. The Moon appeared very pink as it rose into the clear sky near the horizon.

This is a single image with the RF70-200mm lens at 200mm and Canon R5. There is also a composite time-lapse version of this, as this was one frame from a set of 110 frames taken this night as the Moon rose.

© all rights reserved

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

The general term ice age or, more precisely, glacial age denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. There have been at least four major ice ages in the Earth's past. Outside these periods, the Earth seems to have been ice-free even in high latitudes. There is evidence that greenhouse gas levels fell at the start of ice ages and rose during the retreat of the ice sheets, but it is difficult to establish cause and effect. Greenhouse gas levels may also have been affected by other factors which have been proposed as causes of ice ages, such as the movement of continents and vulcanism. Although the last glacial period ended more than 8,000 years ago, its effects can still be felt today. For example, the moving ice carved out landscape in Canada, Greenland, northern Eurasia and Antarctica. The erratic boulders, till, drumlins, eskers, fjords, kettle lakes, moraines, cirques, horns, etc., are typical features left behind by the glaciers. The Dutch IJsselmeer lake is covered with icerocks hummocks, caused by the cold weather of the passed days. At some places even higher than 6 meter!

Photo taken of hummocks at the IJsselmeer (Markermeer) near Uitdam. A hummock is a boss or rounded knoll of ice rising above the general level of an ice-field, Hummocky ice is caused by slow and unequal pressure in the main body of the packed ice, and by unequal structure and temperature at a later period. Blue ice occurs when snow falls on the ice. The blue color is actually created for the same reason that water is blue, that is, its slight absorption of red light due to an overtone of the infrared OH stretching mode of the water molecule.

Een ijstijd of glaciatie is een geologisch tijdvak waarin ijskappen voorkomen. In het Engels wordt dit een periode van ice-house genoemd, als tegenhanger van een ijskaploze periode, de greenhouse ("broeikas"). Aangezien er gletsjers liggen op bijvoorbeeld Groenland of Antarctica, leven we tegenwoordig in een ijstijd. Men neemt aan dat dit in de gehele geologische geschiedenis van de Aarde minstens vijfmaal het geval is geweest, waarvan eenmaal zelfs zo sterk dat de ijskappen van de polen vrijwel tot aan de evenaar waren opgerukt. Ook zijn er periodes dat er aanzienlijke opwarming optrad waarbij die ijskappen grotendeels waren weggesmolten. Het klimaat op Aarde wordt beïnvloed door vele factoren, zoals de intensiteit van de zonnestraling, de ligging van de continenten, de continentverplaatsingen, vulkanisme, de zeestromen, de bedekking van het land door vegetatie, het weerkaatsingsvermogen van het aardoppervlak en vele kleine andere factoren. Met behulp van klimaatmodellen wordt door wetenschappers een reconstructie van het klimaat en de klimaatveranderingen in het verleden gemaakt. Alhoewel er een zekere consensus bestaat onder wetenschappers, zijn er nog vele onzekerheden en tegenstrijdigheden in dit onderzoek.Hierboven een foto van kruiend ijs. Zoetwatermeren kunnen spectaculair bevriezen. Grotere meren zoals het IJsselmeer (IJmeer) hierboven hebben bijna altijd wel golven, en dit werkt directe bevriezing van het wateroppervlak tegen. Eerst vormen zich kleine ijsschotsen, die naar de kust drijven onder invloed van de wind. Deze schotsen vormen zo een ijsveld op het water dat de golven dempt, en uiteindelijk vriezen alle schotsen aan elkaar vast tot een massa. Voordat dit gebeurt schuren de schotsen voortdurend langs elkaar heen en schrapen zo stukjes ijs van elkaar af; elke schots krijgt zo een witte rand. Zulk ijs is dus totaal niet geschikt om op te schaatsen. Wanneer grotere delen van het meer bevriezen beginnen de platen, die soms een paar vierkante kilometer groot zijn, langzaam tegen elkaar te bewegen onder invloed van de wind en stroming. Dit heeft kruiend ijs tot gevolg: de ijsschotsen worden met kracht gebroken en op elkaar gestapeld langs de dijken langs het meer. Dit hoeft niet alleen bij dun ijs te gebeuren; soms kruit het ijs bij een dikte van meer dan 20 cm. De stapels ijs worden dan hoog, en het geluid is oorverdovend. Deze foto is genomen bij Uitdam aan de rand van het Markermeer.

this is just some bad herbs in the light of the sunset...

In observations taken on 7 September 2021, researchers found that Neptune’s dark spot, which recently was found to have reversed course from moving toward the equator, is still visible in this image, along with a darkened northern hemisphere. There is also a notable dark, elongated circle encompassing Neptune’s south pole. The blue colour of both Neptune and Uranus is a result of the absorption of red light by the planets’ methane-rich atmospheres.

Credits: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team; CC BY 4.0

Publication History

Wildfire is a superhero appearing in DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. Created by Cary Bates and Dave Cockrum, the character debuted in Superboy #195 (June 1973).

Cockrum originally wanted to name the character Starfire, but was rejected because there were already plans to introduce a character named Starfire in the Teen Titans.

