MOUNT RAINIER CASTING A SHADOW ON CLOUDS Photograph by Nick Lippert (via Komo News) This rare and remarkable phenomenon only happens when the sun rises farther to the south as Winter solstice approaches. At the right place and time, Mount Rainier blocks rays of morning sunlight, casting a shadow like you see…
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at temperatures from 700 to 1,200 °C (1,292 to 2,192 °F). Up to 100,000 times as viscous as water, lava can flow…
Photograph by SIEMA @ Panoramio.com The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is an international mountain sightseeing route some 90 kilometers (56 miles) long. The route goes across the 3,000-meter-high North Alpine mountains, the so-called “roof of Japan,” and connects Toyama and Shinano Omachi. You can enjoy the panorama by taking a train, highland bus,…
Roll Cloud, Las Olas Beach, Uruguay | Photograph by Daniela Mirner Eberl The skies have always been a constant source of fascination for humans. One common mass that everyone on the planet has seen in one form or another are clouds. They can come in all sizes, shapes, and colours; and their distinct…
Being struck by lightning is a dangerous and scary experience and can even be fatal. Sometimes, the electrical discharge can leave a tattoo-like marking or scar known as a Lichtenberg figure. The patterns created are known to be examples of fractals. Lichtenberg figures are branching electric discharges that sometimes appear on the surface or…
People love photographing animals. Whether it be their pets or an animal spotted in the wild, we’re always snapping pics of our furry friends. Sometimes, we manage to capture them in mid-stride or jump, and it’s these frozen moments in time that can create the illusion of ‘hovering’ or ‘flying’. The Internet has…
Photograph by Cburnett on Wikipedia Melanism is an undue development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or its appendages and is the opposite of albinism. The word ‘melanism’ is deduced from a Greek word that means black pigment. Pseudo-melanism, also called abundism, is another variant of pigmentation, characterized by dark spots or enlarged stripes,…
Photograph via iClickfun.com In Colombia, Rio Cano Castales, or the ‘river of five colors’, is a special place where for a brief period of time every year when the conditions are just right, the river explodes with vibrant colours your eyes won’t believe. During the short span between the wet and dry season,…
Puyehue Volcano, Chile – Photograph by CLAUDIO SANTANA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES The recent photographs from the volcanic eruption in Chile stirred up memories from last year’s disruptive volcano in Iceland as well as the incredible undersea volcano in Tonga the year prior. When volcanoes erupt, it’s a startling reminder to the awesome and terrifying power of…
Supercell Thunderstorm in Montana – Photograph by Sean Heavey From violent volcanoes to horrifying hurricanes, Mother Nature’s fury is a sight to behold. With so much human conflict and suffering, we often underestimate the awesome and destructive power of nature. While the science behind these events is utterly fascinating, the consequences can be dire and…