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.


Wafer Thin Moon and Pumpkin Sky

October 31, 2022


MatthewC_DSC_1834s2s


Photographer: Matthew Chin
Summary Author: Matthew Chin; Jim Foster
Can you spot the sliver of the crescent Moon? Because it was only about
1.3% illuminated when this photo was snapped, at dawn on June 28, 2022,
it isn’t exactly conspicuous against the pumpkin-colored sky. As night
has now lost its grip, hordes of bats are returning to their caves
(could this be the source of the dark smudge at lower right?) and other
spooky, nocturnal creatures will soon be asleep in their lairs. Photo
taken in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, on June 28, 2022, at 05:12 a.m. local
time.

Yuen Long, Hong Kong Coordinates: 22.4445, 114.0222


Related EPODs

Wafer Thin Moon and Pumpkin Sky Paraselene, Antares and
Supermoon Witches Broom in Cygnus Observing Six Major Annual
Meteor Showers Loana Valley of Italy at Night Total Lunar
Eclipse of May 15/16, 2022
More...

Night Sky Links

* Space Weather Live
* Space Weather Live Forum
* 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

--- up 36 weeks, 1 day, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

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.


Two Views of the Wondrous Andromeda Galaxy

October 07, 2022

GregP_Combine_Sky90_Hyperstar_200mm_EPOD_2

GregP_M31_85subs_3mins_EPOD

Photographer: Greg Parker

Summary Authors: Greg Parker; Jim Foster

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is considered the most distant
object that we can detect with the unaided eye. If you live in the
Northern Hemisphere and have never seen a galaxy, other than our
Milky Way, you owe it to yourself to venture into the countryside
on a clear, moonless autumn evening and look to the northeast. Between
the stars is the asterism of the Square of Pegasus and the
constellation of Perseus, a very faint glow will appear in the
constellation of Andromeda. You may need to use averted vision
to see it. If you still can’t spot it, grab a pair of binoculars.

Of course, don’t expect to see anything that resembles the remarkable
images above, captured from the New Forest Observatory.
Nevertheless, just being able to discern this distant smudge (some
2.5 million light years away) is thrilling. The light we see when we
gaze at M31 began its path to our eyes about the time that North
America and South America were linked by the Isthmus of Panama and
around the time our ancestors were starting to stand upright. We can
see it with the naked eye not only because it’s relatively close by
(one of the Milky Way's nearest galactic neighbors), but because it’s
huge -– 220,000 light years across, holding perhaps a trillion stars.

Photo details:

Top "zoomed out view" - Canon 200 mm prime lens; ASI 2600MC Pro colour
CMOS camera.

Bottom: “zoomed in view” - Hyperstar 4 (on a Celestron C11 telescope)
image; ASI 2600MC Pro colour CMOS camera.

New Forest Observatory, U.K. Coordinates: 50.819444, -1.59


Recent EPODs

thunderstorm_and_rainbow_over_zagreb_croatia
etna_volcano_at_night quechee_gorge_in_east_central_vermont
emerald_lakes_new_zealand basket_stinkhorn
use_of_wild_plants_in_floriculture
-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 31 weeks, 5 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

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.


Golden Torch Cactus Flower

December 08, 2022


DaleHugo_cactusflower

Photographer: Linda Marcy
Summary Author: Dale Hugo

Shown above is a Golden Torch cactus flower ( Echinopsis spachiana).
It was found blooming in the photographer’s yard in Gilbert, Arizona.
Like most cacti, they bloom at night and only for a short time. Usually
after dusk the blossoms appear for fertilization by nighttime
pollinators that are attracted by the wonderful fragrances of cacti
flowers. A number of desert pollinators apparently avoid the heat of
day, and thus the night blooming tendency of many cacti.

These flowers last only through the morning, flowering for only 10
hours or so. But their beauty makes up for the short-lived blooms. This
one faded out before noon. Sic Transit Gloria.

The Golden Torch is sometimes planted in rock gardens in the U.S.
Southwest and elsewhere. They attain heights of about 6 ft (2 m) and
grow in clumps as you can see here. Sometimes the entire head of the
cactus will be covered with several flowers at once. The spines are
nearly an inch (2 cm) long and worthy of your respect. Don’t back up in
an Arizona garden! Be careful not to over-water your cactus plants, but
they do appreciate sporadic watering during long dry spells. Photo
taken in early July 2022.

Gilbert, Arizona Coordinates: 33.3528, -111.7890


Related EPODs

Golden Torch Cactus Flower On the Wind: Plant Seed Dispersal
Carob Mushroom in Early Stage of Growth Lamiaceae Family of
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in Floriculture
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Plant Links

* Discover Life
* Tree Encyclopedia
* What are Phytoplankton?
* Encyclopedia of Life - What is a Plant?
* USDA Plants Database
* University of Texas Native Plant Database
* Plants in Motion
* What Tree is It?

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 40 weeks, 3 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)