Wildfire was immediately popular with readers. At that time, the editors of Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes held periodic elections in which readers could choose the Legion's leader. Soon after his introduction, Wildfire was elected to that post.

In-story, Wildfire lost the election to Superboy, but as no candidate had received a majority of the votes, the membership decided that the Legion needed a member who was available full-time rather than Superboy, who is a part-time member of the Legion.

Fictional character biography

Wildfire was originally named Drake Burroughs, who lived in the 30th century universe of our Earth. Drake was an astro-engineer who became Wildfire as the result of an accident. While working with others on a new propulsion system, Drake was engulfed in anti-energy after a valve broke in the project. His matter body was destroyed, but replaced by an anti-energy form. His colleagues designed a containment suit to keep his new anti-energy body under control. Drake took to the name ERG-1 (Energy Release Generator 1). Because of his suit, ERG-1 could maintain a humanoid appearance. Without it however, he was a cloud of abstractly shaped anti-energy.

Silver Age

With his form under control thanks to the suit, ERG 1 applied to join the Legion of Super Heroes. Unfortunately, all of his known powers were already present in the Legion and he was rejected admission. However, ERG 1 secretly followed the Legion on a mission by hiding in their transport.

The destination was Manna-5, and on that planet, ERG 1 saved the League by using an massive anti-energy blast. The blast however, disrupted his form and he became a floating intangible field of anti-energy. His anti-energy could not regroup, and the Legion left for Earth. They were unaware that ERG1 would regroup later. Without transportation it took ERG1 a year to reach Earth where, by chance, the Legion was in trouble again.

He managed to gain form again by returning to a containment suit and the Legion's headquarters. He came just in time to save the Legion from an evil robot masquerading as a hero aspiring to join the Legion, called Molecular Master, who was really there to steal technology and destroy the Legion. Molecular Master is defeated and ERG1 is accepted as a member of the Legion of Super Heroes under the name Wildfire.

At first, Wildfire was very distant from the other legionnaires. His condition was such that he needed no sleep or rest, and so dedicated all of his time to either working the Legion monitor board, going on missions, or studying the entirety of the Legion archives.

The other Legionnaires were impressed with his dedication, but deeply worried about his disconnection from his own humanity; Wildfire felt that he no longer had anything to live for as an individual, and the only thing that gave him meaning was to work with the Legion.

Over time, his attitude began to change, in particular when he began to see that he had earned the respect and adoration of the people of the United Planets. On one occasion in particular, Wildfire was touched by the admiration shown to him by children in one of Earth's slums. Additionally, he began to develop attachments to the other Legionnaires, particularly a friendship with Star Boy and Timber Wolf, and the respect of then-Legion-leader Mon-El and an initial rivalry with Shadow Lass that evolved into a friendship. He took up the guitar, realizing that music was still something human he was capable of enjoying.

Five Years Later

Wildfire's Legion career came to an abrupt end during the event known as Black Dawn. In which Doctor Regulus made the sun unstable and he merged his energy with the sun's to fix the problem. He was presumed dead thereafter, but he reappeared shortly after Mordru's attempt at universal conquest. His anti-energy was still mixed with solar energy, and the only vessel he could find to contain his energies was the corpse of Sun Boy. He took it, and then covered it with one of his containment suits, and rejoined the Legion, keeping the shameful circumstances of his return secret, even while the Legion had to go on the run.

But "NRG", as he called himself during this period, was forced to reveal his secret when, during Zero Hour, the Time Trapper revealed that the only ones remaining at the end of the universe were those who had both adult and SW6 counterparts, and Inferno wanted to know where his was. Drake explained what happened, and then disappeared in one final handshake with the younger Dirk...a sign of forgiveness for his desecration of the body.

Reboot / Earth-247

In a fight with Mordru, Atom'X (Randall Burroughs) and Blast-Off (Jahr-Drake Ningle), members of the Amazers and Workforce respectively, were seemingly killed by the villain. However, some time later, several Legionnaires noticed energy patterns in the area, and Umbra was able to contain the energy long enough for them to realize that it was sentient. However, when they retrieved it to a laboratory they found it contained the inseparable minds of both Atom'X and Blast-Off.

Although Umbra in particular was disgusted by the forced integration, they successfully contained the energy long enough to create a containment suit for it, and the new being took the name Drake Burroughs after his forebears and the codename ERG-1. Shortly afterward, ERG-1 was one of the Legionnaires lost in a spacial rift - although he suffered a traumatic experience as his containment suit was ripped open by the rift.

Threeboot / Earth-Prime

This version of E.R.G.-1 was believed to have been destroyed when his containment suit ruptured during his try-out mission. However, his energy was collected and reconstituted by his brother Randall. This E.R.G.-1 was manipulated by his brother to become an assassin, but that was eventually stopped by Brainiac 5 and Atom Girl. He was later seen fighting the creatures from the Intruder Planet. Brainy later admitted that part of the aim of this mission was, in fact, to save E.R.G.-1 from his brother.

