Milky Way

Milky Way, originally uploaded by ˙Cаvin 〄.

When observing the night sky, the term "Milky Way" is limited to the hazy band of white light some 30 degrees wide arcing across the sky (although all of the individual stars that can be seen with the naked eye are part of the Milky Way Galaxy). The light in this band originates from un-resolved stars and other material that lie within the Galactic plane. Dark regions within the band, such as the Great Rift and the Coalsack, correspond to areas where light from distant stars is blocked by interstellar dust.
The Milky Way has a relatively low surface brightness. Its visibility can be greatly reduced by background light such as light pollution or stray light from the moon. It is readily visible when the limiting magnitude is +5.1 or better, while showing a great deal of detail at +6.1. This makes the Milky Way difficult to see from any brightly lit urban or suburban location but very prominent when viewed from a rural area when the moon is below the horizon.[nb 2]
The Milky Way passes through parts of roughly 30 constellations. The center of the Galaxy lies in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius; it is here that the Milky Way is brightest. From Sagittarius, the hazy band of white light appears to pass westward to the Galactic anticenter in Auriga. The band then continues westward the rest of the way around the sky back to Sagittarius. The band divides the night sky into two roughly equal hemispheres.
The Galactic plane is inclined by about 60 degrees to the ecliptic (the plane of the Earth's orbit). Relative to the celestial equator, it passes as far north as the constellation of Cassiopeia and as far south as the constellation of Crux, indicating the high inclination of Earth's equatorial plane and the plane of the ecliptic relative to the Galactic plane. The north Galactic pole is situated at right ascension 12h 49m, declination +27.4° (B1950) near beta Comae Berenices, and the south Galactic pole is near alpha Sculptoris. Because of this high inclination, depending on the time of night and the year, the arc of Milky Way can appear relatively low or relatively high in the sky. For observers from about 65 degrees north to 65 degrees south on the Earth's surface the Milky Way passes directly overhead twice a day.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Conistone, Yorkshire, England.

Conistone, originally uploaded by bingleyman2.

A sleepy little village clustered around a green with a Maypole, a little corner of paradise in the dales.
Conistone is a small village (population 117 in the 2001 census) in North Yorkshire, England. It lies 3 miles north of Grassington, beside the River Wharfe, in Upper Wharfedale.
The village is set in characteristic limestone scenery, including Mossdale Caverns, the dry gorge of Conistone Dib and the limestone outcrop of Conistone Pie. Above the Dib the Dales Way path connects Kettlewell, to its north, and Grassington, to its south, providing distant views over Wharfedale. From the B6160 road, the Wharfe is crossed at Conistone by a stone-arch bridge, which is within easy walking distance of Kilnsey, with its Crag.
The parish church, St Mary's Church, dates from the 11th or 12th century, and is a Grade II listed building.
Conistone was historically in the large ancient parish of Burnsall, in Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It became part of the civil parish of Conistone with Kilnsey in 1866,[2] and was transferred to North Yorkshire in 1974.

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace 7 copy, originally uploaded by Neil Barnsley.

Home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a World Heritage Site.
Blenheim Palace was a gift from Queen Anne and a grateful nation to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough following his famous victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Visit the gilded State Rooms, which house one of the finest collections in Europe, and the fascinating visitor experience, ‘Blenheim Palace: The Untold Story’. The Churchill Exhibition includes the room where Sir Winston Churchill was born 1874.
Situated in Woodstock, just 8 miles from Oxford, Blenheim Palace is surrounded by over 2,000 acres of 'Capability' Brown landscaped parkland, the great lake, and beautiful formal gardens, offering an unforgettable day out for all.

Symi

Symi, originally uploaded by pelince.com.

In Greek mythology, Symi is reputed to be the birthplace of the Charites and to take its name from the nymph Syme (in antiquity the island was known as Aigli and Metapontis), though Pliny the Elder and some later writers claimed it came from the word scimmia meaning a monkey.
In Homer's Iliad the island is mentioned as the domain of King Nireus, who fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Greeks. Thucydides writes that during the Peloponnesian War there was a Battle of Syme near the island in January, 411 BC, in which an unspecified number of Spartan ships defeated a squadron of Athenian vessels. Little is known of the island until the 14th century, but archaeological evidence indicates it was continuously inhabited, and ruins of citadels suggest it was an important location.
It was first part of the Roman Empire and then the Byzantine Empire, until its conquest by the Knights of St. John in 1373

χταποδακι gourmet-διαρικο!

Amazing Foods, originally uploaded by Alain BKK.

Greece

Greece, a set on Flickr.

a fine set of photos

saronic gulf

saronic gulf, originally uploaded by Demetrios Georgalas aka brexians.

out of Hydra, reading O. Elytis Axion Esti.

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary

Fisherman's Bastian, Budapest, Hungary, originally uploaded by Steve Krohn.

The Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill in Budapest, around Matthias Church. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek. Between 1947–48, the son of Frigyes Schulek, János Schulek, conducted the other restoration project after its near destruction during World War II.
From the towers and the terrace a panoramic view exists of Danube, Margaret Island, Pest to the east and the Gellért Hill.
Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896.
The Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths.
A bronze statue of Stephen I of Hungary mounted on a horse, erected in 1906, can be seen between the Bastion and the Matthias Church. The pedestal was made by Alajos Stróbl, based on the plans of Frigyes Schulek, in Neo-Romanesque style, with episodes illustrating the King's life.
It was featured as a Pit Stop on the sixth season of The Amazing Race.

dancers !

dancers HDR, originally uploaded by queen_gringo.

sculpture on the sea front

LOVE FOR SAIL

LOVE FOR SAIL, originally uploaded by monika strataki > away for holidays.

in perfect harmony with the sea

Mount St. Helens from Marquam Hill

Mount St. Helens from Marquam Hill - HDR, originally uploaded by David Gn Photography.

Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. The eruption on May 18, 1980, killed dozens of people and changed the landscape with its 24-megaton blast.

Palamós Beach

Palamós Beach, originally uploaded by ¡arturii!.

*The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and La Selva, in the province of Girona. Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', and Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'. The Costa Brava stretches from Blanes, 60km northeast of Barcelona, to the French border.

In the 1950s the Costa Brava was identified by Spain’s Franco government as being suitable for substantial development as a holiday destination, mainly for package holiday tourists from Northern Europe and especially the United Kingdom and France. The combination of a very good summer climate, nature and excellent beaches was exploited by the construction of large numbers of hotels and apartments in such seaside resorts as Blanes, Tossa de Mar, and Lloret de Mar. Tourism rapidly took over from fishing as the principal business of the area.
Whilst part of the Costa Brava coastline lent itself to tourist developments on a very large scale other parts have retained a more traditional look and have become "hidden gems" for visitors who want a little more than sun, sand and sangria. Small towns like Cadaqués (close to the French border and close to the foothills of the Pyrenees) have attracted artists such as Salvador Dalí (Dalí's Museum at Figueres is one of the most important and visited museums in Catalonia) and Pablo Picasso and are now fashionable resorts. The coast between Roses and Tossa de Mar has many delightful small coastal towns such as Pals, Begur, Tamariu, Llafranc, L'Estartit, Aigua Blava, Fornells, Calella de Palafrugell, Palamós and Sant Feliu de Guixols.

Diafani, #Karpathos #Dodecanese #Greece

Diafani, originally uploaded by Patrick Giardina.

Diafani is a small Greek seaside village situated in a bay on the north-east coast of Karpathos, below the traditional hilltop village of Olymbos. Karpathos is one of the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean sea between Crete and Rhodes.

Diafani is the perfect place for people seeking peace and traditional Greek hospitality.
If you like to walk in herb scented hills and discover small bays for swimming in beautiful clear sea then Diafani is the place for you.

Diafani is for people who want to get away from the stress, pollution and indifference of daily life in the big towns and cities.

Diafani is for walkers, swimmers and dreamers. Diafani is unique.

Agios Theodoros, #Karpathos, #Dodecanese, #Greece

Agios Theodoros, originally uploaded by Patrick Giardina.

The beaches of Karpathos island can be divided into four large groups: the beaches on the east coast are smaller and gravelly but without wind; the beaches of the southern part of the island, near the airport, area made of fine white sand; the sandy beach on the west coast are the most exposed to the Meltemi and they are only available in low wind conditions; the beaches of the north of the island, accessible only by sea and partly by a jeep.
East Coast: Amoopi, Karpathos Beach, Achata, Kato Latos (reachable only by foot), Apella.
South Coast - Damatria, Diakoftis, Devils Bay, Agriopotamos (nudist beach).
West Coast - Lefkos beach, Mesohori Finiki, Arkasa Leucadius.
North Coast - Diafani, Vananda, Forokli

Tzasteni, mt.Pelion, Magnisia, Greece

Tzasteni, originally uploaded by Faddoush.

This small beach is situated in the soutwest part of Pelion peninsula near the town of Sipiada. Many consider Tzasteni beach as one of the most beautiful beaches of Pelion.

The beach is quite small, covered mainly with pebbles and has cedar trees that provide natural shade for the swimmers. Waters are calm, transparent, clean with shades of blue and green. Like all the beaches of Pelion, Taztani beach also beautifully combines rich and dense greenery of its surrounding with the amazing color of the sea, creating breathtaking landscapes. The beach is entirely unorganized and has no tourist facilities. Consider bringing basic beach necessities with you, water especially, if you decide to spend several hours on this gem of Pelion. The beach is hardly ever crowded and it is ideal place for those who seek where to relax, unwind and enjoy in tranquility and quietness of Pelion's natural beauties. The beach is easily accessible and reachable by private means and accommodation units can be easily found in the nearby settlements.

Pelion peninsula is known for its healthy climate and weather conditions are created by combination of wooded mountains and Aegean Sea. Summers here are pleasant and dry with an average temperature of around 26C° during the summer season. The best time to visit Tzasteni beach is from late May to late September.