Distant Lights
Distant Lights Looking like flashes of lightning on a distant horizon, this aurora was captured at Malin Head, Inishowen, Co Donegal Ireland. Image: leppre/Flickr
View ArticleEagle Lights
The sun is waking up. After several quiet years, it bombarded the Earth with two consecutive solar storms this week, which generated many nights of spectacular auroras seen from backyards around the...
View ArticleGlowing Lights
Glowing Lights A long exposure and dark forest provided this view of the aurora and night sky, captured in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Image: Stephan Hoglund
View ArticleHorizon Lights
Horizon Lights The gauzy Northern Lights brighten the horizon in this photo, while a clear night sky watches over all. Taken near Midmar in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Image: Nick Bramhall/Flickr
View ArticleValley Lights
Valley Lights The Northern Lights appear as a giant ribbon taking up the sky over a snowy valley in this image, taken in Nuorgam, Lapland, Finland. Image: K*M*J/Flickr
View ArticleYellow and Green Lights
Yellow and Green Lights Zigzagging bands of yellow and green flow over the landscape in Langfjordbotn, Finmark Fylke, Norway. Image: The-Dan/Flickr
View ArticleFirework Lights
Firework Lights A firework burst of auroras appear over the mountains in Tromvik, Troms Fylke, Norway. Image: LarsT/Flickr
View ArticleFeathered Lights
Feathered Lights A turquoise fire seems to burn in the sky in this photograph, taken in Kiruna, Sweden. Image: Mattias Forsberg’s (@norrfoto) twitpic
View ArticleClik here to view.
phobaeticus_serratipes
Longest Get out your yardsticks! A 12-inch ruler won't be enough to measure the longest insects in the world, the walking sticks (order Phasmida). There are more than 3,000 species of these twiggy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
driver-ants-april-nobile-antweb-org-wikimedia
Least and Most (re)Productive The race was tight among insects vying for the Fewest Kids in a Lifetime prize. The contenders included tsetse flies, with six to 12 larvae; solitary bees, with two to...
View Articleforehand-jay-wikimedia-commonspapilio_dardanus_v
Best Actor Swallowtail butterflies are the most spectacular imitators among insects. Female Papilio dardanus can mimic other species of butterflies in more than 30 different ways, and not just in the...
View Articleannual-cicada-bruce-marlin-wikimedia
Loudest The African cicada wins the the William Hung Prize for loudest, and consequently most annoying bugger. Entomologist John Petti, who selected the champion, limited the contenders to insects...
View ArticleFeb. 1, 2012
This new view shows a stellar nursery called NGC 3324. The intense ultraviolet radiation from several of NGC 3324's hot young stars causes the gas cloud to glow with rich colors and has carved out a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
desert-locust-christiaan-kooyman-wikimedia
Fastest Flyers Zoom! The gold medal in speed flying goes to desert locusts, which can fly at about 21 mph. The corn earworm moths came in close second at 17 mph. (Airspeed, not to be confused with...
View Articleprosapia_bicincta_kaldari-kaldari-wikimedia
Insects hold at least 13 titles in the Guinness Book of World Records. They also have their own tome of distinctions titled The Book of Insect Records, and its contents are a wealth of awesomeness....
View Articlelouise-docker-wikimedia-bee
Most Spectacular Mating The Baum Chicka Baum Baum Award goes to common honey bees. Their mating ritual, which occurs 50 to 100 feet off the ground, is like a sexual kamikaze mission. A horde of drones...
View Articlefirebrat-klemens-bottig-wikimedia
Best Costume Design Two insects shared the Stevie Nicks Award for most molts, when they shed and replace their exoskeleton. Molting occurs periodically to allow insects to grow. To be fair to insects...
View Articledung-beetle
Best Dad The male burying beetle wins for Most Progressive Male. Other bugs, like wood roaches and some bark and dung beetles, also help their ladies out with the kids: by providing protection, helping...
View ArticleFeb. 3, 2012
Barred Spiral Galaxy The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Space visitors
Wired: The photos suggest you’re a huge fan of science and technology. Is that true? Elgort: No, I’m not a huge fan of technology because I don’t know much about it. Even with my cameras I do use the...
View Article