I was given these books years ago by my grandfather (now sadly deceased), "Marvels Of The Universe Volumes I & II - A Popular Work On The Marvels Of The Heavens, The Earth, Plant Life, Animal Life, The Mighty Deep". I cannot find a publication date anywhere in the books, but a brief internet search suggests they are from 1913, which is the year my grandfather was born.

They are absolutely beautiful books in amazing condition, with incredibly detailed illustrations, some colour plates, and lots of photographs. The entries are written by a host of scientific dignitaries of the time, and are fascinating in terms of the language as much as the content, not what we would think of now as scientific language, but wonderfully descriptive. For example, the entry for "Waterspouts" contains the following section:

"On looking upward, immediately above this movement of the waters will be seen a corresponding excitement in a cloud, from which will presently descend a dark tube, much like the trunk of some mighty elephant, swaying about as it lengthens, until at last it joins the mound of water beneath and establishes a connection between sea and sky. Now, in obedience to who knows what centrifugal impulse, the water of the sea rushes upwards with a roar which may be heard five hundred yards away. The cloud above grows black, menacing, monstrous. In a few minutes, some mysterious operator has signalled that the one hundred thousand tons or so of water received above is sufficient for the cloud to bear, and immediately the connecting tube begins to dwindle, until soon it ceases to exist and its attenuated length is absorbed into the black bosom above."

My attenuated residue of tools after our move into our new-built apartment. Building maintenance is not my responsibility and space and needs dictate a smaller toolkit.

Very dark very red bottle of red wine. First idea was to light trough the bottle and put some vitamin tablets in there. To make a a long story short, not enough light inside the bottles neck, boring photo.

Next set up, lightning the bottle from behind, also to get some more light for focusing, at the end of this story, I liked the setup and light testing photo better then the photos with flash.

Was testing the attenuation of the light with a strong flash light. Body no light, neck very little light, trough the bottom, this are the light reflexes you see.

On the outer surface the rough ring is are adhesive residue from the necks coating, or maybe roughened glass..

Color changes due to transmission troghh colored glass.

Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia. The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses. None of these are closely related to the evening primroses (genus Oenothera). Primula vulgaris is a perennial growing 10–30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. It flowers in early spring in the northern hemisphere (February–April) on slopes and meadows. The leaves are 5–25 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin. The leaf blade is gradually attenuated towards the base and unevenly toothed. The single stem, extremely short, is hidden in the centre of the leaf rosette. The delicately scented flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, borne singly on short slender stems. The flowers are typically pale yellow, though white or pink forms are often seen in nature. The flowers are actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule opening by valves to release the small black seeds. The native range of P. vulgaris encompasses western and southern Europe. In the north, the distribution area extends from central Norway near the Faroe Islands via the British Isles, Denmark, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France to southern Portugal in the south and the tip of North Africa in Algeria. To the east, the range extends through the southern European peninsulas to the Crimea, Balkans, Syria, Turkey and Armenia. R_16691

# an apocalyptic poem 2

# actually, another random draw from the forgotten imagery cache discovered the other day

# thank you, as always, for the visit. skal. 8^)

# dedicated to my oldest brother, former military/civilian pilot. he does other stuff now.

Rock Bunting

Medium-size but relatively slim bunting, with long, thin tail contributing to more attenuated outline than any other congener. Shares rufous-buff ground-color to plumage with five other Emberiza, best distinguished by rather small, lead-colored bill, strong head pattern of blackish crown-stripes and complete black surround to ear-coverts on greyish ground, and strongly rufous rump. Terrestrial, rarely far from rocks. One call distinctive. Sexes dissimilar, some seasonal variation in male.

