APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
User avatar
APOD Robot
Otto Posterman
Posts: 5345
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
Contact:

APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by APOD Robot » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:00 am

Image Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus

Explanation: Sometimes the sky above can become quite a show. Last week, for example, the Moon and Venus converged, creating quite a sight by itself for sky enthusiasts around the globe. From some locations, though, the sky was even more picturesque. In the above image taken last week from Spain, a crescent Moon and the planet Venus, on the far right, were captured during sunset posing against a deep blue sky. In the foreground, dark storm clouds loom across the image bottom, while a white anvil cloud shape appears above. Black specks dot the frame, caused by a flock of birds taking flight. Very soon after this picture was taken, however, the birds passed by, the storm ended, and Venus and the Moon set. The Moon and Venus have now separated, although Venus will remain visible at sunset for the rest of this month.

<< Previous APODDiscuss Any APOD Next APOD >>
[/b]

User avatar
bystander
Apathetic Retiree
Posts: 21571
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by bystander » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:15 am


User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by orin stepanek » Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:15 pm

APOD Robot wrote: The Moon and Venus have now separated, although Venus will remain visible at sunset for the rest of this month.
When I clicked on the remain visible url I got the almanac rise and set information for my area. That was a nice surprise. 8-)
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

biddie67
Science Officer
Posts: 483
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:44 am
Location: Possum Hollow, NW Florida

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by biddie67 » Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:38 pm

Beautiful, complex photo!

Guest

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by Guest » Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:05 pm

Is it just me or just left of the moon, barely visible in high orbit is the Enterprise (STOS) making another unscheduled time jump

User avatar
orin stepanek
Plutopian
Posts: 8200
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: Nebraska

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by orin stepanek » Wed Sep 15, 2010 1:09 pm

biddie67 wrote:Beautiful, complex photo!
I liked the photo also. 8-) There were several good photos if you clicked on the links. I also liked the movie of the starlings! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81wFZavdhPU :D
Orin

Smile today; tomorrow's another day!

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Indirect 'S-shaped' re-tern journey in spring

Post by neufer » Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:13 pm

http://www.greenland.com/content/english/tourist/news/news_archive/the_longest_animal_migration_in_the_world_revealed wrote:
<<10.05.20 - Astonishing new information on the wonders of animal migration has been revealed in a recent paper in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. An international research team found that the Arctic tern flies an incredible 70,000+ km on its annual migration trip from pole to pole - the equivalent of three trips to the moon and back over its lifetime.

The researcher team, from Greenland, Denmark, the United States, Great Britain, and Iceland, have successfully mapped the impressive migratory movements of the Arctic tern. The results of the study verify what has been supposed for decades: that the Arctic tern does indeed conduct the longest annual migration in the world. Every year this small seabird travels an average of around 71,000 km roundtrip from Greenland to the Weddell Sea, on the shores of Antarctica, and back to the breeding grounds in Greenland.

The research results not only confirm the Arctic tern as the champion of long-distance migration, but also held a few surprises in store for the research team. It turns out that the birds do not immediately travel south, but spent almost a month at-sea in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately 1,000 km north of the Azores. After this lengthy stop over, the birds continued their long journey south down the coast of northwest Africa, but around the Cape Verde Islands the birds behaviour surprised the researcher team again.

Approximately half of the birds continued down the coast of Africa, while the other half crossed the Atlantic Ocean to follow a parallel route south down the east coast of South America. All of the birds spent the northern winter months in Antarctic waters. Interestingly, on their long return journey the birds did not choose the shortest route back to their breeding grounds in Greenland. Instead, the Arctic terns traced out a gigantic 'S'-pattern northward through the Atlantic Ocean – a detour of several thousand kilometres over a straight line north to their breeding colonies.

This study on Arctic terns used a tiny instrument (1.4g) for tracking animal migration, known as a geolocator. These regularly record light intensity, which can be used to generate two geographical positions per day. “The use of these devices on seabirds is not only revolutionising our understanding of migration patterns, but the resulting data on distribution also help address the requirement to identify important biological hotspots” said Richard Phillips from British Antarctic Survey, who is a co-author on the paper.

“Our analysis shows that the birds behaviour is closely correlated with both biological and physical parameters along the migration route. They paused in their southward migration to spend time in highly productive waters in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Compared to this stop-over site, the marine area immediately to the south is lower in productivity. Clearly, Arctic terns have learned to “fuel up” before crossing areas of ocean with limited foraging options” Carsten Egevang continued.

”The indirect 'S-shaped' return journey in spring indicates that Arctic terns take full advantage of the prevailing global wind systems to reduce energetic costs on their long flight north” said Iain Stenhouse, a co-author on the paper.

