Pesquisando por: "earth from " - Fotoarena - Agência de fotojornalismo

902_05_12529130highres Types of barrows, aka Tumuli, burial mounds or kurgans. a. Long barrow. b and c. Druid barrows. d. Bell shaped barrow. e. Conical barrow. f. Twin barrow. From Old England: A Pictorial Museum, published 1847.

71096_rf_28_total ecipse of the sun_195a1h A Total Eclipse Of The Sun , As Seen From Space, Showing The Earth & The Total Eclipse In Action.

71096_rf_28_terraforming mars_195a1h A Futuristic Look Of Human Astronauts Terraforming The Planet Mars.

902_05_12310095HighRes The Great Wall of China, first started c.220?206 BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, it is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against raids and invasions. From Hutchinson's History of the Nations, published 1915.

902_05_12283549HighRes Ferdinand Magellan's ship The Nao Victoria, which took part in the expedition in 1519 to circumnavigate the earth. From The Romance of the Merchant Ship, published 1931.

902_05_12321590HighRes Earth could not answer: nor the Seas that mourn In flowing Purple, of their Lord forlorn; Nor Heaven, with those eternal Signs reveal' And hidden by the sleeve of Night and Morn. Illustration by Edmund Dulac from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published 1909.

902_05_12310075HighRes A Tibetan Mani-wall, near Leh in the Himalayas, terminated by two relic towers or chorlens. These stone structures are a compilation of intricately carved stone tablets, most with the inscription "Om Mani Padme Hum" which loosely translates to "Hail to the jewel in the lotus" and should be passed or circumvented from the left side, the clockwise direction in which the earth and the universe revolve, according to Buddhist doctrine. After a 19th century photograph. From Customs of The World, published c.1913.

412-34965 Still life concept gardening supplies forming windmill tree

925_02_MW020153 A woman from the ethnic A?u Indian community weaving a basket at the village of Sinamacia, on Sinamacia lagoon

925_02_MW020152 A girl from the ethnic A?u Indian community, at the village of Sinamaica, on Sinamaica lagoon

925_02_MW020151 A woman from the ethnic A?u Indian community, at the village of Sinamaica, on Sinamaica lagoon

925_02_MW018654 An elderly woman with an umbrella, at the cemetery of Chapi Kkollu, in Oruro, Bolivia

925_02_MW018639 Family and friends pray at the tomb of their loved ones

925_02_MW018640 Children receive candy and pastries in exchange for praying at the altars of the houses

925_02_MW020892 A man holds land mines from a field during de-mining operations to remove innumerable land mines planted during the civil war that injured thousands of Angolans

925_02_MW011641 Muslims from all walks of life come from different parts of the country by train, bus, boat and every possible way to attend Bishwa Ijtema

925_02_MW011638 Muslims from all walks of life come from different parts of the country by train, bus, boat and every possible way to attend Bishwa Ijtema the second largest Muslim pilgrimage on earth at the bank of Turag river in Tongi

917_03_WHA_119_0463 Melting Snows of Kilimanjaro. 2002, photographed from space orbit by the NASA Earth Observatory. Kilimanjaro's ice cap is particularly remarkable given its persistence through many previous shifts in climate.

975_08_TASS-S-12310 Soviet spacecraft soyuz 31 docked to the salyut 6 space station, the picture was taken from soyuz 29, 1978.

917_36_WHA_113_0898 The Genesis creation narrative is the creation myth of both Judaism and Christianity. The Second Day of Creation: The earth and the waters are divided. From Physique sacree, ou Histoire-naturelle de la Bible, 1732-1737, by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672 ? 1733), a Swiss scholar born at Zurich

925_07_MW023208 A woman performing a religious ritual on the Kumbh Mela, in Haridwar, North India

925_07_MW023207 A procession of Naga sadhus (monks), Kumbh Mela

925_07_MW023206 Naga sadhus (monks) walk with great fan fare and beating of drums in a procession to the ghats

925_07_MW023205 Naga sadhus (monks) walk with great fan fare and beating of drums in a procession to the ghats

925_07_MW023204 People on the either side of the road feel blessed if the Naga sadhus look, wave, or throw a flower at them

925_01_MW020956 Cracked earth from dry desert conditions at Sossusvlei, Namib Desert in Namibia

925_01_MW003789 Using modern technology in irrigation is not new in Bangladesh

925_08_MW014072 Laborers collect soil from land for making bricks

925_08_MW014067 A man collects soil from land for a brickfield in Katiadi, Kishorganj, Bangladesh

948_05_00417180 The houses are one-storey, the rammed earth floors. The road is wide because of space is not a defect. It is unpaved and dusty in the summer, in the rainy season often a roaring river. Fortunately, in Brazil on the plateau climate quite healthy and only here and there make gnats and mosquitoes life unbearable. We approach again the west coast and still want to visit those most important city in Brazil, which combines all the benefits of this wonderful country in abundance: Rio de Janeiro. From this settlement at the level we can already look down on the beautiful city.

