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Feb 28, 2015
The Island in the Sky mesa -- at Canyonlands #NationalPark in #Utah -- rests on sheer sandstone cliffs over 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Every overlook offers a different perspective on #Canyonlands' spectacular landscape, like this stunning vista seen from #GreenRiver Overlook. #Sunset pic by Rowena Trapp (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
Long Lovejoy and Little Dumbbell Long Lovejoy and Little Dumbbell
Buffeted by the solar wind, Comet Lovejoy's crooked ion tail stretches over 3 degrees across this telescopic field of view, recorded on February 20. The starry background includes awesome bluish star Phi Persei below, and pretty planetary nebula M76 just above Lovejoy's long tail. Also known as the Little Dumbbell Nebula, after its brighter cousin M27 the Dumbbell Nebula, M76 is only a Full Moon's width away from the comet's greenish coma. Still shining in northern hemisphere skies, this Comet Lovejoy (C/2014 Q2) is outbound from the inner solar system some 10 light-minutes or 190 million kilometers from Earth. But the Little Dumbbell actually lies over 3 thousand light-years away. Now sweeping steadily north toward the constellation Cassiopeia Comet Lovejoy is fading more slowly than predicted and is still a good target for small telescopes. via NASA http://ift.tt/1wtBkn2
Feb 27, 2015
A short drive from Hollywood in #California is #AlabamaHills Recreation Area -- an area that has captured the imagination of filmmakers, videographers and adventurers. The rounded contours of the geologic phenomena called the Alabamas create an otherworldly landscape that is great for hiking, biking and climbing. Since the 1920s, more than 400 movies have been filmed here, including Gladiator, Iron Man and #StarTrek V: The Final Frontier. Photo by David Parry (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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#Shenandoah National Park in #Virginia has some spectacular sunrises, like this one from Hazel Mountain Overlook. Just 75 miles from Washington, DC, Shenandoah offers an escape from the city with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, quiet wooded hollows. #NationalPark Service photo. by usinterior
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Love and War by Moonlight Love and War by Moonlight
Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love, and Mars, the war god's namesake, came together by moonlight in this lovely skyview, recorded on February 20 from Charleston, South Carolina, USA, planet Earth. Made in twilight with a digital camera, the three second time exposure also records earthshine illuminating the otherwise dark surface of the young crescent Moon. Of course, the Moon has moved on from this much anticipated triple conjunction. Venus still shines in the west though as the evening star, third brightest object in Earth's sky, after the Sun and the Moon itself. Seen here within almost a Moon's width of Venus, much fainter Mars approached even closer on the following evening. But Mars has since been moving slowly away from brilliant Venus, though Mars is still visible too in the western twilight. via NASA http://ift.tt/1MTykFj
Feb 26, 2015
Happy birthday, #GrandCanyon National Park in #Arizona! On this day in 1919, @grandcanyonnps official became a #nationalpark, but even before the turn of the century, tourists had been visiting the canyon to experience it's awe-inspiring vistas. #Sunset from #CapeRoyal by Randy Langstraat (http://ift.tt/1LOhkit). by usinterior
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This Saturday, the breathtaking ice caves at #ApostleIslands #NationalLakeshore in #Wisconsin will open for the first time this season. The #icecaves are an always changing phenomenon -- the formations change from chamber to chamber and from day to day. The result is a fairyland of needlelike icicles. Visiting the ice caves requires at least a 2 mile hike across Lake Superior, and present conditions might make it a challenging trek. For up-to-date info on the ice caves, visit ww.nps.gov/apis or call the Ice Line at (715) 779-3397 - extension 3. #NationalPark Service photo. by usinterior
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The Rosette Nebula in Hydrogen and Oxygen The Rosette Nebula in Hydrogen and Oxygen
The Rosette Nebula is not the only cosmic cloud of gas and dust to evoke the imagery of flowers -- but it is the most famous. At the edge of a large molecular cloud in Monoceros, some 5,000 light years away, the petals of this rose are actually a stellar nursery whose lovely, symmetric shape is sculpted by the winds and radiation from its central cluster of hot young stars. The stars in the energetic cluster, cataloged as NGC 2244, are only a few million years old, while the central cavity in the Rosette Nebula, cataloged as NGC 2237, is about 50 light-years in diameter. The nebula can be seen firsthand with a small telescope toward the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). via NASA http://ift.tt/1Bq8g1Q
Feb 25, 2015