Retroboot / New Earth

This Wildfire storyline picks up before Five Years Later, unwillingly masquerading as a statue in the Fortress of Solitude. He reveals that his containment suit is actually the Red Tornado's robotic shell and indicates that he has at least some of the Red Tornado's memories.

Back in his time Wildfire is one Legionnaire who was not captured by Earth-Man and Justice of Earth while fighting against them. During this time Wildfire tries to reconnect with Dawnstar, but she acts very cold and distance from him. When Superboy Prime and his Legion of Super-Villains attack the Legion, Wildfire is one Legionnaire to slow down Superboy Prime from stopping Superboy rebirth. After a fight with Superboy Prime, a badly beaten Wildfire lay on the ground with a crack his containment suit. Dawnstar came quickly to side holding his body.

NuDC / Earth 0

Post Flashpoint, Wildfire is one of the Legionnaires trapped in the 21st century. After traveling back in time with a number of his teammates from the Legion of Superheroes, the remainder of the team (referred to as Legion Lost) is on the trail of Alastor, who threatens to release a virus which can destroy all of mankind. After nearly stopping him in Minnesota the team travels to New York City in their continued attempt to track him.

During this effort to track and stop him, the Legion Lost team had encounters with Martian Manhunter, the Ravagers, the Teen Titans, and the villain Harvest, who knew a lot about the Legionnaires. In the final fight against Alastor, Wildfire apparently died when he deposited Alastor in the sun. His containment suit, however, was used later to rescue his energies and return Wildfire to his team

Major Story Arcs

The Relationship With Dawnstar

Barely more than a year after he had first joined the Legion, Wildfire surprised everyone by running for Legion leader. Even more surprising was the fact that he won the election after a series of run-offs. It was around this same time that a new Legion Academy student, Dawnstar, came to Wildfire's attention.

The beautiful and exotic heroine utterly fascinated Wildfire, and despite knowing that he could never have a physical relationship with a woman, he quickly developed a serious infatuation for her. As a result, he practically pushed Dawnstar into Legion membership by fiat, and has since tended to favor her on missions regularly; a cause of some resentment to the other Legionnaires, who feel that Wildfire's motives are suspect and Dawnstar lacks the experience for some of the jobs she's been given.

As leader, Wildfire began his term with considerable controversy, when after the tragic death of Chemical King at the hand of a Dark Circle plot, he led a mission of retaliation to the Dark Circle homeworlds (against the objections of the Legion's founders and some of its other elder statesmen).

This led to a diplomatic incident that almost caused a war between the United Planets and the Dark Circle, and that almost caused the Legion to face U.P. sanctions (avoiding this only due to the diplomatic and military connections held by Legionnaires like Tyroc, Princess Projectra, and Colossal Boy).

Wildfire has continued to hold the attitude that he doesn't need the advice (or meddling, as he sees it) of the older Legionnaires and ex-leaders, and has consistently gone his own way, with mixed results. He has a good talent for leadership on some levels, but his impetuous and cocky nature will often lead him to make bad decisions.

Meanwhile, his relationship with Dawnstar has evolved into a sort of strained friendship; Dawnstar likes Wildfire, and likes the benefit of having the Legion Leader wrapped around her little finger, but at the same time she resents his pushiness, and dislikes the fact that Wildfire's actions lead her to be suspect in the rest of the Legion's eyes.

She especially hates that Wildfire is overprotective of her, and has often berated him for trying to rescue her when she needs no rescuing or getting distracted by some danger she's facing rather than dealing with the task at hand as a leader should. Obviously, she sees no possible future for them due to Wildfire's physical state; and Wildfire himself has no idea what he's doing or how he's going to ever have anything meaningful with "Dawny".

He developed his relationship with Dawnstar, and in time, she returned his love, despite the fact that it could never be consummated. He was, for a while, able to control his energy-form without the containment suit, thanks to the help of Quislet, but his touch burned Dawnstar and the two of them agreed that their love would never be complete. In addition, Quislet was soon forced to leave the Legion, and Wildfire was unable to keep his physical form without Quislet's help.

Reboot / Earth 247

When Element Lad had returned the other Legionnaires to normal space, albeit becoming separated from them in time in the process, ERG-1's energy leeched into space too, congealing as a "star" noticed by Shikari's nomadic people, the Kwai, which led it to discover and accidentally revive the other Legionnaires, who had been held in suspended animation.

Soon afterward, while the Legionnaires met the Kwai, Kid Quantum noticed that the "feral star" the Kwai had been following was in fact ERG-1. Brainiac 5, with the Kwai's help and materials, managed to create a new containment suit for him, restoring a semblance of form to him. In addition, the time spent alone in space had merged his two minds into one. Shortly afterward, he took the name Wildfire after a mistranslation by Shikari. After they returned to their home galaxy, however, he was captured by Qward and used to power their whole planet for a considerable time. Though his power was great, it was finite, and after his rescue he was left so weakened by the experience that the threat of running out of energy became a real and ongoing threat to him.

