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Jan 31, 2015
A Night at Poker Flat A Night at Poker Flat
Four NASA suborbital sounding rockets leapt into the night on January 26, from the University of Alaska's Poker Flat Research Range. This time lapse composite image follows all four launches of the small, multi-stage rockets to explore winter's mesmerizing, aurora-filled skies. During the exposures, stars trailed around the North Celestial Pole, high above the horizon at the site 30 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. Lidar, beams of pulsed green lasers, also left traces through the scene. Operating successfully, the payloads lofted were two Mesosphere-Lower Thermosphere Turbulence Experiments (M-TeX) and two Mesospheric Inversion-layer Stratified Turbulence (MIST) experiments, creating vapor trails at high altitudes to be tracked by ground-based observations. via NASA http://ift.tt/1LoEhJN
Jan 30, 2015
#GrandStaircase-Escalante #NationalMonument in #Utah is otherworldly, with vast landscapes of canyons, winding rugged backways and balanced rocks. Pictured here is the monument's #Toadstools -- stone caps of Dakota Sandstone protecting the softer sandstone create amazing hoodoos. David Lane created this stunning multi-image panorama of the area with the #MilkyWay above and radiating bands of red and green airglow visible. While Page, #Arizona, is nearly 50 miles south of the monument (and a soft, barely discernible light to the naked eye), the long exposure of David's camera captured the light more vividly. Photo courtesy of David Lane. by usinterior
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Yesterday, Yahoo! released a list of "The Nation’s Worst National Parks," but we think these national parks are some of the most beautiful places in the U.S. This stunning pic of the #Badlands National Park in South Dakota (Yahoo!'s #3 worst #NationalPark) proves they are definitely worth the visit! The rugged beauty of @badlandsnps in #SouthDakota draws visitors from around the world. The park’s striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds, and its 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets live today. Photo by Harlan Humphrey (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Close Encounter with M44 Close Encounter with M44
On Monday, January 26, well-tracked asteroid 2004 BL86 made its closest approach, a mere 1.2 million kilometers from our fair planet. That's about 3.1 times the Earth-Moon distance or 4 light-seconds away. Moving quickly through Earth's night sky, it left this streak in a 40 minute long exposure on January 27 made from Piemonte, Italy. The remarkably pretty telescopic field of view includes M44, also known as the Beehive or Praesepe star cluster in Cancer. Of course, its close encounter with M44 is only an apparent one, with the cluster nearly along the same line-of-sight to the near-earth asteroid. The actual distance between star cluster and asteroid is around 600 light-years. Still, the close approach to planet Earth allowed detailed radar imaging from NASA's Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California and revealed the asteroid to have its own moon. via NASA http://ift.tt/1uDIdf4
Jan 29, 2015
Amazing #winter shot of Great Sand Dunes #NationalPark and Preserve in #Colorado. David Paul Davie took captured this shot of dark clouds rolling over the park's main dunefield, which covers approximately 30 square miles. #GreatSandDunes is home to a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes and tundra -- not to mention the tallest dunes in North America. Photo courtesy of David Paul Davie. by usinterior
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Big news: The rare #SierraNevada red fox was recently spotted in #Yosemite National Park in #California. The confirmed sighting, which was captured with a remote motion-sensitive camera, is the first time this species of fox has been seen in @Yosemitenps in nearly 100 years. The Sierra Nevada #redfox of California is one of the rarest mammals in North America, likely consisting of fewer than 50 individuals. #NationalPark Service photo. by usinterior
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Comet Lovejoy in a Winter Sky Comet Lovejoy in a Winter Sky
Which of these night sky icons can you find in this beautiful and deep exposure of the northern winter sky? Skylights include the stars in Orion's belt, the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades star cluster, the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel, the California Nebula, Barnard's Loop, and Comet Lovejoy. The belt stars of Orion are nearly vertical in the central line between the horizon and the image center, with the lowest belt star obscured by the red glowing Flame Nebula. To the belt's left is the red arc of Barnard's Loop followed by the bright orange star Betelgeuse, while to the belt's right is the colorful Orion Nebula followed by the bright blue star Rigel. The blue cluster of bright stars near the top center is the Pleiades, and the red nebula to its left is the California nebula. The bright orange dot above the image center is the star Aldebaran, while the green object with the long tail to its right is Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy). The featured image was taken about two weeks ago near Palau village in Spain. via NASA http://ift.tt/18sBKzc
