Nice photo, a starry sky showing part of the Milky Way, and a great tree, probably painted with a flashlight.
But, where in the world is it?
Tweet from Fotos del Mundo, @FerloRuiz
Dear Reader, do you know where this photo was taken? Who should get credit?
[It was Nate Cochran. See his note in comments below, and thanks to Ediacaran.]
4 Comments | 
Astronomy, Geography - Physical, Milky Way, photography | Tagged: Astronomy, geography, Milky Way, photography | 
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Posted by Ed Darrell
It’s been 57 years since the youngest state entered the union — the longest stretch in which the U.S. has not added another state.
“On June 14, 1959, Boy Scout Milton Motooka helped get the word out for Hawaii’s statehood plebiscite to be held 13 days later. A new documentary will focus on Hawaii’s statehood.” Hawaiians voted yes in the plebiscite, and statehood was declared two months later. (Whatever became of Scout Motooka? See comments on last year’s post.)
“On June 14, 1959, Boy Scout Milton Motooka helped get the word out for Hawaii’s statehood plebiscite to be held 13 days later. A new documentary will focus on Hawaii’s statehood.” Hawaiians voted yes in the plebiscite, and statehood was declared two months later. (Whatever became of Scout Motooka?)
June’s plebiscite smoothed the path for statehood, declared two months later.
13-year-old paperboy Chester Kahapea happily hawks a commemorative edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin with the headline showing the state had achieved statehood after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the law authorizing Hawaii as a state. Star-Bulletin photo by Murray Befeler.
Hawaii’s official statehood day is August 21, commemorating the day in 1959 when Hawaii was recognized as a member of the union of the United States of America. Hawaiians should fly their flags to day in honor of the date (you may, too).
Hawaii formally celebrates the day on the third Friday in August, this year on the 19th. I hope you joined in the festivities (it’s a holiday in Hawaii) — but under the U.S. Flag Code, you may certainly fly your flags on August 21, regardless which day of the week that is.
Specimen copy of the ballot used by Hawaiians in a June 27, 1959, plebiscite to approve conditions of statehood. Image from Hawaii Magazine, 2009
After the U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898 (in action separate from the Spanish-American War) attempts at getting Hawaii admitted as a state got rolling. After World War II, with the strategic importance of the islands firmly implanted in Americans’ minds, the project picked up some steam. Still, it was 14 years after the end of the war that agreements were worked out between the people of Hawaii, the Hawaiian royal family, Congress and the executive branch. The deal passed into law had to be ratified by a plebiscite among Hawaiian citizens. The proposition won approval with 94% of votes in favor.
Some native Hawaiian opposition to statehood arose later, and deference to those complaints has muted statehood celebrations in the 21st century.
Other than the tiny handful of loudmouth birthers, most Americans today are happy to have Hawaii as a state, the fifth richest in the U.S. by personal income. The nation has a lot of good and great beaches, but the idea of catching sun and surf in Hawaii on vacation might be considered an idealized part of the American dream.
“Loudmouth birthers?” Yeah, Barack Obama, our 45th President, was born in Hawaii in 1961. Some whiners think that, but for statehood, Obama would not have been a citizen eligible to be president. Hawaii is not good ground for growing sour grapes, though. Birth in a territory would probably be enough to make him eligible. Water under the bridge: Hawaii was a state in 1961. President Obama remains president.
U.S. and Hawaii flags flying together.
More:
U.S. postage stamp issued in 2009 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s admission to the union.
Contrast the first class postage price above with the airmail postage price of this stamp issued in 1959 — August 21, 1959 7¢ Rose Hawaii Statehood stamp. Wikipedia image
This is an encore post.
Save
2 Comments | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, History, Statehood, World War II | Tagged: Flag Etiquitte, Fly your flag today, geography, Hawaii, History, Kingdom of Hawaii, World War II | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Another good reason to follow the National Archives on Twitter, Tumblr and other media: Great updates.
Like this one on the explosive arrival of the Atomic Age:
Atomic Age Begins
Trinity atomic device “Jumbo” being positioned at White Sands, New Mexico – National Archives
On July 16, 1945 the United States tested a nuclear device, code named “Trinity”, for the first time in White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico.
Above: [“Jumbo” atomic device being positioned for “Trinity” test at Alamogordo, New Mexico.], 1945
Below: [“Trinity” explosion], 07/16/1945
Source: research.archives.gov
It’s astonishing to think anyone could hide the explosion today. Near the end of World War II, after Germany had surrendered to end the war in Europe, no one really knew just what at atomic explosion would look or sound like. The test occurred near dawn in a very desolate part of New Mexico’s southern desert, a then sparsely populated state. A few thousand may have seen the flash; a few hundred may have heard or felt the explosion. No one in government confirmed any report of a weapon.
