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.


Ice Ovals in Lake Superior

February 11, 2020

Superior patties

Photographer: Patrick Anway
Summary Author: Patrick Anway

The above photos show oval-shaped cakes of ice along the south
shore of Lake Superior, the upper peninsula of Michigan. Both
were taken off Sand Point, near the town of Munising, Michigan. As the
ice piles up along the shoreline, the ice chunks colliding together
from wave action causes the edges to become rounded, somewhat raised
and a bit chewed up. The pancake-shaped ovals pictured here are
about 15 inches (38 cm) in diameter. This entire ice field extended as
far as I could see along the shoreline, in both directions. But as the
lower image shows, these cakes only extended about 100 ft (30 m) out
into the lake. Photos taken on January 29, 2020.

Photo Details: Top – Camera: Sony RX100VA; Exposure: 1/200 sec; ƒ/5.6;
ISO 125; Focal Length: 24mm. Bottom - same except: Exposure: 1/500 sec;
Aperture: ƒ/4.5; Focal Length: 70mm; Panoramic mode.
* Munising, Michigan Coordinates: 46.4111, -86.6479

Related EPODs

Ice Ovals in Lake Superior Snow, Clouds and Light on a Winter's
Day Abstract Ice Pattern on Pond Snowflake Sampler Archive
- Explaining Ring Patterns in a Frozen Puddle Encore - Snow Eyes
More...

Cryosphere Links

* Guide to Frost
* What is the Cryosphere?
* Bentley Snow Crystals
* Glaciers of the World
* Ice, Snow, and Glaciers: The Water Cycle
* The National Snow and Ice Data Center Google Earth Images
* Snow and Ice Crystals

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 2 weeks, 6 days, 15 hours, 5 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.


Methane Bubbles on Abraham Lake

March 11, 2020

Capture

Photographer: Sandy Chinski
Summary Author: Sandy Chinski

The photo above shows methane bubbles just beneath the ice of
Abraham Lake in Alberta, Canada. It was taken at sunrise. Abraham
Lake was created in 1972 when the North Saskatchewan River was
dammed drowning a large amount of organic material which creates
methane gas as it decomposes. In addition, deposits of methane hydrate,
currently frozen at the bottom of the lake in permafrost, release
methane gas as the permafrost thaws. As the methane is released
toward the surface, it turns into whitish blobs when it contacts the
frozen lake water. Elliott Peak (9.425 ft or 2,873 m) is in the
background. Photo taken on January 24, 2020.
* Abraham Lake, Alberta Coordinates: 52.223611, -116.427222

Related EPODs

Methane Bubbles on Abraham Lake Ice Pattern on Six Mile Creek
in Ithaca, New York Snow and Rime in Canaan Valley, West Virginia
Ice Patterns on Binnewater Lake Mid-air Icicle Ice Ovals in
Lake Superior
More...

Cryosphere Links

* Guide to Frost
* What is the Cryosphere?
* Bentley Snow Crystals
* Glaciers of the World
* Ice, Snow, and Glaciers: The Water Cycle
* The National Snow and Ice Data Center Google Earth Images
* Snow and Ice Crystals

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 7 weeks, 14 hours, 5 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.


Encore - Phaeocystis Suspended In a Drop of Sea Water

April 11, 2020

Capture

Today and every Saturday Earth Science Picture of the Day invites you
to rediscover favorites from the past. Saturday posts feature an EPOD
that was chosen by viewers like you in our monthly Viewers' Choice
polls. Join us as we look back at these intriguing and captivating
images.

Photographer: John Stetson and Southern Maine Community College
photography class
Summary Authors: John Stetson, Southern Maine Community College
photography class, and Jackie Phillips

June 2014 Viewer's Choice The photo above shows the unicellular
algae, Phaeocystis, suspended in a drop of seawater from Casco
Bay off the coast of Maine. Phaeocystis have a big impact on our planet
through their emission of sulfurous gases that contribute to the global
sulfur cycle and cloud formation. Potentially the greatest
impact they have is their contribution as a carbon sink, where
carbon is absorbed from our atmosphere.