981_05_LC120617__0086_2 The Burning Well Near The Featherstone Station In The Vicinity Of Pontefract. In Boring For Coal, The Sinkers Penetrated A Bed Of Shale At A Depth Of About 120 Feet, Upon Which The Water Previously Rising Through The Borehole Was Suddenly Ejected Like A Fountain To The Height, It Is Said, Of 30 Feet Above The Surface Of The Earth, Impelled By The Violent Efflux Of Gas Which The Perforation Had Liberated From Its Cavernous Laboratory; And, On The Application Of A Lighted Match (After The Subsidence Of The Jet) Near The Surface Of The Water, Which Covered The Orifice, The Gas Escaping Through It Instantly Took Fire, Blazing Up Occasionally To The Height Of At Least Three Yards, And Dancing And Flickering In Red Flames Over The Well, Which Heaved And Bubbled Like A Witch'S Cauldron Beneath.

MBDJOTO_FE027 JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, from left, Peter Ronson, James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl, 1959. TM and Copyright ©20th Century-Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved/courtesy Everett Collection/Fotoarena/Fotoarena

MBDTOTH_EC158 TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, from left: Maylia, Signe Hasso, Dick Powell on set, 1948

MBDDOTO_EC101 DOWN TO EARTH, from left: screenwriter Edwin Blum, director Alexander Hall, Rita Hayworth, screenwriter Don Hartman on set, 1947

MBDDOTO_EC098 DOWN TO EARTH, from left: Larry Parks, Rita Hayworth, 1947

MBDDOTO_EC095 DOWN TO EARTH, from left: Edward Everett Horton, Rita Hayworth, Roland Culver, 1947

MBDDOTO_EC099 DOWN TO EARTH, from left: Rita Hayworth, Edward Everett Horton, 1947

HISL046_EC298 Emperor Mutsuhito of Japan, peering over the Earth from the east toward Europe. The May 17, 1905 PUCK cartoon comments on the Russo-Japanese War, in which the victor, for the first time, was the Asian, not European combatant. European leaders appear concerned as the stand with the wounded Russian Czar, Nicolas II (BSLOC_2017_18_118)

MBDTHIS_EC125 THIS ISLAND EARTH, from left: Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, 1955

1016_03_51225 Magmatic (or igneous) rocks generally come from Earth?s upper mantle, where magma is partially melted. Depending on their rate of cooling, these rocks will be more or less fine- grained. Plutonic (or intrusive) rocks, which solidify slowly, are coarse-grained, while volcanic (or effusive) rocks, which solidify rapidly when they reach the surface, are fine-grained.

1016_03_59326 Earth is mainly made of iron, oxygen, and silica, a substance found in sand. These different materials are not distributed evenly throughout the planet. By studying the way seismic waves (tremors from earthquakes) travel through the ground, scientists have determined that our planet is made up of several main layers.

1016_03_58560 A meteor that does not burn up as it passes through the atmosphere becomes a meteorite. Traces of meteorites weighing from several grams to several tonnes have been found on Earth.

1016_03_58464 Even though the Moon is 378,000 km away from Earth, its gravitational force is strong enough to move the oceans. When Earth rotates so that a mass of water is facing the Moon, water rises in its direction: this bulge produces a high tide. At the same time, the Moon?s gravitational pull on water on the other side of Earth is much weaker. This water is affected by the centrifugal force created by the rotation of the Earth?Moon system and tends to bulge outward, creating another high tide. If Earth were made only of rigid materials, it would still be deformed by the action of these two forces and would be egg-shaped.

1016_03_58462 It is thought that the Moon was born from a catastrophic collision between Earth and a huge asteroid. The impact propelled into space enormous quantities of matter from Earth and the destroyed object. Under Earth?s gravity, the debris began to orbit Earth and became amalgamated to form the Moon.

1016_03_58327 Another symbol is used to indicate a product that has been made from recycled materials.

