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The Vyne is a Grade I listed 16th-century country house in the parish of Sherborne St John, near Basingstoke, in Hampshire, England. The house was first built circa 1500–10 in the Tudor style by William Sandys, 1st Baron Sandys, Lord Chamberlain to King Henry VIII. In the 17th century it was transformed to resemble a classical mansion. Today, although much reduced in size, the house retains its Tudor chapel, with contemporary stained glass.
A clear view of the spread tail feathers is necessary for a definitive identification, but this is about 95% likely to be an Allen's rather than the very similar Rufous hummingbird. Newport Beach Back Bay, California
I processed this photo using AI-powered Topaz DeNoise software. I find it does a pretty amazing job of reducing grain and enhancing details. If you want to check it out you can use this link to download it for free, plus get a 15% discount if you purchase:
M81 - Bode's Galaxy & M82 – The Cigar Galaxy
Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is about 95,000 light years across, just a little smaller than the Milky Way galaxy at 100,000 light years across.
Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034 or the Cigar Galaxy) is also located in Ursa Major. It is about 12 million light years from earth and 37,000 light years across. Known as a “starburst galaxy” due to its exceptionally high rate of star formation it is about 5 times more luminous than the entire Milky Way with a central region that is 100 times more luminous than our own galaxy.
Acquisition Date: 03/11/2015 – 03/12/2016
Location: Western Massachusetts
Camera: SBIG STF8300M @ -15°C
Telescope: Astro-Tech AT130 (f/7 – fl 910mm) reduced to f/5.6 (fl 728mm)
Mount: Astro-Physics AP1100
Guidescope: 60mm Stellarvue guide scope
Guide Camera: Starlight Express LodeStar X2 (mono)
Filters:
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series:
-Luminance: 24 x 5min (120min) bin 1x1
-Red: 12 x 5min (60 min) bin 1x1
-Green: 12 x 5 min (60 min) bin 1x1
-Blue: 12 x 5 min (60 min) bin 1x1
Total Exposure Time: 5 hours
Limiting Magnitude: 5.1
Comments:
- Stellarvue SFFR102 field flattener/reducer (0.8)
- IDAS LPS-P2-48 Light Pollution Filter
A pretty waterfall in Pennsylvania. Here is lowered the shadows, decreased the clarity, lightened the highlights, and added some vignetting to play around with the mood of this capture. Also reduced the saturation and vibrancy too.
Whenever we go grocery shopping, I find that I look at the packaging our food comes in as a possible photographic subject. One afternoon my husband came home with a large bag of tangerines. I enjoy that fruit, yet the bag holding the orange orbs made me especially happy.
These lovely roses were taken in our garden this summer 2024.
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach 7 meters in height. Different species hybridize easily, and this has been used in the development of the wide range of garden roses.
The name rose comes from French, itself from Latin rosa, which was perhaps borrowed from Oscan, from Greek ρόδον rhódon (Aeolic βρόδον wródon), itself borrowed from Old Persian wrd- (wurdi), related to Avestan varəδa, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr.
The leaves are borne alternately on the stem. In most species they are 5 to 15 centimetres (2.0 to 5.9 in) long, pinnate, with (3–) 5–9 (–13) leaflets and basal stipules; the leaflets usually have a serrated margin, and often a few small prickles on the underside of the stem. Most roses are deciduous but a few (particularly from South east Asia) are evergreen or nearly so.
The flowers of most species have five petals, with the exception of Rosa sericea, which usually has only four. Each petal is divided into two distinct lobes and is usually white or pink, though in a few species yellow or red. Beneath the petals are five sepals (or in the case of some Rosa sericea, four). These may be long enough to be visible when viewed from above and appear as green points alternating with the rounded petals. There are multiple superior ovaries that develop into achenes. Roses are insect-pollinated in nature.