Powers and Abilities

Anti-Energy

Space travel, energy/anti-energy blasts, super strength and super human speed, the ability to change his size and density, and manipulate chemical reactions. His most unique power was kept hidden until it was paramount for him to use it, and that was the ability to create a massive anti-energy blast.

Wildfire is possibly immortal, as his anti-energy constantly comes in contact with matter and creates micro atomic explosions, thus allowing essentially an endless supply of power.

Over time, Wildfire lost several of his initial powers due to the trauma caused by his explosive exit from his containment suit that granted him Legion membership. Regardless of a containment suit, he always retained his flight, strength, and energy blasting/absorption abilities and was typically considered to be one of the Legion's four most powerful members along with Superboy, Mon-El, and Ultra Boy.

Weaknesses

Wildfire cannot contain his form without a special suit, and he cannot touch most beings without burning them. This places a burden on his love life and social abilities, and makes him quite short tempered.

Equipment

As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Wildfire possesses a Legion Flight Ring. The ring gives its wearer the ability to fly. It also acts as a long-range communicator (enabling constant vocal contact with other Legionnaires, even across vast distances of space), a signal device, and a navigational compass, all powered by a micro-computer built inside the ring.

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

Secret Identity: Drake Burroughs

Publisher: DC

First appearance: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #195 (June 1973)

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/52297996965

Created by: Cary Bates (writer)

Dave Cockrum (artist)

Indian Jamun (Syzygium cumini ) fruits captured at Sriram White House, RT Nagar , Bengaluru.

Seed Medicinal Properties:

Blood Sugar Regulation:

Jamun seeds are widely used for their antidiabetic properties. The compounds jamboline and jambosine help prevent sudden glucose spikes and improve insulin sensitivity.

Digestive Health:

High in tannins and dietary fiber, the seeds are used in Ayurveda to treat indigestion, dysentery, and diarrhea by improving nutrient absorption and soothing the gut.

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory:

The seeds are rich in flavonoids and phenolics, which help fight cellular damage, lower bad cholesterol (LDL), and reduce inflammation.

Oral Hygiene: The seed's antibacterial properties make it a popular ingredient in natural tooth powders to combat gum infections and plaque.

The rising Full Moon of February 27, 2021, the "Snow Moon" of the year. The Moon was technically fullest earlier in the day, some 16 hours before I shot this, and so was slightly past full when it rose for me this evening in southern Alberta.

This is a composite stack of 9 short exposures for the Moon, blended with a single longer exposure for the ground and sky taken at the start of the moonrise sequence. But using the same exposure for the moons as I used for the sky would have resulted in vastly overexposed moons. As it was, I adjusted the exposures for the Moon from 0.6 seconds for the first (lowest) Moon to 1/30 second for the last (highest) Moon, to keep the moons properly exposed through the sequence, as it brightened as it rose. But it remained very yellow throughout due to atmospheric absorption of the blue wavelengths.

The background exposure for the ground and sky was 2.5 seconds. The sky was much darker than the Moon, because it rose nearly 45 minutes after sunset this night, so the sky had darkened quite a bit by moonrise.

All shots were through a SharpStar 76mm EDPH apo refractor with the matching SharpStar 0.8x field flattener/reducer, for an effective focal length of 335mm at f/4.4. The camera was the Canon EOS Ra at ISO 100.

I shot images every 5 seconds, for possible use in a time-lapse. But having images spaced that closely together in time made it possible to select images with the Moon's disk just nicely separated to be touching. While the Moon moves its own diameter every 2 minutes due to Earth's rotation, the effect of atmospheric refraction will make it appear to rise at a different rate when it is closer to the horizon than when it is higher. Having lots of frames to pick from made it possible to pick just the right ones for the correct spacing. As it was, the time between the frames used for this composite was about 2 minutes.

The incredible vibrance of many Birds-of-paradise is in part due to the deep black feathers which make their more colorful plumage simply ‘pop’. A recent study looking closely at these black feathers found that they had a unique nanostructure that is super-efficient in light absorption. This results in one of the darkest blacks found in nature, rivaling those of highly specialized synthetic materials. Here, a Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-paradise (Lophorina niedda) waits at his display (a fallen log) for the arrival of a female. West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).

See more of my in-camera multiple exposures here.

The Badlands are an exposed section of the Queenston Formation, which was formed between 420 and 415 million years ago during the Middle and Late Ordovician periods.[8] During this period, the collision of Gondwana into Laurentia resulted in the formation of the Taconic Mountains.[9][10] The creation of these mountains also resulted in several basins, such as the Appalachian Basin and the Michigan Basin, in the interior of Laurentia.[8] Over time, the erosion of these mountains resulted in the formation of the Queenston Delta,[11] which drained into the Michigan Basin.[8] The deposition of mud eroded from the mountains during the Middle and Late Ordovician period formed the Queenston Shale.[9] The continuous deposition of the mud and sand from the mountains extended the Queenston Delta further into the Michigan Basin; however, as the mountains continued to erode, less and less mud and sand reached the delta, resulting in the formation of inter-layered beds of sandstone, shale and limestone throughout the Silurian period.[8] These inter-layered beds that overlay the Queenston Shale include Lower Silurian sandstones, such as the Whirlpool Formation, and dolostones, such as the Manitoulin Formation, which can be seen along the Niagara Escarpment.[12] The Queenston Shale overlies the shales and the inter-bedded limestones of the Georgian Bay Formation.[12] At the badlands site, glacial erosion of the overlaying sandstones and dolostones has caused the Queenston Formation to be the first layer of rock to underlie the soil.[8]

