ZapperZ's Great Outdoors Photo Contest

[Andy Resnick]

The weather is getting nicer- here's the result of a few days observing M51 during 'below average' seeing conditions:

http://imageshack.us/a/img189/3634/1h48mintifrgbfiltered1.jpg

Total integration time = 1.75 hours, each frame was typically 20 s ISO 3200.

 

[Borek]

 

[Andy Resnick]

I was able to image 5 moons of Saturn- these images were taken 24 hours apart:





(one moon gets hidden by Saturn's glare in pic#2)

 

[Abstr7ct]

The photo is big, so the link is posted.

http://gethanh.com/mlffat/files/2127.jpg

Location: A village in Al Baha Province located at the south of the Arabian Peninsula.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I almost threw this one out, but it's actually a lucky shot:



Both the windmill blade and support post are parallel with walkways, which helps lead the eye around the whole image.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Full moon this evening...

 

[Borek]

Ready for a walk?

http://vimeo.com/4636202

 

[Andy Resnick]

Good seeing conditions this past week- the great globular cluster in Hercules and the Ring nebula:









Each frame was a 25 second exposure, ISO400; the total times are 47 minutes for the cluster and 21 minutes for the ring.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Wide-angle view of the milky way:



The bright blob in the upper right is Vega, the bright star roughly center is Deneb, and the fuzzy blob in the lower left is Andromeda:



The majority of aberration is due to use of a non-tracking camera mount; the extreme field of view of the lens (about 100 degrees) amplifies the difference between spherical and cartesian coordinates.

 

[Astronuc]

The Surprising Side Effect of a Winter Hike
Why you really need to spend more time outside, no matter how cold it gets.

http://www.organicgardening.com/liv...Surprising-Side-Effect-of-a-Winter-Hike_title

Even without the boost in creativity, destressing is important for one's health.

 

[DennisN]

Some Strange Things Are Happening To Astronauts Returning To EarthWho would have thought traveling to outer space could be such a profound experience? OK, probably everybody, but these former astronauts really articulate it in a way that was just a little mind-blowing.

http://www.upworthy.com/some-strange-things-are-happening-to-astronauts-returning-to-earth?g=6

Looking down upon earth.

Marvellous clip, thanks a lot for posting it! I've found it on youtube too - I'm downloading and saving that one.

Andy Resnick, very nice space photos! Great photos from others too in this thread, it's very nice to see!

Gonna go to my photo stash and see if I can contribute to the thread...

 

[DennisN]

View from somewhere in the mountains at Les Deux Alpes (an excellent skiing resort, one of the absolutely best I've been too):

Mountain detail at Les Deux Alpes:

A lonely swan on the Moselle, just outside Trier:

The incredibly large tidal area around, and viewed from, Mont Saint-Michel (the small dots close to the centre of the image are people):

 

[DennisN]

This guy on the tube has got talent for editing and audio :

The World Outside My Window - Time Lapse of Earth from the ISS
(published yesterday - fullscreen is definitely recommended: youtube link)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOAEIMx39-w

His previous clip is good to:
All Alone in the Night - Time-lapse footage of the Earth as seen from the ISS

 

[drizzle]

Beautiful pics DennisN :)

 

[Borg]

I believe that I won't be driving to work today. Just a guess but, I think that the roads will be icy.

 

[Astronuc]

World's most stunning mountaintop hotels

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/world-s-most-stunning-mountaintop-hotels-204007327.html

Some of the world’s most breathtaking resorts are located far from sea level. Nestled in mountain ranges and perched on top of desert cliffs, these hotels offer visitors picturesque views and quiet retreats away from the hustle of everyday life. Here are our picks for the world’s most stunning mountaintop hotels.

. . .

 

[PeroK]

Skye

The "Black Cuillin" hills on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Easter 2013.

 

[Astronuc]

The "Black Cuillin" hills on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Easter 2013.

Nice! A line of my ancestors comes from Skye. Please post more pictures.

 

[drizzle]

Beautiful PeroK. Thanks for sharing.

 

[leroyjenkens]

I took this picture on a nature hike a few days ago. I think it's pretty.

 

[Astronuc]

Find a beach.

http://travel.yahoo.com/photos/10-beaches-that-should-be-on-your-bucket-list-1389659035-slideshow/

 

[lisab]

I took this picture on a nature hike a few days ago. I think it's pretty.

Didn't notice this until now. Very nice!

 

[Astronuc]

Photo Gallery from USGS

January 24, 2014 — Kīlauea
Brief interruption to Kahaualeʻa 2 flow advance; spattering lava pond in Puʻu ʻŌʻō

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/multimedia/?display=default

That's one place I'd like to see in person.

 

[lisab]

Photo Gallery from USGS

January 24, 2014 — Kīlauea
Brief interruption to Kahaualeʻa 2 flow advance; spattering lava pond in Puʻu ʻŌʻō

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/multimedia/?display=default

That's one place I'd like to see in person.

I went there about a year ago, but it was quiet. So we walked across the crater (which was hot in some places) and then around the rim, and even found some of Pele's hair:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele's_hair

Even though it was calm, it was still worth going to see!

 

[dlgoff]

This is one thing I like about Kansas:

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/855/oj09.jpg

 

[Borek]

This is one thing I like about Kansas:

Cables in the sky? You would love it here:

 

[dlgoff]

Cables in the sky? You would love it here:

Love them.

 

[Borek]

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Love them.

Vietnam wins the cable wars

http://talkvietnam.com/uploads/2013/09/facebook-stirred-up-by-bill-gates-photo-on-vietnams-electric-pole-1196912-20130910124315-2.jpg

 

[DennisN]

Vietnam wins the cable wars

 

[DennisN]

Eye candy :!):

Nasa's New Set Of 'Cosmos' Space Images Is Billions Of Kinds Of Awesome

(note: some pictures are artistic impressions/simulations)

 

[drizzle]

Oh wow, that's beautiful! thanks for sharing Dennis.

 

[drizzle]

A prof from the Astronomy department painted a beautiful picture of sun reflection on the earth, and I asked him to send me the original photo. It's just outstanding, I thought I'd share it with you people. Enjoy. :)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1280x1024q90/62/oixy.jpg

 

[drizzle]

This is bigger.

 

[Enigman]

Goes beautifully with your signature, milady.