The tiny shorebird (middle of shot)

Little Stint (Calidris minuta)

with extensive range across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Very rare vagrant in North America. All ages show dark legs and a straight, fine-tipped bill. Adults in breeding plumage are variably flushed with bright rusty orange on the head, neck sides, and upper-parts, usually brightest in mid- to late-summer. Compared with breeding Red-necked Stint, note white throat and more uniformly bright wing coverts and scapulars on Little. Juveniles are typically quite bright and neatly patterned above, often with bold white stripes or "braces" down the back, and have very black-centred wing coverts and tertials. Non-breeding birds rather plain pale grey and extremely difficult to separate from other small “peeps”. Note bill shape and overall structure. Temminck’s has longer tail and more crouched posture; Red-necked has slightly shorter bill and legs and more attenuated wings. Found in fresh and brackish wetland habitats. Occurs locally in flocks; elsewhere singles travel with flocks of other waders

+

Whiskered Tern flock (Chlidonias hybrida) 7984

Small buoyant tern. Breeding adult has distinctive dark smoky grey body and contrasting white cheeks (can look like broad white "whiskers" in flight) underneath a black cap. Non-breeding plumage pale silvery grey overall with a faded shadow of the cap; juvenile has dark-checkered back. Note rather stout bill (albeit thinner than Gull-billed Tern) and square tail; compare to Common, Roseate, and Arctic Terns. Feeds by picking from surface, not splash-diving like typical terns. Common around wetlands, lakes, and rivers.

28-January-2025

The photo is from the highest part of the cape, Kršine brdo (or Mount "Carmagnac" in ancient Italic toponym, from which, by extension, all area became Kamen-jak/rocky), 39m a.s.l., towards the north-east and a residual stormy cell in the upper Kvarner.

What is striking is the disappearance of the rainbow in the clouds on the left side (or so it seems, but in reality they are not so low, far from it) and the more progressive attenuation on its right side, probably ending up in the shadow..

The clouds are evidently composed of ice crystals and snowflakes, at an altitude of over 1500m a.s.l. (about 850hpas), and we know that snow does not generate rainbows by reflecting light without refracting it (the refraction of light in water drops is the basis of the rainbow), but as big as this rainbow is, it seems strange to me that it can reach such altitudes.

The freezing point was around 1300m above sea level, so quite high, too high for a rainbow that should be between the observer and the clouds (with the sun behind the observer), not between the clouds or beyond them, but I admit my ignorance in this case.

Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia. The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses. None of these are closely related to the evening primroses (genus Oenothera). Primula vulgaris is a perennial growing 10–30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. It flowers in early spring in the northern hemisphere (February–April) on slopes and meadows. The leaves are 5–25 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin. The leaf blade is gradually attenuated towards the base and unevenly toothed. The single stem, extremely short, is hidden in the centre of the leaf rosette. The delicately scented flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, borne singly on short slender stems. The flowers are typically pale yellow, though white or pink forms are often seen in nature. The flowers are actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule opening by valves to release the small black seeds. The native range of P. vulgaris encompasses western and southern Europe. In the north, the distribution area extends from central Norway near the Faroe Islands via the British Isles, Denmark, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France to southern Portugal in the south and the tip of North Africa in Algeria. To the east, the range extends through the southern European peninsulas to the Crimea, Balkans, Syria, Turkey and Armenia. S10N_219

Thorpe Cloud is the flat topped hill just right of centre - it's lefthand ridge runs down to the stepping stones in Dovedale.

The valley bottom was very white and there was a tidemark of frost along the sides of the surrounding hills. White balance was bouncing around like mad as the lighting changed by the minute with a rising sun being partially attenuated by some interesting clouds rolling in from the west

The Solitary Sandpiper has distinguishing features that differ from those of the Green Sandpiper.

1. The rear of a Solitary Sandpiper looks more attenuated as the wing tips extend further beyond the tail.

2. The white eye ring is more pronounced

3. Dark underwings which contrast with the white belly in flight

4. Dark brown rump and tail centre

5. The legs are a bright olive green

Of the world's 85 sandpiper species worldwide, only the Solitary Sandpiper and the Green Sandpiper lay their eggs in nests in trees instead of on the ground.

This Solitary Sandpiper was photographed (in poor light) at Stodmarsh East Kent. A first record for Kent.

>>>>>>> null.daten <<<<<<<<<

.

# SOLAR IMAGERY from THE TRONA LO-FI OBSERVATORY

# DARK CLOUD y MYLAR SOLAR FILTERS USED

.

