Clouds Casting Thousand-mile Shadows When Viewed From The ISS

closely related to sharks but with long, flat bodies and wing-like pectoral fins, mobula rays are ideally suited to swooping through the water - here off the gulf of california - yet seem equally at home in the air, so much so that they have earned the name “flying rays”. mobula rays can reach heights of more than two metres, remaining airborne for several seconds. 

mobula rays are quite elusive and difficult to study, so biologists are not quite sure why they jump out of the water. theories vary from a means of communication, to a mating ritual (though both males and females jump), or as a way to shed themselves of parasites. they could also be jumping as a way of better corralling their pray, as seen with them swimming in a circular formation. 

what is known about mobula rays is that they reach sexual maturity late and their investment in their offspring is more akin to mammals than other fishes, usually producing just a single pup after long pregnancies, all of which makes them extremely vulnerable to commercial fishing, especially as a species that likes to come together in large groups.

Samuel W. Hall. Corona of an Eclipse, Moon Hiding Lower and Upper Limb of Sun, Eclipse of the Sun, Moon Hiding Upper and Lower Limb of Sun, Comparative Size of the Planets, Size of the Sun, Elliptical Orbit. Sunshine and Moonlight; with; also, a Flash of Comets, Meteors and Shooting Stars, and a Twinkle of Starlight. 1889.  Contd from here

170223

Magnetic Field Viewer

Fuzzy Okenite -  Jalgaon, India

“The earth as seen from the moon.” The young astronomer; or, Helps to a knowledge of the leading constellations. 1891.

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NGC 4725, One-Armed Spiral Galaxy  

Adjustable Wood Lamp ‘Goldberg’

The adjustable ‘Goldberg’ lamp by Atelier Akerboom is a handmade wooden lamp. By adjusting the 31 openings of the lamp you can control how much light it gives out in any direction. The lamp can be used as a hanging (pendant) lamp or as table or floor lamp. The lamp is available in different colors (see information sheet) and in two sizes (30cm or 50cm diameter).

This special design is named after Michael Goldberg (1902-1990) who described the Goldberg polyhedron – a convex polyhedron made from hexagons and pentagons – first in 1937.

https://www.etsy.com/de/listing/267492092/adjustable-lamp-goldberg?ref=shop_home_active_2