By Vladimir Brezina
Seasonally appropriate: sunny days after the big snowstorm in NYC’s Central Park—






(More photos are here, here, and here)
A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, Shadowed. A second contribution is here.
By Vladimir Brezina
Seasonally appropriate: sunny days after the big snowstorm in NYC’s Central Park—






(More photos are here, here, and here)
A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, Shadowed. A second contribution is here.
Posted in Nature, New York City, Photography
Tagged Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2015, Shadowed, Shadows, Snow, Weekly Photo Challenge, Winter
By Johna Till Johnson
Suspended lion face
Spilling at the centre
Of an unfurnished sky
How still you stand,
And how unaided
Single stalkless flower
You pour unrecompensed.The eye sees you
Simplified by distance
Into an origin,
Your petalled head of flames
Continuously exploding. …
—Philip Larkin, Solar
.
What’s the longest-running scientific experiment in history?
I bet you didn’t think of monitoring sunspots.
And I can’t definitively say it’s the longest-running experiment —there may be others I haven’t heard of yet. But the first recorded systematic observation of sunspots in the West was by astronomers Thomas Harriot, Johannes and David Fabricius in 1610 (Chinese astronomers observed them as far back as 300 BC). Scientists have been monitoring sunspots ever since—which means that sunspots have been monitored for the past 405 years!
Posted in Culture, Nature, Science and Technology, Society
Tagged Leif Svalgaard, Science, Scientific Experiments, Sun, Sunspots
By Vladimir Brezina
Do not watch if you are prone to nightmares involving swarming insects! (However, more than 8 million people have not been able to resist watching this classic YouTube video…)
I particularly like the way they carry off the skull in the end… :-)
Some background and explanation is here.
By Vladimir Brezina
Each morning is a new morning—
(click on any photo to start slideshow)
A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, New.
Posted in Nature, Photography
Tagged Dawn, Morning, New, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2015, Sunrise, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
...The one red leaf, the last of its clan,That dances as often as dance it can,Hanging so light, and hanging so high,On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.
Last light over the Central Park Reservoir—
Posted in Nature, New York City
Tagged Central Park, Milkweed pods, New York City, Photography, Red berries, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sunset, Winter
By Vladimir Brezina
The sun rises above the horizon, and immediately its warming rays disperse the morning chill. It’s going to be another hot one!
A response to this week’s Photo Challenge, Warmth.
Posted in Nature, Photography
Tagged Photography, postaweek2014, Sunrise, Warmth, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
I mean, of course, the ancient turn of the year, the Winter Solstice—not that newfangled, artificial New Year on January 1st.
The Winter Solstice occurs today, December 21st, at 6:03 PM EST (New York time). This year, especially, we look forward to the days finally getting longer…
… and we are still waiting for our first real snowstorm, which at least for a day or two makes everything brighter :-)
Happy Winter Solstice from us in NYC!
Posted in Nature, New York City
Tagged Central Park, Central Park Reservoir, New York City, Seasons, Winter, Winter Solstice
Posted in Nature, Photography
Tagged Belonging, Birds, Canada Geese, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
By Vladimir Brezina
A contribution to this week’s Photo Challenge, Minimalist, and Ailsa’s recent travel-themed photo challenge, Autumn.
Posted in Nature, Photography
Tagged Abstract, Autumn, Autumn Leaves, Fall Colors, Minimalist, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge
Posted in Nature, Photography
Tagged Broken, Photography, postaweek, postaweek2014, Sea Shells, Still Life, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge