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Arjan82 · Nov 24, 2024

BillTre said:

View attachment 353841

And almost sure that at least the sky here is AI as well...

[EDIT]

It seems to originate from this facebook account which only seems to post AI fotos of nature:

[/edit]

berkeman · Nov 24, 2024

Arjan82 said:

And this is ~~fake~~ staged as well:

Interesting. I saw something about National Geographic photos, and assumed that made them valid. But it looks like that was part of the fakeness, saying that they were from National Geographic. I'll try to be more careful.

pinball1970 · Nov 25, 2024

berkeman said:

Interesting. I saw something about National Geographic photos, and assumed that made them valid. But it looks like that was part of the fakeness, saying that they were from National Geographic. I'll try to be more careful.

This is from Bill though! Has someone hacked his account?

pinball1970 · Nov 25, 2024

pinball1970 said:

An earlier image but enhanced.

View attachment 353829

The pub on the right is a mid 16th C building and was removed brick by brick and rebuilt 300 meters away from the original spot, following the 1996 IRA bombing.
Before that the area was redeveloped in the 1970s after surviving the blitz so Manchester pubs seemed to have got a lucky pass.
This is called "Shambles" square. The the square took its name from the butchers and abattoirs which once stood in its place - the blood and guts leftover from slaughter and butchering being known as 'shambles."

Arjan82 · Nov 25, 2024

collinsmark said:

Also, for what it's worth, the Helix Nebula's (NGC 7293) angular diameter is many times larger than the field of view of the HST. Even in principle, it would take a pretty massive mosaic for HST to produce a full representation of the Helix.

But it was captured by Hubble:

False-colour image of the Helix Nebula, a ring-shaped nebula with a glowing blue centre surrounded by orange and yellow gas, set against a field of stars.

It looks rather different though :)

The observation with the spitzer telescope comes closer:

False-colour infrared image of the Helix Nebula: a glowing red central core surrounded by a ring of cyan and green gas filaments, set against a dense starfield.

Here some more and a comparison:
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/1102-Video

collinsmark · Nov 25, 2024

Arjan82 said:

But it was captured by Hubble:
View attachment 353877

It looks rather different though :)

The observation with the spitzer telescope comes closer:
View attachment 353878

Here some more and a comparison:
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/1102-Video

Part of it was done by Hubble (i.e., HST). But I don't think the whole thing was. I'm pretty sure the rest was done with a wider field telescope.

Here's an an article from Hubblesite.org:
https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2003/news-2003-11.html?news=true

Composite image of the Helix Nebula, a ring-shaped planetary nebula with a blue central region, bright yellow-white inner rim and orange outer haze against a dark starfield.

"The composite picture is a seamless blend of ultra-sharp images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope combined with the wide view of the Mosaic Camera on the National Science Foundation's 0.9-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz."

I'm pretty sure the reason they referenced Hubble in the link you gave, is not to say that HST imaged the whole thing, but rather that they were comparing visible to infrared, and Hubble (HST) is in the visible.

[Edit: By the way, I have new data from my backyard telescope (C14 EdgeHD) of The Helix Nebula in the queue to be processed. It was shot in the visible spectrum, of course, but with narrowband filters. I'll post it in a few weeks in the "Our Beautiful Universe" thread." So far, it looks very promising. It's amazing what you can do with a backyard telescope these days.]

Tom.G · Nov 26, 2024

collinsmark said:

It's amazing what you can do with a backyard telescope these days.

... and high-end software, a knack for artistry, and weeks of free time!

Nice work @collinsmark.

pinball1970 · Nov 28, 2024

The Lass O'Gowrie

Round blue plaque on a red brick wall reading HERE WAS THE SITE OF MANCHESTER'S OLDEST PISSOTIERE RETAINED FOR POSTERITY LAST USED A.D. 1896.

jtbell · Nov 29, 2024

A group of about ten ducks of mixed breeds, including white, black and brown domestic ducks and a muscovy-type duck, walking on grass by a pond with autumn leaves on the ground.