The aggregate fruit of the rose is a berry-like structure called a rose hip. Many of the domestic cultivars do not produce hips, as the flowers are so tightly petalled that they do not provide access for pollination. The hips of most species are red, but a few (e.g. Rosa pimpinellifolia) have dark purple to black hips. Each hip comprises an outer fleshy layer, the hypanthium, which contains 5–160 "seeds" (technically dry single-seeded fruits called achenes) embedded in a matrix of fine, but stiff, hairs. Rose hips of some species, especially the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) and Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa), are very rich in vitamin C, among the richest sources of any plant. The hips are eaten by fruit-eating birds such as thrushes and waxwings, which then disperse the seeds in their droppings. Some birds, particularly finches, also eat the seeds.
Rose thorns are actually prickles - outgrowths of the epidermis. While the sharp objects along a rose stem are commonly called "thorns", they are technically prickles — outgrowths of the epidermis (the outer layer of tissue of the stem). (True thorns, as produced by e.g. Citrus or Pyracantha, are modified stems, which always originate at a node and which have nodes and internodes along the length of the thorn itself.) Rose prickles are typically sickle-shaped hooks, which aid the rose in hanging onto other vegetation when growing over it. Some species such as Rosa rugosa and Rosa pimpinellifolia have densely packed straight prickles, probably an adaptation to reduce browsing by animals, but also possibly an adaptation to trap wind-blown sand and so reduce erosion and protect their roots (both of these species grow naturally on coastal sand dunes). Despite the presence of prickles, roses are frequently browsed by deer. A few species of roses have only vestigial prickles that have no points.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose
Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Population:
UK breeding:
220,000 territories
Fusion between 2 different instruments Orion 254/1000 f3.9 astrograph, Ultra optics with 1/10 lambda correction and Asi 294pro.
12 "Truss RC telescope reduced to 1790
Celestron 80/600 guide tube with Asi Zwo 224
Moravian G2 8300 camera with internal wheel
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the Region of Occitanie.
Occupied since the Neolithic period, Carcassonne is located in the Aude plain between two major thoroughfares linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean sea and the Massif Central to the Pyrénées. Its strategic importance was quickly recognized by the Romans who occupied its hilltop until the demise of the Western Roman Empire and was later taken over in the fifth century by the Visigoths who founded the city. Also thriving as a trading post due to its location, it saw many rulers who successively built up its fortifications, until its military significance was greatly reduced by the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
The city is famous for the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853 and added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.
Smoke on the horizon is from back burning. A method to reduce the amount combustible vegetation on the ground. View of Dales Gorge, Karijini National Park. Its climate can best be described as tropical semi-desert. A highly variable, mainly summer rainfall of 250–350 mm, often associated with thunderstorms and cyclones, is accompanied by temperatures frequently topping 40 degrees Celsius. The ideal times to visit the park are late autumn, winter and early spring. Winter days are warm and clear, but nights are cold and sometimes frosty.
Massive mountains and escarpments rise out of the flat valleys. The high plateau is dissected by breathtaking gorges, and stony, tree-lined watercourses wind their way over the dusty plain. Erosion has slowly carved this landscape out of rocks that are over 2,500 million years old. (information from Explore Parks W.A)
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
The Fountain of the Bicchierone is one of two fountains created for the Villa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It was made between 1660 and 1661 on a commission from Cardinal Rinaldo I d'Este. The basin of the fountain is in the form of a large shell, which reaches up to the level of the terrace. In the center is a toothed Bicchierone (cup or chalice) from which the water sprays upwards. Bernini supervised the building of the fountain, and, following its inauguration in May 1661, he had the height of the spouting water reduced, to avoid blocking the view from the Loggia of Pandora. Though not part of the original design of the garden, the fountain became a link between the architecture of the palace and the garden.
Masai Mara National Reserve
Kenya
East Africa
Happy Caturday!
