1. Colorful Quetzal

(Quetzal, sacred to the Aztecs and Mayas. During mating season, the male grows blue and green twin tail feathers three feet (1 meter) long; these tail feathers were worn ceremonially by Mesoamerican rulers and priests. )
Hits: 4903
Category: Plants & Animals

2. Purple Spiny Flower Mantis

(A flower mantis in Kololo, Kampala. )
Hits: 4866
Category: Plants & Animals

3. Transporting 60 People

(This poster hangs in the Planning Office in the city of Munster, Germany. It very graphically demonstrates the need for an effective transit strategy by showing how much space it takes to move 60 people via cars, buses, and bicycles.)
Hits: 4846
Category: Humanity

4. Five Rockets in Five Minutes

(In late March, NASA launched five rockets in five minutes in order to study the motion and properties of high-atmospheric winds.)
Hits: 4845
Category: Astronomy

5. Necklace Nebula

(The "Necklace Nebula", also called PN G054.2-03.4, is the exploded aftermath of a giant star that came too close to its Sun-like binary companion. The two stars that produced the Necklace Nebula live in a relatively small orbit about each other. They have a period of 1.2 days and a separation on the order of 5 times the radius of the Sun. )
Hits: 4810
Category: Astronomy

6. Neanderthal Hand Axe

(This Mousterian hand axe was primarily used as a butchering tool, though likely came in handy for other purposes as well. It was shaped from a jasper chert and was found in France before making its way into Educated Earth's collection.)
Hits: 4803
Category: Humanity

7. ATV-3 Approaches Space Station

(ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle Edoardo Amaldi approaches the International Space Station to deliver 6596 kg of fuel, air, oxygen, scientific equipment, spare parts and crew supplies. The two spacecraft docked at 00:31 CEST ( 22:31 GMT) on March 29 2012.)
Hits: 4764
Category: Astronomy

8. A Rose For You

(Even the squirrels stop to smell the roses.)
Hits: 4709
Category: Astronomy

9. Celestial Snow Angel

(Just in time for the holidays, the Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a spectacular view of a star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy that looks like a snow angel in deep space. A newly-formed star called S106 IR is shrouded in dust at the center of the image, and is responsible for the surrounding gas cloud’s hourglass-like shape and the turbulence visible within. Light from glowing hydrogen is colored blue in this image. )
Hits: 4595
Category: Astronomy

10. Siberian Tigers

(Many conservation programs have been established to save the critically endangered Siberian tiger, whose numbers have dwindled to mere hundreds in the wild.)
Hits: 4588
Category: Plants & Animals

1. Optical Fiber

(An optical fiber (or fibre) is a glass or plastic fiber designed to guide light along its length by total internal reflection.)
Rating:
Category: Technology

2. Arc Welding

(The arc welding process.)
Rating:
Category: Technology

3. Edison And The Phonograph

(Thomas Edison and his early phonograph.)
Rating:
Category: Technology

4. Microprocessor

(Macro shot of an Intel 80486DX2 die in its packaging. The actual size of the die in the center is 12×6.75 mm.)
Rating:
Category: Technology

5. 1000 Year Old Explosion

(The megastar explosion that created the Crab Nebula was so bright it was visible to the naked eye. In 1054 humans recorded sightings of this megastar explosion.)
Rating:
Category: Astronomy

6. Magma

(A magnificent photo of a volcanic eruption.)
Rating:
Category: Earth Sciences

7. Sun compared to Earth

(The Suns size compared to the Earths.)
Rating:
Category: Astronomy

8. Lightning Laced Volcanic Eruption

(On January 27th 2011 the skies above southern Japan were darkened by the explosive eruption of Mount Shinmoedake. This photo catches a massive electrical buildup in the volcanic plume.)
Rating:
Category: Earth Sciences

9. Space Walker

(A close up photo of an astronaut in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. Click here for the high-resolution.)
Rating:
Category: Astronomy

10. Twin Linear Aerospike XRS-2200 Engine

(The test of twin Linear Aerospike XRS-2200 engines, originally built for the X-33 program, was performed on August 6, 2001 at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. The engines were fired for the planned 90 seconds and reached a planned maximum power of 85 percent. NASA's Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program , also known as the Space Launch Initiative (SLI), is making advances in propulsion technology with this third and final successful engine hot fire, designed to test electro-mechanical actuators. Information learned from this hot fire test series about new electro-mechanical actuator technology, which controls the flow of propellants in rocket engines, could provide key advancements for the propulsion systems for future spacecraft. The Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle Program, led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is a technology development program designed to increase safety and reliability while reducing costs for space travel. The X-33 program was cancelled in March 2001.)
Rating:
Category: Astronomy