Rare color photograph of the first nuclear test at Trinity site, July 16, 1945. Blurriness is in the original photograph (done when color photography was still fairly new). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is based on an earlier post, and is mostly an encore post.
2 Comments | 1941-1945, Atomic Bomb, Geography - Physical, History, Nuclear weapons, Physics, World War II | Tagged: 16 July 1945, Atomic Age, Atomic Bomb, geography, History, National Archives, Nuclear weapon, Physics, Science, Trinity, World War II | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Another great find on Twitter, for geography, biology and physics classes.
How do birds navigate, compared to, say, Columbus? Most U.S. history texts make a big deal of Columbus’s navigation, made possible by invention of the magnetic compass and the sextant.
Birds are more accurate, and they have neither. Well, they don’t have external magnetic compasses. See the cartoon.
Neuroscientist and cartoonist team up to talk about birds “seeing” magnetic lines of the Earth! Information from Dwayne Godwin at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, with drawings by Jorge Cham, who draws Piled Higher and Deeper.
Teachers, have someone in the drafting department make this cartoon into a poster for your classroom.
As usual, the truth is more weird and wonderful than fiction writers could hope to invent.
Tip of the old scrub brush to Columbia University’s Twitter managers.
1 Comment | Biology, Bird Watching, Geography - Physical, Migration, Ornithology, Physics | Tagged: Biology, Birds, geography, Migration, Ornithology, Physics | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Again from Twitter, a series of photographs of Utah’s Mount Timpanogos.
From top to bottom, it looks like a sunrise on the mountain. But Timpanogos faces west; the sun rises from behind this face. Two possible explanations. The more mundane explanation would be that the series starts with the bottom photo, progressing to the top. Shadows support that explanation.
The slightly more colorful explanation would be, as we often see here in Texas, weather moving from west to east; and in the late afternoon a cover of clouds moves far enough east that the setting sun finally is uncovered, peeking out from underneath the clouds to light the land with that wonderful golden hour sun for a few minutes, before setting.
Timpanogos, like the rock it is, sits majestically either way.
Tweet from sofiaaugustineadams (@sofiaaadams): Mountain time #timelapse #timpanogos
I Tweeted Ms. Adams (I’m presuming her name to be Sofia Augustine Adams) to ask which it is. For those who love Timpanogos, it won’t matter much.
My guess is the photo was taken from south of Orem, Utah, probably near Interstate Highway 15 which transects Utah County.
Update: Ms. Adams informs us (see comments) it is a setting sun, with the bottom photo being the first in the series. Thank you!
1 Comment | Geography - Physical, photography, Timpanogos, Utah | Tagged: geography, Mount Timpanogos, photography, Sofia Augustine Adams, Utah | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
National Wildlife Refuges. Four days ago, most people were very fuzzy on what they are, except for members of Ducks Unlimited, and conservationists.
Here are a few Tweets to help the rest along.
Moose at the National Elk Refuge, outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming:
Wisdom is a 64-year old albatross who remarkably returns to the Midway National Wildlife Refuge every year, and has raised chicks most of those years. Midway NWR is northwest of Hawaii:
Sparky the lightning catching bull bison, at the Midwest NWR:
Every Kid in a Park shares a photo of an unnamed wild area (threw it in just for the heck of it):
Yellow-rumped warbler at the Sacramento NWR:
USFWS workers conduct a controlled burn at the Okefenokee NWR in Florida:
Hamden Slough NWR, Minnesota, is 26 years old today, January 5:
Great blue heron at Sacramento NWR:
Pied-billed grebe at Sacramento NWR:
Conservatives keep misattributing a famous quote to Thomas Paine, but it was Ed Abbey who said it. Rumor is you can find Abbey at the Caza Prieta NWR in Arizona:
Buenos Aires NWR, Arizona:
Wichita Mountains NWR, Oklahoma:
Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico (near Las Vegas, New Mexico, home of the first Owl Cafe and the wonderful Owl Burger):
https//twitter.com/CherylRofer/status/683725871123791872
Back to the Midway Atoll NWR:
1908 photo from Oregon’s Malheur NWR:
Working against extinction of monarch butterflies, at St. Marks NWR:
Lake Klamath NWR in Oregon, critical habitat for ducks along the Pacific flyway:
Loxahatchee NWR:
“Conservatives” want to sell these lands off, or drill for oil or gas, or mine for minerals, on many of these lands. Will these places be preserved for your great grandchildren and America’s future?
