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.


La Cascata di Fondo and Orion The Hunter

February 16, 2022

Orion and waterfall in Valchiusella

Photographer: Emanuele Balboni

Summary Author: Emanuele Balboni

This beautiful long-exposure photo features the starry night sky and a
roughly 30-foot (10 meter) waterfall located near Valchiusella, Italy.
The waterfall is locally called “ La Cascata di Fondo” or “the
waterfall of Fondo”, named after the nearby hamlet. The sky was
exceptionally clear on the night of November 28, 2021, which allowed
the Orion constellation to be clearly visible. Orion is known as
the hunter in Greek mythology and the constellation is most visible
from November to February each year. In the photo, Orion’s Belt and
sword appears to be approaching the waterfall, which could be due to
him being tired from the path made along the sky and wanting to immerse
himself in the waterfall to relieve his tired feet. This photo was
taken as a single exposure shot and was illuminated by the
moonlight and a bit of headlamp to lit up the shadows on the left.

Photo details: Canon 6D IR modified, Samyang 24 mm f/1.4, ISO-3200, 15
second exposure, Diffusion filter
* Valchiusella, Italy Coordinates: 45.5318, 7.6883

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Hydrology Links

* Current Sea Surface Temperature
* NOAA Ocean Explorer Gallery
* Ocean Color
* What is hydrology?
* Tides and Currents
* Water Resources of the United States
* World Waterfall Database
* The USGS Water Science School
* World Water Database
* The World’s Water
* USGS Surface Water Information Pages

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

https://epod.usra.edu
--- up 10 weeks, 3 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Sylvanshine

September 16, 2022


SylvanshineWeb

Photographer: Marco Meniero

Summary Author: Marco Meniero

I finally managed to photograph an optical phenomenon that’s eluded me
for years, namely the sylvanshine, a faint reflection of light
produced by micro-drops of water on the leaves of trees. See slighter
brighter patches adjacent to the arrows on the above photo.
Essentially, dew drops on waxy leaves reflects beams of
sunlight back toward the observer -- a type of backscatter
mechanism.

The phenomenon was explained in 1994 by Professor Alistair Fraser,
an expert in meteorological optics. According to his analysis, the wax
on the leaves causes the water to form beads, which in effect become
micro-lenses, focusing the light to a spot on the leaf's surface.
The image at this spot is then directed in the opposite direction. This
effect can even make certain trees appear snow-covered on moonlit
summer nights. Photo taken from Viterbo Airport, on September 6, 2022,
at 09:38 a.m. local time.

Photo details: Nikon Z9 camera; Nikon S 14-24 lens; 2.8; 32 ISO; f /
3.2; 1/160 second exposure.


Viterbo Airport, Italy Coordinates: 42.436111, 12.061667


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Setting Moon and Lower Mock Mirage
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Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
* 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 28 weeks, 4 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Microbialites in Puna Argentina

November 16, 2022


Microbialitos

Photographer: Carlos Di Nallo
Summary Author: Carlos Di Nallo
In the lagoon shown above, in the Catamarca province of Argentina,
modern microbialites can be observed. These ecosystems are "living
rocks" formed by diatom microorganisms and by various minerals.
They’re among the oldest ecosystems on our planet and dominated it for
3-billion years, producing large amounts of oxygen and are even
responsible for helping to create the ozone layer.

Today, they’re found in remote areas of northwestern Argentina, an
environment similar to that of many regions on Earth millions of years
ago -- high solar radiation and salinity conditions. They were
discovered by the Argentine scientist Dr. Maria Eugenia Farias.
Photo taken on May 15, 2022.

Antofagasta de la Sierra, Catamarca, Argentina Coordinates:
-26.066667, -67.416667


Recent EPODs

moondog_and_etna_lava_flow what_is_the_color_of_the_lunar_seas
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cloud_shadow_projection_over_novi_ligure_italy
wafer_thin_moon_and_pumpkin_sky
-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 37 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Red Bar Natural Bridge, Utah

December 16, 2022

RedBarBridgeForEPOD

Photographer: Stan Wagon

Summary Author: Stan Wagon

Red Bar Bridge is a remarkable landform found at the head of a small
wash near the bottom of the Moki Dugway, a famously steep road near
Mexican Hat, Utah. This waterfall bridge forms a natural arch
caused by the tremendous flow of water and has dimensions of
approximately 85 feet (26 m) in length with an 8.5-foot (2.6 m) gap.
The arch is composed of sandstone from the Halgaito Sandstone
Formation, which underlies the massive Cedar Mesa Sandstone
Formation. These formations are part of the Cutler Geologic Group
that arose during the Permian period.

Photo details: Sony A6500 camera; 10 mm lens; f/13; 1/800 second
exposure; ISO 400 (first shot), 320 second shot.


Mexican Hat, Utah Coordinates: 37.1519, -109.8671


Related EPODs

Red Bar Natural Bridge, Utah Crystal Forms in Petrified Wood
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Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
* 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 41 weeks, 4 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)