NASA Photo of the Day

Today:

Galaxy NGC 474: Shells and Star Streams
Image Credit & Copyright: P.-A. Duc(CEA, CFHT), Atlas 3D Collaboration Explanation: What's happening to galaxy NGC 474? The multiple layers of emission appear strangely complex and unexpected given the relatively featureless appearance of the elliptical galaxy in less deep images. The cause of the shells is currently unknown, but possibly tidal tails related to debris left over from absorbing numerous small galaxies in the past billion years. Alternatively the shells may be like ripples in a pond, where the ongoing collision with the spiral galaxy just above NGC 474is causing density waves to ripple though the galactic giant. Regardless of the actual cause, the above imagedramatically highlights the increasing consensus that at least some elliptical galaxieshave formed in the recent past, and that the outer halos of most large galaxies are not really smooth but have complexities induced by frequent interactions with -- and accretions of -- smaller nearby galaxies. The halo of our own Milky Way Galaxyis one example of such unexpected complexity. NGC 474 spans about 250,000 light years and lies about 100 million light years distant toward the constellation of the Fish (Pisces).

sixth element

sixth element from Level 4 on Vimeo.

RIP Phil Everly

Phil Everly, who with his brother Don made up the most revered vocal duo of the rock-music era — their exquisite harmonies profoundly influencing the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and countless younger rock, folk and country singers — died Friday in Burbank, Calif., of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Patti Everly, said. He was 74.

A Nice Side Story From the Winter Classic

Katie Baker describes one of the alumni games held at Comerica Park:

This time around, there were not one but two alumni games, held back-to-back Tuesday at a different outdoor rink in Detroit's downtown Comerica Park. It was definitely a bit of overkill — particularly since the games were transparently split into A and B squads — but it also led to some outstanding moments.
In the first game (the JV one), legendary Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson not only suited up at age 74, he kind of put everyone to shame. It was like watching Jack Palance do one-armed push-ups at the Oscars. Before one crucial faceoff, he even began directing his teammates as if they were his Wolverines. After the game, more than one aging player declared him an idol. "I think I'm lucky," said Berenson, who has been behind the bench at Michigan for 30 years. "I've been able to stay in the game and stay around young kids playing college hockey."
And there was also Jiri Fischer, who at 33 was decades younger than some of his teammates. The former first-round pick was forced to retire at 25 after collapsing from cardiac arrest on the bench in 2005; on Tuesday, he scored the game's first goal, calling it "a little fairy tale."

Red Berenson sounds like a badass. The main event at Michigan Stadium was pretty kickass, too.  Hopefully the NHL doesn't kill the impact of these events by having too many (they have 3 more outdoor games coming up in the next few weeks).  But honestly, the view from the seats has to be pretty damn crappy, considering how far away the seats are from the rink.

A Sense of Place - #1

A Sense of Place - #1: Argyll Forest Park from Max Smith TV on Vimeo.

Dubai Tries To Ring In New Year With Record Fireworks Display

Breaking News from ABC | ABC Sports News

NPR:

Organizers of what is expected to be certified as the world's largest fireworks display ever put on a show in Dubai that was seen by thousands of people Tuesday, as viewers turned out to celebrate the new year and watch the spectacle. The show was also and on .
Both the Dubai Media and the Guinness World Records' sites seemed to struggle with the crush of web traffic from people wanting to see the show. On the scene, the weather cooperated to give the audience a clear and dry night. A record 1.7 million people attended the event last year, according to .
As , fireworks and parties are the hallmark of tonight, as people welcome the arrival of 2014.
Here's how the folks at Guinness described tonight's show in Dubai, from a preview written before the display began:
"Staring precisely 20 seconds before midnight local time, over 500,000 fireworks are set to be used during the display which is set to last around six minutes, with Guinness World Records adjudicators on hand to officiate the attempt.
"Covering a distance of over 94km (61.6 miles) of the city's seafront, the display will incorporate some of Dubai's top landmarks, including Palm Jumeirah, World Islands, the Burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab.
"The spectacle's final salvo of fireworks will create an artificial 'sunrise' along the seafront, with the highest fireworks reaching more than one kilometre in height."
The Dubai display was aimed at displacing a Guinness record held by Kuwait, reports .

 I love me some fireworks but I don't love me some Gulf states.

Dreamscapes

Dreamscapes from Jonathan Besler on Vimeo.

White Turf

The sulky sleighs are cool, but the guys skiing behind the horses are nuts:

White Turf from ND Strupler on Vimeo.