Jan 28, 2015
Today, visitors to the #GrandCanyon National Park (@grandcanyonnps) in #Arizona got to see this stunning sight. This #weather phenomenon is called a total cloud inversion, and it happens when the air near the ground is cooler than the air above it, creating a sea of clouds. While typically a rare event, this is the second cloud inversion at the Grand Canyon in six weeks. Pictured here is the #SouthRim's "Battleship," which truly looked like a ship today, cutting through the waves. Photo by M. Quinn, #NationalPark Service. by usinterior
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Our Galaxys Magnetic Field from Planck Our Galaxys Magnetic Field from Planck
What does the magnetic field of our Galaxy look like? It has long been known that a modest magnetic field pervades our Milky Way Galaxy because it is seen to align small dust grains that scatter background light. Only recently, however, has the Sun-orbiting Planck satellite made a high-resolution map of this field. Color coded, the 30-degree wide map confirms, among other things, that the Galaxy's interstellar magnetism is strongest in the central disk. The revolution of charged gas around the Galactic center creates this magnetism, and it is hypothesized that viewed from the top, the Milky Way's magnetic field would appear as a spiral swirling out from the center. What caused many of the details in this and similar Planck maps -- and how magnetism in general affected our Galaxy's evolution -- will likely remain topics of research for years to come. via NASA http://ift.tt/1uVSucf
Jan 27, 2015
Acadia #NationalPark in #Maine is gorgeous at night! If you can brave the cold (and snow the park is getting right now), winter is a great time to visit the park. From scenic winter drives and hiking to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, there is something for everyone. Photo of the stars over #Acadia from late last week by Connor McNulty (@connormcnulty). by usinterior
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The Milky Way over the Seven Strong Men Rock Formations The Milky Way over the Seven Strong Men Rock Formations
You may have heard of the Seven Sisters in the sky, but have you heard about the Seven Strong Men on the ground? Located just west of the Ural Mountains, the unusual Manpupuner rock formations are one of the Seven Wonders of Russia. How these ancient 40-meter high pillars formed is yet unknown. The persistent photographer of this featured image battled rough terrain and uncooperative weather to capture these rugged stone towers in winter at night, being finally successful in February of last year. Utilizing the camera's time delay feature, the photographer holds a flashlight in the foreground near one of the snow-covered pillars. High above, millions of stars shine down, while the band of our Milky Way Galaxy crosses diagonally down from the upper left. via NASA http://ift.tt/1CWiaUQ
Jan 26, 2015
Spotted: The first baby owl of the year at #Nisqually National #WildlifeRefuge in #Washington. Situated between Olympia and Seattle, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge (@usfws) is famous for the more than 275 migratory bird species that use the refuge for migration, wintering or breeding. Photo an owlet by Louise Whitehead. by usinterior
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Happy 100th birthday, #RockyMountain #NationalPark! On this day in 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law that established @RockyNPS in #Colorado. Today, the park’s 415 square miles encompass and protect spectacular mountain environments. Visitors can experience the subalpine and alpine worlds on Trail Ridge Road and enjoy more than 300 miles of hiking trails, wildflowers, wildlife and starry nights. Photo of #sunrise at the park's Bear Lake by Ric Cederhold (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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A Twisted Solar Eruptive Prominence A Twisted Solar Eruptive Prominence
Ten Earths could easily fit in the "claw" of this seemingly solar monster. The monster, actually a huge eruptive prominence, is seen moving out from our Sun in this condensed half-hour time-lapse sequence. This large prominence, though, is significant not only for its size, but its shape. The twisted figure eight shape indicates that a complex magnetic field threads through the emerging solar particles. Differential rotation of gas just inside the surface of the Sun might help account for the surface explosion. The five frame sequence was taken in early 2000 by the Sun-orbiting SOHO satellite. Although large prominences and energetic Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are relatively rare, they are again occurring more frequently now that we are near the Solar Maximum, a time of peak sunspot and solar activity in the eleven-year solar cycle. via NASA http://ift.tt/1JE3Nam
Jan 25, 2015
