Month: March 2017
Traveling at the Speed of a Bat
Meet the Brazilian free-tailed bat, the fastest horizontal flier in the animal kingdom. Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute have clocked the small mammal speeding through the air at more than 160km/h (99mph), smashing the previous record of 111km/h (69mph) held by the common swift. Key to the bats’ speed are their aerodynamic, projectile-like bodies, light …
Historical Archives: Neil Armstrong in NASA Ames’ Bell X-14 Aircraft
Neil A. Armstrong is photographed in the cockpit of the Ames Bell X-14 aircraft at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on 5 August 1930. Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first assignment was with the NACA …
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Stellar Wonderland – NGC 6357
Although there are no seasons in space, this cosmic vista invokes thoughts of a frosty winter landscape. It is, in fact, a region called NGC 6357 where radiation from hot, young stars is energizing the cooler gas in the cloud that surrounds them. This composite image contains X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and …
Unusual Animals: the Stylish Mirror Spider
A tiny mirror spider, no more than 5mm across, scatters light through a Singapore forest thanks to a collection of small ‘mirrors’ on its abdomen. This species is a lesserknown member of the genus Thwaitesia. Despite their blinged-up appearance, the spiders are actually masters of disguise. The mirrors provide camouflage by reflecting the surrounding environment, dispersing …
Why Are Pancakes Always Round?
The answer to this question is actually quite simple: pancakes are always round because gravity is an awesome chef! Why is that you ask? Well, because gravity pulls on fluid uniformly so when a blob of batter hits the griddle at a right angle, it gets tugged down into a round, symmetrical shape. At the …
In the Line of Firenadoes
Beware blazing fires and whirling winds. When two of nature’s fiercest foes strike at the same time, they create firenadoes (“fire tornadoes”). Twisting flames leap high into the air in a dangerous spectacle that can quickly get out of hand. If hot air moves rapidly towards cooler air, it can generate a spiralling vortex (whirlwind). …
Winter Wonderland – Snow Chimneys
Winter wonderlands can be home to the unexpected sight of snow chimneys, or fumaroles, puffing steam into the sky. Occurring in volcanic regions, fumaroles are openings in Earth’s surface, from which hot steam and volcanic gases are emitted. Close relations of hot springs and gushing geysers, fumaroles require heat and a gas or water source …
Morning Glory Clouds
Like a magical motorway running straight through the sky, morning glory clouds are an extraordinary weather phenomenon. A rarity in the rest of the world, they roll around regularly in remote regions of northern Australia, caused by wave-like currents in the air. These mysterious banks of cloud stretch across the sky from one horizon to …
Amazing Roads – Alpine Alley
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is Japan’s most spectacular scenic journey. People travelling along the picturesque passageway find their view of the lofty mountains suddenly obliterated by towering snow walls on either side. This panoramic route opened in 1971, and is open each year from April to November. It is best known for the staggeringly …
Unusual Sightings: Spiky Snow
Resembling an overgrown garden, with tall blades of green grass replaced by white snow, penitentes are the coolest, sharpest snow formations around. It was once wrongly believed that this pointy Andes snowscape was carved out by the biting mountain wind. Let’s get straight to the point – wind doesn’t create penitentes. These spikes of hardened snow …
Nature’s Light Show
When Earth’s magnetic field is disturbed by the Sun’s solar wind, the night sky lights up with dancing streaks of colour. While the Northern lights (Aurora borealis) usually steal the show, the Southern lights (Aurora australis) are equally impressive but less accessible. Auroras occur when the solar wind – electrically charged particles escaping the Sun – …
Bubbling Under – Lake Abraham’s Frozen Waters
On the surface, Lake Abraham in the Canadian Rocky Mountains is a photographer’s dream. But beneath the frozen waters lie towers of bubbles, suspended in ice. These beautiful bubbles hide an ugly secret – they contain harmful methane gas. Lake Abraham’s methane bubbles are produced by bacteria on the lake bed feeding on dead plant …