NASA Photo of the Day

December 19:

A Colorful Moon
Image Credit & Copyright: László Francsics Explanation: The Moonis normally seen in subtle shades of grey or yellow. But small, measurable color differenceshave been greatly exaggerated to make this telescopic, multicolored, moonscape captured during the Moon's full phase. The different colors are recognized to correspond to real differences in the chemical makeup of the lunar surface. Blue hues reveal titanium richareas while orange and purple colors show regions relatively poor in titanium and iron. The familiarSea of Tranquility, or Mare Tranquillitatis, is the blue area in the upper right corner of the frame. White lines radiate across the orange-hued southern lunar highlands from 85 kilometer wide ray crater Tychoat bottom left. Above it, darker rays from crater Copernicusextend into the Sea of Rains (Mare Imbrium) at the upper left. Calibrated by rock samplesfrom the Apollo missions, similar multicolor images from spacecrafthave been used to explore the Moon's global surface composition.

From 1994

"From 1994" Short Film from Casey Warren | MINDCASTLE on Vimeo.

NASA Photo of the Day

December 13:

Geminid Meteor Shower over Dashanbao Wetlands
Image Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai Explanation: The annual Geminid meteor showeris raining down on planet Earth this week. And despite the waxing gibbous moonlight, the reliable Geminidsshould be enjoyable tonight (night of December 13/14) near the shower's peak. Recorded near last year's peak in the early hours of December 14, 2012, this skyscape captures many of Gemini's lovely shooting stars. The careful composite of exposures was made during a three hour period overlooking the Dashanbao Wetlands in central China. Dark skies above are shared with bright Jupiter (right), Orion, (right of center) and the faint band of the Milky Way. The shower's radiant in the constellation Gemini, the apparent source of all the meteor streaks, lies just above the top of the frame. Dust swept up from the orbit of active asteroid3200 Phaethon, Gemini's meteors enter the atmosphere traveling at about 22 kilometers per second.

Into The Atmosphere

Into The Atmosphere from Michael Shainblum on Vimeo.

Winter

Winter from Paul Klaver on Vimeo.

NASA Photo of the Day

December 1:

A Laser Strike at the Galactic Center
Image Credit: Yuri Beletsky(ESO) Explanation: Why are these people shooting a powerful laser into the center of our Galaxy? Fortunately, this is not meant to be the first step in a Galacticwar. Rather, astronomers at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) site in Chileare trying to measure the distortions of Earth's ever changing atmosphere. Constant imaging of high-altitude atoms excited by the laser -- which appear like an artificial star -- allow astronomers to instantly measure atmospheric blurring. This information is fed back to a VLT telescope mirror which is then slightly deformed to minimize this blurring. In this case, a VLT was observing our Galaxy's center, and so Earth's atmospheric blurring in that direction was needed. As for inter-galaxy warfare, when viewed from our Galaxy's center, no casualties are expected. In fact, the light from this powerful laser would combine with light from our Sun to together appear only as bright as a faint and distant star.

Wyoming Wildscapes II

Wyoming Wildscapes II from Nicolaus Wegner on Vimeo.

If you want to see some sweet storm video, watch from 4:00 to 6:00.

World's Largest Ship Launches for First Time

Wired:

At 600,000 tons and 243 feet wide, when the Prelude left its dry dock in South Korea after a year-long build, it unseated the Emma Maersk (1,302 feet) as the world’s largest ship. But calling it a ship is almost a misnomer. The Prelude is a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility that will be posted off the coast of Western Australia and will stay there for the next quarter-century.
As an FLNG plant, the Prelude handles everything involved in capturing, processing, and storing liquid natural gas, sucking the stuff from deep within the Earth and refining 3.9 million tons each year before it’s offloaded onto smaller ships that bring it back to the mainland.
Since the Prelude has to process and hold 175 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of the liquid natural gas year-round, it has to withstand anything Mother Nature sends its way. For that, there’s a 305-foot-tall turret that runs through the ship and into the seafloor, keeping the Prelude anchored and allowing it to slowly pivot to the direction of the wind. Between the moorings, the turret, and the three 6,700-horsepower engines, the ship can handle a category 5 hurricane.
The Prelude is set to launch in 2017, and will settle into its new home 300 miles north-east of Broome, Western Australia through 2042.

Yeah, it's bigger than this ship.  Here's some video explanation:

Grand Canyon Inversion

Beautiful pictures:

Cool.

Journey Part 1

Journey Part 1 from Andrew Walker on Vimeo.

NASA Photo of the Day

November 26:

Cap Cloud over the Sierra Nevadas
Image Credit & Copyright: Guido Montañés Explanation: One might say this was a bell weather day for the Sierra Nevada mountains. In January, just as the Sun was setting above the district of Albayzín in Grenada, Spain, a huge cloud appeared as a bell capping the Veleta peak. Such a Cap cloud is formed by air forced upwards by a mountain peak, with the air then cooling, saturating with moisture, and finally having its molecular water condense into cloud droplets. Such a bell-shaped cloud structure is unusual as air typically moves horizontally, making most clouds nearly flat across at the bottom. Vertical waves can also give additional lenticular cloud layers, as also seen above. Given the fleeting extent of the great cloud coupled with momentarily excellent sunset coloring, one might considered this also a bellwether day for an accomplished photographer.

Small Town