Phaeocystics also appeared in the March 10, 2014, Earth Science Picture
of the Day, Sea Foam in Saint-Guenole, France, where they were
observed as a polysaccharide gel. When colonies of the algae
bloom, they can create sea foam that covers beaches and even
low-lying towns.

This image was one of a series of images taken by students at Southern
Maine Community College as part of an in-class photography exercise. A
phase-contrast microscope was used to provide color to the image of
the microlife.
* Southern Maine Community College Coordinates: 43.648, -70.228

Related EPODs

Encore - Phaeocystis Suspended In a Drop of Sea Water The
Industrious Dung Beetle of South Africa Encore - Water Strider Art
Encore - Praying Mantis in Colombian Copal Love Nest: Build it
and She Will Come (maybe) Birds on the Move
More...

Animal Links

* Animal Diversity Web
* ARKive
* BirdLife International
* Bug Guide
* Discover Life
* Integrated Taxonomic Information System
* Microbial Life Resources
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the
-
Universities Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 11 weeks, 3 days, 14 hours, 5 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.


The Carbon Star T-Lyrae

June 11, 2020

T Lyra in Lyra Constellarion EPOD

Photographer: Dario Giannobile
Summary Author: Dario Giannobile

The image above showing the constellation Lyra with the intensely
colored star, T Lyrae, was taken from near my home in Syracuse,
Sicily, Italy. That the stars have color is appreciated by any
amateur astronomer. A star’s color is directly related to its surface
temperature. Like a piece of iron that’s gradually heated, the color
goes from dark red to yellow and to dazzling white. An orange-red star
has a temperature of about 3,500 C, a yellow one, like the Sun,
about 5,500 C and blue stars approximately 30,000 C.

In order to classify the color of the stars, and therefore obtain their
temperature, a scale was introduced in the 1950s made by measuring the
apparent brightness in different photometric bands. This scale
is called B-V. The more positive the value of a star, the colder
and redder the star. For instance, Betelgeuse has a B-V value of
1.85.

The sky is full of small cold, red gems that have highly positive
indices, such as the very red star T Lyrae. Its color index is 5.46!
Spectroscopic analysis of T Lyrae and similar stars show the marked
signature of carbon, and for this reason, they’re referred to as
carbon stars. Note that all carbon stars exhibit changes in
brightness.
* Syracuse, Italy Coordinates: 37.0755, 15.2866

Related EPODs

The Carbon Star T-Lyrae M51 and Group Colorful Sirius
Lunar Libration Observed from Sicily, Italy Superluminous
Quasar Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon and Mars Alignment and the ISS
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 20 weeks, 1 day, 16 hours, 4 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.


Encore - Bowling Ball Beach

July 11, 2020

Bowling Ball Beach Pano - North

Today and every Saturday Earth Science Picture of the Day invites you
to rediscover favorites from the past. Saturday posts feature an EPOD
that was chosen by viewers like you in our monthly Viewers' Choice
polls. Join us as we look back at these intriguing and captivating
images.

Photographer: Steve Gledhill
Summary Authors: Steve Gledhill; Jackie Phillips

Bowling Ball Beach2- North September 2012 Viewer's Choice
Bowling Ball Beach, located on the Northern California coast,
holds an unusual display of large sandstone boulders. Nestled in
straight lines along its shores, the beach is actually an uplifted
rock formation composed of varying sandstone layers. Each layer can
be clearly seen as lines parallel to the shore. The boulders sit on a
platform eroded by the waves from the Pacific Ocean. As softer
sediment is eroded by the pounding waves the harder
boulders within the layers are exposed.

Periodically the beach is completely covered with sand, hiding the
cause of the alignment. With only the boulders peeking through this
provides an even more unusual sight. The nearby cliff face is of the
same formation as the rocks on the shore. Photos taken on May 7, 2014.

Photo Details: Top - Camera: Canon EOS 7D; Lens: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5
USM; Focal Length: 10mm; Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.0010 s
(1/1000); ISO equiv: 250; Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6
(Macintosh). Inset - same except: Focus Distance: 2.24m; Aperture:
f/11.0; Exposure Time: 0.0020 s (1/500).
* Bowling Ball Beach, California Coordinates: 38.870453,
-123.657989

Related EPODs

Encore - Bowling Ball Beach The Beaver's Tale Encore -
Panorama of Laguna Verde, Chile Lava Tube on La Palma Archive -
Geological Unconformity Young Lava and Old Olivine
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 24 weeks, 3 days, 16 hours, 4 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.


