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.


Alien Iceplants in California’s Half Moon Bay State Beach

July 29, 2021

HMBCal32c_6june21

Photographer: Ray Boren

Summary Author: Ray Boren

Like botanically-based invaders in old science fiction movies (1951’s
The Thing from Another World and the meteorite segment of George A.
Romero’s Creepshow in 1982, starring horror writer Stephen King
himself), pretty but relentless iceplants — succulents native
to southern Africa — have been taking over the sandy marine terraces
and dunes of California’s long Pacific Coast for more than a century.
In the photograph here, taken early on the morning of June 6, 2021,
yellow-flowered Carpobrotus edulis (sour fig) iceplants have even
managed to find rootholds on the gray-weathered trunk of a long dead
tree on Roosevelt Beach, part of the Golden State’s scenic Half
Moon Bay State Beach.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife notes that iceplants,
like the sour fig and the pink-to-magenta Carpobrotus chilensis
(sea fig), were introduced in the early 1900s as groundcover to help
prevent erosion and to stabilize railroad corridors, and later
roadsides. Unfortunately, the agency says, the pervasive succulents
thrived and spread easily in the familiar, temperate habitats.
Although they continue to be used as garden ornamentals, and are still
sold at nurseries, the creeping iceplants are now considered
invasive in coastal California: Their colorful mats choke out
indigenous — and often rare or endangered — plant species. Efforts
are under way to remove, or at least stem, the carpet-like succulents
in many locations, including along Half Moon Bay’s beautiful 4-mile
(6.4-kilometer) stretch of white-sand beaches and the community’s paved
bluff-top California Coastal Trail.
* Half Moon Bay, California Coordinates: 37.487798, -122.454283

Related EPODs

Alien Iceplants in California’s Half Moon Bay State Beach
Gray's Bur Sedge Cottonwood Trees Beautiful Colors of the
Hollyhock Purple Anemone May Apples in My Garden
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 11 weeks, 6 days, 12 hours, 15 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.


Archive - Erta Ale, Ethiopia

August 28, 2021

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Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.
This EPOD was originally published April 7, 2015.

Photographer: Joel Santos
Summary Author: Joel Santos April 2015 Viewer's Choice

Erta Ale is a continuously active, basaltic shield
volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia. Its
caldera is notable for holding one of world's longest-existing
lava lakes -- first reported in 1906. Volcanoes with lava lakes are
quite rare. Only six are known worldwide. The nearly full Moon, on
the rise this early January night, illuminates the low clouds, acting
to balance the light of the sky with the strong orange light of the
bursting lava. Photo taken on January 10, 2015.

Photo details: Fisheye lens; 8-15 mm; 85 sec exposure; f/4; ISO 400.
* Erta Ale, Ethiopia Coordinates: 13.599722, 40.659722

Related EPODs

Archive - Erta Ale, Ethiopia Archive - Ribeira da Janela,
Portugal Atoms and Molecules Archive - Bonneville Salt Flats
Panorama Mount Etna – Eruption Plume and Scattered Lapilli
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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 16 weeks, 2 days, 12 hours, 15 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.


Moonlight Silhouette of Erupting Volcán de Fuego and Acatenango

September 29, 2021

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Photographer: David Rojas

Summary Author: David Rojas; Cadan Cummings

The impressive night photo above shows the Volcán de Fuego
(“Volcano of Fire”) erupting next to a crescent moon visible
momentarily before transiting behind the Acatenango Volcano.
Located adjacent to the town of Antigua, Guatemala, Volcán de Fuego
is a 12,346 ft (3,763 m) tall stratovolcano that has been erupting
regularly since 2002. Together the Volcán de Fuego and neighboring
Acatenango Volcano make up the complex named La Horqueta. The most
recent series of severe eruptions occurred at Volcán de Fuego in
1974 and 2018. Part of the most recent round of smaller
eruptions, the photo above taken on July 17, 2021 shows an ash cloud
rising above the volcano with small lava flows streaming down its side.
The timing of this dramatic shot could not have been better with the
moon’s disk visible at the edge of the volcanic cone and its light
illuminating the silhouettes of both volcanoes.
* San Cristóbal El Alto, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala Coordinates:
14.4747, -90.8806

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Moonlight Silhouette of Erupting Volcán de Fuego and Acatenango
Yellowstone’s Colorful Canary Spring Armored Mud Balls and Mud
Cracks in Southern Utah Queen's Shoe Formation on Tenerife
Analog Environment Testing for Mars Exploration Erupting
Villarica Volcano Under a Starry Sky
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 3 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours, 55 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.