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae; it is a muscular, deep-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck and round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. The lion is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females with a typical weight range of 150 to 250 kg (330 to 550 lb) for males and 120 to 182 kg (265 to 400 lb) for females. Male lions have a prominent mane, which is the most recognizable feature of the species.
A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The species is an apex and keystone predator, although they scavenge when opportunities occur.
Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands and savannas but is absent in dense forests. It is usually more diurnal than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night and at twilight.
It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern. - Wikipedia
Having a bit of sunset fun with my reducing glass in the frame next to two local bridges.
The Royal Albert Bridge is a railway bridge which spans the River Tamar in England between Plymouth, Devon and Saltash, Cornwall. Its unique design consists of two 455-foot (138.7 m) lenticular iron trusses 100 feet (30.5 m) above the water, with conventional plate-girder approach spans. This gives it a total length of 2,187.5 feet (666.8 m). It carries the Cornish Main Line railway in and out of Cornwall. It is adjacent to the Tamar Bridge which opened in 1962 to carry the A38 road.
The Royal Albert Bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Surveying started in 1848 and construction commenced in 1854. The first main span was positioned in 1857 and the completed bridge was opened by Prince Albert on 2 May 1859. Brunel died later that year and his name was then placed above the portals at either end of the bridge as a memorial. Work was carried out during the twentieth century to replace the approach spans and strengthen the main spans. It has attracted sightseers since its construction and has appeared in many paintings, photographs, guidebooks, postage stamps and on the UK £2 coin. Anniversary celebrations took place in 1959 and 2009.
Reduce, re-use, recycle. The 3 R's we ought to be living by. I think these pencils are the best use for 'newspapers' these days... For Macro Mondays this week's theme is; Stationery
Happy Macro Monday/ HMM
A strong dairy barn stands ready to do what it once did but instead now houses goats. Once we reach a certain stage in life, our life's work is replaced by something else, usually with us playing a reduced role.
Schloss Schönbrunn am frühen Morgen von der Seite des Haupteingangs, vom Ehrenhof aus gesehen. Im Vordergrund der östliche Brunnen mit den Skulpturen von Johann Baptist Hagenauer. Sie sollen die Königreiche Galizien, Lodomerien und Siebenbürgen darstellen.
Im Osten verdeckten Wolken leider die ganze Zeit die Sonne, wodurch strukturelle Details leider kaum betont werden. Daher habe ich den Kontrast im Bild massiv verstärkt. Die Belichtungszeit wurde mit dem Graufilter Lee Little Stopper verlängert.
Schönbrunn Palace in the early morning seen from the side of the main entrance, the Parade Court. The sculptures in the fountain in the foreground were executed by Johann Baptist Hagenauer and represent the kingdoms of Galicia and Lodomeria as well as Transylvania.
Clouds covering the sun in the east did not give me much contrast, so I increased contrast a lot when processing. This shot was made using the Lee Little Stopper, a ND filter that reduces exposure by approximately 6 stops.
A migratory raptor from Central Asia, Eastern Europe that winters in India. They are quite similar to the Pallid Harriers and both these birds are often seen together and even hunt in the same habitat - grasslands. The prey base is also quite similar.
There was peak of Harrier activity around last November and a grassland had around 20+ harriers. The birds would hunt till 5 Am and once the sunlight starts to reduce, they would sit on the ground like this one and wait for the darkness. Then the birds come together within 50 feet of each other. We found groups 7+ several times mostly comprised of Montagu's, Pied and Pallid. Early morning though, they fly away 30 mins before sunrise making it hard to get them in good light!
Thanks in advance for your views and feedback - much appreciated.
Here I am standing on the edge of Lake Michigan during a polar vortex. The wind and blowing snow made it nearly impossible to get one shot without snow completely covering my lens. But somehow I managed to get a few. The sun was trying to shine thru the clouds at sunset. Snow squalls come and go making a very dramatic stormy feel to it.
