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Science Space

What the sunset looks like on Mars

What the sunset looks like on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Rover photographed this view of the sun setting from its 956th Martian day on Mars.

The above image is actually a sequence of four images taken over a span of 6 minutes, 51 seconds. Check out the full GIF below.

Said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, College Station who planned the Curiosity mission: “The colors come from the fact that the very fine dust is the right size so that blue light penetrates the atmosphere slightly more efficiently.

“When the blue light scatters off the dust, it stays closer to the direction of the sun than light of other colors does. The rest of the sky is yellow to orange, as yellow and red light scatter all over the sky instead of being absorbed or staying close to the sun.”

So cool, at least nearly as interesting as the heart-shaped craters also discovered on Mars.

Categories
Nature

Rare ‘rainbow’ blanket octopus

Rare ‘rainbow’ blanket octopus

Take a look at this video of these ultra-rare trippy rainbow blanket octopuses caught on camera off the coast of Romblon, Philippines.

Coincidentally, they arrive just in time for Pride month.

It’s no wonder these intelligent alien-looking creatures have “half a billion neurons, about as many as a dog.” And most of those neurons are in their arms.

They may even have consciousness.

Categories
Culture & Society Nature

Ancient Roman fleeing Mount Vesuvius crushed by flying rock

Ancient Roman fleeing Mount Vesuvius crushed by flying rock

Imagine fleeing the ash that swept Pompeii during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., only to crushed by a flying stone.

According to the Telegram, the archeologists also found that the 30-year old merchant was carrying 22 silver and bronze coins in a leather pouch. They also found a house key buried underneath the skeleton.

Naturally, the extraordinary discovery has become a target for jokes, including one individual setting up a GoFundMe account.

Categories
Animals

How alligators freeze this time of year

How alligators freeze this time of year

With the polar vortex sweeping the Midwest and other parts of the nation, there are some animals like alligators that welcome the freeze.

Crocodiles in North Carolina take in winter by letting their body freeze while allowing their nostrils to hang out in the air.

The survival mechanism is called brumation, where there the reptile hibernates underwater for a few days at a time to lowers its body heat and metabolism. Peep the video after the jump.

Categories
Nature

Nature’s flying jewels

Nature’s flying jewels

If you liked the video of the dead leaf butterfly, then you’ll want to check out this video of the beautiful Archduke (Lexias pardalis dirteana) butterfly in its baby caterpillar state.

Full of spines, its next stage will be chrysalis before shedding and breaking into a restless butterfly. 

Categories
Animals Nature

The dead leaf butterfly

The dead leaf butterfly
Open
  • Open
  • Closed

Known as the Kallima inachus, or dead leaf butterfly, the insect resembles the veins of a dry leaf when it’s in the closed position. This type of butterfly is prevalent from Southeast Asia to Japan.

The upper side of the dead leaf butterfly is beautifully colored, with yellow and dark blue and blue patterns. Check out the two videos after the jump including the video of the dragontail butterfly.