31 Best Antarctica Photos
September 8, 2011 by admin
Filed under Animals, Places and Nature
It is also known as no man’s land. The territory situated south to the parallel 60 of the austral hemisphere is open to scientific exploration and any military activity is forbidden.
The name of the continent means “opposite to the Arctic”(in Greek, arktos means bear-the connection is not with polar bears, but with the constellations of Bears). Although in Antiquity, the geographers believed in the existence of a territory in the southern sees similar to the northern one, Antarctica was officially recognized in 1820, when a Russian expedition (Mikhail Lazarev si Faddey Faddeyevich Bellinsgauzen) laid eyes for the first time on the frozen continent.
Stunning Images and Legends of the Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis
July 25, 2010 by admin
Filed under Featured, Places and Nature
Aurora Borealis, also known as northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae (singular: aurora), are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. They are also referred to as polar auroras. This is a misnomer however, because they are commonly visible between 65 to 72 degrees north and south latitudes, which would place it in a ring just within the Arctic and Antarctic circles. Aurorae occur deeper inside the polar regions, but these are infrequent occurrences, and these are often invisible to the naked eye. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28astronomy%29)
Pretty stunning stuff. Must be incredible to see it live. We have never seen it live but we found amazing picture of the Northern Lights from space and exciting information on legends built around it.
In Bulfinch’s Mythology, Thomas Bulfinch claimed in 1855 that in Norse mythology: “The Valkyrior are warlike virgins, mounted upon horses and armed with helmets and spears. /…/ When they ride forth on their errand, their armour sheds a strange flickering light, which flashes up over the northern skies, making what men call the “aurora borealis”, or “Northern Lights”. “
An old Scandinavian name translates as “herring flash”. The northerners believed the aurora was a reflection cast by large swarms of herring into the sky. Yet a different Scandinavian source calls them ”the fires that surround the North and South edges of the world.”
The Finns named the northern lights revolution, or fox fires. According to their legend, foxes made of fire lived in Lapland. And, the fox fires were the sparks they took up into the atmosphere on their tails.
In Estonian the northern lights are called virmalised, which is a spirit being of higher realms. Some are bad guys and some are good.
The Sami people believed that a person should be careful and quiet when in the presence of the northern lights (called guovssahasat in Northern Sami). To mock the northern lights or singing about them was considered dangerous and could be reason for the lights to come down on a person and kill him/her.
The Algonquin think the lights are their ancestors dancing around a fire.
In Latvian folklore the aurora borealis, especially if red and observed in winter, are fighting souls of dead warriors especially if it is red and seen in the winter. It is an omen foretelling disaster.
Russian folklore associates the northern lights with the fire dragon (“Ognenniy Zmey”). The dragon came to women to seduce them when their husbands were gone.
The northern lights in Scotland were known as “the mirrie dancers” or na fir-chlis. The dance often ended in a fight – “the mirrie dancers bled each other last night”. The appearance of the lights also predicted bad weather.
Prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush believed that the aurora borealis was the reflection of the mother lode of all gold.
And, the Inuit people of Alaska say that the “shadows” within the display are relatives and friends who have gone to the sky. They march and dance to remind the living people of their presence. When dogs bark and howl at the sounds of the aurora borealis, it is because the dogs recognize their companions.
‘Little Planet’ Panoramic Photography
June 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Art and Design, Featured
There is so much you could do with a digital camera, some high quality photo editing software, and a lot of creativity. Some artist achieve cool effects that are rally stunning and make photos look like out of this planet. So, if you are interested, discover the world of ‘little planets’ an interesting concept in photography.
Explorer Tree
Remember that movie ‘Explorers’ from 1985? There was a scene when the children are testing their computer generated bubble device on a hillside, near an interesting looking tree. In the scene the bubble forms around one of the boys and proceeds to take him on a harrowing journey underground and through the sky. Anyway, this is the tree from that scene.
A Planet Where There Is a Cow and a Zebra in a Pasture with the Sun Setting Behind the Distant Hills
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