We are big fans of solid, tactile objects to have on your desk, to add some art, or interest, or just something to touch while you might be staring at a screen all day. Deskspace takes that concept to the next level, with their faithful and beautiful planet series. Proportional and sourced from visually relatable gemstones, these lovingly crafted spheres put the entire solar system in your fingertips, giving you a beautiful and mind-expanding distraction. A perfect gift for the science lover in your life.
We love the fact that the planets are sourced from gems that resemble the surface of the planets themselves. And that they included good ‘ol Pluto!
Each set comes with images and information about the real planets. Learn more on the Deskspace website.
Pluto is included in the series, made of Heliotrope.Uranus is made from the fascinating stone Amazonite.Mercury’s surface is made from iridescent Labradorite.Saturn’s glow comes from orange Calcite.The textured, fluid appearance of Jupiter is made out of Tiger’s Eye.The deep blue of Neptune is made from Synthetic Cat’s Eye, which is spun glass with fibers in it.Our home, Earth, is made from the blue and white Sodalite.Mars’ red surface is made from Mahogany Obsidian.Venus is made from the light colored stone Nephrite.
When you think of a planet’s moon, do you ever consider its size, in relation to Earth? Or for the small moons, the size relation to our own cities?
This fascinating animation shows us some of our solar system’s smallest moons, a few of which are no larger than the Eiffel Tower. The view quickly zooms out, however, to show Phobos, Europa, and Triton, which rival our own moon’s scale.
Throughout the animation, we see over a dozen planetary moons, and their size. It’s definitely a worthy-watch, giving you perspective on our orbiting bodies. You’ll never know when you might need vital trivia-night knowledge on the solar system’s smallest and largest moons. Via LS:
Today is the 50th anniversary of the very first Earth Day.
We can’t say that fifty years later, we are living in a world of peace and harmony, let alone natural bliss and ecosystem balance.
How ironic that we are wearing masks, fifty years later.
Indeed, many parts of the world are in peril. Ecosystems are collapsing, species are going extinct at an alarming, and even record-breaking pace.
There’s a LOT to be worried about. As humans continue to colonize and overtake the natural world, we are learning the painful lessons from our own ignorance. We are learning that for every jungle we destroy, every river we poison, and every animal we kill, there’s a price.
Honestly, we could write for quite some time about the problems and issues that plague our fragile planet. But we’re hoping to salvage some of that doom and gloom.
Indeed, even in the midst of global human pandemic, we see signs that the natural world can heal itself, (and quickly!) when we give it space.
Our hope would be that we rise from the 2020 Coronavirus event a smarter and more wise species. Perhaps the fear and pain and hardship can be turned into positive energy, and some of our worst habits can be curbed.
And our hope for the planet is this: Though our immediate future will be shaped by the effects of climate change, earth will persevere, adapting to new normals, and forcing us to examine our own footprints, working toward a more harmonious and optimist future.
Here’s to a better, more healthy, and brighter future. Happy 50th Earth Day. 🌎
The perspective of these surrealist earth collages makes our head spin, but in a pleasant way. Often made using vintage found photography, artists like Frank Moth, Trash Riot, Mooncrab and more have created memorable images that give Earth a whole new vantage point.
Check out this collection of great surreal earth art below. And always check out our Pinterest and Instagram pages for more surrealist fun.
Artist and technologist Sebastian Errazuriz has a novel concept for showcasing the facility and beauty of our planet Earth, using a custom LED panel, and live photographs, from space, stitched together to create a seamless vision of Planet Earth.
Showcasing this March 13th, it stands to be a powerful and fascinating demonstration of technology and love of planet. Via DesignBoom:
In a beautiful and slightly spooky series, Shaun Jeffers explores the caves of New Zealand of Waitomo where brilliant glow worms live. Otherworldly stuff… Via Bored Panda:
NASA has just published what it calls the “most amazing highest resolution image of Earth ever”, dubbed Blue Marble. The 64-megapixel image weighing in at 8000×8000 pixels is actually a composite photograph taken on January 4th of this year using a number of captures stitched together from NASA’s Earth-observing satellite Suomi NPP. Make sure to see this sucker full size to really appreciate the details. (via gizmodo via nick ulivieri)
Apple is well known for powerful advertisement, and their new Earth- Shot on iPhone ad is no exception. Using Carl Sagan’s own words from his book: Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, the ad showcases great photos and videos shot by users of iPhones. Sagan’s powerful words ring true in this simple yet moving advertisement.
“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is no where else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the only home we’ve ever known.”
A new photo by Juno Cam, taken February 2017, shows a swirl of colorful storms, 9,000 feet above the Jovian planet. Jupiter’s size is breathtaking, with many of the visible storms being as large as Earth itself. Check out this quick size comparison we drew up to get a sense of the planet’s epic scale.