2 Comments | Bird Watching, Geography - Economic, Geography - Physical, History, National Wildlife Refuge, Ornithology, photography, Public Lands, Wildlife | Tagged: Bird Watching, geography, National Wildlife Refuge System, Ornithology, photography, Public Lands, Wildlife | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Who can you trust, if not the king and queen?
Columbus feared that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella would not honor pledges they had made to him as recompense and honor for his great work of discovery on their behalf. Before his final voyage, he assembled a legal document showing those promises made to him, and his work for Spain.
This illustrates, once again, the human dimension of the great drama of the age of exploration, of Columbus’s stumbling on to the America’s in his efforts to get to China.
On January 5, 1502, prior to his fourth and final voyage to America, Columbus gathered several judges and notaries in his home in Seville. The purpose? To have them authorize copies of his archival collection of original documents through which Isabel and Fernando had granted titles, revenues, powers and privileges to Columbus and his descendants. These 36 documents are popularly called “Columbus’ Book of Privileges.” Four copies of his “Book” existed in 1502, three written on vellum and one on paper. The Library’s copy, one of the three on vellum, has a unique paper copy of the Papal Bull Dudum siquidem of September 26, 1493, which extended the Spanish claim for future explorations.
513 years ago today.
Parts of Christopher Columbus’s journals parked for a visit to Dallas, through January 3, at the Meadows Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University. When we visited, the exhibits were not crowded. Who cares about ancient history today? Not enough.
Borrowed with permission from Mr. Darrell’s Wayback Machine. This has also appeared at Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub before.
Leave a Comment » | 1492, Age of Exploration, Columbus, Geography - Physical, Historic documents, History, How do we know what we know, Libraries, World history | Tagged: 1492, Age of Exploration, Columbus, geography, History, History Channel, Library of Congress | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Geography teachers love the Nile Delta because it so well epitomizes what a river delta is — clear demonstration of the delta form, in real photos.
From the International Space Station, the model gets ramped up a bit:
Twitter caption: A stunning pic taken by @StationCDRKelly while on @Space_Station shows the Nile River at night http://go.nasa.gov/1iAE3EV
The Nile becomes a river of light, showing the advance of electrified human settlement along the banks, and providing stark contrast to the unlighted desert on either side of the river.
What other cities, landmarks, or geographical features can you identify in the photo?
3 Comments | Geography - Economic, Geography - Physical, NASA, Rivers, Urban Sprawl | Tagged: geography, NASA, Nile River Delta, Rivers, Urban Sprawl | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
You can only get this shot on two days each year.
I was sad to discover most of my U.S. history students (juniors) didn’t know what an equinox is. So the autumnal equinox always offers a teaching moment that ticks off the teacher raters.
Summer 2015 ended at 4:15 a.m., September 23.
This is what an equinox looks like, from 2013 photos.
From Astronomy Picture of the Day: Earth at Equinox. From the Russian meteorological satellite Elektro-L
Explanation from NASA:
Equinox Earth
Image Credit: Roscosmos / NTSOMZ / zelenyikot.livejournal.com
Courtesy: Igor Tirsky, Vitaliy Egorov Explanation: From a geostationary orbit 36,000 kilometers above the equator, Russian meteorological satellite Elektro-L takes high-resolution images our fair planet every 30 minutes. But only twice a year, during an Equinox, can it capture an image like this one, showing an entire hemisphere bathed in sunlight. At an Equinox, the Earth’s axis of rotation is not tilted toward or away from the Sun, so the solar illumination can extend to both the planet’s poles. Of course, this Elektro-L picture was recorded on September 22nd [2013], at the northern hemisphere’s autumnal equinox. For a moment on that date, the Sun was behind the geostationary satellite and a telltale glint of reflected sunlight is seen crossing the equator, at the location on the planet with satellite and sun directly overhead (5MB animated gif).
Wait. Animated .gif? Cool!
The Earth at equinox, 2013; from Russan space program, via NASA.
The autumnal equinox is at 8:22 GMT or 4:22 am EDT on Wednesday. The two satellite images below from the European Meteosat show the sun angle on Earth from June 22 near the summer solstice and then today at the same time. Notice the sun angle has changed dramatically, and the High Arctic is no longer seeing 24 hour daylight.
Below is today at the same time.
More:
Yes, this is partly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.
1 Comment | Geography - Physical, NASA, Science, Weather | Tagged: APOD, Elektro-L, Equinox, geography, NASA, Seasons, Space exploration, Weather | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day:
Milky Way over Bosque Alegre Station in Argentina Image Credit & Copyright: Sebastián D’ Alessandro. To see the picture in its unadorned glory without the explanatory overlay, click on the image to get to NASA’s APOD site.