A fence I used once before. I use it again to christen a new lens, and because the fence pickings ain't so good in our neighborhood. Is anyone running fence tours?
HFF to all: Looking forward to seeing everyone's handiwork.
Anaklia (Georgian: ანაკლია) is a town and seaside resort in western Georgia. It is located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, at the place where the Enguri River flows into the Black Sea.
The earliest settlement on Anaklia's territory dates back to the mid-Bronze Age and is typical to the Colchian culture. It is the Classical Heraclea of Colchis, Anaclia of later authors, and Anarghia of Archangelo Lamberti and Jean Chardin (both the 17th-century travelers). After the fragmentation of the Kingdom of Georgia in the 15th century, it was an important fortified town, sea port and fishing station within the Principality of Mingrelia. In 1723, the town was captured by the Ottoman Empire and converted into its maritime outpost and slave-trading locale. Western Georgian kingdom of Imereti regained control over Anaklia in 1770, seizing the opportunity of Ottoman Empire being at war with Russia (Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)). Solomon I, the king of Imereti, was supposed to be supported in this endeavor by a small Russian contingent under General Totleben, but the Russian troops retreated before a clash against the Turks.
In 1802, Kelesh-Bey Sharvashidze, the pro-Turkish ruler of the neighboring Principality of Abkhazia, capitalized on the internecine feuds in Mingrelia, and forced Prince Grigol Dadiani of Mingrelia into surrendering Anaklia, taking Grigol’s son and heir, Levan, as a hostage. When Mingrelia accepted the Russian protectorate in 1803, the Russian commander in Georgia, Prince Tsitsianov, demanded that Kelesh-Bey release Levan. On his refusal, Tsitsianov sent Major General Ion Rykgof into Abkhazia. In March 1805, the Russians took hold of Anaklia and threatened to march against Sukhum-Kaleh, forcing the Abkhazian prince to release Dadiani. The capture of Anaklia drew an Ottoman protest, however, and Tsitsianov hastened to disavow his subordinate and even apologize for his action, removing a Russian garrison from Anaklia. However, the incident added to an increasing tension between the two empires. When the next Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1806, the Russian forces restored Redoubt Kali and Anaklia to the Mingrelian prince Levan who would later relinquish the control of these forts to the Russian administration. (See Russian conquest of the Caucasus#Black Sea Coast.) In the 1850s, Anaklia was a small but strongly fortified seaport, which had a custom-house and carried on a considerable trade with Turkey.
Subsequently, the importance of the Anaklia port significantly reduced, but it remained a minor Black Sea Fleet base in the Soviet times.
After the War in Abkhazia (1992–93), a Russian peacekeeping post was opened at Anaklia in 1994. In 2006, the Ministry of Defense of Georgia reported numerous damages inflicted by the Russian soldiers upon the 17th-century fortress of Anaklia and accused the peacekeepers of installing latrines and baths within the walls of the fort. Following a series of protests by the Georgians, the Russian military post was withdrawn in July 2007.
A monument has been erected in Anaklia on May 21, 2012, commemorating Russia's expulsion of the Circassian people from the region following the conclusion of the Caucasian War in the 1860s. The May 21 date was chosen to coincide with the day on which the Circassian people themselves commemorate the expulsion, which the Georgian government has recognized as an act of genocide. The monument was designed by Khusen Kochesokov, a sculptor from the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria.
Europhenix liveried 37611 slows for a signal check at Beck Foot before getting looped at Grayrigg to allow faster traffic to pass. The tractor is dragging Transpennine 397005 running as 5N32 Kilmarnock - Longsight.
More photos at: cogloadjunctionphotography.weebly.com/
High Brown Fritillary - Argynnis adippe
This large, powerful butterfly is usually seen flying swiftly over the tops of bracken or low vegetation in woodland clearings. In flight, the males are almost impossible to separate from those of the Dark Green Fritillary, which often share the same habitats. However, both species frequently visit flowers such as thistles and Bramble where it is possible to see their distinctive underside wing markings. The Dark Green lacks the orange ringed 'pearls' on the underside of the hindwing.