Arctic terns can live up to 34 years of age, and they make the annual journey between the Arctic and Antarctic throughout their adult life. When added up, the total distance an Arctic tern flies over its lifetime is the equivalent of three journeys to the moon and back. “This is a mind-boggling achievement for a bird of just over 100 grams” concluded Carsten Egevang.

“This study on seabird migration has given us an incredibly detailed insight into how long-distance migrants behave at times of the year when it's normally impossible for us to follow them” said Carsten Egevang of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the papers primary author.>>
Arctic Neuendorffer

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

The human lunar menstrual cycle

Post by neufer » Wed Sep 15, 2010 2:41 pm

http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat/iron_rich_food/ wrote:
<<Mollusks are one of the highest sources of iron, beating out liver and beef.
Too bad I can't get my hands on cockles, they may be the highest iron source of all.
>>
Did the human lunar menstrual cycle evolve within early tidal shellfish eaters :?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klasies_River_Caves wrote:
<<The Klasies River Caves are a series of caves located to the east of the Klasies River mouth on the Tsitsikamma coast in the Humansdorp district of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The three main caves and two shelters at the base of a high cliff have revealed evidence of middle stone age-associated Humans habitation from approximately 125,000 years ago. The 20 m thick deposits were accumulated from 125,000 years ago. Around 75,000 years ago during cave remodeling the stratigraphic sediments were moved out into external middens. Other scenarios for the discontinuous stratigraphy suggest natural factors like megatsunami washout or inconsistent dating. From 1960 Ronald Singer, Ray Inskeep, John Wymer, Hilary Deacon, Richard Klein and others suggested the excavation yielded the earliest known remains of anatomically modern humans and behaviourally modern humans in the world.

There is a 20 metre thick accumulation of deposits, both inside the caves and outside against the cliff face, proving that Klasies River Mouth people knew how to hunt small game, fish (later), gather plants and roots, cook by roasting on hearths, and manage their land (later). There is extensive evidence of shellfish collecting; Middle Stone Age stone artifact technology; gathering plants, roots and flowers for food; cooking plants, corms, seal, penguins, and antelope meat on hearths with fire; general organisation of the settlement; and land/veld management by fire. The evidence also appears to indicate that their presence was seasonal or migratory. There is also evidence of cannibalism, charred and carved 'modern human' bones discarded with other food remnants.>>
----------------------------------------------
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-cockles-of-your-heart.htm wrote: <<An inspirational story or nostalgic movie is often said to "warm the cockles of your heart", but where exactly are the cockles of your heart located? Not surprisingly, the answer will not be a test question on any medical school exam. The cockles of your heart are more metaphorical than physical, although the phrase can be traced back to 15th century medical beliefs. Unfortunately, the etymological path gets a tad murky after that.

Under one popular theory, the phrase "cockles of your heart" is derived from the Latin description for the heart's chambers, cochleae cordis. It is believed that the word 'cockles' is a corrupted version of cochleae, most likely entering the popular vernacular as a form of slang. The prevailing medical opinion of that day and time was that the ventricles of the human heart resembled the concentric shells of small mollusks or snails, also known as cochleae or cockles. This theory concerning the origin of "cockles of your heart" does address the connection between the physical and emotional role of the heart, but the shell analogy appears to be more accurate with the structure of the human ear. The Latin cochlea is still used to describe the ear, not the cardium, or heart.

Another theory concerning the "cockles of your heart" puts the snail before the cart, as it were. During the Middle Ages, there were an abundance of small mollusks and snails whose shells were vaguely heart-shaped. In the old Irish folk song "Molly Malone," a reference is made to these edible mollusks as "cockles and mussels." It is possible that the shape of these cockle shells inspired a comparison to the chambers of the human heart. This theory sounds plausible, but the Latin root for the mollusks and the Latin root for the heart are not similar. If the phrase "cockles of your heart" did come from a comparison to mollusk shells, then it may have been a form of slang all along.

One possibility of the origin of "warm the cockles of your heart" may be an alternative definition of "cockles." Some say the chambers of a kiln were called cockles, although that usage has apparently fallen out of common use. Under this theory, the cockles of your heart are analogous to the cold chambers of a kiln, which must be warmed to a certain temperature in order to function at its best. It could be argued that a nostalgic movie or other life-affirming experience warms the cockles of your heart in the same sense that a fire warms the "cockles" of a kiln.

