<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0">
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<title>aurora</title>
<link>http://www.trifter.com/tags/aurora</link>
<description>New posts about aurora</description>
<item>
<title>Wonders in the World of Nature</title>
<link>http://www.trifter.com/Practical-Travel/Adventure-Travel/Wonders-in-the-World-of-Nature.88224</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>This is a mysterious creature found living in the flowing glacier in Hokkaido, Japan. This creature survives at the temperature of minus two.  It is a type of plankton.  It has a tiny head and its height is only 1.5cm.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_0.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is a leftover product of quaternary glacier which has a record of 3 million years. It is found in Chongqing, China.<br /> <br /><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_1.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is a rare and extraordinary view of a rainbow after rain.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is Qiaogeli Peak, situated in the northern part of Pakistan.  It is regarded as the world's second highest peak. The Western climbers refer it as K2 Peak while Chinese authorities officially refer it as Qogir or Qiaogeli Feng.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is a rare scene of a water tornado occuring in the city of Kunshan in a province of Jiangsu, China.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_4.jpg" alt="" /><img src="/readers-images/118850_.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_44.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is a rare sandstorm that swept through the sky of a city in Jiayuguan in Gansu Province, China.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_45.jpg" alt="" /><br /> <br />This "strange hoop of barley field" was discovered in the southern region of Russia. It is regarded as a new discovery by the local people there.|<br /><br /> <img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_46.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>The photo shows a volcanic eruption that took place in the Eastern part of Java Province in Indonesia.  This Buluomo Volcano spews high temperature ashes, dust, and smoke as high as 3,000m.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_47.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br /><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_48.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is Kilauea Volcano, the world's most active volcano,  situated in the island of Hawaii, which lies against the southeast flank of much larger Mauna Lao Volcano in the United States.  Its eruption is always accompanied with extremely hot steam plume and lava. The hot lava flows in the lava tube and may flow to cover a local road.<br /><br /><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_49.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_50.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is a splendid look at a meteor and its aurora.  The meteor is a meteoroid that falls to the Earth in a fiery tail which is a bright glow observed over the night sky.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_51.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is a combination scene of comets and aurora over the sky of Alaska.  The comet is a mixture of dust and frozen gases that is usually dark and in a solid body that sweeps across the space.  The comets appear star-like and they look like tiny balls to our naked eyes in this picture.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_52.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />This is a faint, but sporadic, atmospheric phenomenon seen in the night sky from locations at high latitudes. This aurora may develop into steady greenish arcs, swirling curtains of yellow green light.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_53.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is an incredible lenticular cloud formation on the top of this mountain. It has the shape of a mushroom.<br /><br /><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_54.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>This is a near-death star which is surrounded by a nebulae resembling a ladder.<br /><br /><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_55.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>This is the world's tallest waterfall called Angel Falls. It is also known as Qiulumeilu Falls. It is located in the Gran Sabana region of Bolivia State, Venezuela in the Canaima National Park. Its total height is at 979m (3,212 ft) with a height of the longest drop of 807m (2,648 ft).<br /><br /><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_56.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>This is Iguazu Falls which is one of the top attractions to visit in South America. It is located on the border of Argentina and in Brazil that is 23km upstream of the converging point of Iguazu River and Parana River respectively.  Iguazu Falls has the shape of a horseshoe and is 82m in height, and 4m in width. Its width is four times wider than the Niagara Falls in North America, and is slightly wider than Africa's Victoria Falls.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_57.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is the Aconcagua volcano which is situated in Argentina. It is an extinct and inactive volcano and also the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere with its elevation of 6.959m.</p>
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_63.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>This is a rare look at double rainbows that appeared over the sky of Lhasa, a traditional capital of Tibet, China.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_58.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>These are a series of spectacular lightning occurrences! </p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_59.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is an amazing scene that shows a thousand birds flying over the sky of the National Parks of Costa Rica during the evening hours. The sun gradually sinks beneath the earth.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_60.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This photo shows how a black hole devouring a star in the universe.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_61.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>This is an icy scene near the mouth of Huang He River, China.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2008/02/29/118850_62.jpg" alt="" /></p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trifter.com%2FPractical-Travel%2FAdventure-Travel%2FWonders-in-the-World-of-Nature.88224"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trifter.com%2FPractical-Travel%2FAdventure-Travel%2FWonders-in-the-World-of-Nature.88224" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:19:00 PST</pubDate></item>
<item>
<title>Exploring the Beauty of Antarctica</title>
<link>http://www.trifter.com/Antarctica/Exploring-the-Beauty-of-Antarctica.69673</link>
<description>
<![CDATA[<p>Antarctica occupying a total area of about 14 million square kilometers, of which the mainland area of 12.39 million square kilometers and islands area of about 7.6 million square kilometers, 2.47 million meters long coastline. Approximately 1.582 million square kilometers of the Antarctica has a snow cover.  Antarctica occupies 10% of the total land area of the earth, and its size is equivalent to one and a half of China.</p>
 