Careful Where You Step

October 29, 2021

Dale_H_20210722_195455_resized (003)

Photographer: Dale Hugo

Summary Author: Dale Hugo; Jim Foster

If you’re out trick-or-treating this weekend, be careful where you
step. This gross looking slime mold is called Fuligo septica,
but its common name is, appropriately, the dog vomit fungus. It’s an
artillery fungus that loves to grow on rich, fertilized mulch that
many landscapers use. If you’re bold enough to touch it, a cloud of
reddish-brown spores explodes and then drifts in the wind.

Fungi grows nearly everywhere. A type of fungus even grows between
the windows of the International Space Station. More than 30,000
species of fungi are known to exist, with most not yet properly
identified or verified. It’s believed that the largest single organisms
on Earth, by mass, are fungi. One large and in charge fungus underlies
an entire forest in Michigan and weighs hundreds of tons.

Surprisingly, there’s actually a type of slime mold capable of
moving across the forest floor to reach and engulf its dinner.
Now this is too scary even for Halloween. Photo taken in mid-July 2021,
from Arlington Heights, Illinois.
* Arlington Heights, Illinois Coordinates: 42.0884, -87.9806

Related EPODs

Careful Where You Step Fish Lake Aspens in Autumn From
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Archive - Monarch Butterfly and Chrysalis Four Seasons of
Wisteria
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 8 weeks, 21 hours, 55 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.


Lunar Iridescent Clouds and Saturn

November 29, 2021

PSX_20210729_195745

Photographer: Soumyadeep Mukjerjee

Summary Author: Soumyadeep Mukjerjee; Cadan Cummings

A unique combination of astronomy and atmospheric optics happened
on July 24th, 2021 when the Full Moon passed within approximately 4
degrees of Saturn and iridescent clouds treated night sky viewers
to a spectacular display. In the image above, Saturn is seen toward
the left of the image through thin clouds. The sky here in Kolkata,
India was cloudy at moonrise, which turned out to be a blessing because
the bright moonlight enabled beautiful rainbow-colored iridescent
clouds to be visible. Iridescent clouds are a product of
diffraction caused by similar sized water droplets or ice crystals
in mid-altitude clouds that scatter light. They are mostly seen
in daytime, so getting a glimpse of iridescent clouds at night is
considered to be pretty rare. This specific event was especially
noteworthy due to the variation of colors manifested in the clouds.

Image Data: Nikon D5600, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 lens, ioptron Skyguider pro,
ISO 100, 8 second exposure, 100mm, Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop Express
* Kolkata, India Coordinates: 22.5726, 88.3639

Related EPODs

Lunar Iridescent Clouds and Saturn Green Flash Observed Through
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Rainbow over Freital, Germany Archive - Jack-O'-Lantern Sun
Beautiful Mountain Shadow in Western Italy
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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 2 weeks, 3 days, 16 hours, 25 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.


Heiligenschein and Anticrepuscular Rays

December 29, 2021

Raggi-crepuscolari-con-Helig

Photographer: Marco Meniero

Summary Author: Marco Meniero

On the morning of October 07 2021, I photographed anticrepuscular
rays from the control tower of the airport at Viterbo, Italy. These
rays, sometimes called antisolar rays, appear opposite of the Sun and
converge at the antisolar point. So you must have your back to the Sun
in order to see them.

On both the top and bottom photos you can see a rather bright spot or
patch of light (at the top of the shadow made by the control tower,
where I'm standing with camera in hand) that follows me. When I looked
to the right, the spot is seen on the right; when I looked to the left
the spot was seen on the left. This spot is termed a
Heiligenschein. It can be detected whenever dew drops form on
various surfaces. The nearly spherical dew drops act as lenses to
focus the light onto the surface behind them. When this
light scatters or reflects off that surface, the same lens
re-focuses that light into the direction from which it came. This
configuration is sometimes called a cat's eye retroreflector. Any
retroreflective surface is brightest around the antisolar point.
* Viterbo, Italy Coordinates: 42.4207, 12.1077

Related EPODs

Heiligenschein and Anticrepuscular Rays Multiple Lunar Halos
and Stary Night Sky Zodiacal Light Observed Around the World
Fogbow on Hawksbill Mountain, Virginia Lunar Iridescent Clouds
and Saturn Green Flash Observed Through Archway of Torre della
Meloria
More...

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