There is even a theory that the French word for shell, coquille, is so close in pronunciation and meaning to "cockle" that a comparison to the shell-like chambers of the human heart was inevitable. Using foreign words in casual conversation is an age-old practice in any language, and it is possible that the phrase "cockles of your heart" may have evolved from the more affected "coquilles of your heart.">>
----------------------------------------------
Cockles of your Art Neumansdorpper
Art Neuendorffer

biddie67
Science Officer
Posts: 483
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:44 am
Location: Possum Hollow, NW Florida

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by biddie67 » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:06 pm

(( laughing )) neufer - on that infamous scale of far-out free-associations, you are ranging 3-4 standard deviations out today - three cheers to the champ!!!
Last edited by biddie67 on Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
bystander
Apathetic Retiree
Posts: 21571
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by bystander » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:17 pm

orin stepanek wrote:I liked the photo also. 8-) There were several good photos if you clicked on the links. I also liked the movie of the starlings! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81wFZavdhPU :D
Why bird flocks move in unison
PhysOrg | General Physics | 15 Sept 2010
Animal flocks, be it honeybees, fish, ants or birds, often move in surprising synchronicity and seemingly make unanimous decisions at a moment's notice, a phenomenon which has remained puzzling to many researchers.

New research published today, Wednesday 15 September, in New Journal of Physics, uses a particle model to explain the collective decision making process of flocks of birds landing on foraging flights.
Collective decision making in cohesive flocks - K Bhattacharya, T Vicsek

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by neufer » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:18 pm

biddie67 wrote:
(( laughing )) neufer - on the scale of far-out free-associations, you are ranging 3-4 standard deviations out today - three cheers to the champ!!!
But I am quite serious about the question posed:

Did the human lunar menstrual cycle evolve within early tidal shellfish eaters :?:

Middle Stone Age women who got their iron from southern ocean shellfish
during the last ice age were healthier and produced more babies when their
menstrual cycle was in sync with the high "spring tides" of the bright full moon.

(Their "mussel men" mates were too busy collecting food to have sex then anyway.)
Last edited by neufer on Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Art Neuendorffer

biddie67
Science Officer
Posts: 483
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:44 am
Location: Possum Hollow, NW Florida

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by biddie67 » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:27 pm

Good Grief!! While I might be considered to be among the elders of this esteemed group, I'm not old enough to have had direct contact with those dear ladies of old --- I can only surmise that the full moon increased the "feeling frisky" factor which aided and abetted that mysterious lunar menstrual cycle!! I guess a slight increase in gravity moves more than galaxies around ....

User avatar
Beyond
500 Gigaderps
Posts: 6889
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:09 am
Location: BEYONDER LAND

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by Beyond » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:29 pm

neufer wrote: ...they may be the highest iron source of all.
Hey art, you forget about the red & white bar magnet with the engraved "N" & "S" :?: You sure you want MORE iron :?: :?:
Last edited by Beyond on Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
To find the Truth, you must go Beyond.

User avatar
mexhunter
Science Officer
Posts: 467
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2010 1:41 pm
AKA: César Cantú
Location: Monterrey, Mexico.
Contact:

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by mexhunter » Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:30 pm

It's a very pretty picture, a classic landscape.
Regards
César
I come to learn and to have fun.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by neufer » Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:06 pm

biddie67 wrote:
Good Grief!! While I might be considered to be among the elders of this esteemed group, I'm not old enough to have had direct contact with those dear ladies of old --- I can only surmise that the full moon increased the "feeling frisky" factor which aided and abetted that mysterious lunar menstrual cycle!! I guess a slight increase in gravity moves more than galaxies around ....
Click to play embedded YouTube video.
Art Neuendorffer

User avatar
hstarbuck
Ensign
Posts: 98
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:59 pm
Location: Hawaii

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by hstarbuck » Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:29 pm

neufer wrote: But I am quite serious about the question posed:

Did the human lunar menstrual cycle evolve within early tidal shellfish eaters :?:

Middle Stone Age stone woman who got their iron from southern ocean shellfish
during the last ice age were healthier and produced more babies when their
menstrual cycle was in sync with the high "spring tides" of the bright full moon.

(Their "mussel men" mates were too busy collecting food to have sex then anyway.)
Neufer, you could come out of retirement to become an evolutionary biologist. Too bad Stephen J. Gould was not around to write an essay on this one.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by neufer » Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:24 pm

hstarbuck wrote:
neufer wrote: But I am quite serious about the question posed:

Did the human lunar menstrual cycle evolve within early tidal shellfish eaters :?:

Middle Stone Age women who got their iron from southern ocean shellfish
during the last ice age were healthier and produced more babies when their
menstrual cycle was in sync with the high "spring tides" of the bright full moon.

(Their "mussel men" mates were too busy collecting food to have sex then anyway.)
Neufer, you could come out of retirement to become an evolutionary biologist.
Too bad Stephen J. Gould was not around to write an essay on this one.
I'm a big fan of Gould.

My youngest daughter got to hear Gould lecture once with her high school class.