<h3>The Map of Antarctica</h3>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_0.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_1.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<h3>Satellite image of Antarctica</h3>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_2.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Because of a high altitude, thin air, coupled with the snow and ice on the surface of the solar reflection, has been the result that the Antarctica becoming the coldest areas in the world, with an average temperature 20 degrees lowers than the Arctic's temperature.</p>
 
<p>There is a common phenomenon with 12 or more tropical storms (typhoon) in the Antarctica and it is by far the most frequent turmoil, with wind speed above 100km per hour. The France “Dierweier” observation team has detected the wind speed with 100m per second, a wind speed of 12 typhoons three times, and its destructive power is equivalent to 10 times of 12 typhoons. Therefore, the Antarctic is renowned for a characteristic of “very windy.”</p>
 
<p>Luoerde Amundsen (Roald Amundsen) is the first explorer who reached Antarctica on December 14, 1911. A month later, Robert Scott (Robert Falcon Scott) arrived at the Antarctica. However, Scott and his four companions were dying of hunger due to extremely cold weather in the Antarctica.</p>
 
<h3>Exploring the Beauty of Antarctica</h3>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_3.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Migration process is usually a tiring and hard journey for the penguins to venture. When they hardly bear on hardships while walking over the time, they will use their fat belly to crawl around the ice or snow.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_4.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>These emperor penguins have gigantic heads. They are the giant penguins in the world. In general, their height is 90cm, but they can achieve as high as 120cm in height. Their maximum weight is 34kg. These penguins are monogamy but not polygamy, and thus the family structure of them is one wife and one husband. After laying the eggs, mother penguin will hand over the eggs to father penguin. Then the mother penguin goes out in search for foods, while the father penguin incubates the eggs. Every year in March, these penguins will leave the ocean and migrate to different places that they find free from natural enemies to produce offspring. Almost all the penguins from these species will have a mass migration to leave the sea every year. Their two feet walk in a slow pace as tough a baby starts walking to explore their challenging and attractive journeys.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_5.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>These penguins have small black feathers from the side of the ear pass through their chins and to the other side of the ear. Sometimes, people call them “police officer's penguin.” Their height can extend from 43 to 53cm and weighing 4kg. These penguins are very aggressive, as they prefer to fight. Their reproductive season is in every winter. Mother penguin produces two eggs each time, while the father penguin incubates the eggs. Both father and mother penguins will take turn to take care of their baby penguin.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_6.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Young penguins has strict custody and well care from both of their parents, nevertheless, young penguins have to bear on the harsh environmental condition in the Antarctic coupling with the threat from the predators. Therefore, the survival rate for them is relatively low with their low birth rate of 20% to 30%.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_7.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Penguins are renowned for loving their nests the most. Sometimes, they steal the neighbor's eggs by conquering other penguins' nests. They monopolize the custody by taking care of other baby penguins that they succeed to steal. Thus, penguins refuse to leave their children even a second as they fear of losing their children. When mother penguin is out in search for foods, father penguin will take strict supervision to their children. Similarly, when father penguin is out for “business affairs,” mother penguin will take over the responsibility to look after their children.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_8.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Young penguins stand at the feet of their parents, while adult penguins will use their abdominal features to let their children stay warm. On the whitish and ice-covered land, penguins nest and feed their children. Both male and female penguins will take turn to hatch the eggs. The hatching process takes approximately one to two months.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_9.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>In order to survive their lives, penguins have to adapt themselves to an extreme weather in the Antarctic. Therefore, they always walk in a crowd close to other penguins with their back facing out. Their ancestors have taught them how to walk against the cold and strong winds with the speed of 160km per hour. The penguins that walk out of the group will always rotate to the middle of the group to get warmth. The empty place left by them will be filling by the penguins in the middle group. They will always take turn to get warmth. The spirit of unity ensures them to store the energy in their bodies to continue to survive at the harsh environmental condition in the Antarctic island.