Tuolumne Meadows; Yosemite N.P., CA, - Black & White Landscapes - by Scott Walton - PhotoTripUSA
Stars of NGC 206 Credit: B.J. Mochejska (Warsaw University), The DIRECT Project, FLWO, MDM - Explanation: Nestled within the dusty arms of the large spiral galaxy Andromeda (M31), the star cluster NGC 206 is one of the largest star forming regions known in our local group of galaxies. LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Desert Wildflowers Kerry L. Thalmann - PhototripUSA, - Steens Mountain is a 30 mile long fault-block mountain that rises to 9,670 feet in southeast Oregon. It marks the northwest boundary of the Great Basin Desert that also includes most of Nevada and parts Utah, California and Idaho. When viewed from the west, Steens Mountain rises gently to its summit. To the east, it is quite a different story. From the summit, the drop-off is nearly vertical 5,600 feet to the Alvord Desert below. A dirt road, part of a National Scenic Byway, climbs up the gentle west slope to within a quarter mile of the summit. In this high, dry environment, the wildflower season is short. The blooming flowers proceed up the slope following the melting snow. This photograph was made in early July after a winter of exceptionally heavy snowfall.
Devil's Club and Wild Geranium, - Kerry L. Thalmann - PhototripUSA, Two things attracted me to this scene: the juxtaposition of size between the huge leaves of the devil's club and the tiny wild geranium blossoms, and the color contrast between the complimentary colors of green and magenta. This is a "found" image I happened upon beside the trail on my way to photograph one of the many spectacular waterfalls of the Columbia Gorge. You never know what you may miss if you are so focused on your destination that you forget to enjoy the journey along the way.
NGC 1850: Gas Clouds and Star Clusters, - FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO. There's nothing like it in our own Galaxy. Globular clusters as young as NGC 1850 don't exist here. The large red cloud of gas surrounding the clusters may have been predominantly created by supernovae explosions of stars in the younger cluster. The red supernova remnant N57D is visible on the upper left. LHEA at NASA/ GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
Sunset from Short Creek Beach, -Kerry L. Thalmann - PhototripUSA, - Sunny days often mean boring sunsets. The best sunsets often occur on the edges of storm fronts. A mixture of rain and sun during the day usually leads to a more spectacular sunset than a bright sunny, cloudless day. When the storm clouds begin to break, Mother Nature can put on one fantastic light show.
The Painted Hills, - Kerry L. Thalmann - PhototripUSA - Located about 70 miles east of Smith Rock State Park is the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. One of three units of the monument, the Painted Hills offer the photographer a rainbow of colors and many sumptuous shapes to work with. The colors are especially intense after a rain and during the late evening hours when the sun is low on the horizon.