Along the lower reaches of the Columbia River lies the #Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (@usfws) in #Washington. The approximately 5,300-acre #wildliferefuge contains a lush mixture of wetlands, grasslands, riparian corridors and forests -- not to mention the historic Cathlapotle townsite, one of the best-preserved Native American sites in the Northwest. The refuge's habitats provide an ideal environment for many species, including this cute baby Great Horned owl pictured here. Dennis Davenport captured this great shot of an owlet as it was testing it's mobility skills and lost it's balance -- resulting in this once-in-a-lifetime pic. Photo courtesy of Dennis Davenport. by usinterior
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Unusual Plumes Above Mars Unusual Plumes Above Mars
What is creating unusual plumes on Mars? No one is sure. Noted and confirmed by a global contingent of amateur astronomers on photos of the red planet in March 2012, possibly similar plumes have now been found on archived images as far back as 1997. Since the plumes reach 200 kilometers up, they seem too high to be related to wind-blown surface dust. Since one plume lasted for eleven days, it seemed too long lasting to be related to aurora. Amateur astronomers will surely continue to monitor the terminator and edge regions of Mars for new high plumes, and the armada of satellites orbiting Mars may be called upon to verify and study any newly reported plume that become visible. The featured 35-minute time-lapse animation was taken on 2012 March 20 by the plume's discoverer -- an attorney from Pennsylvania, USA. via NASA http://ift.tt/1A2p3kk
Feb 24, 2015
Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders -- the glistening white gypsum dunefields of #WhiteSands #NationalMonument in #NewMexico. Seemingly stark and barren, the 275 square miles of brilliant white gypsum sand are home to an amazing diversity of life, weaving a spell over all who visit it. #Sunset photo by Donna Schneider (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Check out this gorgeous #sunset pic from Assateague Island #NationalSeashore. A 37 mile long island along the coasts of #Maryland and #Virginia, #Assateague Island gives visitors an chance to explore sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays. Photo courtesy of Bob Ferralli. by usinterior
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The Milky Way Over the Arizona Toadstools The Milky Way Over the Arizona Toadstools
Which is older -- the rocks you see on the ground or the light you see from the sky? Usually it’s the rocks that are older, with their origin sediments deposited well before light left any of the stars or nebulas you see in the sky. However, if you can see, through a telescope, a distant galaxy far across the universe -- further than Andromeda or spiral galaxy NGC 7331 (inset) -- then you are seeing light even more ancient. Featured here, the central disk of our Milky Way Galaxy arches over Toadstool hoodoos rock formations in northern Arizona, USA. The unusual Toadstool rock caps are relatively hard sandstone that wind has eroded more slowly than the softer sandstone underneath. The green bands are airglow, light emitted by the stimulated air in Earth's atmosphere. On the lower right is a time-lapse camera set up to capture the sky rotating behind the picturesque foreground scene. via NASA http://ift.tt/17LEjv7
Feb 23, 2015
Here's an amazing photo to start your week: An #orca breaching at #KenaiFjords National Park in #Alaska. Also called killer whales, orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family -- reaching a length of 23 to 26 feet and weighing four to eight tons. Photo by Paige Calamari, #NationalPark Service. by usinterior
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The Dark River to Antares The Dark River to Antares
Connecting the Pipe Nebula to the colorful region near bright star Antares is a dark cloud dubbed the Dark River, flowing from the picture's left edge. Murky looking, the Dark River's appearance is caused by dust obscuring background starlight, although the dark nebula contains mostly hydrogen and molecular gas. Surrounded by dust, Antares, a red supergiant star, creates an unusual bright yellowish reflection nebula. Above it, bright blue double star Rho Ophiuchi is embedded in one of the more typical bluish reflection nebulae, while red emission nebulae are also scattered around the region. Globular star cluster M4 is just seen above and right of Antares, though it lies far behind the colorful clouds, at a distance of some 7,000 light-years. The Dark River itself is about 500 light years away. The colorful skyscape is a mosaic of telescopic images spanning nearly 10 degrees (20 Full Moons) across the sky in the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius). via NASA http://ift.tt/1B3A4ZG
Feb 22, 2015
There is no place in the world like Crater Lake #NationalPark in #Oregon. At 1,943 feet, it is the deepest lake in the U.S., and the waters are fed only by precipitation and snowmelt -- making it extremely clear and blue. While an artist-in-residence at #CraterLake, TJ Thorne (@tjthorne_photography) captured this stunning image at #sunrise after the first #snow of the season. Photo courtesy of @tjthorne_photography. by usinterior
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45 Days in the Sun 45 Days in the Sun
