Examples of Awesome, Unexpected Beauty in Nature

[beecee]

"Seriously, Would You Share Some?" 

 

© Krisztina Scheeff/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020

Scheeff took the photo in Scotland.

A leopard seal got into a lagoon just before low tide," Nachoum wrote. "The seal was hiding, waiting to ambush young penguins as they got closer. When a penguin got close enough, the seal moved extremely fast and caught the penguin by its feet, dragging it to the open water. I was following parallel to the action. The seal released the penguin twice and the terrified penguin succeeded in escaping, but the seal continued chasing after it, and on the third attempt, drowned the penguin and devoured it."

The many colours of Uluru....

[joigus]

23 hours ago, beecee said:

"Seriously, Would You Share Some?" 

 

© Krisztina Scheeff/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020

Scheeff took the photo in Scotland.

A leopard seal got into a lagoon just before low tide," Nachoum wrote. "The seal was hiding, waiting to ambush young penguins as they got closer. When a penguin got close enough, the seal moved extremely fast and caught the penguin by its feet, dragging it to the open water. I was following parallel to the action. The seal released the penguin twice and the terrified penguin succeeded in escaping, but the seal continued chasing after it, and on the third attempt, drowned the penguin and devoured it."

The many colours of Uluru....

Certainly Australia's landscape is unique. Uluru is of such beauty...

I know you like docos, as you say. I remember Australia's first Four Billion Years. One of the geographical features that most impressed me was the McDonnell Ranges. Because this mountain system formed so early, erosion has eaten away even the highest mountains. At some point it looks like the skeleton of a gigantic beast. It's one of the most strangely wonderful geological features I've ever seen. 

[beecee]

http://www.fitzroyisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Great-Barrier-Reef-Port-Douglas.jpg

Fitzroy Island: Great Barrier Reef.

It's a marine playground and one of the most impressive natural scenarios our planet has to offer. Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Earth's largest living structure.

 

[joigus]

I read worrying news that the GBR is in danger.  

[beecee]

1 hour ago, joigus said:

I read worrying news that the GBR is in danger.  

Yes, that is something that saddens many Aussies, particularly those that have seen some of it. The present government is turning a blind eye to the problem, but hopefully, next elections, we may get Labor bacl in again.

[iNow]

On 8/27/2020 at 11:42 AM, iNow said:

Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone

 

Clearly my own personal camera and editing capability doesn't match what I originally posted above, but supplementing this with a photo of my own:

 

[joigus]

14 minutes ago, iNow said:

Clearly my own personal camera and editing capability doesn't match what I originally posted above, but supplementing this with a photo of my own:

 

Amazed at the length of your selfie stick.  

Colors are a bit more natural, if you ask me.

[StringJunky]

2 hours ago, iNow said:

Clearly my own personal camera and editing capability doesn't match what I originally posted above, but supplementing this with a photo of my own:

 

The first one probably used a polarizer.

[iNow]

1 hour ago, StringJunky said:

The first one probably used a polarizer.

Well, there you have it. I just used my phone lol

(also, smoke from California wildfires had blown into the air)

[StringJunky]

1 hour ago, iNow said:

Well, there you have it. I just used my phone lol

(also, smoke from California wildfires had blown into the air)

Right, that could cause diffusion and desaturation of the viewed scene. If it's a phone, you could try shading the lens with your hand or something to cut off incoming side light, which gets scattered in the lens, softening the image. A neater solution would be a lens hood. They seem quite widely available.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-ULHmobile-Ultimate-Mobile-Phones/dp/B082VKFDDD

 

[Ghideon]

On 8/27/2020 at 2:19 PM, joigus said:

Unexpected and/or beautiful could be interpreted as curious/spectacular, or similar.

I recently visited what is claimed to be the clearest* lake in the country and this picture was unexpected. I tried to film the clear water and the resulting film was not anything worth sharing, but this single frame from the moment when the camera lens is half submerged turned out pretty well.

 

 

*) I have not found any conclusive official measurements, maybe it is tricky to perform standardised measurement as the bottom is visible from the surface. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rissajaure

[Ghideon]

On 12/6/2020 at 5:32 PM, joigus said:

The tepuis (tepuyes in Spanish) from Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana and Colombia. Karst topography is awesome almost beyond words or concepts. But not beyond belief, because it's there.

