Last month NASA released some stunning color photographs of Mars. Panoramas.dk, a site created by Danish photographer Hans Nyberg, assembled 817 of these images into a panorama of Mars. The images were taken between December 21, 2011, and May 8, 2012, while Opportunity was stationed on an outcrop informally known as 'Greeley Haven' -- on a segment of the rim of ancient Endeavour Crater.

This is what Mars looks like -- in full panoramic color! Take a peek.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 1:06 AM  I   I  0 comments

Now THIS is cool! Adrian Drake of Brickfrenzy created a 7-foot long Serenity spaceship from the sci-fi series Firefly out of 70,000 Lego bricks. It took him over 475 hours to build (nearly two years!). The highly detailed ship has full interiors from the bridge to the cargo bay, is built to minifig scale, and weights 135 pounds. Many interior spaces have lighting, and the shuttles detach.

Check out Adrian's Serenity Flickerset to see 77 photos of this beauty!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 1:33 AM  I   I  2 comments

As many of you know, I love old ghost towns, sunken ships... ancient ruins. The images of these places evoke a certain fascination of the history that came before.... and then disappeared with time. These places can be found all over the world: --  former boom towns, short-term mining settlements, Spanish missions, crossroad communities.... old castles.

Here are some beautifully stunning, yet deeply haunting photographs of 28 ghost towns found around the world. This is what things look like after people leave. This is what remains when history leaves it's mark on a place.... and then forgets what it wrote.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:56 AM  I   I  2 comments

Sea forts were strategic military bases built on small islands or in shallow water some distance from the shore. They were usually giant stone forts outfitted with cannons to fend off enemy intruders. Today, these fascinating historical sea forts are mostly deserted, although some of them have been renovated and converted into tourist attractions.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:35 AM  I   I  0 comments