From January 11 to February 25 2013, a pinhole camera sat in a field near Budapest, Hungary, planet Earth to create this intriguing solargraph. And for 45 days, an old Antonov An-2 biplane stood still while the Sun rose and set. The camera's continuous exposure began about 20 days after the northern hemispere's winter solstice, so each day the Sun's trail arcs steadily higher through the sky. These days in the Sun were recorded on a piece of black and white photosensitive paper tucked in to the simple plastic film container. The long exposure produced a visible color image on the paper that was then digitally scanned. Of course, cloudy days left gaps in the solargraph's Sun trails. via NASA http://ift.tt/1vmNiy5
Feb 21, 2015
An Evening Sky Conjunction An Evening Sky Conjunction
Eight years ago, an evening sky held this lovely pairing of a young crescent Moon and brilliant Venus. Seen near the western horizon, the close conjunction and its wintry reflection were captured from Bolu, Turkey, planet Earth on February 19, 2007. In the 8 Earth years since this photograph was taken Venus has orbited the Sun almost exactly 13 times, so the Sun and Venus have now returned to the same the configuration in Earth's sky. And since every 8 years the Moon also nearly repeats its phases for a given time of year, a very similar crescent Moon-Venus conjunction will again appear in planet Earth's evening skies tonight. But the February 20, 2015 version of the conjunction will also include planet Mars. Much fainter Mars will wander even closer to Venus by the evening of February 21. via NASA http://ift.tt/17yarSS
Feb 20, 2015
#Sequoia and #KingsCanyon National Parks in #California are home to some of the oldest trees in the world, and they are a sight to behold. Pictured here are the giant sequoias at the #GrantGrove. The area was first established as General Grant #NationalPark in 1890 to protect the giant sequoias. Photo courtesy of Ed Cooper (@ed_cooper_photography). by usinterior
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Here’s your cute moment for the day: A baby desert tortoise hatches from its egg. Found north and west of the #ColoradoRiver in the #MojaveDesert in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, the desert tortoise is one of most elusive inhabitants of the desert, spending up to 95 percent of its life underground. With domed shell and elephant-like legs, it is easily distinguishable from its turtle cousins. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey (@usgs) scientist K. Kristina Drake. by usinterior
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Palomar 12 Palomar 12
Palomar 12 was not born here. The stars of the globular cluster, first identified in the Palomar Sky Survey, are younger than those in other globular star clusters that roam the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy. Palomar 12's position in our galaxy and measured motion suggest its home was once the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, a small satellite of the Milky Way. Disrupted by gravitational tides during close encounters the satellite galaxy has lost its stars to the larger Milky Way. Now part of the Milky Way's halo, the tidal capture of Palomar 12 likely took place some 1.7 billion years ago. Seen behind spiky foreground stars in the sharp Hubble image, Palomar 12 spans nearly 60 light-years. Still much closer than the faint, fuzzy, background galaxies scattered throughout the field of view, it lies about 60,000 light-years away, toward the constellation Capricornus. via NASA http://ift.tt/1AIGbm6
Feb 19, 2015
Today, President Obama announced three new #nationalmonuments, including the gorgeous #BrownsCanyon National Monument pictured here. Located in #Colorado, Browns Canyon will protect a stunning section of Colorado’s upper Arkansas River Valley, which features rugged granite cliffs, colorful rock outcroppings and mountain vistas that are home to a diversity of plants and wildlife. It is also one of the most popular whitewater desinations in the U.S. The other new national monuments are #Pullman National Monument in #Illinois -- a location iconic for its history of labor unrest and civil rights advances -- and #Honouliuli National Monument in #Hawaii -- the site of an internment camp where Japanese American citizens, resident immigrants and prisoners of war were held captive during World War II. Since taking office, President Obama has protected more than 260 million acres of public lands and waters -- more than any other President -- helping to ensure that our public lands preserve all of America’s history. #FindYourPark Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior
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America’s #publiclands are living classrooms. That’s why President Obama announced a new initiative -- Every Kid in a Park -- to get more children to discover all that our national parks and other public lands have to offer. The initiative will provide every 4th grader in America and their families with free entrance to public lands for a year. #FindYourPark by usinterior
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America's public lands are some of the most stunning places in the U.S., like this amazing pic of El Capitan in #Yosemite #NationalPark (#California) glowing at sunset. This effect is known as #alpenglow, and it commonly occurs @YosemiteNPS during the winter months. iPhone photo by Kari Cobb. #nofilter by usinterior
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Dark Craters and Bright Spots Revealed on Asteroid Ceres Dark Craters and Bright Spots Revealed on Asteroid Ceres