Today, the Obama Administration moved to protect the Arctic National #WildlifeRefuge, releasing a conservation plan and calling on Congress to designate core areas of the refuge -- including its Coastal Plain -- as wilderness, the highest level of protection available to #publiclands. The 19.8 million acre #Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in #Alaska is widely considered one of the most spectacular and remote areas in the world. It is home to the most diverse wildlife in the arctic, from caribou and polar bears to gray wolves and muskoxen. Lagoons, beaches, saltmarshes, tundra and forests make up the remote and undisturbed wild area that spans five distinct ecological regions, and the refuge holds special meaning to Alaska Natives -- having sustained their lives and culture for thousands of years. Visit www.DOI.gov to learn more. by usinterior
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Light from Cygnus A Light from Cygnus A
Celebrating astronomy in this International Year of Light, the detailed image reveals spectacular active galaxy Cygnus A in light across the electromagnetic spectrum. Incorporating X-ray data (blue) from the orbiting Chandra Observatory, Cygnus A is seen to be a prodigious source of high energy x-rays. But it is actually more famous at the low energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. One of the brightest celestial sources visible to radio telescopes, at 600 million light-years distant Cygnus A is the closest powerful radio galaxy. Radio emission (red) extends to either side along the same axis for nearly 300,000 light-years powered by jets of relativistic particles emanating from the galaxy's central supermassive black hole. Hot spots likely mark the ends of the jets impacting surrounding cool, dense material. Confined to yellow hues, optical wavelength data of the galaxy from Hubble and the surrounding field in the Digital Sky Survey complete a remarkable multiwavelength view. via NASA http://ift.tt/1CMqypR
Jan 24, 2015
Zabriskie Point is one of the best places to watch the sunrise and sunset at #DeathValley #NationalPark. Surrounded by a maze of wildly eroded and vibrantly colored badlands, this spectacular view is one of the park’s most famous. Photo by Mahendiran Mohan (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Interior View Interior View
Some prefer windows, and these are the best available on board the International Space Station. Taken on January 4, this snapshot from inside the station's large, seven-window Cupola module also shows off a workstation for controlling Canadarm2. Used to grapple visiting cargo vehicles and assist astronauts during spacewalks, the robotic arm is just outside the window at the right. The Cupola itself is attached to the Earth-facing or nadir port of the station's Tranquility module, offering dynamic panoramas of our fair planet. Seen from the station's 90 minute long, 400 kilometer high orbit, Earth's bright limb is in view above center. via NASA http://ift.tt/1JqrMcN
Jan 23, 2015
Just two hours from Phoenix, #Arizona, the North #Maricopa Mountain Wilderness Area offers outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation. This 63,200-acre wilderness includes part of the #MaricopaMountains, a low-elevation Sonoran Desert range and extensive surrounding desert plains. Saguaro cactuses, desert bighorn sheep and tortoises can all be found in the area. Photo of the #MilkyWay and saguaros by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior
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Located in the Gulf of Mexico on #Florida's barrier island Sanibel, the J.N. "Ding" Darling National #WildlifeRefuge (@USFWS) is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. The refuge is world famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations -- providing an important habitat to over 230 species of birds. The best months to visit for birding are December through March during low tide when the birds are feeding on the exposed mud flats. #Sunset photo by Al Hoffacker. by usinterior
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Launch to Lovejoy Launch to Lovejoy
Blasting skyward an Atlas V rocket carrying a U.S. Navy satellite pierces a cloud bank in this starry night scene captured on January 20. On its way to orbit from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, planet Earth, the rocket streaks past brightest star Sirius, as seen from a dark beach at Canaveral National Seashore. Above the alpha star of Canis Major, Orion the Hunter strikes a pose familiar to northern winter skygazers. Above Orion is the V-shaped Hyades star cluster, head of Taurus the Bull, and farther still above Taurus it's easy to spot the compact Pleiades star cluster. Of course near the top of the frame you'll find the greenish coma and long tail of Comet Lovejoy, astronomical darling of these January nights. via NASA http://ift.tt/1ChS00P
Jan 22, 2015
No two miles of #Olympic #NationalPark's Pacific coastline are alike. From beaches to cliffs plunging into the sea, Olympic's 73 miles of #Washington coastline is a must see when visiting the park. Hudson Henry (@hudson.henry) took this photo of the #MilkyWay and wave-battered rock outcroppings -- called sea stacks -- from the park's southern coast. Photo courtesy of @hudson.henry. by usinterior
