This video shows Earth’s weather from August 17-26, 2009. It also shows how beautiful this planet is and how insignificant we are. It was created at a 7km resolution with NASA’s GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model.

The GEOS-5 atmospheric model was developed by NASA Goddard’s scientists. It’s based on the Earth System Modelling Framework, an open-source project “for building climate, numerical weather prediction, data assimilation and other Earth science software applications”.

To really appreciate its beauty, you can watch the 1080p high definition video at NASA. [NASA via @NASAGoddard]

Click on the image to see the high resolution

So simple, that little blue thing. So lost in the blackness of the Void of Nothingness.

This unique perspective of Earth was taken by the OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on board Rosetta, from 633,000km on 13 November 2009 at 6.28am (AEDT). The image — which form by three exposures under orange, green and blue filters — shows the South Pole at a resolution of 12km per pixel.

Rosetta is coming back home for the last time, to take the impulse necessary to reach the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. When it reaches it in 2014, Rosetta will first study the comet flying alongside, then it will attempt to set its mechanic feet on it. For that, it will use the Philae lander that it carries along its decade-long trip around the Solar System.

Philae will drill holes into the comet to study its nucleus in search of life’s building blocks, and it will land on firing two harpoons to avoid bouncing off its surface. That will be when Captain Ahab — the mission controller back on Earth — laughs like a maniac and Starbuck shakes his head in despair. [ESA]

Islands From Space

Martian Landscapes

[Wired Science and Big Picture]

According to Andrew Kudless—from design/architecture studio Matsy—this kind of water-based structures may become “the fundamental factor in future urban infrastructure in the American Southwest.” He says he was inspired by Dune too:

In Frank Herbert’s famous 1965 novel Dune, he describes a planet that has undergone nearly complete desertification. Dune has been called the “first planetary ecology novel” and forecasts a dystopian world without water. The few remaining inhabitants have secluded themselves from their harsh environment in what could be called subterranean oasises. Far from idyllic, these havens, known as sietch, are essentially underground water storage banks. Water is wealth in this alternate reality. It is preciously conserved, rationed with strict authority, and secretly hidden and protected.

I like the idea. And I like how it looks even more. [BLDGBLOG]

In celebration of Earth Day, NASA presents images of Earth captured by cameras aboard the International Space Station. Travelling at an approximate speed of 17,500 miles per hour, the space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes from an altitude of approximately 220 miles, and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its crew experiences 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.

Still, nothing beats Selene’s capture of Earth rising on the Moon.

We are so tiny. Come on people, let’s make Earth a better place, even if Earth doesn’t give a damn about us and will survive happily with us extinct, thank you very much. Recycle. Don’t waste stuff. Give us a kiss.

As you can see in my highly detailed diagram, Obama wants to use a climate degenerating replica—I don’t have any idea what I’m talking about. The truth, according to the AP, is that the smog shooter was called an “extreme last resort,” but Obama is looking at radical measures to ensure we don’t all broil at 500 degrees for 35-40 minutes. CO2-absorbing artificial trees were also listed as a possible way to fight The Warming.

While the above ideas may not be the most realistic, it is interesting that we’re looking to climate engineering (or geoengineering) to directly control the larger climate trends. Maybe we’ll someday control the weather…or just say screw it and move into domes. [AP via BreitBart]

The outer transparent, crystal globe represents Earth, bearing outlines of the continents and oceans. The inner sphere shows at all times the exact position of Sun, Moon and fixed stars in relation to any location on Earth. So it’s not really a whole universe, but you get the idea. Rotating at the speed of a real day, one revolution takes 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. Separate Sun and Moon hands rotate once in 24 hours indicating which parts of the Earth is illuminated by each celestial body. Finally, a DRAGON hand moves with the signs of the zodiac. Dragons, people! Now I really want this thing.

After you get past the astrological drool factor, a standard clock on the front panel of the mahogany case indicates the hours and minutes. The Earth clock comes in a limited edition of 99 pieces. [Ulysses Nardin via DVICE]

Radio-synced to Google Earth, the team tracked the package as it soared 970kph into the sky, taking shots on a periodic timer. The balloon eventually failed around 100,000 before the system parachuted to the ground.

(We paraphrased. If you read the entire account over on the students’ page, you’ll appreciate details like the team running out of laptop batteries to track the experiment and knocking on neighbourhood doors for access power. It’s basically got all of the good-hearted excitement of a Disney movie, but it might be topped by these cuter teddy bear astronauts.)

The students were able to recover the package that landed about 9.5km from the launch site, but it was only after they tentatively extracted the SD card sitting safely inside that they discovered the fantastic fruits of their labour. [Project Page via Telegraph and boingboing]

Even while it’s all black, in the video you can see the Earth rising over the Moon’s surface and hiding the Sun at the same time. It must be lonely for Selene up there, but boy, what a view. [JAXA]