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| Milky Way Over Laguna Animas, Chile |
Do you know how a star is born?
A group of very intelligent astronomers have been trying to figure this out for years. They've been mapping the presence of an aluminium isotope that’s almost always found in the region where a star forms or dies. Based on the way dust pockets of this aluminium have decayed, they estimate that the Milky Way gives birth to seven stars each year. And about twice a century, a large star bursts into a supernova.
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| Sugar Maple Trees in Fall Color, Connecticut |
In cold climates, Maple trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in the spring. Maple trees can be tapped by boring holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap. The sap is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.
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| Maple Tree, Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon |
Japanese Gardens are traditional gardens that create miniature idealized landscapes, often in a highly abstract and stylized way. The gardens of the Emperors and nobles were designed for recreation and aesthetic pleasure, while the gardens of Buddhist temples were designed for contemplation and meditation.
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| Polar Bear, Svalbard, Norway |