The High Brown Fritillary was once widespread in England and Wales but since the 1950s has undergone a dramatic decline. It is now reduced to around 50 sites where conservationists are working to save it from extinction.
Size and Family
Family: Fritillaries
Size: Large
Wing Span Range (male to female): 60-67mm
Conservation status
Section 41 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in England
Section 42 species of principal importance under the NERC Act in Wales
UK BAP: Priority Species
Butterfly Conservation priority: High
European status: Not threatened
Fully protected in Great Britain under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act
Caterpillar Foodplants
Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) is used in all habitats, but Hairy Violet (V. hirta) is also used in limestone areas. It may occasionally use Heath Dog-violet (V. canina) and Pale Dog-violet (V. lactea).
The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae), also known as the Lady Gouldian finch, Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird which is native to Australia. Both sexes are brightly coloured with black, green, yellow, and red markings. The females tend to be less brightly coloured. One major difference between the sexes is that the male's chest is purple, while the female's is a lighter mauve. Gouldian finches are about 125–140 mm long. Gouldian finches' heads may be red, black, or yellow. Formerly considered three different kinds of finches, it is now known that these are colour variants that exist in the wild. Selective breeding has also developed mutations (blue, yellow and silver instead of a green back) in both body and breast colour. The number of Gouldian finches has decreased quite dramatically during the 20th century. Their habitat has been reduced or altered. 15304
Taken through an 8" Ritchey-Chretien telescope with an unmodded Canon 1100D + focal reducer, on an EQ5 Pro tracking mount, no guiding. Shot alongside the 97% illuminated Moon
Main nebula:
36 x ISO-1600 for 30 seconds
20 Darks
Core:
8 x ISO-1600 for 10 seconds
5 darks
Stacked separately in Deep Sky Stacker, processed using Photoshop CS2 with RC Astrotools plug in. Then the 2 images were merged using a layer mask. Final tweaks made in Fast Stone Image Viewer
At this time of year the sun is a welcome if infrequent visitor.
Photographs taken facing into the sun have a distinctive feel, often with high contrast and lens flare. Modern lens designs and coatings have reduced "the flare" problem considerably but not eliminated it.
It can be seen as a problem or fault; however it can also be viewed as an artistic style or technique (far more in colour than black and white).
Taunton, Somerset, UK.
A second take on processing this famous nebula...
This is a large object in the sky! The field of view of this image is 3.5 degrees. If you could put a string of full moons in a row you could fit 7 across here. This is my first time using two 200mm lenses. One with a color and the other with a monochrome camera with narrowband filters. I only have 2 of the three narrowband filters I need... still waiting for my Sulphur filter so I can try to get Hubble colors...
from science.nasa: "Caldwell 20 is a stunning example of an emission nebula. The clouds of gas that make up the nebula are being ionized by a nearby star, causing the gas to glow as it emits energy. Colors emitted by emission nebulae depend on the chemical composition of the region. The reddish color that is characteristic of hydrogen and dominates Caldwell 20."
Askar ACL200: 200mm f/4
ZWO ASI533MC Mono Camera at -20C
47x300s Oiii
18x300s Ha
Nikon 70-200mm 200mm f/3.3 (diameter externally reduced)
ZWO ASI533MM Color Camera at -20C
147x60s Ha/Oiii
70x60s rgb
Guided on ZWO AM5
Processed with PixInsight, Ps
© 2012 Alan Mackenzie.
www.alanmackenziephotography.com
Seen high above the East Sussex countryside. This is the final and only usable frame in an eleven frame burst. Many people ask, "Is this photoshopped?" and the answer is that the photo is real and I used Adobe Photoshop CS4 to optimize levels, colour, sharpening and reduce noise as per standard practice among photographers shooting in RAW.