If you look carefully, you can also see geese on the far shore of the pond.

pinball1970 · Nov 30, 2024

Hyde

Evergreens and deciduous

Park lawn in autumn with fallen leaves, bare deciduous trees with reddish foliage, dark evergreen shrubs and hedges framing the view, and a building partly visible at left.

pinball1970 · Nov 30, 2024

This hill beat me, I failed to get a decent Manchester skyline behind me. Next time.

Narrow residential road sloping uphill on an overcast day, with a stone wall and grass verge on the left, a white edge line and tall hedges and bare trees on the right.

Quiet residential road sloping uphill between clipped hedges, stone walls and bare and evergreen trees on a grey overcast day, with pavements on both sides.

Andy Resnick · Dec 1, 2024

Just got back from a vacation at Disneyworld, (IMO) an ideal location to use wide angle lenses; perfect for capturing big things in small spaces:

Wide-angle photo looking straight up at a circular ceiling with concentric rings of ornate patterned tiles, red and orange columns, and a central gold medallion.

Night photo, low angle, of the large spherical Spaceship Earth geodesic structure at Epcot, its triangular panels lit warmly from within, with palm trees in the foreground and a white-walled building at the lower left.

Wide-angle view down a long hotel corridor with mint green walls, white wainscoting, a patterned carpet, and a decorative ceiling light fixture in the foreground.

Wide-angle photo of a large floating rock formation covered in green foliage and hanging roots, with a waterfall falling from its side under a clear blue sky, surrounded by tropical plants and visitors on a walkway.

Zeiss 15/2.8 on Nikon D810. Straight jpg files from the camera.

WWGD · Dec 1, 2024

Maybe not quite random, but good news nonetheless. The restauration of Notre Dame:

Interior nave of Notre Dame cathedral with a checkered stone floor, Gothic pointed arches, chandeliers and tall stained-glass windows, with a single person walking toward the altar. Overlaid headline reads: From the ashes: restored interior of Notre Dame Cathedral unveiled 5 years after fire.

Point Conception · Dec 2, 2024

Seafood market today

Woman with short reddish-brown hair in a black camisole and shorts stands on a red tiled waterfront platform, looking out at the sea with boats and floats in the distance.

Metal bowl of raw prawns, sliced squid, garlic cloves, two tomatoes, a red bell pepper and a bunch of green onions on a green cutting board.

berkeman · Dec 2, 2024

Pretty amazing and inspiring...

Screenshot of a Facebook post from Paramedics on Facebook with a text caption about the 1967 photo "Kiss of Life" by Rocco Morabito, showing two power linemen at the top of a utility pole.

Black and white photo of two utility linemen in hard hats and climbing harnesses on wooden poles, one leaning in to embrace the other, with power lines running across the frame.

jtbell · Dec 4, 2024

I passed this place in Alma, Georgia today.

Photo of a bank branch with white, looping curved steel sculptures arching over a small green-roofed building, and a tall white tower topped by a globe, sign reading Pineland Bank, and a snowflake decoration beside a street with a red truck.

Low green building with a flat roof under large curved silver arches and diagonal struts, beside a tall white pole topped with a globe and a PIEDMONT sign; a KFC restaurant sits across the road.

Could this be where George Jetson does his banking?

jtbell · Dec 5, 2024

Nice view of Venus last night.

Night photo of a Hampton Inn hotel building with its red neon sign lit, with a crescent moon and a bright point of light, likely Venus, in the dark sky above.

WWGD · Dec 5, 2024

jtbell said:

Nice view of Venus last night.

View attachment 354145

I love Venus' Hampton Inn !

jtbell · Dec 5, 2024

I re-lived a quintessential coastal Florida experience today: getting stuck in a traffic jam waiting for a drawbridge (far left) to come back down.

Street scene with palm trees and ornate lampposts beside a road, a bridge visible on the left, parked vehicles on the right and sailboat masts in the distance under a blue sky.

jtbell · Dec 6, 2024

North Beach Park in Fernandina Beach FL yesterday:

Wooden boardwalk running through grassy sand dunes toward a calm sea under a cloudy sky, with a pastel green house on the right.

Sandy path winding through tall dune grass toward a flat gray-blue sea under a cloudy sky, with one small distant figure standing on the beach at the waterline.