Leaves of Three, Let it Be

August 11, 2020

Capture
Photographer: Rob Sheridan
Summary Author: Rob Sheridan

Part of those warm summer and early fall outings across North America
is an awareness of the presence of Toxicodendron radicans or
poison ivy. The Toxicodendron species sap contains
urushiol, an oil that helps these plants retain water but triggers
a painful allergic dermatitis in susceptible individuals. Many
grazing animals will eat Toxicodendron species without consequence.
However, most humans suffer painful allergic contact reactions to
even modest amounts of urushiol, following contact with any part of the
plant. Avoidance is facilitated by quick recognition: Leaves of
three, let it be! Photo taken on August 19, 2019.
Photo Details: Camera NIKON COOLPIX AW120; Software COOLPIX AW120V1.0;
Exposure Time 0.0040s (1/250); Aperture ƒ/4.4; ISO equivalent 320;
Focal Length (35mm) 56.
* Isle La Motte, Vermont Coordinates: 44.8770, -73.3387

Related EPODs

Leaves of Three, Let it Be Mount Nebo Hollyhocks Rise from the
Ashes Spring and Summer Figs Blossoming of Tajinastes
Baboon’s Tail Protandry Phenomenon in Hollyhock Plants
More...

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 3 weeks, 5 days, 15 hours, 25 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.


EPOD 20th - Inferior Mirage of a Ship

September 11, 2020

Inferior Mirage of a Ship
We’re celebrating 20 years of Earth Science Picture of the Day during
the month of September! Today’s photo features a popular EPOD from the
past. Thanks to all of our followers (on the blog, Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter) for supporting us. Thanks also to all of you who’ve
submitted your photos. We’re most appreciative. This EPOD was
originally published June 26, 2013.

Photographer: Mila Zinkova
Summary Author: Mila Zinkova
The surfer in the foreground is either unaware of the interesting
mirage in the distance or doesn’t realize it’s a mirage and is
waiting for this huge ship’s wake-wave. This photo was taken in the
Pacific Ocean near San Francisco on January 13, 2013 – a very
cold winter’s day for coastal California. Cold, calm and clear
weather conditions along a shore are great for detecting inferior
mirages.
With an inferior mirage, the image is below the real object. According
to atmospheric optics expert, Les Cowley, in this case, a layer of
abnormally warm air was situated beneath a cooler air layer. Light
passing at low angles across the different air layers was refracted
so that rays coming from the top of the boat appeared to be coming
upward from the horizon. Our brain interprets this as a reflection
from the water. Note that the horizon is missing, and the base of the
boat can't be seen either below or above the line joining the real view
and the mirage. This is referred to as the vanishing-line effect.
Most often, inferior mirages are observed in the deserts and often
trick experienced and inexperienced travelers alike, and not only
travelers. For example, during World War I (on 11 April 1917), the
fighting between the British and the Turks in Mesopotamia had to be
temporarily suspended owing to a mirage. Sometimes people who get lost
in deserts are relieved by seeing an oasis only to realize later on
that it was just a mirage. David Livingstone wrote:

"A mirage can never be reached and it leads travelers astray, luring
them farther and farther into the heart of the waste, ever retreating
before them as they pursued it, and not finally disappearing till its
deluded victims had irrecoverably lost themselves in the pathless
sands."
* Ocean Beach, California Coordinates: 37.759444, -122.510833

Related EPODs

EPOD 20th - Inferior Mirage of a Ship EPOD 20th - High Altitude
Balloon Burst Sunset Observed from Mount Chasseral, Switzerland
Archive - Las Vegas Sunset The Sun’s Green Rim Observed from
Arroyo de San Serván, Spain Noctilucent Clouds Observed from Paris,
France
More...

Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Color and Light in Nature
* The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
* Refraction Index
* Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
* What is a Rainbow?

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 2 weeks, 3 days, 20 hours, 20 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)