Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica. Its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% to 10%. Because of its amorphous character it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike the other crystalline forms of silica which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a…
QI (Quite Interesting) is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panelist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given. To compensate, points are awarded not only for right…
Photograph by TOM GILL Blog | Flickr | Google+ Located on Lake Michigan is the St. Joseph North Pier (google maps), which features two lighthouses (‘Outer’ and ‘Inner’) that were both built over a century ago. When the wind picks up during Michigan’s frosty winter months, large waves crash upon the pier and lighthouses,…
LONE CHAMOIS ABOVE THE CLOUDS Photograph by RADO GADOCZI Website | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter In this beautiful capture by Rado Gadoczi, we see a lone Tatra chamois above the clouds in the High Tatras. The High Tatras or High Tatra Mountains, are a mountain range along the border of northern…
THE GORGE AT WATKINS GLEN Photograph by Peter Rivera Watkins Glen State Park is located outside the village of Watkins Glen, New York, south of Seneca Lake in Schuyler County in the Finger Lakes region. The centerpiece of the park is a 400-foot-deep (120 m) narrow gorge cut through rock by a…
MIST-TANBUL Photograph by Jürgen Horn and Michael Powell | for91days.com In this beautiful capture by Jürgen Horn and Michael Powell @ for91days.com, we see mist on the Golden Horn of Istanbul. The Golden Horn is an inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has…
IRIDESCENT ANTARCTICA Photograph by DEVEN STROSS Website | 500px | Facebook In this phenomenal capture by Deven Stross, we see beautiful and rare Nacreous clouds over the NASA Radome at McMurdo Station on Ross Island in Antarctica. The photo was taken on August 20th, 2013. Nacreous clouds (from nacre, or mother of…
A TRIANGULAR VOLCANO SHADOW Photograph by Juan Carlos Casado (TWAN) Seen here is the triangular shadow cast by Mount Teide, a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. With a summit of 3,718-metre (12,198 ft) it is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands…
Redditor and fellow Canadian Brandon Heuser recently took the trip of a lifetime to the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. After returning to his hometown of Vancouver, he decided to rewatch Disney’s The Lion King. Throughout the film he caught himself saying, “hey I have a photo like that!”. Feeling inspired, he decided…
FROZEN DEW DROPS Photograph by Alistair Campbell (Alliec on deviantART) In this stunning macro photograph by Alistair Campbell, we see frozen dew drops in the morning. Campbell mentions that this is a composite of several shots to increase the depth of focus. The frozen droplets were captured in the photographer’s own garden.…