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A fresh coat of snow blankets #Denali #NationalPark in #Alaska, creating this beautiful image of the park. Daniel A. Leifheit (@danleifheit) took this photo of #MountMcKinley -- the tallest peak in North America -- just after a snowstorm. Photo courtesy of @danleifheit. by usinterior
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The Complex Ion Tail of Comet Lovejoy The Complex Ion Tail of Comet Lovejoy
What causes the structure in Comet Lovejoy's tail? Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy), which is currently at naked-eye brightness and near its brightest, has been showing an exquisitely detailed ion tail. As the name implies, the ion tail is made of ionized gas -- gas energized by ultraviolet light from the Sun and pushed outward by the solar wind. The solar wind is quite structured and sculpted by the Sun's complex and ever changing magnetic field. The effect of the variable solar wind combined with different gas jets venting from the comet's nucleus accounts for the tail's complex structure. Following the wind, structure in Comet Lovejoy's tail can be seen to move outward from the Sun even alter its wavy appearance over time. The blue color of the ion tail is dominated by recombining carbon monoxide molecules, while the green color of the coma surrounding the head of the comet is created mostly by a slight amount of recombining diatomic carbon molecules. The featured three-panel mosaic image was taken nine days ago from the IRIDA Observatory in Bulgaria. Comet Lovejoy made it closest pass to the Earth two weeks ago and will be at its closest to the Sun in about ten days. After that, the comet will fade as it heads back into the outer Solar System, to return only in about 8,000 years. via NASA http://ift.tt/1xwpV0r
Jan 21, 2015
An amazing shot of a foggy morning at #Colorado #NationalMonument -- a place full of towering monoliths surrounded by a vast plateau and canyon. It took photographer Greg Owens a year and a half to capture a good image from this spot near the Monument Canyon turnout. But "on this particular December morning, I felt like a six-year-old unwrapping Christmas presents as I watched this fog roll in from the north just after #sunrise," he said. Photo courtesy of Greg Owens. by usinterior
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Here's a seriously cute photo to start your day: A monk seal watches a baby turtle crawl on the beach at Papahānaumokuākea Marine #NationalMonument. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, #Papahānaumokuākea encompasses 139,797 square miles of the Pacific Ocean -- including the Hawaiian Islands National #WildlifeRefuge and Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (@USFWS). Many of the islands and shallow water environments are important habitats for rare species such as the threatened green sea turtle and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal. Photo by Mark Sully. by usinterior
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Jan 20, 2015
Located on the Colorado Plateau in northern #Arizona, the Vermilion Cliffs #NationalMonument includes a variety of diverse landscapes -- from the Paria Plateau and #VermilionCliffs to the Coyote Buttes and Paria Canyon. This remote and unspoiled 280,000-acre Monument -- a part of @mypubliclands' National #Conservation Lands -- is a geologic treasure with towering cliffs and deep canyons. The colorful swirls of cross-bedded sandstone in Coyote Buttes, which include The Wave pictured here, are an international hiking destination. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior
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Infrared Orion from WISE Infrared Orion from WISE
The Great Nebula in Orion is an intriguing place. Visible to the unaided eye, it appears as a small fuzzy patch in the constellation of Orion. But this image, an illusory-color four-panel mosaic taken in different bands of infrared light with the Earth orbiting WISE observatory, shows the Orion Nebula to be a bustling neighborhood or recently formed stars, hot gas, and dark dust. The power behind much of the Orion Nebula (M42) is the stars of the Trapezium star cluster, seen near the center of the above wide field image. The orange glow surrounding the bright stars pictured here is their own starlight reflected by intricate dust filaments that cover much of the region. The current Orion Nebula cloud complex, which includes the Horsehead Nebula, will slowly disperse over the next 100,000 years. via NASA http://ift.tt/1BrE6u9
Jan 19, 2015
Today we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #MLK dedicated his life to improving the world, and his legacy has inspired many to continue to make the world a better place through a national day of service (@nationalservice). Happy #MLKDay! Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC, by #NationalPark Service. by usinterior