She said she was bored to tears.... ~~~ sigh ~~~

Perhaps I should write a book titled: _The Shellfish Gene_
Art Neuendorffer

grump
Ensign
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 2:08 am

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by grump » Thu Sep 16, 2010 3:38 am

Dare I say photochop? At sunset the camera would have to be pointing south to capture the sunlight on the clouds like that. Therefore the moon as shown would be low in the southern sky. I did not think Spain was so far north of the equator that a setting moon would be only a few degrees off the southern horizon.

User avatar
neufer
Vacationer at Tralfamadore
Posts: 18805
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:57 pm
Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by neufer » Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:33 am

grump wrote:Dare I say photochop? At sunset the camera would have to be pointing south to capture the sunlight on the clouds like that. Therefore the moon as shown would be low in the southern sky. I did not think Spain was so far north of the equator that a setting moon would be only a few degrees off the southern horizon.
It also seems a bit strange that the moon is below Venus.
Art Neuendorffer

//waf

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by //waf » Thu Sep 16, 2010 7:36 pm

What an image. Could be from another solar system. Seems too perfect and tranquil to be from our messed-up planet Earth. :?

happylimpet

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by happylimpet » Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:55 pm

This is an amalgamation of different photographs surely! think of the relative angular scales of a large storm cloud system as at left, and the moon at right. in order to get them together like this the storm cloud system would have to be tremendously far away, and as it extends from very low to very high altitudes, means the moon would have been at about 2-3 degrees altitude at the time, which it clearly isnt. and with totally clear sky in between.... well, anyway, it looks horribly unrealistic to me. i hope i'm wrong!

User avatar
rstevenson
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Posts: 2704
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:24 pm
Location: Halifax, NS, Canada

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by rstevenson » Thu Sep 23, 2010 4:10 pm

happylimpet wrote:This is an amalgamation of different photographs surely! think of the relative angular scales of a large storm cloud system as at left, and the moon at right. ...
Telephoto lens.

Rob

User avatar
Chris Peterson
Abominable Snowman
Posts: 18112
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
Contact:

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by Chris Peterson » Thu Sep 23, 2010 4:10 pm

happylimpet wrote:This is an amalgamation of different photographs surely! think of the relative angular scales of a large storm cloud system as at left, and the moon at right. in order to get them together like this the storm cloud system would have to be tremendously far away, and as it extends from very low to very high altitudes, means the moon would have been at about 2-3 degrees altitude at the time, which it clearly isnt. and with totally clear sky in between.... well, anyway, it looks horribly unrealistic to me. i hope i'm wrong!
The FOV looks to be about 10°, which is consistent with a typical telephoto on the order of 200mm FL. Such a lens easily shows clouds this way, and they need not be at any great distance. I see nothing artificial in the framing or scale of items in the image.
Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
https://www.cloudbait.com

User avatar
Céline Richard
Science Officer
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:10 am
Location: France

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by Céline Richard » Fri Nov 26, 2010 12:00 am

Hi :saturn:

I love that one :D The birds take us with them, then make us flying, traveling throw the sky!
I like the colors, the contrasts, and the poesy of this picture.
Yes the poesy… because this picture with the moon makes me thinking of a Chilean poet: Pablo Neruda. So i will try and translate (from spanish, sorry for mistakes!) a few things:

"Ode to the Moon

Clock of the sky,
weighs up
the celestial eternity,
one white hour,
one century
which glides over
your snow
(...)
We want
to come nearer,
we watch
until we become blind
your implacable
whiteness
we adjust
in the mountain the telescope
and we press our eye
until we fell asleep:
you don’t speak,
you don’t sympathize,
you don’t lit a single wood fire,
you watch beyond the night,
you count,
count the time of the night,
tic tac, smoothly,
tic tac,
like a drop in the snow,
round clock of water,
crown of the time
submerged within the sky”

For someone who could fear I have forgotten we are on an astronomical forum :( , I answer it is very late in France by now :| , so that I can’t think about science!!
Have a very nice day!

Céline :)
"The cure for all the sickness and mistakes, for all the concerns and the sorrow and the crimes of the humanity, lies in the word "Love". It is the divine vitality which from everywhere makes and restores the life". Lydia Maria Child

User avatar
owlice
Guardian of the Codes
Posts: 8406
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:18 pm
Location: Washington, DC

Re: APOD: Clouds, Birds, Moon, Venus (2010 Sep 15)

Post by owlice » Fri Nov 26, 2010 12:14 am

Céline, thanks for the Neruda! I like his work; one of my favorites is the one which starts "Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche." I see I need (heh, "need") another book of his works, because I do not have "Ode to the Moon"; thanks for sharing it!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Post Reply