1016_03_58326 Products containing recyclable materials are designated by a special symbol. A numerical code (from 1 to 7) in the center of the symbol distinguishes different plastic materials, and this facilitates manual sorting.

1016_03_58324 The overband magnetic separating drum uses a magnet placed over the conveyor belt to attract ferrous particles from a mixture and take them off the chain via a disposal strip. When the magnetic attraction ceases, the objects fall into a separate container. This system can be placed at several steps in the sorting chain.

1016_03_58322 DDT, one of the most effective insecticides used in agriculture, passes from the soil to plants, then to herbivores, carnivores, and finally to superpredators. While biomass diminishes as we go up the food chain, the quantity of DDT is transmitted with very little loss. Its concentration therefore increases at each nutritional level, and organisms at the top of the chain (such as humans) have the highest proportion. DDT, which upsets the endocrine system and can cause cancer, is now banned in many countries.

1016_03_58305 The green part represent the pollution from the land: 24% is from accidental pollution and 20% is from deliberate pollution. The blue part represent the pollution in the sea: 46% is from accidental pollution and 10% is from deliberate pollution.

1016_03_58226 While we see a lightning flash almost the instant it occurs, thunder reaches us after a slight delay, since sound travels more slowly than light. If we count the number of seconds in the delay and divide it by three, we can estimate our distance (in kilometers) from the site where the strike occurred.

1016_03_58225 As it is transmitted to the surrounding air, the great heat (30,000°C) of a strike causes the air to expand suddenly, then contract. These two movements create a shock wave that is transformed into a sound wave, thunder.

1016_03_58221 Each wavelength has a different angle of refraction. White light from the Sun is thus dispersed by each raindrop into beams of colored light that cover the entire visible spectrum, from red to violet. We actually see only one color per raindrop, but the huge number of tiny prisms forms a range of colors in our perception: a rainbow.

1016_03_58160 Most of the tornadoes in North America occur in the central United States, in a ?tornado belt? comprising the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. In this region, the combination of warm winds from the Gulf of Mexico and cold winds from Canada creates ideal conditions for the formation of mesocyclones, especially in April and May. In the southeastern part of the continent (Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi), tornado season occurs earlier, between January and March. The western United States, protected by the Rocky Mountains, is practically tornado-free.

1016_03_58141 From data obtained by weather satellites, computers produce maps simulating the general circulation of winds in Earth?s atmosphere. The.arrows indicate the direction of the winds, while the color zones indicate their speed. This image shows surface winds over the Pacific Ocean.

1016_03_57945 The equatorial zone of the Pacific Ocean is normally affected by the trade winds. Pushed by these constant winds, the surface water slowly moves from South America toward Southeast Asia, creating a mass of warm water that gradually swells through thermal expansion. Evaporation of warm surface water causes clouds to form, and the trade winds push these westward. Warm, humid air rises near Asia, while masses of cool, dry air descend near the South American coast. This atmospheric circulation, called the Walker cell, affects the climate of the entire Pacific zone: while the seasonal monsoon rains pour down on Asia, an anticyclone settles in over the South American coast.

1016_03_57923 Between 1970 and 2000, the Arctic pack ice lost more than 10% of its area, dropping from 13.5 to 12 million square kilometers. It has also become much thinner. Although the melting of ocean ice does not cause the sea level to rise, it does allow the water to absorb more solar rays, which intensifies global warming. Arctic regions should see a much greater increase in temperature than the rest of the planet.

1016_03_57867 In the periglacial zones of North America and Asia (beyond the areas of permanent ice and snow), the lower layers of the ground never thaw (permafrost). Only a few patches of unfrozen land provide deep water circulation, connecting the water table to the surface. As the temperature rises in the spring, the top layer of the ground (the mollisol, or active layer) thaws. The thickness of this layer, which varies from a few centimeters to a few meters depending on the latitude and temperature, determines the type of vegetation that grows on it: tundra (moss, lichens, grass, dwarf shrubs) or taiga (conifers).

1016_03_57794 There are particular areas in the world where pockets of magma from Earth?s mantle rise very slowly to the surface. These places are called ?hot spots.? As magma pierces Earth?s crust, it collects and gradually begins to form small volcanic mountains in the middle of the tectonic plate. The positions of these volcanoes show the movement of the tectonic plates, which are floating on the mantle. As the plates slide, the rising magma creates a new volcano that slowly burns out. In the ocean, hot spots can be identified by the chains of volcanic islands they usually form. The islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean were created in this way.

