jtotheizzoe:

awkwardsituationist:

photos of butterfly and moth wings taken by linden gledhil at seven to ten times life size.

“evolution is written on the wings of butterflies” - charles darwin

Seeing the microscopic wonder that is a butterfly’s wing always makes me think of Vladimir Nabokov, author and lepidopterist (and not necessarily in that order).

You’ll want to check out Nabokov’s butterfly sketches, whimsical fantasy species presented as gifts to his wife. And don’t miss his gorgeous butterfly-inspired poem, “On Discovering a Butterfly”.

Finally, don’t miss this great video from Smarter Every Day in which Destin goes full microscope on some butterfly scales. Beautiful stuff:

(via poi-poi-deactivated20180622)

sci-universe:

The heart of the Rosette Nebula and its details

In the heart of the Rosette Nebula lies a bright open cluster of stars that lights up the nebula. The stars of NGC 2244 formed from the surrounding gas only a few million years ago. The above image taken in January using multiple exposures and very specific colors of Sulfur (shaded red), Hydrogen (green), and Oxygen (blue), captures the central region in tremendous detail. A hot wind of particles streams away from the cluster stars and contributes to an already complex menagerie of gas and dust filaments while slowly evacuating the cluster center. The Rosette Nebula’s center measures about 50 light-years across, lies about 4,500 light-years away, and is visible with binoculars towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros). [via APOD]

Image by Don Goldman

(via traverse-our-universe)