Stars in the Southern Hemisphere differ a lot from what we see in the North, most famously with the Southern Cross (Crux, in the image above).
Glorious anyway; more glory to go around.
If you click over to the APOD site, you can also see this photo without the overlay, which is another whole world of wonderfulness.
APOD said:
Explanation: What are those streaks of light in the sky? First and foremost, the arching structure is the central band of our Milky Way galaxy. Visible in this galactic band are millions of distant stars mixed with numerous lanes of dark dust. Harder to discern is a nearly vertical beam of light rising from the horizon, just to the right of the image center. This beam is zodiacal light, sunlight scattered by dust in our Solar System that may be surprisingly prominent just after sunset or just before sunrise. In the foreground are several telescopes of the Bosque Alegre Astrophysical Station of the National University of Cordoba in Argentina. The station schedules weekend tours and conducts research into the nature of many astronomical objects including comets, active galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. The featured image was taken early this month.
2 Comments | Astronomy, Geography - Physical, photography, Science, South America | Tagged: Argentina, Astronomy, Bosque Alegre, geography, photography, Science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Svein T veitdal is one of those rare scientists who can explain why science observations are important in effects on people in just living their lives. A good man to listen to (you can follow his Twitter account: @tveitdal).
Recently he sent this notice:
Critics of the science of climate change and the work to slow or halt warming don’t like charts like that. Sea level is something measured by humans, worldwide, for a long time. That’s real data.
And it’s scary.
T veitdal’s Tweet was just a small part of a very large graphic from NASA, explaining the observations that tell us sea levels rise, how the observations are made, and what it means to you and me.
NASA infographic on sea level rise: We know seas are rising and we know why. The urgent questions are by how much and how quickly. Available to download, this infographic covers the science behind sea level rise, who’s affected, how much melting ice is contributing, and what NASA is doing to help.
Yeah. “Your planet is changing. We’re on it.”
As Ban-ki Moon said the other day, there is no Planet B. We have only one Earth.
General science teachers, geology teachers, physics and chemistry teachers, history, geography and human geography teachers should see if someone at your school has a plotter and can print this thing out for you, poster size.
Leave a Comment » | Antarctica, Climate change, climate_change, Environment, Geography - Physical, Global warming, NASA, Science | Tagged: Antarctica, Climate change, Global warming, Greenland, JPL, NASA, Science, Sea Level Rise | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Much as the GOP Caucus and other climate-change deniers, Roman officials in Pompeii and Herculaneum refused to be alarmed at the ground shaking, and obvious eruptions from Mount Vesuvius, on August 24, 79 C.E.
In the past week we have earthquakes in California, Nepal, British Columbia, and other places. The old Earth keeps rumbling.
Oddly, we now pay more attention to earthquakes than to other things that can cause greater, rolling disasters.
Santayana’s Ghost wonders if we ever learn from history.
Vesuvius, asleep for now (2013). National Geographic photo by Robert Clark
More:
Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.
Leave a Comment » | Archaeology, Disasters, earthquakes, Geography - Physical, geology, Global warming, Science, Volcanoes | Tagged: 79 AD, 79 CE, Disasters, earthquakes, geology, Global warming, Pompeii, Rome, Vesuvius, Volcanoes | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
It’s been 56 years since the youngest state entered the union — the longest stretch in which the U.S. has not added another state.
“On June 14, 1959, Boy Scout Milton Motooka helped get the word out for Hawaii’s statehood plebiscite to be held 13 days later. A new documentary will focus on Hawaii’s statehood.” Hawaiians voted yes in the plebiscite, and statehood was declared two months later. (Whatever became of Scout Motooka?)
“On June 14, 1959, Boy Scout Milton Motooka helped get the word out for Hawaii’s statehood plebiscite to be held 13 days later. A new documentary will focus on Hawaii’s statehood.” Hawaiians voted yes in the plebiscite, and statehood was declared two months later. (Whatever became of Scout Motooka?)
June’s plebiscite smoothed the path for statehood, declared two months later.
13-year-old paperboy Chester Kahapea happily hawks a commemorative edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin with the headline showing the state had achieved statehood after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the law authorizing Hawaii as a state. Star-Bulletin photo by Murray Befeler.
Hawaii’s official statehood day is August 21, commemorating the day in 1959 when Hawaii was recognized as a member of the union of the United States of America. Hawaiians should fly their flags to day in honor of the date (you may, too).
Hawaii formally celebrates the day on the third Friday in August, this year coincidentally on the 21st. I hope you joined in the festivities (it’s a holiday in Hawaii) — but under the U.S. Flag Code, you may certainly fly your flags on August 21, regardless which day of the week that is.