1016_03_57788 Rainwater seeps into the ground and then rises to the surface in the form of a spring flowing down hills and mountains. As it is fed by more springs and meltwater from glaciers, it becomes a mountain stream, and then a young river. It continues flowing down the mountain, following steep slopes and forming waterfalls. The river carves out deep gorges, then broadens. Fed by tributaries, it becomes a large river. As it grows wider, the river forms meanders. Often, a delta forms at its mouth, saturated with the sediments that it has transported. Finally, it flows into the ocean. Water evaporation in the oceans forms clouds. The hydrologic cycle starts over.

1016_03_57782 Both light and strong, aluminum is used in the manufacturing of airplanes, cars, aluminum foil, and compact discs. It is extracted from an ore called bauxite.

1016_03_57779 Biosphere: the part of the Earth where life is possible; it extends from the floor of the oceans to the summit of the highest mountains (about 12 mi).

1016_03_53561 Gently rounded or capped by tall peaks, mountains are the planet?s most striking showpieces. They are also Earth?s highest land features. Many of these massive, often steep formations are located along the edges of continents. They may form chains, or ranges, that extend for thousands of miles (or kilometers). The principal mountain ranges include the Rocky Mountains and the Andes, which run from North America all the way down through South America,.the Atlas Mountains in Africa, the Himalayas in Asia, and.the Alps in Europe. The longest mountain range in the world is at the bottom of the ocean! It measures more than 40,000 miles (65,000 km) long and reaches several miles (or kilometers) high.

1016_03_53480 The water flowing on Earth?s surface usually moves toward the sea. If an obstacle or hollow prevents the water from following its course, it may form a basin. As the water continues to collect, a lake is created. Most lakes are freshwater and contain only small amounts of mineral salts. There are, however, some saltwater lakes. Some contain large amounts of salt because nearby ocean water has managed to seep into them. Other lakes, such as those found in the middle of deserts, are extremely salty. This is because their waters are constantly evaporating under the Sun, leaving behind a high concentration of minerals in the remaining water. A lake may get its water from one or more rivers, which are called tributaries. Without tributaries, a lake may dry up quickly. The water in a lake may run out into one or more streams, called outlets, which follow a course toward the sea.

1016_03_53240 Solid layer at the Earth's surface whose average thickness varies from 6 mi beneath the oceans to 35 mi beneath the mountains.

1016_03_52124 Water used in various human activities becomes loaded with many organic and chemical residues. This wastewater, which is often harmful to the environment, can have a disastrous effect if it is not properly treated before being released. It must undergo a complex purification process to keep it from polluting the natural environment.

1016_03_52114 Plate tectonics accounts for most of the relief features on Earth?s surface, from oceans, created when two plates move apart from each other, to mountain ranges, which are born when two plates collide. The way that the plates meet is the deciding factor. Converging plates either collide or one slides under the other (this is called subduction); diverging plates move away from each other, causing magma to rise and generate new crust; transform (or strike-slip) plates slide past each other.

1016_03_51403 An azimuthal (or planar) projection is produced on a plane so placed that it is tangential to one point on the planet?s surface. The map obtained is circular in shape and represents only one hemisphere. Because the distortion of shapes increases with distance from the tangent point, this type of projection is used mainly to portray polar regions.

1016_03_51389 Icebergs are named according to their shape above the waterline. The most common are tabular icebergs? large plates that detach from the Antarctic ice sheet in great numbers.

1016_03_51387 Icebergs are named according to their shape above the waterline. The most common are tabular icebergs? large plates that detach from the Antarctic ice sheet in great numbers.

1016_03_51316 The continents are surrounded by oceans and crisscrossed by vast water systems. Although the quantity of water in the rivers and lakes is minimal (about 0.03% the total amount of water on Earth), it still represents a very large volume. Surface water flows down mountains to irrigate valleys and plains everywhere on the planet. A river such as the Amazon receives water from 15,000 watercourses. Even desert zones are dotted with oases covering an underground body of water, and some particularly dry areas are supplied by artificial lakes.

1016_03_51314 The radial drainage pattern is characteristic of mountains, where watercourses diverge from a peak.