What are those bright spots on asteroid Ceres? As the robotic spacecraft Dawn approaches the largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, the puzzle only deepens. Sharper new images taken last week and released yesterday indicate, as expected, that most of the surface of dwarf planet Ceres is dark and heavily cratered like our Moon and the planet Mercury. The new images do not clearly indicate, however, the nature of comparatively bright spots -- although more of them are seen to exist. The enigmatic spots were first noticed on Texas-sized Ceres a few weeks ago during Dawn's approach. The intriguing mystery might well be solved quickly as Dawn continues to advance toward Ceres, being on schedule to enter orbit on March 6. via NASA http://ift.tt/19v3l3c
Feb 18, 2015
Here's a beautiful night shot of the #GoldenGate Bridge in #California. Duane Jurma (@duanejurma) captured this stunning photo from #MarshallBeach at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (@goldengatenationalparks). Last year, Golden Gate was the most visited national park location with more than 15 million visits. America’s national parks broke all-time visitation records in 2014 -- topping 292.8 million visits to national parks. Photo courtesy of @duanejurma. by usinterior
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This rare display of lenticular clouds over #GrandTeton National Park (@grandtetonnps) in #Wyoming last week captivated park visitors. Lenticular (lens-shaped) clouds occur when stable, moist air flows over a mountain, creating a series of large-scale standing waves on the downwind side. Photo by Jackie Skaggs, #NationalPark Service. #weather by usinterior
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Fibrils Flower on the Sun Fibrils Flower on the Sun
When does the Sun look like a flower? In a specific color of red light emitted by hydrogen, as featured here, some regions of the solar chromosphere may resemble a rose. The color-inverted image was taken in 2014 October and shows active solar region 2177. The petals dominating the frame are actually magnetically confined tubes of hot plasma called fibrils, some of which extend longer the diameter of the Earth. In the central region many of these fibrils are seen end-on, while the surrounding regions are typically populated with curved fibrils. When seen over the Sun's edge, these huge plasma tubes are called spicules, and when they occur in passive regions they are termed mottles. Sunspot region 2177 survived for several more days before the complex and tumultuous magnetic field poking through the Sun's surface evolved yet again. via NASA http://ift.tt/1FlCbJj
Feb 17, 2015
The Sonoran Desert #NationalMonument in #Arizona contains more than 487,000 acres of #SonoranDesert landscape -- the most biologically diverse of the North American deserts. One of the most striking aspects of the monument is the extensive saguaro cactus forest. Native to the Sonoran Desert, the saguaro can grow to 40-60 feet and live up to 150 years each. As a forest, the saguaro make for out-of-this world hikes and breathtaking night sky views. Pictured here is an iconic Southwestern view of saguaro in the moonlight by Bob Wick, BLM. Be sure to follow @mypubliclands and #conservationlands15 for more stunning photos of National Conservation Lands for your #bucketlist. by usinterior
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At 1.8 million acres, the #GrandStaircase-Escalante National Monument in #Utah is the largest national monument in the continental U.S. and the first one designated under the National #Conservation Lands. The monument is divided into three sections -- the Kaiparowits Plateau, Canyons of the Escalante and Grand Staircase (pictured here). A geological formation spanning eons of time, Grand Staircase is known for its multicolored cliffs and plateaus, canyons, and pinnacles. Bob Wick captured this pic of Grand Staircase's iconic hoodoos at #sunset -- a must-see when visiting the monument. Whether you're looking for adventure or solitude, you'll find endless opportunities at Grand Staircase. The Monument has also provided a wealth of scientific information, including discoveries of 20 new species of dinosaur fossils. Check out @MyPublicLands for mor stunning pics of National Conservation Lands. by usinterior
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Today, the Bureau of Land Management (@mypubliclands) is taking over our Instagram account, showcasing some of the breathtaking #publiclands they manage in the Southwest. BLM cares for about 250 million acres of land that are open to the public for outdoor activities. #CoyoteButtes in #Arizona is a spectacular scenic beauty. Local and international hikers alike are drawn to Coyote Buttes' colorful, swirling masses of stone -- complex geologic formations that lie exposed like no place else on earth. The Coyote Buttes are part the #VermilionCliffs #NationalMonument and Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness -- one of BLM’s National Conservation Lands, which protect areas that are significant to America's cultural history. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM. Want more stunning photos? Follow @mypubliclands on Instagram and their year-long celebration of the 15th anniversary of the National Conservation Lands. #conservationlands15 by usinterior
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M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center