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_10.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Antarctic seabirds breed in the summer. They breed their eggs mostly in the Antarctic Peninsula and Sub Antarctic Islands, with one to two eggs each time. Male and female birds will take turn to hatch the eggs. They share their responsibility to take care of their young children. After three months, they teach their children how to swim and how to search for foods. The main characteristics of the Antarctic seabirds are their ability to fly, to land on the land, iceberg, on top of the water and icecaps. They feed on shrimps, fish and squids.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_11.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Antarctic swallow or commonly known as the Antarctic pigeon as its appearance resembles the pigeon. Antarctic swallow is the most beautiful seabird among the bird species in the Antarctic Island. They inhibit in the Antarctic region throughout the year and thus they are “indigenous tribes” as compared to other birds that tend to migrate to the north of the Polar Regions when the season changes.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_12.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Skua is a natural enemy for penguins. Skua has about 0.7m in length. Its body has a covering of black, blue, green, shining and bright feathers. Besides that, Skua has a long hooked beak and a pair of strong wings.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_13.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Skua, a type of bird mostly flies over the Antarctic Island and seldom stays close to the water. However, sometimes when searching for foods, Skuas will fly near offshore to capture its prey. Skuas have a marvelous flying ability to adapt itself to the extreme climate conditions in the Antarctic Island.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_14.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Antarctic fur sea lion, a type of seal, which is also called sea wolf. Its head and facial appearance resembles a dog or a wolf, and its long beard looks as if a lion. The fur sea lion has about 2m in length and weighing 150 to 200kg. They do not like to live in groups, and only 3 to 5 of Antarctic fur sea lion will stay together.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_15.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Chinese Antarctic expedition team has named this region as the Great Wall Bay. Behind the Great Wall Bay is an island of penguin and the ice on this island never melt off throughout the year.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_16.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>The winds in Antarctica are strong with a maximum wind speed accelerates to 100m per second. Years and years, the strong winds erode, grind and construct the stones by shaping them into a diverse and unique shape of rocks and stones.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_17.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Lichen is one of the oldest plants on Earth. It belongs to a kind of primitive type of lower plants, and they are the most widely distributed species found on the island of Antarctica. Its growing rate is relatively low, with the growth of 1mm every 100 years.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_18.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Penguins can be seen everywhere near the station in the Antarctic. Three penguins were lining up in a sequence to walk towards the station, while the other three rooted on the ground by paying great interest to the helicopter.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_19.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>The station was located in Fildes Peninsula on the island of King George, which is the largest island in South Shetland Island. Approximately 85% of the island has a snow cover. Its location is in the low latitude areas of Antarctica, surrounded by sea with a characteristic of marine climate, and thus this area is also known as “tropical” in the Antarctica.  Its annual average temperature is -2.8°C.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_20.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>Antarctica has its surface covered with tremendous amount of iceberg. Most of the iceberg forms in spring and winter. The warm weather at these periods causes the glacier or ice edge to split at a tremendous speed. Greenland glaciers alone have 10,000 pieces of iceberg forming up each year.</p>
 
<p><img src="http://images.stanzapub.com/readers/trifter/2007/12/29/94888_21.jpg" alt="" /></p>
 
<p>At the high latitude of Antarctic, there will be a bright light phenomenon flashing through the long dark night. Very often, this colorful and endless changes in the Earth's Aurora is caused by a huge discharge phenomenon occurred in the atmosphere, approximately 100km above the ground.</p><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trifter.com%2FAntarctica%2FExploring-the-Beauty-of-Antarctica.69673"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?x=&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trifter.com%2FAntarctica%2FExploring-the-Beauty-of-Antarctica.69673" border="0"/></a>]]></description>
<pubDate>Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:14:15 PST</pubDate></item>
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