Wide sandy beach under an overcast sky, with low waves breaking on the left, a lone person walking along the shore, and dunes with small buildings on the right.

jtbell · Dec 6, 2024

The Monument of States in Kissimmee FL, today:

Tall pyramid-shaped monument made of stacked state-shaped plaques, topped with an eagle and an American flag, beside a street sign reading E Dakin Ave and E Monument.

Tiered monument of painted panels set with stones and plaques from each US state, with the words MONUMENT OF STATES across the base and KISSIMMEE on the middle tier.

Painted wall of stacked stone and concrete blocks with inscribed state plaques, including Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky, and a sign reading KISSIMMEE beside an Osceola County Board of Commissioners plaque.

berkeman · Dec 6, 2024

jtbell said:

The Monument of States in Kissimmee FL, today:

Dat's weird...

jtbell · Dec 6, 2024

berkeman said:

Dat's weird...

Dat's Florida for ya...

jtbell · Dec 7, 2024

In DeLand FL, today: the mansion of John B. Stetson, the Western hat guy.

Cream-colored Victorian mansion with a turret, dark shingled roof, red-trimmed windows and a wreath on a balcony, with a woman photographing a man and woman seated in red Adirondack chairs on the lawn.

No, that's not me.

I also wanted to visit the university in DeLand that bears his name, but traffic and parking downtown were completely messed up because of the city's Christmas parade today.

jtbell · Dec 8, 2024

Today I did a day-trip to Tampa FL. As I was entering town, heading to the place where I've parked before, I ran into closed streets and detours. Another Christmas parade? No, it was the Ybor City Cigar Festival!

Outdoor brick stage under a white canopy with a blue banner reading YBOR CITY CIGAR FESTIVAL, with speakers and stage equipment; a blue ATM HERE flag and vendor tents are visible in the background.

Outdoor market booth under a black canopy with gold lettering reading DC Cigars, @DrunkChickenCigars, 1-(833)DC Cigars and Sales@DCcigars.com, with a brick counter and people walking on a paved street lined with lamp posts and trees.

jtbell · Dec 8, 2024

Ybor City is also known for its free-range chickens.

White statue of a man with one arm raised on a tiled pedestal in a garden, with flags, a brick building, and chickens on the grass; sign reads ISLA DE CUBA.

A reddish-brown hen with several small chicks on dark soil beside a concrete curb, with grass and twigs around them.

Several chickens, including a rooster with a red comb, walking across a brick-paved street past a dark blue sedan parked along the curb.

Why didn't the chickens cross the road?

Because they were having too much fun hanging out in the middle of it.

Flyboy · Dec 9, 2024

If you’ve ever seen in flight refueling before, how hard do you think it is?

It’s harder than it looks, that’s for sure.

Simulated view of an F-4 Phantom in camouflage receiving fuel from the boom of a U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft above green terrain.

Lots of fine adjustments needed to stay in position, both in terms of flight control surfaces and throttles. I think the longest I stayed connected was maybe 10 seconds at a stretch, which for a first try isn’t bad. But hey, I spent enough cumulative time on the boom that I left with more fuel than when I started.

jack action · Dec 10, 2024

Flyboy said:

If you’ve ever seen in flight refueling before, how hard do you think it is?

It’s harder than it looks, that’s for sure.

View attachment 354331

Lots of fine adjustments needed to stay in position, both in terms of flight control surfaces and throttles. I think the longest I stayed connected was maybe 10 seconds at a stretch, which for a first try isn’t bad. But hey, I spent enough cumulative time on the boom that I left with more fuel than when I started.

Seems pretty easy to me:

Silhouette of a large three-engine jet airliner in flight against a dusk sky, towing a sleigh with reindeer on a long line beneath it, above a layer of clouds and mountains.

berkeman · Dec 10, 2024

Flyboy said:

the longest I stayed connected was maybe 10 seconds at a stretch, which for a first try isn’t bad.

Have you tried other aircraft? That F4 is a flying brick, as you know...

gmax137 · Dec 10, 2024

jack action said:

Seems pretty easy to me:

View attachment 354339

Which way is the flow? Presents to the flyboys or veggies to the reindeer?

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