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The Galactic Core in Infrared The Galactic Core in Infrared
What's happening at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy? To help find out, the orbiting Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes have combined their efforts to survey the region in unprecedented detail in infrared light. Infrared light is particularly useful for probing the Milky Way's center because visible light is more greatly obscured by dust. The above image encompasses more than 2,000 images from the Hubble Space Telescope's NICMOS taken in 2008. The image spans 300 by 115 light years with such high resolution that structures only 20 times the size of our own Solar System are discernable. Clouds of glowing gas and dark dust as well as three large star clusters are visible. Magnetic fields may be channeling plasma along the upper left near the Arches Cluster, while energetic stellar winds are carving pillars near the Quintuplet Cluster on the lower left. The massive Central Cluster of stars surrounding Sagittarius A* is visible on the lower right. Why several central, bright, massive stars appear to be unassociated with these star clusters is not yet understood. via NASA http://ift.tt/15d8D1i
Jan 18, 2015
Looking for something to do tomorrow? Explore the beauty of America's #publiclands like Canyonlands #NationalPark in #Utah (pictured here) for free! On Monday, entrance fees will be waived for national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (#MLKDay). Photo of #Canyonlands' Needles District by Aaron Sauma (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Comet Lovejoy s Tail Comet Lovejoy s Tail
Sweeping north in planet Earth's sky, Comet Lovejoy's greenish coma and blue tinted ion tail stretched across this field of stars in the constellation Taurus on January 13. The inset at the upper left shows the 1/2 degree angular size of the full moon for scale. So Lovejoy's coma appears only a little smaller (but much fainter) than a full moon on the sky, and its tail is visible for over 4 degrees across the frame. That corresponds to over 5 million kilometers at the comet's estimated distance of 75 million kilometers from Earth. Blown by the solar wind, the comet's tenuous, structured ion tail streams away from the Sun, growing as this Comet Lovejoy heads toward perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on January 30. While diatomic carbon (C2) gas fluorescing in sunlight produces the coma's green color, the fainter bluish tail is tinted by emission from ionized carbon monoxide (CO+). via NASA http://ift.tt/1ISU6V4
Jan 17, 2015
Cape Romain National #WildlifeRefuge (@USFWS) extends 22 miles along #SouthCarolina's Atlantic coast and encompasses 66,267 acres of barrier islands, salt marshes, intricate coastal waterways, long sandy beaches, fresh and brackish water impoundments and maritime forest. On Monday, experience the beauty of #CapeRomain first hand with free entrance to the refuge (and all other public lands). #Sunrise photo at Boneyard Beach by William Sumrell (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Huygens Lands on Titan Huygens Lands on Titan
Delivered by Saturn-bound Cassini, ESA's Huygens probe touched down on the ringed planet's largest moon Titan, ten years ago on January 14, 2005. These panels show fisheye images made during its slow descent by parachute through Titan's dense atmosphere. Taken by the probe's descent imager/spectral radiometer instrument they range in altitude from 6 kilometers (upper left) to 0.2 kilometers (lower right) above the moon's surprisingly Earth-like surface of dark channels, floodplains, and bright ridges. But at temperatures near -290 degrees F (-180 degrees C), the liquids flowing across Titan's surface are methane and ethane, hydrocarbons rather than water. After making the most distant landing for a spacecraft from Earth, Huygens transmitted data for more than an hour. The Huygens data and a decade of exploration by Cassini have shown Titan to be a tantalizing world hosting a complex chemistry of organic compounds, dynamic landforms, lakes, seas, and a possible subsurface ocean of liquid water. via NASA http://ift.tt/153E6mJ
Jan 16, 2015
Our #publiclands give us some of the most spectacular views, like this #winter #sunrise at #GrandCanyon National Park in #Arizona. On Monday, visit #national parks (including @grandcanyonnps), wildlife refuges and other public lands for free. Photo by Steve Perry (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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The rugged beauty of the #Badlands #NationalPark (@badlandsnps) in #SouthDakota draws visitors from around the world. The park's striking geologic deposits contain one of the world’s richest fossil beds, and its 244,000 acres protect an expanse of mixed-grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets live today. #Sunrise photo by Jenn Bonk-Brown (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Venus and Mercury at Sunset Venus and Mercury at Sunset
