• ES Picture of the Day 24 2022

    From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Mon Jan 24 11:01:04 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    A Plant’s Strength Lies in its Roots

    January 24, 2022


    Menashe_dayflower roots

    Menashe_dayflower roots2

    Photographer: Menashe Davidson

    Summary Author: Menashe Davidson

    When I decided to “domesticate” the white-mouth dayflower
    ( Commelina erecta) from the wild and grow it in containers in my
    home garden (Rishon LeZion, Israel), it was simply because I was
    impressed with the plants above ground vitality and the beauty of its
    blooms.

    A few months back, I replaced the white-mouth dayflower plants with
    other annual ornamentals that fit better with the winter season.
    Immediately, I realized the strength of the dayflowers’ roots. It was
    so securely anchored that I had difficulty extracting it from the soil
    it was growing from (top photo). Experiencing this, I could easily
    understand why this plant is able to thrive in places where other
    plants struggle. Note that in some regions the white mouth dayflower is
    considered invasive.

    The dayflower’s rhizomes, plant stems that are modified to grow
    horizontally beneath the surface, allow it to grow roots and shoots to
    form new plants. As you can see, the underground portion of this plant
    is a tangle of root systems -- several plants have grown together
    (bottom photo). Since entire new plants can grow from rhizomes
    fragments in the soil, once this species become established it’s very
    hard to eradicate.
    * Rishon LeZion, Israel Coordinates: 31.9730, 34.7925

    Related EPODs

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    Plant Links

    * Discover Life
    * Tree Encyclopedia
    * What are Phytoplankton?
    * Encyclopedia of Life - What is a Plant?
    * USDA Plants Database
    * University of Texas Native Plant Database
    * Plants in Motion
    * What Tree is It?

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Thu Mar 24 12:00:54 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Moondogs and Paraselenic Arc

    March 24, 2022


    MatthewC_moon-photo (003)

    Photographer: Matthew Chin
    Summary Author: Matthew Chin; Jim Foster
    The photo above show the evening sky and the Moon as viewed from Yuen
    Long, Hong Kong on December 17, 2021. Faintly colored arcs in the
    vicinity of the Moon are annotated. Though it’s not unusual to be able
    to see a 22-degree lunar halo, observing moondogs (on both
    sides of the Moon) and the paraselenic circle is much more
    challenging. The Moon must be bright, near the full phase, in order
    to detect these dim arcs. Note that the paraselenic arc passes
    through the center of the lunar disk and circles around the sky ---
    best seen with a fisheye lens. The bright streak at upper is a jet
    contrail.
    * Yuen Long, Hong Kong Coordinates: 22.4445, 114.0222

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    Atmospheric Effects Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
    * Color and Light in Nature
    * The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
    * Refraction Index
    * Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
    * What is a Rainbow?

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Tue May 24 12:00:30 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Rainshaft Spotted in New York

    May 24, 2022

    Rainshaft2

    Photographer: Jack Widner

    Summary Author: Jack Widner

    Shown in the photo above is a rain shaft spotted in August 2016
    while driving southwest of Buffalo, New York. This specific cloud
    burst was one of several that occurred day, including one east on I-90
    near the New York-Pennsylvania border. Rain shafts are a type of
    convection storm that have strong centralized updrafts and
    downdrafts and produce very localized precipitation.
    * Angola, New York Coordinates: 42.638, -79.027

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    Severe Weather Links

    * World Severe Weather Information Center
    * Enhanced Fujita Scale
    * A Lightning Primer
    * More About Thunderstorms
    * Staying Safe Outdoors in Severe Weather
    * NOAA Storm Prediction Center
    * Patterns of Lightning Activity
    * US National Weather Service

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Fri Jun 24 12:01:08 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Sun Plunging into the Mist and Sea

    June 24, 2022

    Sole e foschia

    Photographer: Emanuele Nifosì

    Summary Authors: Emanuele Nifosì; Cadan Cummings

    Shown above is the setting Sun captured as it passed through a
    thick layer of clouds and mist on the horizon. The vibrant hues of
    sunset and sunrise are a product of atmospheric scattering. When
    the Sun is low to the horizon, the incoming sunlight must pass through
    a greater amount of our atmosphere. During these times of the day,
    shorter wavelengths of light (violet, blue, green) are more
    strongly scattered out of sight compared to the longer wavelength hues
    (orange and red). Looking closely at the solar disk, it is also
    possible to appreciate, without a filter, the sunspot AR 2976 at 12
    o'clock. Always protect your eyes and optics when viewing the Sun.
    Photo taken on March 24, 2020, at around 6:19 pm local time.

