Category: Photography

Einstein was correct – in 1915!

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Scientists have finally seen the backside of a black hole and in doing so, they’ve proved that a 1915 theory posited by Albert Einstein was correct.

Einstein’s 1915 Theory of General Relativity predicted that the gravitational pull of black holes is so large that black holes warp the fabric of space, according to The Telegraph. His theory posited that this extremely massive gravitational pull was so massive that it twists magnetic fields and bends lightwaves near black holes…

“Fifty years ago, when astrophysicists started speculating about how the magnetic field might behave close to a black hole, they had no idea that one day we might have the techniques to observe this directly and see Einstein’s general theory of relativity in action,” Standford University professor and research report co-author, Roger Blandford, said…

As time has progressed, though, the mystery around black holes has grown more clear thanks to modern telescopes and the like. That’s how Nature report author Dan Wilkins, a Standford University astrophysicist, and Blandford, were finally able to prove Einstein’s theory correct, more than 100 years later.

Click through up top and read the article. It’s written in understandable English. Fascinating stuff…as important as any science you may read in your whole lifetime.

5 (of 120) Women Photograpers

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Consuelo Kanaga, by Annie Mae Merriweather, 1935

A new show opened July 2nd at the Metropolitan Museum of Art continuing recent efforts to reinsert women into the history of photography. Organized by Andrea Nelson and Mia Fineman with Virginia McBride, “The New Woman Behind the Camera” features 120 women photographers working during the 20th century. Its focus is not only Western artists who are already well-known, such as Dorothea Lange and Claude Cahun, but also under-recognized artists from other parts of the world whose work has been influential.

Look at five under-recognized artists included in the Met show, which is slated to travel to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. after its run in New York.

One of those rare moments when I regret leaving the metropolitan Northeast. Quite rare. But, I don’t travel well, anymore. Too much of that as part of earning a living much of my life. Perhaps someone will produce something in video or print recording the experience of wandering through this show.

Firestorm

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SFGate

“Really horrifying”: Fire clouds spark 710,117 lightning strikes in western Canada in 15 hours.

Storm-producing fire clouds threw out hundreds of thousands of lightning strikes over wildfire-stricken British Columbia and northwestern Alberta provinces in Canada Wednesday and Thursday, bewildering meteorologists…

Of those (710K+ lightning strikes), 597,314 were in-cloud pulses, meaning the strikes didn’t hit the ground. There were 112,803 cloud-to-ground strikes detected over the same area, (Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist with the company Vaisala) said.

“As a whole, Canada doesn’t generally see a lot of lightning — about 90% less than the United States.”

Yup. No need to worry about climate change. Unless you have some understanding of just how interconnected, reactive, cumulative, physical processes in nature can become.

Wandering elephants heading straight for a city of 8 million people

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Nap time

A herd of 15 Asian elephants in China is on an unprecedented journey: Over the past year, the pachyderms have wandered 300 miles from their home in Xishuangbanna, a nature reserve in China’s southwestern province of Yunnan, north toward some unknown destination. Their travels have captivated the nation. No one knows why the elephants started migrating in the first place—or where they’re headed along the longest recorded elephant migration in China’s history.

Now, the family of elephants—six adult females, three adult males, and six juveniles—is lingering on the outskirts of Kunming, home to more than eight million people. In recent months, as they’ve drawn closer to the city, they’ve encroached on human settlements, raiding crops, wandering down streets, and searching for food in small towns. They’ve broken into kitchens and popped into a nursing home. Some reportedly may have gotten drunk on fermented grain. While most of the group has banded together, one male left the main herd and is now approximately 15 miles away from the rest.

As the herd’s antics have captured public attention throughout the country, experts are left with a daunting challenge: figuring out how to reduce interactions between the elephants and people…

Everyone likes elephant stories. This herd apparently had a happy home where they’ve been on a nature reserve for decades. Someone got the wanderlust … and off they went.

Apache Plume

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This is the top of a small copse of Apache Plume growing along the back fence of lot 4 just at the northwest corner.  I pass it every lap of my exercise walks along the periphery of the lot.  Truly at peak flowering a week ago –  when I snapped this with my iPhone.  Last laps of the day just before sunset.  Background shadowed by the sun almost setting.  A spot of brightness caught this particular bush and I had to stop and grab the image.