Merry Christmas 2010

Tiger Moth

Fluorescent Willemite

Willemite Turned Green by UV Light

Fluorescent Willemite

Willemite mineral from New Jersey that turns green in ultraviolet light.

Orange Calcite

Orange calcite from Arizona that turns orange when exposed to ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Fluorescent Green Fluorite

Green fluorite from England that turns purple when exposed to ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Fluorescent Blue Calcite in UV

Calcite from Mexico that turns blue when exposed to shortwave ultraviolet light (254 nm)

Cranes Flying South

Picture taken at Taylorsville Lake, Kentucky of formations of geese sand cranes flying south for the winter.  Using Photoshop count tool, I determined there were 89 geese cranes flying (see image below).

UPDATE: I originally identified these as geese but thanks to Kenny he informed me they were probably sand cranes.

New Jersey Calcite

Example of fluorescent calcite from Franklin, New Jersey.  A pink or red glow appears once specimen is illuminated with shortwave ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Willemite Mineral

Example of a fluorescent mineral from the famous Franklin, New Jersey locale.  This mineral is Willemite photographed under two different lights.  The fluorescence shows up under shortwave ultraviolet light (254 nm).

Louisville Zoo Polar Bears Need Our Help

Yikes!  Would not want to be on this bear's Thanksgiving menu.

The Louisville Zoo of Kentucky is building a section called Glacier Run that provides habitat for the seals and sea lions plus the polar and grizzly bears.   If all the money is raised it will also house snowy owls, Steller's sea eagles, and arctic foxes. [Note: No photographers were harmed taking these pictures.]

The zoo has till January 1, 2011 to raise the final $820,000 of $7,700,000 in order to receive a $900,000 challenge grant from the non-profit Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan.  The entire project overall has raised approximately $23.9 million.  Parts of the Glacier Run exhibit are already open (the living area for the seals and sea lions).

Allowable matching funds are tax-deductible and can be in the form of

cash or pledges from corporations, foundations and individuals.  Donations can be mailed to:

Jill Kaplan, Director of Development

c/o

Louisville Zoo

1100 Trevilian Way

Louisville Ky. 40213

For information call 502-459-2181 or read the full story at the Courier Journal web site.

These stuffed polar bears are on display at the Discovery Gallery at the Louisville Science Center.  The polar bears were donated back in the 1970s to the museum.

Clement Museum Fluorites

Fluorite specimens seen at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Blue Fluorite

Blue fluorite specimen was at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Calcite Crystals

Calcite specimen was at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.  It might be mixed in with some purple fluorite.

Fluorite

Fluorite specimens that were at the Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum display at the KYANA Geological Society 2010 Show in Louisville, Kentucky.

Galena

Cactus with Leaves

Learn more about this plant at the Backyard Nature web site.  It is known as the False Cactus, Candelabra Cactus and Dragon Bones.

White-Pink African Violet

Sansevieria trifasciata

Close up of a snake plant leaf (Sansevieria trifasciata).

A picture of a piece of fluorite found during a mineral dig at The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum.  The piece in everyday light is rather plain but expose it to ultraviolet (UV) light (395 nm).  UV light makes part of the mineral glow a whitish-yellow.

Fluorescent Painting

Two pictures of the same oil painting obtained in Paris, France in 2009.  The image on the left was illuminated with iridescence light while the one one right was lit with longwave ultraviolet (395 nm) light.  White arrows show three sections of the painting that fluorescent bright orange.

It would be good to know what material in the paint exhibits this illumination property.

Learn more about fluorite and fluorescence at the Delaware Mineralogical Society web site.

Galena on Calcite

Galena with calcite mined at Ozark Lead mine in St. Joseph Lead District, Missouri.  On display at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Tyrolite

Tyrolite mineral found at Brixlegg, Tyrol, Austria.  Displayed at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Pyromorphite

Mineral Pyromorphite found at Bunker Hill mine in Kellogg, Idaho.  Displayed at mineral hall of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Datolite

Picture of Datolite mineral with copper from Lake Superior district, Michigan.  While doing research on fossils and rocks to find in upper peninsula of Michigan I came across "Rockhounding Trip Through Michigan's Upper Peninsula August 2008 Report by Jim Adams".  His report talks about finding Datolite for the first time in Michigan.

Banded Fluorite

Fluorite (111.2 carats) found in Hardin County, Illinois.

Mesolite

Mesolite with fluorapophyllite found in Poona, Maharashtra, India.  Part of the Mary Horner Stuart collection on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Mineral Hall.

More Halite

 Halite crystal with calcite found in Eisleben, Thuringen, Germany.

Halite crystals found in Death Valley, California.  Images take August 2010 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  Halite is composed of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) or table salt.

Quartz var. amethyst

Amethyst which is a variety of quartz that is purple.  Found at Serra do Mar. Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Displayed at Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  This specimen was once part of 32000 kg geode!