Queenston Formation[edit]

The Queenston Formation is characterized by its brick-red to maroon shales which are interlaced with smaller amounts of green shale, sandstone, and limestone.[9][12] The darker red shale is the result of introduction of the terrestrial muddy deposits into the Queenston Delta.[9][1] The shale beds are thin and fractured, with a structural dip westward towards the centre of the Michigan Basin.[9] Shales in the Queenston Formation are considered to have high density, low cation exchange capacities, and low water content.[13][1] The lighter red shale, which sits on top of the darker shale, is highly bioturbated and is composed of a combination of bioclasts and the reworked pieces of the darker shale below.[1] The distinct red, due to iron-oxide, colouring of these rocks is broken up with green-grey bands. The green-grey bands are thought to be caused by a change in the oxidation rate due to circulating groundwater[1] or bleaching by acidic groundwater.[11]

The lithology of the lighter and darker red shales at the Cheltenham Badlands site is categorized as smectite-poor, due to the clay content, ranging from 58% to 68% clay, and the dominant clay minerals, illite and chlorite.[1][11] The non-swelling illite in the shales can cause high pressures with repeated wetting and drying, resulting in failure of the shale structures.[1] The difference in the water absorption between illite and chlorite clay minerals can cause differences in swelling which results in larger shards of the shales breaking into smaller shards.[1] Once the shards are reduced to tiny and flaky shards, they become compacted and smooth; however, surface cracks during drying periods can lead to further erosion.[1]

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive substances known as radiotracers to visualize and measure changes in metabolic processes, and in other physiological activities including blood flow, regional chemical composition, and absorption.

PET scanners can incorporate a CT scanner and are known as PET-CT scanners. PET scan images can be reconstructed using a CT scan performed using one scanner during the same session.

De Trudo Toren Eindhoven

Dit appartementengebouw is zo bijzonder omdat er bomen en planten op de balkons staan.

Een stukje tekst van Google:

Verticaal bos

– Doordat elk appartement een balkon met groene plantenbakken heeft, biedt de Trudo Toren in totaal plaats aan maar liefst 125 volwassen bomen (sommige tot 6,5 meter hoog).

– Meer dan 5.200 struiken en planten, klimplanten en hangers groeien en bloeien in en rond de toren. Hierdoor ontstaat een groene oase van wel 70 meter hoog.

– Al deze bomen, struiken en planten zijn goed voor 50.000 kilo CO2-opname en 13.750 kilo zuurstof op jaarbasis.

– In 2018 zijn de bomen van de Trudotoren aangekocht. Hierdoor konden de wortels in een kleinere ruimte wennen aan de toekomstige omgeving. Alle bomen en planten zijn zorgvuldig geselecteerd dankzij een samenwerking tussen Laura Gatti (Italiaanse botanicus), Dupré Groenprojecten en boomkwekerij Van de Berk in Sint-Oedenrode.

– In mei 2021 werd het eerste vogelnest gesignaleerd in de bomen van de Trudotoren. In Bosco Verticale in Milaan nestelen zo'n twintig vogelsoorten in de bomen.

English:

This apartment building is so special because there are trees and plants on the balconies.

A piece of text from Google:

Vertical forest

– Because each loft has a balcony with green planters, the Trudo Tower offers a total of space for no less than 125 mature trees (some up to 6.5 meters high).

– More than 5,200 shrubs and plants, climbers and pendants grow and bloom in and around the tower. This creates a green oasis of up to 70 meters high.

– All these trees, shrubs and plants are good for 50,000 kilos of CO2 absorption and 13,750 kilos of oxygen on an annual basis.

– The trees of the Trudo Tower were purchased in 2018. This allowed the roots to get used to the future environment in a smaller space. All trees and plants have been carefully selected thanks to a collaboration between Laura Gatti (Italian botanist), Dupré Groenprojecten and tree nursery Van de Berk in Sint-Oedenrode.

– In May 2021, the first bird's nest was spotted in the trees of the Trudo Tower. In Bosco Verticale in Milan, about twenty bird species nest in the trees.

ok, enough self-absorption! back to the wild wild sea... on the northern CA coast, near Mattole Beach...

Die scheinbare Blüte ist ein Blütenstand, nur eine Scheinblüte (Pseudanthium). Die Schaufunktion entsteht durch die dicht weißfilzigen Hochblätter. Die eigentlichen Blüten sitzen zu vielen Hunderten, in einzelne Blütenkörbe organisiert, inmitten des Sterns beisammen und bilden zusammen mit den Hochblättern eine bestäubungsbiologische Einheit (Superpseudanthium).