1016_03_51306 Rainwater seeps into the ground and then rises to the surface in the form of a spring flowing down hills and mountains. As it is fed by more springs and meltwater from glaciers, it becomes a mountain stream, and then a young river. It continues flowing down the mountain, following steep slopes and forming waterfalls. The river carves out deep gorges, then broadens. Fed by tributaries, it becomes a large river. As it grows wider, the river forms meanders. Often, a delta forms at its mouth, saturated with the sediments that it has transported. Finally, it flows into the ocean. Water evaporation in the oceans forms clouds. The hydrologic cycle starts over.

1016_03_51301 When an earthquake occurs, the ground?s oscillations are represented on the seismogram by characteristic waves, corresponding to the three types of seismic waves. The distance from the seismograph to the epicenter is measured by calculating the amount of time between when the P waves begin and when the.S waves begin.

1016_03_51290 Three conditions must be met for geysers to form. There must be: an underground circuit in which the water that percolates into the ground can circulate, then rise to the surface; a reservoir, where this water can accumulate; and a nearby pocket of magma (molten rock), which heats the trapped water. Water percolates into the ground and accumulates in reservoirs near a pocket of magma. As it is heated, the water slowly turns into steam. The pressure grows, propelling a powerful jet of water and steam toward the surface. The phenomenon can last from several minutes to several hours. The jet of water subsides when the reservoir contains no more water or steam.

1016_03_51288 Jets of steam and water spring from the ground, sometimes to a height of more than 100 m. The highest active geyser, the Steamboat, whose jet skyrockets over 110 meters, is in Yellowstone National Park. Early in the 20th century, Wainangu, a geyser in New Zealand, sent water more than 450 meters into the air.

1016_03_51287 At certain specific spots on the planet, pockets of magma from Earth?s lower mantle (the layer located above the outer core) rise to the surface very slowly, break through Earth?s crust, and produce volcanic massifs in the middle of lithospheric plates. These hot spots are immobile; the rows of volcanoes that they create attest to the movement of the tectonic plate above them.

1016_03_51274 Craters more than 1 km in diameter are called calderas. Formed when the top of a volcanic cone collapses, they may be up to 60 km in diameter. During an eruption, magma is ejected from the magma chamber via the central vent and secondary vents. The vents are gradually emptied. The central part of the volcano can no longer support the weight of the volcanic cone and the top collapses. The cone?s material covers the bottom of the caldera, which has very steep sides. Some calderas fill with water and form lakes.

1016_03_51272 Craters more than 1 km in diameter are called calderas. Formed when the top of a volcanic cone collapses, they may be up to 60 km in diameter. During an eruption, magma is ejected from the magma chamber via the central vent and secondary vents. The vents are gradually emptied. The central part of the volcano can no longer support the weight of the volcanic cone and the top collapses. The cone?s material covers the bottom of the caldera, which has very steep sides. Some calderas fill with water and form lakes.

1016_03_51240 As it rises, Earth?s internal heat causes convection movements, or currents, that cause the tectonic plates to move. These currents form a sort of giant conveyor belt on which old crust gives way to new. Lava that flows from the ridges cools and forms new oceanic crust. Because Earth stays the same size, there are subduction zones where old crust is folded under and consumed by the down-going mantle.

1016_03_51236 When two oceanic plates move apart, a divergence zone is created, where volcanic mountains are formed from the rise of magma. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is one of the submarine mountain belts known as oceanic ridges.

1016_03_51229 The rarest of all precious stones is extremely hard; its color varies from a bright pinkish-red to a purplish red, which is the most sought-after color.

1016_03_51226 Stone whose color ranges from pale mauve to deepest purple.

1016_03_51223 Sedimentary rocks form at the surface of Earth or in bodies of water. Far from being composed only of mineral elements, they contain animal and plant debris that have become bonded to mineral particles. There are three types of sedimentary rocks: biogenic rocks, formed of organic debris; detritic rocks, formed of various types of debris; and rocks of chemical origin.

1016_03_51198 The crystal system refers to the internal structure of a mineral. The characteristic color of turquoise comes from the copper and iron it contains. The more iron it has, the greener it is.

1016_03_51183 The Mohs scale compares the hardness of minerals on a scale of 1 to 10, from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Each mineral is classified according to how it scratches the others or is scratched by them. Diamond, the hardest mineral, cannot be scratched, and thus has the highest rating.

1016_03_51182 The Mohs scale compares the hardness of minerals on a scale of 1 to 10, from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Each mineral is classified according to how it scratches the others or is scratched by them. Corundum has a hardness of 9.