Raw images from Juno Cam are available to the public here:
You may have seen the fantastical Glowworms in an episode of Planet Earth, and now you can visit them in real life, with a New Zealand Glowworm Tour. Climb into a boat and prepare to blow your mind while floating through dark caves, illuminated by otherworldly bioluminescence. Nature is pretty damn amazing.
In these Earth & Science-centric infographics, artist Michael Paukner brings somewhat abstract phenomena to life. You can’t help but be stunned by the graphic on oldest trees. Via Gizmodo.
In a phenomenon that scientists still don’t quite understand, lightning is sometimes borne out of an active volcano when it erupts, with dramatic effect. On an island in southern Japan, one of Asia’s most active volcanos is providing an amazing show. Via FastCo Design:
In honor of today’s meteor landing and whiz-by of an olympic-swimming-pool-sized asteroid, here’s a video about us, Earth. Carl Sagan so poignantly spoke of the “pale blue dot”, seen in the grainy photo above, which is actually Earth, seen from Voyager 1’s camera as it left our solar system. A group called Order has a beautifully animated piece using Carl Sagan’s words, and poetically shows the significance of our pale blue dot.
I’m a space enthusiast, but I didn’t know it was even possible to take photographs of the sun like this in your own backyard. Yet, that is exactly what Alan Friedman has done, using special filters on his camera. It’s an amazing peek at the bright star in our own sky. Thanks to Colossal for the tip.
My photographs comprise a solar diary, portraits of a moment in the life of our local star. Most are captured from my backyard in Buffalo, NY. Using a small telescope and narrow band filters I can capture details in high resolution and record movements in the solar atmosphere that change over hours and sometimes minutes. The raw material for my work is black and white and often blurry. As I prepare the pictures, color is applied and tonality is adjusted to better render the features. It is photojournalism of a sort. The portraits are real, not painted. Aesthetic decisions are made with respect for accuracy as well as for the power of the image.
A new method for building a future moonbase gives hope to the idea that we could build a permanent base in the next several decades. 3D Printing to the rescue. The ESA has plans to actually build a moonbase out of the moon itself!
Setting up a lunar base could be made much simpler by using a 3D printer to build it from local materials. Industrial partners including renowned architects Foster + Partners have joined with ESA to test the feasibility of 3D printing using lunar soil.
“Terrestrial 3D printing technology has produced entire structures,” said Laurent Pambaguian, heading the project for ESA.
“Our industrial team investigated if it could similarly be employed to build a lunar habitat.”
Foster + Partners devised a weight-bearing ‘catenary’ dome design with a cellular structured wall to shield against micrometeoroids and space radiation, incorporating a pressurised inflatable to shelter astronauts.
A hollow closed-cell structure – reminiscent of bird bones – provides a good combination of strength and weight.
The base’s design was guided in turn by the properties of 3D-printed lunar soil, with a 1.5 tonne building block produced as a demonstration.
“3D printing offers a potential means of facilitating lunar settlement with reduced logistics from Earth,” added Scott Hovland of ESA’s human spaceflight team.
“The new possibilities this work opens up can then be considered by international space agencies as part of the current development of a common exploration strategy.”
“Our current printer builds at a rate of around 2 m per hour, while our next-generation design should attain 3.5 m per hour, completing an entire building in a week.”
3D printing works best at room temperature but over much of the Moon temperatures vary enormously across days and nights lasting two weeks each. For potential settlement, the lunar poles offer the most moderate temperature range.
An amazing photo project that shows cities if they didn’t have light pollution. Quite a beautiful piece of work. Via Its Okay to be Smart:
Before these pictures can exist, the sky from one place has to be superimposed upon cityscape from another. It is impossible to see this detail in the night sky above a city. Atmospheric and light pollution combine to make looking into the urban sky like looking past bright headlights while driving.
By travelling to places free from light pollution but situated on precisely the same latitude as his cities, Cohen obtains skies which, as the world rotates about its axis, are the very ones visible above the cities a few hours earlier or later. To find the right level of atmospheric clarity, Cohen has to go into the wild places of the earth, the Atacama, the Mojave, the western Sahara.
As more and more of the world’s population becomes urban, and as we lose our connection with the natural world, so it becomes plain that damage is caused by light pollution. There may be connections to certain cancers, and there are psychological burdens of permanent day. The ‘city that never sleeps’ is made up of millions of individuals breaking natural cycles of work and repose. Lose sight of the sky, and you become a rat in a lab.
Cohen hasn’t simply shown us the skies that we’re missing. His cities look dead under the fireworks display above No lights in the windows, no tracers of traffic. They are (in fact) photographed in daylight, when lights shine out less brightly. In urban mythology the city teems with energy and illumines everything around it. Cohen’s pictures are crafted to say the opposite. These are cold cities, cut off from the seemingly infinite energies above.
