• ES Picture of the Day 23 2022

    From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Wed Feb 23 11:01:22 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.


    Steep Moki Steps

    February 23, 2022

    PeekABooSlotCanyonMokiStepsSteep

    Photographer: Stan Wagon

    Summary Author: Stan Wagon

    The Native Americans who inhabited the Colorado Plateau often
    constructed handholds and footholds (known as Moki steps) in
    sandstone to allow passage on steep slabs. The example in the photo
    above shows a remarkably steep collection of such steps from the bottom
    of a slot canyon ( Peek-a-boo Slot Canyon) to a shelf that perhaps
    contains a granary (small structure to store food). Such steps are
    often seen starting some distance off the ground. Perhaps the sandy
    bottom was higher when they were made; or perhaps a ladder was used.
    Photo taken on October 8, 2021.

    Photo details: SONY A6500 camera; 20 mm lens and tripod; ISO 400; f/13;
    0.8 second shutter speed.
    * Red Canyon Slot (north of Kanab), Utah Coordinates: 37.18282,
    -112.54845

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    Geology Links

    * Earthquakes
    * Geologic Time
    * Geomagnetism
    * General Dictionary of Geology
    * Mineral and Locality Database
    * Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
    * This Dynamic Earth
    * USGS
    * MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
    * USGS Ask a Geologist
    * USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
    * USGS Volcano Hazards Program

    -
    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 Mar 23 12:00:58 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.


    Great Salt Lake’s Mirabilite Mounds

    March 23, 2022

    GSLmirabsalt876c_01feb22
    GSLmirabsalt876c_01feb22

    Photographer: Ray Boren

    Summary Author: Ray Boren

    Due to long-term drought, exposed shorelines of the Great Salt Lake
    are in places speckled with crystalline hummocks that resemble the
    larger terraced springs of Yellowstone National Park. Unlike the
    national park’s travertine-lined hot springs, however, the Utah
    phenomena are mirabilite mounds. These unique landforms take shape
    over the cold winter months and when shoreline water has withdrawn
    enough to reveal usually submerged springs.

    This process has been the case for the past few years, notably on the
    south shore beach at Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina, as
    illustrated in the above photographs taken on February 1, 2022. The
    first photo shows several mounds, with the lake’s edge and
    Stansbury Island in the distance, while the second picture is a
    closeup of one of the formations.

    A layer of sodium sulfate underlies the lakebed surface, so when
    spring water rises in the winter cold, mirabilite crystals effloresce
    upon exposure. This crystallization process creates the mounds and
    their sequences of small terraces. The mineral mirabilite — from the
    Latin “sal mirabilis” for “wonderful salt” — is found in saline
    lakes and on playas around the world. The rare mounds around Great Salt
    Lake are not composed of sodium chloride, also known as common table
    salt (NaCl), but instead of hydrated sodium sulphate
    (Na2SO4•10H2O). This compound is also called Glauber’s salt and has
    various medical applications.
    * Great Salt Lake, Utah Coordinates: 41.115, -112.476

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    Hydrology Links

    * Current Sea Surface Temperature
    * NOAA Ocean Explorer Gallery
    * Ocean Color
    * What is hydrology?
    * Tides and Currents
    * Water Resources of the United States
    * World Waterfall Database
    * The USGS Water Science School
    * World Water Database
    * The World’s Water
    * USGS Surface Water Information Pages

    -
    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 Sat Apr 23 12:01:10 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.


    Archive - Great Sand Dunes National Park

    April 23, 2022

    6a0105371bb32c970b015393cbfb9b970b

    Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.

    This EPOD was originally published on December 9, 2011.