Inner planets Venus and Mercury can never wander far from the Sun in Earth's sky. This week you've probably seen them both gathered near the western horizon just after sunset, a close conjunction of bright celestial beacons in the fading twilight. The pair are framed in this early evening skyview captured on January 13 from the ruins of Szarvasko Castle in northwestern Hungary. Above the silhouette of the landscape's prominent volcanic hill Venus is much the brighter, separated from Mercury by little more than the width of two Full Moons. On Friday, planet Earth's early morning risers will also be treated to a close conjunction, when Saturn meets an old crescent Moon near the southeastern horizon at dawn. via NASA http://ift.tt/1zfINqd
Jan 15, 2015
The California Coastal #NationalMonument is a biological and scenic treasure. Located off the 1,100 miles of #California coastline, the Monument comprises more than 20,000 small islands, rocks, exposed reefs and pinnacles between Mexico and Oregon. The #CaliforniaCoastal National Monument was established in January 2000 and is one of the most unique among America's National #Conservation Lands. Photo by Bob Wick. For more amazing images of National Conservation Lands, follow @mypubliclands. by usinterior
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Low fog through #Yosemite Valley and bright stars created this amazing moment at Yosemite #NationalPark (@yosemitenps) in California. Toby Harriman (@tobyharriman) snapped this photo from the park's #TunnelView in November. His favorite part of the photo: The climber's headlamp that is visible mid way up #ElCapitan on the left. Photo courtesy of @tobyharriman. by usinterior
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The Hunter, the Bull, and Lovejoy The Hunter, the Bull, and Lovejoy
Heading north, Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) is putting on its best show for comet watchers now, with moonlight absent from mid-January's early evening skies. An easy binocular target and just visible to the unaided eye from dark sites, the comet sweeps across the constellation Taurus the Bull in this deep night skyscape. The starry scene was captured just two days ago on January 12, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, planet Earth. In fact, the head of Taurus formed by the V-shaped Hyades star cluster points toward Lovejoy at the right. The comet's greenish coma and tail streaming in the anti-sunward direction also seem to have been shot from Orion's bow. You can spot the familiar stars of the nebula rich constellation of the Hunter on the left, and follow this link to highlight Comet Lovejoy in the wide field of view. via NASA http://ift.tt/1wZONxs
Jan 14, 2015
A gorgeous shot of El Capitan's #DawnWall at #Yosemite National Park. Congrats to Tommy Caldwell (@tommycaldwell) and Kevin Jorgeson (@kjorgeson) for making it to the summit of Dawn Wall today. The pair have been free climbing -- they only using a rope for safety -- the 3,000-foot granite monolith #ElCapitan for more than two weeks. They are the first to free climb the Dawn Wall -- an epic climb that was seven years in the making. Photo by @yosemitenps, #NationalPark Service. by usinterior
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Remote and rugged, the #Farallon National #WildlifeRefuge protects an incredible bounty of avian and mammalian #wildlife. These rocky islands, located 30 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge in #California, sustain the largest sea bird breeding colony south of Alaska. Thirteen species -- adding up to one-quarter of a million individuals -- breed here, including the largest colonies of Brandt s cormorant and western gull found anywhere. Photo by Josh Hull, @USFWS. by usinterior
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The Soap Bubble Nebula The Soap Bubble Nebula
Adrift in the rich star fields of the constellation Cygnus, this lovely, symmetric nebula was only recognized a few years ago and does not yet appear in some astronomical catalogs. In fact, amateur astronomer Dave Jurasevich identified it as a nebula on 2008 July 6 in his images of the complex Cygnus region that included the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888). He subsequently notified the International Astronomical Union. Only eleven days later the same object was independently identified by Mel Helm at Sierra Remote Observatories, imaged by Keith Quattrocchi and Helm, and also submitted to the IAU as a potentially unknown nebula. The nebula, appearing on the left of the featured image, is now known as the Soap Bubble Nebula. What is the newly recognized nebula? Most probably it is a planetary nebula, a final phase in the life of a sun-like star. via NASA http://ift.tt/1u1DDXS
Jan 13, 2015
Jan 12, 2015
This magical place is Big Bend #NationalPark in Far West #Texas. With an elevation ranging from less than 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to nearly 8,000 feet in the #Chisos Mountains, #BigBend includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, forested mountains and an ever-changing river. Here you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States. Photo by Erik A. Walker. by usinterior
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