TRONA TAGS: #AHPOOKISHERE #DISTANTMUSICTOCROWNAGODWITHSTREETDUST #23SKIDDO #BINARYSOLARSYSTEM #BINARYTWIN #SOLAR #SUNS #HELIOPHYSICSINABINARYSOLARSYSTEM #GRAVITATIONALDISRUPTIONS #OURSOLARSYSTEMHASASECRET #APOCALYPSE #AHPOOKTHEDESTROYER #MISTERTRONAISCRAZY

Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia. The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses. None of these are closely related to the evening primroses (genus Oenothera). Primula vulgaris is a perennial growing 10–30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. It flowers in early spring in the northern hemisphere (February–April) on slopes and meadows. The leaves are 5–25 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin. The leaf blade is gradually attenuated towards the base and unevenly toothed. The single stem, extremely short, is hidden in the centre of the leaf rosette. The delicately scented flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, borne singly on short slender stems. The flowers are typically pale yellow, though white or pink forms are often seen in nature. The flowers are actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule opening by valves to release the small black seeds. The native range of P. vulgaris encompasses western and southern Europe. In the north, the distribution area extends from central Norway near the Faroe Islands via the British Isles, Denmark, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France to southern Portugal in the south and the tip of North Africa in Algeria. To the east, the range extends through the southern European peninsulas to the Crimea, Balkans, Syria, Turkey and Armenia. 30417

1,2 milliard de dollars : c'est la coquette somme investie par les États-Unis dans un gros projet d'aspirateurs à CO2 situés dans deux états différents !!!

Une vraie solution face à l'urgence climatique ?

Cette technologie n'est pas encore largement utilisée mais son potentiel est énorme.

Ces aspirateurs DAC ne sont pas encore très nombreux sur la planète, et pourtant leurs capacités d'extraction sont très importantes … pour l'instant très coûteux à mettre en place !

Si ce type de solutions ne règle pas le problème à la source, elles demeurent tout de même des mesures d'atténuation intéressantes.

Si la technologie DAC est adoptée à plus grande échelle, ses coûts baisseront nécessairement et sa mise en place sera facilitée.

A suivre …

_____________________PdF_________________________

1.2 billion dollars: this is the tidy sum invested by the United States in a large project of CO2 vacuum cleaners located in two different states!!!

A real solution to the climate emergency ?

This technology is not yet widely used, but its potential is enormous.

These DAC vacuum cleaners are not yet very numerous on the planet, and yet their extraction capacities are very important … for the moment very expensive to set up !

If this type of solution does not solve the problem at the source, they are still interesting mitigation measures.

If DAC technology is adopted on a larger scale, its costs will necessarily fall and its implementation will be facilitated.

To be continued …

Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia. The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses. None of these are closely related to the evening primroses (genus Oenothera). Primula vulgaris is a perennial growing 10–30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. It flowers in early spring in the northern hemisphere (February–April) on slopes and meadows. The leaves are 5–25 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin. The leaf blade is gradually attenuated towards the base and unevenly toothed. The single stem, extremely short, is hidden in the centre of the leaf rosette. The delicately scented flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, borne singly on short slender stems. The flowers are typically pale yellow, though white or pink forms are often seen in nature. The flowers are actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule opening by valves to release the small black seeds. The native range of P. vulgaris encompasses western and southern Europe. In the north, the distribution area extends from central Norway near the Faroe Islands via the British Isles, Denmark, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France to southern Portugal in the south and the tip of North Africa in Algeria. To the east, the range extends through the southern European peninsulas to the Crimea, Balkans, Syria, Turkey and Armenia. R_16708

The attenuated form of a Cape crow perches precariously on desert scrub. The species has a disjunct distribution, in southern and east Africa.

160526 503

First HDR experiment combining 3 pictures into 1. Lighting was off the wall cause from the bright sunlight. Shutter speeds were 1/2000, 1/250 and 1/30 to attenuate the extreme darks and highlights.

Final result felt best in B&W with the grainy finish.