1016_03_51181 The Mohs scale compares the hardness of minerals on a scale of 1 to 10, from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Each mineral is classified according to how it scratches the others or is scratched by them. Topaz has a hardness of 8.

1016_03_51178 The Mohs scale compares the hardness of minerals on a scale of 1 to 10, from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Each mineral is classified according to how it scratches the others or is scratched by them. Calcite, which can be scratched by a coin, has a hardness of 3.

1016_03_51177 The Mohs scale compares the hardness of minerals on a scale of 1 to 10, from the softest (1) to the hardest (10). Each mineral is classified according to how it scratches the others or is scratched by them. Gypsum has a hardness of 2.

1016_03_46617 Volcanoes almost anywhere in the world can awaken and erupt violently, even after being dormant for thousands of years. Although some eruptions are short-lived, others can go on for a long time. Volcanoes are not scattered randomly around the world; they are generally located in areas where Earth?s crust is broken or where magma has managed to pierce it. The Ring of Fire, which circles the Pacific Ocean, counts for about 80 percent of the volcanoes in the world. These mountains of fire provide us with the only opportunity to directly study the different materials that make up the interior of our planet. Thanks to continuous observation by the scientists who study them, who are called volcanologists, it is becoming easier to predict eruptions and to evacuate people from a dangerous area before it?s too late.

1016_03_46398 Solid layer at the Earth's surface whose average thickness varies from 6 mi beneath the oceans to 35 mi beneath the mountains.

1016_03_46198 Earth?s crust is entirely made up of different kinds of rocks. Although they may appear solid and indestructible, rocks change continuously over time, forming, deforming, and transforming into other kinds.of rock. They may be pushed deep inside the planet only to resurface later on. In this way, rocks are recycled by nature, in a complex process that may last millions of years. Some rocks, like the very first ones that appeared on Earth, were formed from magma, a fiery liquid rock buried in the planet?s mantle. Some formed out of other kinds of rocks that already existed.

1016_03_46188 We may live on land, but we cannot survive without the ocean. The water covering most of our planet helps create the air we breathe. Millions of tiny plants that live in the ocean produce the precious gas in the air, which we call oxygen. The ocean also works to keep our climate comfortable. Its cold and warm currents travel the globe, heating and cooling entire countries. Huge amounts of water on its surface are constantly evaporating, then fall as rain or snow over other parts of the world. Acting like a giant heat reservoir, the ocean even collects the Sun?s excess rays, preventing the tropics from burning up! Deep beneath the ocean?s surface is a hidden universe. This mysterious world has its own towering mountains, deep valleys, and even exploding volcanoes. It is also home to an amazing variety of animals. Rising up from the ocean floor, islands and continents divide the ocean into five different oceans as well as several dozen seas.

1016_03_46145 Every year, approximately 60 volcanoes on Earth become active. Some release large amounts of gas, ashes, and dust into the atmosphere. Blown by winds, these particles may float around in the atmosphere for months, even years. Forming clouds, the volcanic material stops some of the Sun?s rays from reaching Earth?s surface. This can cause a slight drop in temperatures worldwide.

1016_03_46144 When air containing water vapor (moist air) encounters.a mountain, it is forced upward. As it rises, the air cools and condenses to form clouds near the mountaintop. This phenomenon is responsible for heavy rainfall or snowfall on the side and at the top of the mountain, where the clouds are formed (mountainside facing the wind). The other side of the mountain receives very little precipitation (mountainside facing away from the wind).

1016_03_45033 Ice crystal less than 0.2 in in diameter that results from rain drops or snow flakes freezing before they touch the ground.

1016_03_58751 Venus has long been considered the planet with the most features in common with Earth. It is almost the same size, its orbit is about the same distance from the Sun, it has a thick atmosphere, and it has the same density and chemical composition.

1016_03_58746 The Voyager missions are now over, in principle. At the end of 2004, Voyager 1 was 14 billion km from Earth, making it the most distant artificial object in space. It is expected that both probes will continue to function until 2020.

1016_03_58591 Saturn, with a yellowish tint, is the second-largest planet in the solar system. Like Jupiter, it is made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Its famous rings cover a distance of some 300,000 km in diameter ? almost the distance separating Earth from the Moon ? but their maximum thickness is only a few hundred meters.

1016_03_58551 We always see the same side of the Moon because our satellite takes exactly the same amount of time to rotate on its axis as it does to revolve around the Earth: 27 days and 8 hours. This is why one side can never be seen from Earth.