Der blendend weiße Schimmer auf den Hochblättern entsteht dadurch, dass tausende kleine Luftbläschen an dem vielfach durcheinander gewirkten, krausen Haar das einfallende Licht reflektieren. Dies dient als Signal für nektarsuchende Insekten, als Verdunstungsschutz und als Schutz vor Wärmeverlust. Die Arbeitsgruppe um den belgischen Physiker Jean-Pol Vigneron der Universität Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur hat herausgefunden, dass die Haare selbst aus parallelen Fasern mit 0,18 Mikrometern Durchmesser bestehen, was in der Größenordnung der Wellenlänge der UV-Strahlung liegt und zu deren Absorption führt. Das übrige Licht wird jedoch hindurchgelassen, sodass die Pflanze Photosynthese betreiben kann.

Bestäuber sind vor allem Fliegen sowie Hautflügler, Falter und Käfer. Die Scheinblüte bleibt bis in den Winter hinein erhalten.

Das Alpen-Edelweiß gilt in Österreich und Deutschland als stark gefährdet. Ursachen sind heute v. a. das Betreten und Befahren der verbliebenen Standorte, früher vor allem das teils gewerbsmäßige Pflücken. Auch in Österreich und der Schweiz steht das Alpen-Edelweiß in sämtlichen Bundesländern bzw. Kantonen unter strengem Naturschutz und darf nicht gepflückt werden. In Österreich wurde das Edelweiß bereits 1886 unter Naturschutz gestellt. Durch das Aufkommen des Tourismus in den Alpen war es rasch zu einem begehrten und haltbaren Souvenir geworden. Als ein Beispiel für gelungenen Schutz eines Vorkommens kann der Bestand an der Höfats in den Allgäuer Alpen aufgeführt werden. Dort wurden die vor allem in der Inflationszeit durch übermäßiges Pflücken stark zurückgehenden Restvorkommen des dort vorkommenden, bereits damals geschützten Alpen-Edelweiß durch die Allgäuer Bergwacht von 1935 bis 2007 zur Blütezeit bewacht. Hierzu hatte sie eigens ein Zelt und später eine Biwakschachtel errichtet. Heute haben sich dort die Bestände erholt und das Naturschutzbewusstsein der Berggänger ist größer geworden, sodass die Bewachung nicht mehr erforderlich ist. (Wikipedia)

Another perspective to see how to raise the musculature for a better absorption of the falls in the ring :D

pls keep the comments clean.

no banners & awards pls!

© All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal.If you do so you will be sued!!!

晨露Early morning Dew

The absorption picture book is the joyful question must define

other people to like not having to invite

High wheel bicycle and modern times; Krakow Old Town District, Poland;

The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle.

It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds, owing to it travelling a large distance for every rotation of the legs, and comfort, because the large wheel provided greater shock absorption.

Tech:

Leica M 240

Leitz Summicron 50mm f2 ver3

- This is a Light Painting by Candlelight -

I handheld a candle in total darkness to paint these amazing huge callas with the light of its flame.

I conceived this technique as a new discipline in the LP, inspired at the Masters of Antiquity because I don't like to use electric nor electronic lighting. In this shot, I started panting from the bottom line, high-lighting the stems up to the flowers during a long exposure. Here, most of the efforts have been profused in doing my best to equally distribute the candle light, avoiding my own hands, arms and camera shadows, yet obtaining the wished Chiaroscuro with maximal attention to not 'burn' with excessive close light every flower, obtaining a fairly good light absorption.

The stems lead upwards until the corollas (or chalices) to celebrate their beauty & bountifulness.

Every calla looks to me like a ballerina wrapped in veils but each one has a different shape, hence the title.

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

This is a monochrome rendering of my photo originally taken in colours.

I believe the B&W helps appreciating the leading lines of the lighted stems as well as the silhouettes of the Callas.

Camera in manual mode - Shot in darkness by painting each one of the flowers with the light of an handheld candle.

File name: DSCF5767 OK rif. Premier B&W render-Best VM DEFF

⚠️WARNING: As a pioneer of this technique, I need to add a warning: don't do it at home if you're not an expert

(so far, I know nope either than myself who does). High risk of fire !!🔥 Seriously !! Prefer to use well sheltered lanterns

with protected flames and leave them still on a stable surface without ever touching them !!

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

#mieuxvautlavraiechose #BetterTheRealThing #LieberdasEchte #Megliociòcheèvero #Meglioquellovero

série en miroir

The Mer de Glace, like all glaciers, is constantly renewed under the effect of two phenomena: accumulation, notably due to snowfall and ablation, essentially due to melting. The Mer de Glace flows permanently under the effect of its own weight.

The glacier's speed, although not perceptible to the naked eye, is considerable. From more than 120 meters a year in its upper part which is about more than one centimeter per hour. Did you know Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth?

The blue color is actually created for the same reason that water is blue, that is, its slight absorption of red light due to an overtone of the infrared OH stretching mode of the water molecule.