    Photo details: Nikon D700, Skywatcher ED 50, Hyperion 17mm, ISO 1600,
    exp 1/400 sec.
    * Scicli, Ragusa, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 36.7932, 14.7070

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    Sun Links

    * NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory
    * NASA Solar Eclipse Page
    * NOAA Solar Calculator
    * The Sun-Earth Connection: Heliophysics
    * The Sunspot Cycle
    * Solar System Exploration: The Sun
    * The Sun Now
    * This Week’s Sky

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Wed Aug 24 12:01:00 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Eastern Flank of Mt. Etna

    August 24, 2022

    Epod-etna-bove-02062022

    Photographer: Rosario Catania
    Summary Author: Rosario Catania
    The photo above shows Mt. Etna as seen in its eastern guise, above
    its ancient eruptive centers. The majestic Valle del Bove
    (foreground) is a wide basin more than 3,280 ft (1,000 m) deep, 3 miles
    (5 km) wide and 4 miles (7 km) long. This depression, dating back
    between 7 and 10 thousand years, was caused by the collapse of these
    eruptive centers.

    On the left of the photo, visible in the distance, is the city of
    Catania, with the Ionian Sea extending southward, and on the
    right is the coast of Calabria (mainland of Italy).

    During eruptions over the past 30 years, millions of cubic meters
    of lava have poured from this stratovolcano into the Valle del Bove
    Bove, which was once rich in vegetation and cultivated fields. Etna, a
    natural laboratory par excellence, has been a World Heritage Site
    since 2013. Photo taken on June 2, 2022.

    Zafferana, Etnea Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.6897, 15.1053


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    Geography Links

    * Atlapedia Online
    * CountryReports
    * GPS Visualizer
    * Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
    * Mapping Our World
    * Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
    * Types of Land
    * World Mapper

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Mon Oct 24 12:00:34 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Meteors from Fragments of Chang Zheng 2F Rocket Launch

    October 24, 2022


    IMG_basura_cohete_chino_20-06-2022 (1 de 1)

    Photographer: Ana García Suárez
    Summary Author: Ana García Suárez
    Near the summit of Mirador Infinito on the island of La Palma, a
    group of stargazers were startled by a phenomenon they first thought to
    be a meteor shower. Several aligned fireballs moved slowly crossing
    the night sky leaving behind distinct trails. They later discover that
    these meteors occurred as a result of one of the phases of the
    Chang Zheng 2F rocket, launched on June 5 (2022), breaking up upon
    re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. White and orange lights formed a
    row of fireballs from fragments of the rocket that became incandescent
    as a result of friction with the upper atmosphere. Because at the
    time these stargazers didn’t know the true explanation, it surely
    looked like a scene from a dystopian movie. Photo taken on June 20,
    2021.


    La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain Coordinates: 28.7134, -17.9058


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    Atmospheric Effects Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
    * Color and Light in Nature
    * The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
    * Refraction Index
    * Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
    * What is a Rainbow?

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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  • From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Thu Nov 24 11:01:06 2022
    EPOD - a service of USRA

    The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
    captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
    community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
    relevant links.


    Below the Wasatch Range’s Storm Mountain

    November 24, 2022


    RayB_bigcott832c_19oct22 (002)

    RayB_bigcott837c_19oct22 (003)

    Photographer: Ray Boren

    Summary Author: Ray Boren

    Geologic forces spanning millions of years — from estuarine
    deposits and metamorphic pressures to mountain building and
    never-ending erosion — are exposed in beautiful Big Cottonwood
    Canyon, a cleft in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City,
    Utah. Accessible examples of these phenomena are found alongside a
    graceful curve in the canyon highway below ominously named Storm
    Mountain. Here, tinted in shades of oxidized red and darker black, are
    layered Big Cottonwood Formation rocks, as illustrated in the first
    photo, taken on October 19, 2022.

    The eye-catching outcrops at Storm Mountain include quartzite,
    a dense, quartz-rich sandstone, and argillite, a clay-rich
    mudstone. The layers were originally laid down over 720 million years
    ago, during the Neoproterozoic. They were subsequently uplifted,
    folded and steeply tilted beginning about 75 million years ago,
    creating this rugged landscape. The quartzites were originally
    deposited in rivers and tidal channels, while the argillite comes from
    calmer deposits — both evidence of an ancient, seaside estuary that
    preceded the mountains themselves.

    A second photograph, taken the same day from below an overhang in the
    rocks and above the curving highway, partly shows Storm Mountain’s
    steep, craggy face, to the left. The peak rises some 2,100 feet (700
    meters) above the canyon, topping out at 9,528 feet (2,904 meters)
    above sea level. The perspective also hints at the season under
    way: The leaves of stream-side mountain maples, cottonwoods, oaks and
    other deciduous trees and bushes have turned autumnal shades of red and
    yellow, for their production of chlorophyll has ceased with the
    arrival of fall’s cooler temperatures and shorter days.


    Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah Coordinates: 40.6373 -111.6330


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    Geography Links

    * Atlapedia Online
    * CountryReports
    * GPS Visualizer
    * Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
    * Mapping Our World
    * Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
    * Types of Land
    * World Mapper

    -
    Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
    Space Research Association.

    https://epod.usra.edu

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