HDR combination processed using NikSoftware HDR Efex Pro and Viveza along with Lightroom for final finishes.

Dublin - Ireland

Huntington was one of the most prominent animal sculptors of the early twentieth century, celebrated for her keen powers of observation. “Reaching Jaguar” and its companion piece, “Jaguar” (26.85.2), were based on Huntington’s studies of Señor Lopez, a jaguar from Paraguay who was the first feline occupant of the Lion House at the Bronx Zoo. Stone versions of the pair are installed as gateposts at the zoo. The powerful effect of “Reaching Jaguar” derives from the attenuated, muscular form and the illusion that the stealthy feline is about to pounce from its rocky outlook.

# A G2V PORTRAIT

This beech bud is long and narrow with a sharply pointed tip. In botanical terms, it is narrowly ellipsoid in shape. Other terms that might apply include acuminate (prolonged into a very acute point) and attenuate (drawn out gradually to a slender tapering apex).

Posted for the "Looking Close... on Friday!" theme of 3/2/2023: TIP.

VIEWERSHIP: 21% of 1,274 views on 3/3/2023.

FAVORABILITY: 46% of 50 faves on 3/2/2023.

Daddy climbs on the wave attenuator to keep an eye on the 5 cygnets. Eight eggs five cygnets. Mother still attempting to brood the remaining three...

Common Terns just arrived from their long migration.

Yes, we are back..we have re -terned...

Common Terns starting to set up breeding colony on the wave attenuators at Preston Marina. The numbers arriving each year have risen to around 200 pairs.

Tern heading this group may be a Roseate Tern (black beak)?

Press "L" then click once on the image to enlarge. Press "Esc" to return.

# Seriously, I just found this discard on a drop drive, let it sit on my desk hitting me with guilt vibes for allowing it to languish... so, its premier! Actually, I like oddities, but remain uncertain how many minutes it will survive in my stream. [sigh] Well, what the hell? ;-}

# I do have a large collection of experimental solar photography, including sun spot imagery, high ISO shots, et al., some results of which are posted here, shot w/ a relatively pedestrian Fuji. This looks like it might have been shot with an iPhone, however! But if you like it... it stays. 8^)

Sunrise behind Parson's Tor in Lathkill Dale. The early mist wanted to stay on the tops rather than sit in the valley bottom but at least it attenuated the rising sun

From Grey Knotts looking to Pillar and the Buttermere Red Pike ridge

I took 800+ shots during my mini holiday. It was so windy on the first day that it was mainly click and hope (my eye was streaming trying to look thru viewfinder). I've only just got round to reappraising some of the images, and couldn't resist posting this shot. Sun isn't perfect (I did wait for a cloud to pass in front of it to attenuate it's strength a bit) but lighting was wonderful as sun set in the west

Primula vulgaris is a perennial growing 10–30 centimetres (4–12 inches) tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. The leaves are 5–25 cm (2–10 in) long and 2–6 cm (1–2+1⁄2 in) broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin. The leaf blade is gradually attenuated towards the base and unevenly toothed. The single stem, extremely short, is hidden in the centre of the leaf rosette.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primula_vulgaris

Didn't have to use a graduated filter, because the clouds attenuated the sun and took only one measurement for the mid tones. (Spanish: No tuve que usar un filtro graduado ya que las nubes atenuaron el sol y solo tuve que exponer para los tonos medios). (French: N'utiliser un filtre gradué, parce que les nuages a atténué le soleil et a fait un exposer pour les tons de milieu.).

Data: Canon 5D Mk II, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L @ 17mm, ISO: 100, 1.3 sec, f/22, tripod.

"a hotel room that can't be photographed (that you have no desire to photograph) is already a bad room. upon arriving in a city, the first thing to do is to take a picture of the room, as if to stake out a territory, and photograph your reflection in the mirror, as if you mark your temporary belonging, as if to attenuate the cost, as a testimony of your presence."

this is a piece of my scrapbook

I have been taking a picture in every hotel I have stayed in for awhile now (mostly for college stuff)

I like having a record of myself in each city I visit, and I especially love hotels

a lifer

A succession of errors generated this picture of the Brazilian Ruby throated hummingbird (male). Lots of light that required Photoshop intervention, despite not being able to attenuate some areas that were still intensely lit. Of course the photometry was completely wrong either.