Een gletsjer is een ijsmassa die gevormd wordt op land en dik en groot genoeg is om bergafwaarts te stromen. Mer de Glace zakt maar liefst 120 m per jaar dat is meer dan 1cm per uur. Sneeuw wordt eerst omgezet tot firn, een korrelige ijsmassa die gevormd wordt doordat sneeuwkristallen onder de toenemende druk van de bovenliggende lagen van vorm veranderen en zich herordenen. Onder invloed van sijpelend smeltwater kan dit proces sneller plaatsvinden.

Later, en dus dieper in de gletsjer, vormt firn door de toenemende druk wit gletsjerijs. Tenslotte wordt het verdicht tot blauw gletsjerijs.

My attitude to the village I have been living in for more than a decade is ambivalent. Sometimes, I need to get away from its self-absorption and self-satisfaction.

Alias: Kinesis

Name: Carlos Reyes

Gender: Male

Allegiance: Villain

Powers: Kinetic Energy Absorption and Control, along with Super Speed

Backstory: Carlos is a friend of the original Kinesis, Colton Brighton. He would find out about his powers a few years after Colton did. Carlos would move from Cardinal City, to Sunrise City, hoping to enrol into Somerset Academy. His application into the heroics program was accepted, and he would begin training to eventually become a hero. He adapted the name Kinesis from Colton, as he wasn't currently using it. After years of training, he was told that he wouldn't be a good hero, because of his aggressive tendencies. This would break him mentally, where he would lose all inspiration in becoming a hero. This led him down a dark path, and he eventually became a villain, who would try and sway heroes who were more violent in nature. It was at this time that Colton came back to being a villain, after he was fired from being a pizza delivery driver. They decided to share the name Kinesis. Now Carlos works as a mercenary in Sunrise City, occasionally doing jobs for the Sons of Silver.

Excerpt from vincentvangogh.org:

Van Gogh painted this picture of the popular Restaurant de la Sirene at Asnieres, an area in the northwestern suburbs of Paris that sat alongside the River Seine, It had originally been a rural area that took its name from the Latin for donkey, thought to refer to the local breeding of donkeys, but as Paris had grown and spread Asnieres became swallowed into the city.

By the time Van Gogh arrived in Paris Asnieres had a burgeoning population and was home to several large factories. It was also a fashionable place for day-trippers, and a number of artists frequented the area to point. Van Gogh painted several views of Asnieres, and was often accompanied on his trips by the young Signoc. This view of the restaurant reflects the artist's absorption of the Impressionist techniques, token to a different level. Van Gogh was less concerned with the fleeting effect of the atmosphere, and focused more on color, form and meaning in his work. At this time restaurant and cafe culture were at a high, and they often exhibited the works of contemporary painters.

Excerpt from arthive.com:

Perhaps it is no exaggeration to say that Vincent van Gogh was a regular at the brothels. In some periods of the artist's life, women of easy virtue was probably not the only one to whom he could turn for support and understanding. And get them, even for money. Frequent visits to prostitutes, of course, sad impact on the health of Vincent, however, these women often helped him in his work, becoming his models. The painting "the Brothel" was written in the autumn of 1888 when van Gogh lived in Arles. And, most likely, the worker of this institution played an important role in the fate of the artist.

I've never seen a group come up with an extended solar panel like this one. At first I was a bit concerned to think I had not gotten across that light travels in STRAIGHT lines! I knew they did not put a mirror in the tube to angle the light. Fortunately when I asked about their design they said it was to heat the air in the tube and send it into the box. I did not discuss the fact that heat rises... we'll review that another day!

I finally present to you all… the Nemesis Collab! - a lego_factory_community collaboration

This is : Quark Crook

Nemesis of Jimi Stringer by EmsMocs

Intelligent, mad, and unyielding, a cyborg of manic proportions. Once a lead specialist in the field of particle accelerators, an unfortunate explosion would cost him his body and shatter his mind, but not his intellect, and the insane doctor could later augment himself and become “Quark Crook”!

The mad cyborg contains within his system of tubes and wires millions of unstable particles which route directly into his back-mounted particle accelerator he built onto himself. As well as the added benefit of absorption and dispersal of energy, the fully charged pack gives him a short time to control some forms of matter and gravity. He’s a living power house.

Von Nebula has obtained the blueprints for the Makuhero City Hero Factory facility! Now he’s begun recruiting his own army of Villains, making them even more dangerous in his evil structure!

New heroes are ready to face them and each of them has been given a specific villain to target… their NEMESIS!

« Ce fut comme une immense maturation du cœur dans l’absorption d’une constante contemplation du vide et de sa blancheur. » (C.L.-C.)

Légère variante d'une autre.

new website : this, random, RSS | random Flickr | © David Farreny.

The Hague

March 2012

The Netherlands

Urban life in the Netherlands

Ricoh GRD IV

Please do not reproduce or use this picture without my explicit permission.

If you ask nicely i will probably say yes, just ask me first!

If you happen to be in one of my frames and have any objections to this.

Please contact me!

All rights reserved

digital painting

Palais des Papes

The Ayurvedic Sanskrit name of rock salt is “Saindhav lavan” . It is also known as “Halite”, which is a mineral of Sodium chloride.