Specimen copy of the ballot used by Hawaiians in a June 27, 1959, plebiscite to approve conditions of statehood. Image from Hawaii Magazine, 2009
After the U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898 (in action separate from the Spanish-American War) attempts at getting Hawaii admitted as a state got rolling. After World War II, with the strategic importance of the islands firmly implanted in Americans’ minds, the project picked up some steam. Still, it was 14 years after the end of the war that agreements were worked out between the people of Hawaii, the Hawaiian royal family, Congress and the executive branch. The deal passed into law had to be ratified by a plebiscite among Hawaiian citizens. The proposition won approval with 94% of votes in favor.
Some native Hawaiian opposition to statehood arose later, and deference to those complaints has muted statehood celebrations in the 21st century.
Other than the tiny handful of loudmouth birthers, most Americans today are happy to have Hawaii as a state, the fifth richest in the U.S. by personal income. The nation has a lot of good and great beaches, but the idea of catching sun and surf in Hawaii on vacation might be considered an idealized part of the American dream.
U.S. and Hawaii flags flying together.
More:
From Prologue, the blog of the National Archives: This petition, rolled onto a wooden spool, was signed by 116,000 supporters of Hawaii statehood and presented to the U.S. Senate on February 26, 1954. (RG 46, Records of the U.S. Senate)
U.S. postage stamp issued in 2009 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s admission to the union.
Contrast the first class postage price above with the airmail postage price of this stamp issued in 1959 — August 21, 1959 7¢ Rose Hawaii Statehood stamp. Wikipedia image
This is an encore post.
6 Comments | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, History, Statehood, World War II | Tagged: Flag Etiquitte, Fly your flag today, geography, Hawaii, History, Kingdom of Hawaii, World War II | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
National Geographic Society reminded us they’ve had to change maps of the arctic.
National Geographic Society composed this GIF to compare their maps over past 16 years: A GIF of National Geographic atlases from 1999 through 2014 shows how Arctic ice has melted over time.
President Barack Obama noted the change in his announcement of U.S. actions to fight climate change. National Geo added details beyond what the president said.
As the ocean heats up due to global warming, Arctic sea ice has been locked in a downward spiral. Since the late 1970s, the ice has retreated by 12 percent per decade, worsening after 2007, according to NASA. May 2014 represented the third lowest extent of sea ice during that month in the satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
Ice loss is accelerated in the Arctic because of a phenomenon known as the feedback loop: Thin ice is less reflective than thick ice, allowing more sunlight to be absorbed by the ocean, which in turn weakens the ice and warms the ocean even more, NASA says.
Because thinner ice is flatter, it allows melt ponds to accumulate on the surface, reducing the reflectiveness of the ice and absorbing more heat. (See pictures of our melting world in National Geographic magazine.)
“You hear reports all the time in the media about this,” Valdés said. “Until you have a hard-copy map in your hand, the message doesn’t really hit home.”
(More at National Geo’s site.)
At the last edition of the National Geographic Atlas, a video described why and how changes were made.
We used to think the old Earth was so massive, little could humans do to change it. While it’s probably still true the rock will survive after humans are extinct, we now know we can foul our nest enough to make it uncomfortable, or impossible for our species to stay here.
Global warming is changing the planet. Maps must be changed to show the new face.
Have we acted soon enough, and hard enough to save space for humans to live?
Tip of the old scrub brush to Chris Tackett on Twitter.
1 Comment | Arctic, Climate change, Geography - Economic, Geography - Physical, Global warming, Maps | Tagged: Arctic, Climate change, geography, Global warming, Maps, oceans, Science | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
Screen capture of one frame of Mark Gee’s short film, “After Dark.”
Great little .gif, of the night sky in New Zealand.
From a Tweet by BBC Earth. It’s taken from a slightly longer film put together by Mark Gee.
1440 individual photographs captured over 13 hours cut together into one incredible time-lapse video.
Photographer and videographer Mark Gee shot this breath-taking footage of the southern skies around his hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. The stunning one-minute clip is a collection of Mark’s most memorable night sky moments over the past year.
The majority of the video was shot on Wellington’s South Coast (watch out for air traffic) while the campfire and the camping scenes were filmed in Cape Palliser and the Tararua Ranges.
From Gee’s Youtube site, the longer film (1 minute!):
3 Comments | Astronomy, Geography - Physical, photography, Timelapse, Travel | Tagged: Astronomy, geography, Mark Gee, New Zealand, photography, Time-lapse, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell
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Ed Darrell on Texas's Colorado River
Come on in, the water's fine. Come often: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