I decided to present it because I like the incredible movement of the wings immensely.

I hope you like it, and not be bored with my need to fantasize a little the reality of the photo.

On Explore: January 10, 2023

acrylic on sheathing mounted on a box stretcher, 18x27in, Oct-22

Macro shot at one of my sunflowers in the garden at direct sunlight. Light adjustment at the overall background to attenuate and darken the residual bokeh. No retouching.

Ref. land 013 (original high res. upload 13,4 MB)

©WhiteAngel Photography. All rights reserved.

Explore: August 2, 2020.

After a 15 year hiatus ( 2005-2020 ) I've returned to painting. This is a beautifully, more 'right brained' approach to Art making that has re-captured my interest and is now fulfilling me enormously.

While I consciously and carefully choose the colours and the format of the painting ( Circle or Diamond ), after that what happens is almost entirely improvised. I never know how these things are going to turn out. And that to me, is tremendously attractive.

The title refers to the Egyptian gods, Horus and Thoth, both of whom lie embedded in the suggestive shapes within the image. But everyone is welcome to see what they see. It's precisely the fluid, improvised and free-floating readability of purely abstract work that makes this process such a pure way of making, what I might call, more "Participative Art".

Because I used a mix of pure and metallic colours, these paintings are extremely hard to photograph. The metallic pigments having a lot of reflective properties, often show up in photographs as glare or as white. One want the highlights, yes, but attenuating them down also muddies the darker areas. So I have to settle for a compromise. This does work in favour of my general approach to Art, which is that no one view of an image gives you the full picture. As you walk around these paintings they "shift" or "change" as the light hits them differently from different angles. So really, each piece is several in one.

___________________________________________________

© 2020, Richard S Warner. All Rights Reserved. Neither this image or any part of it is to be used or copied in any way without the express written consent of the Artist.

moth

VIEWING THE LARGE SIZE RECOMMENDED (Zoom in to the notes)

I said in my previous water drop photo that you could view it from several angles: as a photographer, as a physicist etc. Let's view this photo from a physicist point of view and carry over the knowledge to photography.

A rainbow is formed by raindrops refracting different colors of sun light at different angles on the front surface, reflecting them from the rear surface back to the front surface, then refracting them again on the front surface, violet being bent more than red and thus sending us the rainbow colors at different angles. And we see the rainbow.

In this photo I used the flash of my NIKON D60. Indirect flash light from surroundings entered the left side of the drop and emerged on the right, causing the micro rainbow. If you look at my rainbow you will see the red and blue. The others are not visible. On the other hand direct flash light impinged the drop in the middle, causing the red and blue to reach the camera sensor at the same angle. Therefore the mid axis of the drop reveals magenta, which is nothing but a combination of red and blue.

This drop shows that our camera flashes have a spectrum rich in red and blue and different from that of the sun's. There arises the need that all photographers are aware of: the need to adjust the white balance. When you select FLASH setting for WB then the camera electronics tries to compensate for the colors that are weak or missing (in my case green is attenuated a lot.)

Ref: [web.physik.rwth-aachen.de/~harm/aixphysik/atom/discharge/...]

BUYUK BOYDA IZLEMENIZ VE NOTLARIN BULUNDUGU BOLGEYE BAKMANIZ TAVSIYE EDILIR

Daha onceki damla fotografinda, resme bir fotografci, muhendis fizikci, bir mistik vb nokta-i nazarindan bakilabilecegini yazmistim. Bu fotografa fizik acisindan bakalim ve onun fotograf sanati ile ilgisini arastiralim.

Gokkusagi, gunes isiginin yagmur tanelerinin on yuzunden girip, cesitli renklerde farki acilarla kirilip arka yuzeye carpmasi oradan yansiyip on yuzeyden yine kirilarak farkli acilarda bize ulasmasi sonucu olusur - mavi, kirmizidan daha buyuk bir aci ile kirilir.