It is rich in minerals. The benefits of rock salt have been described here.

Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities. It commonly occurs with other evaporite deposit minerals such as several of the sulfates, halides, and borates.

This salt enhances the taste of recipes in which it has been used.

Rock salt supplies minerals which are required by our body. Salt enhances water absorption, maintains PH and helps in movement of nutrients between tissue fluid and cells.

Apart from these functions, rock salt stabilizes blood pressure and also acts as an anti-oxidant.

It pacifies all the three doshas and is considered the healthiest form of salt in ayurveda.

Nature's solar panel, decided for maximum light absorption, can't fault nature.

This was more like what I wanted to see, and there can't have been many of these left by 1985. 3330 was the first of what would turn out to be the final batch of vehicles delivered to Wigan Corporation, before their absorption into GMPTE in 1974.

Although the combination of AN68 Atlantean and Northern Counties body was GMT's first choice, these were a bit different from the others ! They were GMT's oldest AN68s, having 'K' plates, they were GMT's only long AN68/2R chassis, and they were the only dual-door AN68s, with all the dual-door bodies ordered by GMT being on Fleetline chassis.

And there is also the small matter that this was the first production AN68 Atlantean, with chassis number 7200388. In fact, this batch (NEK 1-10K) took up 10 of the first 11 AN68s off the production line, with just one pesky Merseyside PTE one in the middle ! Shame it didn't get preserved ....

GMT Melverley Street depot, Wigan, 14/2/85

Culture and Congress Centre – CKK Jordanki, Torún, Poland

The architecture firm Menis Arquitectos led by spanish architect Fernando Menis has designed the Culture and Congress Centre – CKK Jordanki a contemporary concert hall in Torún, Poland.

CKK Jordanki is located within a green ring around the historic city centre, overlooking the Vistula River. Therefore, special care was took in designing the orientation and height of the volumes so that the presence of the new building establishes a harmonious relationship with the natural and built environment. Thus the building occupies half of the plot, the other half being dedicated to park and the height is kept as low as possible, to avoid blocking the view over the river. The visual effect achieved is that of a natural object, a rock embedded in a gently sloping meadow.

On the other hand, the materiality refers Torun’s Gothic legacy, an UNESCO protected city, in which almost all the façades of the old town boast of red brick. CKK Jordanki’s outside is made of white concrete in contrast to the cuts in the skin that give a glimpse of the red inner lining, made of crushed brick. The use of brick in Jordanki CKK is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional brick, is a reference to Torun’s façades, and ultimately to its cultural heritage.

The program is characterized by a great flexibility at such extent that a building, which according to the client’s brief, was meant to be only a concerts hall, ended up being a space for all kinds of concerts and events, within the same initial budget. First of all, the theatre space is able to adapt easily to different capacities. For instance you may join two rooms to act as the main theatre by moving the walls and changing the number of the easily removable seats. It is possible to hold several separate and simultaneous events. Secondly, thanks to its dynamic ceiling, the building can be tuned to effectively absorb symphonic performances, chamber, theatre, opera, and film and meet any acoustic requirements the theatre designer requires. Finally, the concert hall can open to the outside, allowing to join the interior stage with the park outside for outdoor performances.

Picado, used in the entire building, is a mix of concrete and other materials. At CKK Jordanki, it was mixed either with reclaimed red bricks from a local factory (Ceramsus) for the sound reflection effect; either with a volcanic reddish stone from China, for its sound absorption effect. The picado is an innovative technique, conceived by Fernando Menis, consisting of mixing concrete with other materials and break it afterwards. Besides achieving a rough expression, the picado allows excellent acoustics results. The first time Menis used it, was for Magma Art & Congress (Tenerife, Canary Islands, 2005), by mixing concrete with local volcanic stones. For the CKK Jordanki, the technique has been researched further, tested and certified by the Spanish and the Polish Building Research Institute -ITB, respectively. The red brick is present almost on all the façades of the city and its use in CKK Jordanki is Menis’s contemporary reinterpretation of this traditional material while a clear reference to the town’s cultural heritage.

The definition of the auditorium space and of its shapes was made through an interactive process, always in relation to acoustics, until reaching the final shape. The plastic properties of concrete allows its use in concert halls in many different ways because it allows you to control the geometry (liquid stone) and adapt its shape to the formwork so that you can control the first sound reflections the listener received. In addition, the surface treatment of the crushed brick and concrete mix, allowed us a kind of diffusion, very difficult to achieve with other materials.

The moving parts of the auditorium have an area ranging from 80 to 140 m², having a weight that varies according to the piece, from 11 to 20 Tn. Each of the pieces can move independently from 3 to 5 m in height, allowing adjustment of the geometry and volume of the hall, depending on the needs of each moment, transforming a volume of 8,200 m3 with a time reverberation of 1.85 seconds, into a volume of 6,800 m3, with a reverberation time reduced down to 1.35 seconds. By adding additional absorption you could reach a reverberation time of 1.2 seconds, which covers the entire range of possible activities: 1.85 seconds for symphonic music, 1.6 seconds for opera and 1.2 seconds for theatre.