What's happening at the center of spiral galaxy M106? A swirling disk of stars and gas, M106's appearance is dominated by blue spiral arms and red dust lanes near the nucleus, as shown in the featured image. The core of M106 glows brightly in radio waves and X-rays where twin jets have been found running the length of the galaxy. An unusual central glow makes M106 one of the closest examples of the Seyfert class of galaxies, where vast amounts of glowing gas are thought to be falling into a central massive black hole. M106, also designated NGC 4258, is a relatively close 23.5 million light years away, spans 60 thousand light years across, and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici). via NASA http://ift.tt/17fSLLF
Feb 16, 2015
Two Hours Before Neptune Two Hours Before Neptune
Two hours before closest approach to Neptune in 1989, the Voyager 2 robot spacecraft snapped this picture. Clearly visible for the first time were long light-colored cirrus-type clouds floating high in Neptune's atmosphere. Shadows of these clouds can even be seen on lower cloud decks. Most of Neptune's atmosphere is made of hydrogen and helium, which is invisible. Neptune's blue color therefore comes from smaller amounts of atmospheric methane, which preferentially absorbs red light. Neptune has the fastest winds in the Solar System, with gusts reaching 2000 kilometers per hour. Speculation holds that diamonds may be created in the dense hot conditions that exist under the cloud tops of Uranus and Neptune. Twenty-six years later, NASA's New Horizons is poised to be the first spacecraft to zoom past Pluto this July. via NASA http://ift.tt/1A9qmkJ
Feb 15, 2015
#Sunset illuminates Horseshoe Bend in #Arizona. Part of the #GlenCanyon National Recreation Area, #HorseshoeBend is a stunning natural wonder created by the meandering #ColoradoRiver. Every time you visit, you're guaranteed to see something new. The colors of the rocks change throughout the day as the shadows move in and out of the canyons. Photo by Sylvia Zarco (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Solar System Portrait Solar System Portrait
On another Valentine's Day 25 years ago, cruising four billion miles from the Sun, the Voyager 1 spacecraft looked back one last time to make this first ever Solar System family portrait. The complete portrait is a 60 frame mosaic made from a vantage point 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane. In it, Voyager's wide angle camera frames sweep through the inner Solar System at the left, linking up with gas giant Neptune, the Solar System's outermost planet, at the far right. Positions for Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are indicated by letters, while the Sun is the bright spot near the center of the circle of frames. The inset frames for each of the planets are from Voyager's narrow field camera. Unseen in the portrait are Mercury, too close to the Sun to be detected, and Mars, unfortunately hidden by sunlight scattered in the camera's optical system. Closer to the Sun than Neptune at the time, small, faint Pluto's position was not covered. via NASA http://ift.tt/1DQ6S7v
Feb 14, 2015
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a cute pic of baby moose to celebrate. These moose calves were spotted at #FortymileRiver in #Alaska. Float trips on the Fortymile Wild and Scenic River offer scenic beauty, solitude and glimpses of gold-mining dredges, turn-of-the-century trapper cabins and abandoned townsites. Photo by Bob Wick, @mypubliclands. by usinterior
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Aurora on Ice Aurora on Ice
Not from a snowglobe, this expansive fisheye view of ice and sky was captured on February 1, from Jökulsárlón Beach, southeast Iceland, planet Earth. Chunks of glacial ice on the black sand beach glisten in the light of a nearly full moon surrounded by a shining halo. The 22 degree lunar halo itself is created by ice crystals in high, thin clouds refracting the moonlight. Despite the bright moonlight, curtains of aurora still dance through the surreal scene. In early February, their activity was triggered by Earth's restless magnetosphere and the energetic wind from a coronal hole near the Sun's south pole. Bright Jupiter, also near opposition, is visible at the left, beyond the icy lunar halo. via NASA http://ift.tt/1B4UFfv
Feb 13, 2015
This weekend, have some fun in the great outdoors with free entry to America’s public lands, like #JoshuaTree #NationalPark in #California (pictured here). All weekend, entrance fees will be waived for national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands in celebration of Presidents Day. Photo @joshuatreenps by Manish Mamtani (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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Every year thousands get engaged and married on America’s public lands — making these special places part of their love story. Thank you for loving our national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands so much. Visit http://ift.tt/1wfqlHt to watch the sweetest #Valentine’sDay video ever! Photo of #Glacier #NationalPark (@glaciernps) in Montana. by usinterior
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Exploring the Antennae Exploring the Antennae
Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. The stars in the two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide in the course of the ponderous cataclysm, lasting hundreds of millions of years. But their large clouds of molecular gas and dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning about 500 thousand light-years, this stunning composited view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The remarkable collaborative image is a mosaic constructed using data from small and large ground-based telescopes to bring out large-scale and faint tidal streams, composited with the bright cores imaged in extreme detail by the Hubble Space Telescope. Of course, the suggestive visual appearance of the extended arcing structures gives the galaxy pair its popular name - The Antennae. via NASA http://ift.tt/1F0oGhN
Feb 12, 2015
America's public lands are full of stunning sights, like this early morning shot of #GrandTeton #NationalPark in #Wyoming. Low clouds blanket Mount Moran after the park's first snow of the season. This weekend, visit America's national parks (including @grandtetonnps), wildlife refuges and other public lands for free! Photo by Daniel D'Auria (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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#VirginIslands National Park is a tropical paradise with breathtaking hills, valleys and beaches. With 7,000-plus acres on the island of St. John, Virgin Islands #NationalPark offers snow-white sand dotted by palm trees, coral reefs, pre-historic sites and Bay Rum Tree forests. Pictured here is the park's Trunk Bay at #sunset. Trunk Bay is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and features a 225-yard long underwater snorkeling trail. Photo by Kerry Childers (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
via Instagram http://ift.tt/1Dljweq
M100: A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy M100: A Grand Design Spiral Galaxy
Majestic on a truly cosmic scale, M100 is appropriately known as a grand design spiral galaxy. It is a large galaxy of over 100 billion stars with well-defined spiral arms that is similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy. One of the brightest members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, M100 (alias NGC 4321) is 56 million light-years distant toward the constellation of Berenice's Hair (Coma Berenices). This Hubble Space Telescope image of M100 was made in 2009 and reveals bright blue star clusters and intricate winding dust lanes which are hallmarks of this class of galaxies. Studies of variable stars in M100 have played an important role in determining the size and age of the Universe. If you know exactly where to look, you can find a small spot that is a light echo from a bright supernova that was recorded a few years before the image was taken. via NASA http://ift.tt/1vixXcG
Feb 11, 2015
There is no place quite like Bryce Canyon #NationalPark in #Utah. Bryce is famous for its worldly unique geology, consisting of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters and spires of rocks. In honor of President's Day, experience the beauty of #BryceCanyon first hand with free entrance to the park (and all other public lands) this weekend. #Sunrise photo of Bryce Canyon National Park by Emmett Quaine (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl). by usinterior
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About halfway between #Hawaii and #AmericanSamoa lies Palmyra Atoll National #WildlifeRefuge — a remote, tropical getaway. #PalmyraAtoll consists of a circular string of about 50 islets nestled among several lagoons and encircled by 15,000 acres of shallow turquoise reefs and deep blue submerged reefs. The refuge’s lush vegetation supports over a million birds of 29 species — including the second largest red-footed booby colony in the world — and is the only nesting habitat for migratory seabirds and shorebirds within 450,000 square miles of ocean. Recreational diving and snorkeling programs offer visitors a chance to view the area’s colorful coral reef ecosystem, while hiking and kayaking tours give visitors the opportunity to see some of the refuge’s wildlife. @USFWS photo. by usinterior
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An Extremely Long Filament on the Sun An Extremely Long Filament on the Sun
Yesterday, the Sun exhibited one of the longest filaments ever recorded. It may still be there today. Visible as the dark streak just below the center in the featured image, the enormous filament extended across the face of the Sun a distance even longer than the Sun's radius -- over 700,000 kilometers. A filament is actually hot gas held aloft by the Sun's magnetic field, so that viewed from the side it would appear as a raised prominence. The featured image shows the filament in light emitted by hydrogen and therefore highlights the Sun's chromosphere. Sun-following telescopes including NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) are tracking this unusual feature, with SDO yesterday recording a spiraling magnetic field engulfing it. Since filaments typically last only from hours to days, parts of this one may collapse or erupt at any time, either returning hot plasma back to the Sun or expelling it into the Solar System. Is the filament still there? You can check by clicking on SDO's current solar image. via NASA http://ift.tt/1E0Wes9
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