Buradaki fotografta NIKON D60 flasini kullandim. Damlaya indirekt yollarla sol taraftan giren flas isigi, damlanin sag tarafindaki (tayfi) mikro gokkusagini olusturmus. Burada kirmizi ve mavi acikca gorulmekte, yesil ve diger renkler gorulmemektedir. Bu durum butun fotograf meraklilarinin da bildigi gibi flas kullanildiginda renklerin normal gorunumunden farkli olmasini dougurur. Bu durumu duzeltmek icin WB (White Balance) ayarinda FLASH secilerek giderilir. Kamera elektronigi kirmizi ve mavi disindaki renkleri telafi etmeye calisir.

First post to Flickr: 04/05/2009

>>>> null.daten <<<<

.

# solar imagery from THE TRONA LO-FI SCIENCE OBSERVATORY

.

"Let me tell you something. It's too late to be pessimistic -- really too late. We all have a part of the solutions."

~Yann Arthus-Bertrand, environmentalist and photographer.

Harbor seals are a key component of local Alaskan culture and diet, but are now listed as an Alaska Species of Special Concern. This status reflects the long-term decline in their abundance, restricted distribution, reliance on limited habitat resources, and sensitivity to environmental perturbations. Despite several conservation measures in past two decades to promote their population, their numbers have consistently plummeted in the Glacier Bay area, where the above photo was created. This significant decline (a 65% attenuation since early 1990s) within protected areas of a national park is in contrast with their numbers in other parts of the world, that have been resilient to man-made disturbances and shown signs of recovery. While the exact cause of such decline is not established, it is nonetheless considered a sensitive indicator of future changes in the area, such as ocean warming. Because oceans are not just warming up in Alaska, the decline in Glacier Bay harbor seal numbers could be a harbinger of concerning global phenomenon.

Talking about concerning global phenomenon, this year has been extraordinary in the course of recorded history. The North American winter lingered on heavily into summer and then summer came and blew all records through the roof. Anchorage – whose average summer temperatures are in low 60s – experienced temperatures in 90s this summer. Greenland ice is melting by billions of tons half a century before they were estimated to do so. Amazon forests – the lungs of this planet – are on fire. The Australian great barrier reef has been under constant deterioration and this year, it was officially cited to be in a ‘poor state’, a polite way of stating the loss of hope. Believe it or not, we are now beginning to reap, in heaps, what we have sowed for decades.

Now what? New York city is building a five-mile long wall in Staten Island to hold the surging ocean back during hurricanes and the inevitable higher seas of the future. Indonesia is abandoning its sinking capital Jakarta and building a new one (although this one has thick layers of political incentives tied in along with climate change). But are these our solutions? Will our children and grandchildren build flood walls around their homes or will they evacuate the increasingly hostile planet en mass in spaceships to nowhere? The answer is obvious.

What’s not obvious is how do we undo all the mess we have created for ourselves. First things first, we must remain optimistic. The job on hand is enormous, but not undoable. Concerted conservation efforts have already yielded a few bright sparks of hope: many threatened species – humpback whales for example – have sprung back from the brink. To reduce carbon emission, Science has given us electric vehicles, solar panels and is now working on 'supercharged plants' that are supposed to store more carbon-di-oxide away from the atmosphere than regular plants. While scientists are doing their jobs on front lines, we could all do our tiny bit to help: skip the car as often as possible, choose appropriately and then use and reuse day-to-day material instead of recycling them (which arguably leaves a bigger carbon footprint), elect office bearers who have appreciation for our planet as a whole, and take only what we need when our turn comes at the table. As Gandhi said, mother earth has plenty for everyone’s need, but not enough for anyone’s greed. The seals – and rest of the living species including us – still have a chance if we remain hopeful and encourage each other to make environmentally-conscious choices, so that one day human carbon-di-oxide emissions are limited only to our noses and nothing else.

# PIECES OF AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION RE AN ADOLESCENCE PARTIALLY SPENT IN A BINARY SOLAR SYSTEM ..... AND MY MEMORIES OF HER.