Awesome image! It looks like bridges and buildings in the center, what are those?

Example:

 

[joigus]

1 hour ago, Ghideon said:

Awesome image! It looks like bridges and buildings in the center, what are those?

Example:

 

Karsts are amazing. Experts will tell you more and better, but they basically consist of sedimentary rocks formed by many millions of years of deposition, made up of carbonate-rich substance from scheletons of marine animals; and later eroded by water. I suppose that those column-like features come from particular locations where the rock is less soluble in water for whatever reason. Differential erosion is the key.

7 hours ago, Ghideon said:

I recently visited what is claimed to be the clearest* lake in the country and this picture was unexpected. I tried to film the clear water and the resulting film was not anything worth sharing, but this single frame from the moment when the camera lens is half submerged turned out pretty well.

 

 

*) I have not found any conclusive official measurements, maybe it is tricky to perform standardised measurement as the bottom is visible from the surface. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rissajaure

Very nice picture. You always post a picture you took yourself. That's even more valuable! Thanks. +1.

[Ghideon]

10 minutes ago, joigus said:

I suppose that those column-like features come from particular locations where the rock is less soluble in water for whatever reason. Differential erosion is the key.

Thanks! I interpreted* the arc over the waterfall in the center (and other arcs) as a constructed bridge.
I wonder where the water comes from?

 

*) The solution might be wikipedia.org/Pareidolia, I'm a fan of art that blends nature and (large scale) constructions, for instance Pieter Bruegel's Tower of Babel (wikipedia.org/The_Tower_of_Babel (jpeg) )

[joigus]

5 hours ago, Ghideon said:

Thanks! I interpreted* the arc over the waterfall in the center (and other arcs) as a constructed bridge.
I wonder where the water comes from?

Oh boy, I didn't see those. You're right; they look human made...

[Phi for All]

On 9/11/2021 at 7:56 AM, Ghideon said:

I wonder where the water comes from?

I'd really like to know, since that particular tepui doesn't seem to be attached to the rest of the landscape. Do you think there's enough rainfall to fill a small lake?

[Ghideon]

16 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

I'd really like to know, since that particular tepui doesn't seem to be attached to the rest of the landscape. Do you think there's enough rainfall to fill a small lake?

I agree, the tepui does not seem to be attached. And there seems to be no room for a large enough lake. 

Edit: here is a link to discussion about the water: 

Note that the picture is posted in the art section.

Edited September 12, 2021 by Ghideon
Link added

[joigus]

Well spotted, @Ghideon!! My bad. I didn't give it a second thought. You really have an inquisitive spirit.

Keep it up, is all I can think of saying now.

😮 

[Ghideon]

No worries @joigus!

(In spirit of your opening post I showed the picture to one of my kids. Result was an interesting conversation about nature, digital art, Lord of the Rings, Angkor Wat, fiction and non-fiction.)

 

[beecee]

23 hours ago, Ghideon said:

I agree, the tepui does not seem to be attached. And there seems to be no room for a large enough lake. 

Edit: here is a link to discussion about the water: 

Note that the picture is posted in the art section.

Wow! Breathtakingly amazing!!

Not quite as spectacular but is up there.....

 Iguazu Falls are the world’s largest, highest waterfall system. A jaw-dropping sight, the chain of falls features nearly 300 drops as the Iguazu River snakes along the Brazil-Argentina boundary.

[beecee]

Such majestic Animals with Mnt Kilimanjaro in the background.

[joigus]

OK. I would like to make it up to you all for having posted that beautiful but non-legit picture.

A real tepui (mount Roraima in Venezuela):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Roraima

The extraordinary plants of mount Roraima:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00lx3pb

Lack of nitrates in mount Roraima is due to heavy rain, that washes away all the nutrients.

BTW, I strongly recommend BBC's The Private Life of Plants.

Enjoy!

[dimreepr]

[joigus]

Are those naked mole-rats?

[dimreepr]

19 minutes ago, joigus said:

Are those naked mole-rats?

Yes, aren't they beautiful?