    Photographer: Ingrid Wood
    Summary Author: Ingrid Wood; Jim Foster
    The photo above shows the massive tan-colored dunes in Great
    Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado. Hikers in the
    foreground give scale to the immense size of these windblown sand
    dunes, which reach up to about 750 ft (230 m) above the surrounding
    landscape -- perhaps the tallest in North America. These dunes cover
    some 39 sq mi (100 sq km) and over thousands of years have settled up
    against the windward flank of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains,
    pushed by prevailing southwest winds across the San Luis
    Valley. The source of the sand was a widespread sand sheet, sand
    left behind when ancient lakes dried up, in the central portion of the
    San Luis Valley. Photo taken on August 22, 2007.

    Photo Details: Camera: Canon PowerShot A530; Focal Length: 9.8mm;
    Aperture: f/7.1; Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320).
    * Great Sand Dunes, Colorado Coordinates: 37.73287, -105.51212

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    Geology Links

    * Earthquakes
    * Geologic Time
    * Geomagnetism
    * General Dictionary of Geology
    * Mineral and Locality Database
    * Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
    * This Dynamic Earth
    * USGS
    * MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
    * USGS Ask a Geologist
    * USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
    * USGS Volcano Hazards Program

    -
    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 May 23 12:00:52 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.


    Supernumerary Rainbow Over Modica, Italy

    May 23, 2022

    Arcobaleno_verticale_collage_epod

    Photographer: Salvatore Cerruto

    Summary Authors: Salvatore Cerruto; Cadan Cummings

    During the afternoon of February 15, 2022, I was lucky enough to see a
    supernumerary rainbow in the sky over Modica, Sicily, Italy.
    These unique rainbow arcs are visible below the primary rainbow and
    are produced when incoming sunlight is diffracted through very
    small raindrops. Resulting from the diffraction process are regions of
    light wave interference where the colorful band are from
    constructive interference and the colorless gaps are from destructive
    interference.

    Supernumerary rainbows can be identified by several colored fringes-
    ranging from indigo to green- visible below the rainbow that also
    appear like the rainbow is repeating itself. To show the optical
    phenomenon in greater detail, I enlarged the part that had the
    supernumerary arcs and saturated it a little to highlight the
    features and colors. This specific composite image is a panorama
    composed of eight vertical shots taken using a Nikon DSLR camera with a
    35mm lens.
    * Modica, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 36.8588, 14.7608

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    Atmospheric Effects Links

    * Atmospheric Optics
    * Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
    * Color and Light in Nature
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    * 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 Jun 23 12:00:56 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.


    Glory Observed Above Sicily, Italy

    June 23, 2022


    IMG_20220311_145649_3000

    Photographer: Salvatore Cerruto
    Summary Authors: Salvatore Cerruto; Jim Foster

    During a recent plane trip, I was able to observe the glory shown
    above while we were landing in Sicily, approaching Catania's
    Fontanarossa Airport. Sometimes called the "pilot's glory, these
    colorful concentric rings appear on the side of the plane directly
    opposite of the Sun. This phenomenon can also be seen from
    mountainous areas, if a fog bank lies below you, as colored rings
    surrounding the observer’s own shadow.

    The glory is formed from diffraction of sunlight by tiny cloud
    droplets. When sunlight enters these droplets (approximately 0.0010 –
    0.0050 mm in diameter), their small size acts to scatter light
    rather than refract or reflect it. Photo taken on March 11,
    2022.
    * Catania, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.6771210, 14.6250490

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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 Aug 23 12:01:02 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.


    Summertime Fireflies and Star Trails

    August 23, 2022

    DSC_1228s2

    Photographer: Matthew Chin
    Summary Author: Matthew Chin
    Even though Hong Kong isn’t graced with many green spaces, in a few
    locations, such as Sha Lo Tung, we can see vast numbers of
    fireflies in late spring and throughout summer. Unfortunately,
    their environment is being increasingly destroyed because of various
    human activities. As shown above, the bioluminescent trails left by
    the little fireflies and the star trails of the summer
    constellations have been combined onto one image. Photo taken on August
    29, 2017.

    Photo details: Nikon D750 camera; 18 mm lens.


    Sha Lo Tung, Hong Kong, Coordinates: 22.4794, 114.1823

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    Animal Links

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    * Microbial Life Resources
    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 Sep 23 12:01:10 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.


    Celestial Parade of the Planets in June 2022

    September 23, 2022

    0623PlanetsandMoon-3 (1)

    DSC_1140s2 (1)

    Allineamento Planetario Tranego 7-4

    Photographers: Matthew Chin; Meiying Lee; Alessandra Masi

    Summary Authors: Meiying Lee; Matthew Chin; Alessandra Masi

    Featured above are views of the visible planets in our solar
    system, and the crescent moon, as seen from Taipei (top), Yuen
    Long, Hong Kong (middle) and the Dolomite Range of Italy (bottom,
    note that Neptune and Uranus are also visible here). Such an
    unusual alignment can be observed only about once every 20-years.
    Top and middle photos were taken on June 23, 2022, and the bottom photo
    was taken on June 25, 2022. All photos were captured looking east, just
    before dawn.


    Yuen Long, Hong Kong Coordinates: 22.4445, 114.0222

    Taipei, Taiwan Coordinates: 25.0330, 121.5654

    Dolomites Mountains, Italy Coordinates: 46.433334, 11.850000


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    Night Sky Links

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    * Heavens Above Home Page
    * The International Meteor Organization
    * Lunar and Planetary Institute
    * MoonConnection
    * NASA Eclipse Web Page
    * Understanding The Moon Phases

    -
    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 Nov 23 11:01:08 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.


    Saturn's Rings in 2020, 2021 and 2022

    November 23, 2022


    Astro_by_sona (5)
    Photographer: Sona Shahani
    Summary Author: Sona Shahani

    Shown above is a compilation of images featuring Saturn and its
    ring system in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The most recent image was taken
    on June 25, 2022. Saturn’s axial tilt is 27 degrees, and from our
    perspective we see the rings present themselves differently every
    year. Reflection from Saturn’s rings slightly increases how bright
    Saturn appears to us. However, even when the “ringed planet” is at
    maximum tilt, we’re unable to detect the rings with the naked eye. All
    photos observed from New Delhi, India.

    Photo details: 8" Skywatcher Flextube Dobsonian telescope; ZWO
    ASI178MC; 2.5X; Televue Powermate; EQ Platform; SvBony UV/IR Filter;
    Captured in Shaprcap; stacked in ASi3; Wavelets in Registax and fine
    tuning in Photoshop.

    New Delhi, India Coordinates: 28.6139, 77.2090


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    Night Sky Links

    * Space Weather Live
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    * About the Moon
    * American Meteor Society
    * Arbeitskreises Meteore e.V.
    * Global City Lights
    * Heavens Above Home Page
    * The International Meteor Organization
    * Lunar and Planetary Institute
    * MoonConnection
    * NASA Eclipse Web Page
    * Understanding The Moon Phases

    -
    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 Dec 23 11:02:32 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.


    Halo Display Observed from Graubunden, Switzerland

    December 23, 2022


    Sean_4C5DBEC2-262F-4278-8E95-33DAF507563E

    Photographer: Sean Lybrand
    Summary Author: Sean Lybrand

    Shown above is a portion of halo display I had the pleasure to
    observe over the Swiss Alps on October 11, 2022. Ice crystals in
    clouds or free falling through the atmosphere can create a medley of
    beautiful halos; some very obvious and some quite faint.

    Conspicuous here are the 22-degree halo, both sundogs or
    parhelia, the parhelic circle, the upper tangent arc (tangent
    to the 22-halo) and the suncave Parry arc (just above the upper
    tangent arc). Not nearly as evident are the rarely seen upper and lower
    Lowitz arcs (in the vicinity of the parhelia).


    Sent, Graubunden, Switzerland. Coordinates: 46.81016, 10.34032


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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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