.

# TRONA EXPERIMENTAL UV IMAGING SPECTROMETER RAW DATA POTENTIALLY INDICATING THE PRESENCE OF A BINARY TWIN ...

.

# an experiment from THE TRONA LO-FI SCIENCE OBSERVATORY

Although larger and darker than the starlings of Europe, African glossy-starlings like Burchell's belong to the same family, the Sturnidae, as European starlings. This rather attenuated glossy-starling is native to southern Africa, from Angola to South Africa.

It is found in dry and moderately moist woodlands and savannahs. It is particularly associated with thorn trees, especially camelthorn (Acacia erioloba) and knob thorn (A. nigrescens).

From a slide.

251118 002DN

more frames from Friday 22 Jan, 2020 ... :-)

Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia. The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses. None of these are closely related to the evening primroses (genus Oenothera). Primula vulgaris is a perennial growing 10–30 cm tall, with a basal rosette of leaves which are more-or-less evergreen in favoured habitats. It flowers in early spring in the northern hemisphere (February–April) on slopes and meadows. The leaves are 5–25 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, often heavily wrinkled, with an irregularly crenate to dentate margin. The leaf blade is gradually attenuated towards the base and unevenly toothed. The single stem, extremely short, is hidden in the centre of the leaf rosette. The delicately scented flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, borne singly on short slender stems. The flowers are typically pale yellow, though white or pink forms are often seen in nature. The flowers are actinomorphic with a superior ovary which later forms a capsule opening by valves to release the small black seeds. The native range of P. vulgaris encompasses western and southern Europe. In the north, the distribution area extends from central Norway near the Faroe Islands via the British Isles, Denmark, northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France to southern Portugal in the south and the tip of North Africa in Algeria. To the east, the range extends through the southern European peninsulas to the Crimea, Balkans, Syria, Turkey and Armenia. 24305

I once knew what this strange inflorescence is called, but have forgotten.

Ah! I remembered to ask my iPhone--yes!

It's a Foxtail Agave. Or, Agave attenuata = "the attenuated Agave".

They are related to asparagus and yucca.

Occasionally featured in a Bay Area (CA) home garden, as here. They are always dramatic when they bloom!

This one drapes over the walkway to the front door--a bit of a challenge for the postman!

At 2AM, more thunderstorms moved through and woke me. So since I was up, I put in a fresh battery and kept the same setting from an earlier session then went back to sleep. This is what I captured. Five of the best compatible images were stacked and lightened in Photoshop.

The blue and orange discharge colors are part attenuation due to rain (acting like a filter) and part jpeg artifact.

An Athene noctua (Little owl, Ruru nohinohi) perched on a tree branch in the late afternoon / early evening in Christchurch, New Zealand. Also known as German owls as this is where they were introduced from.

I hear these a lot, but typically after dark where even when I find them I can't photograph them. This is the first time I have managed to photograph one. Unfortunately it wasn't too keen on being photographed, so I wasn't able to seek a better composition (not too happy with the bright sky - which I have largely attenuated).

Admittedly it is a bit of a rough edit as I don't think I've bothered with a raw conversion in years - but I felt it was a special enough occasion to bestir myself to greater levels of artistic license.

Being on the edge of the Himalaya, ominous clouds were a common sight. Typically, the mountains fuel the over-development, and the front ridge remains fairly benign due to the attenuating effect of the air drawn in from the flatlands, but on this day even the front ridge saw its share of the action.

Storm clouds dismiss their reliance on the sun's heating of the ground to fuel them with thermic energy in favour of a convective feedback loop, whereby heat from the air drawn into the clouds provides energy for them to draw yet more air from underneath them, fuelling the process yet further: cloud suck.

As free-aviators, we actively seek out air that has risen from ground heated by the sun; these thermals carry us up at relatively gentle rates, rarely in excess of 20kmh, but cloud-suck, especially once in a cloud, can exceed 100kmh. In this shot, I'm around 10km from the storm, in this case a probable safe distance, however there are at least four wings in this shot, just a little closer to the force of nature than I.