Beautiful Views of Planet Earth

The Earth was formed around 4.57 billion years ago and is 12,756 km in diameter.

Here are some amazing pictures from space!

 

South of the Iberian Peninsula:
A sand storm leaves North Africa and the Canary Islands

Straight of Gibraltar

Night arrives over Europe and Northern Africa

The Swiss Alps

Iceland

 The Black Sea

 The Red Sea

 Even submerged in darkness it is a beautiful sight!

 

Flattened Projection

 

As you live and breathe on this earth,

Remember you are on a beautiful planet in a beautiful universe!

The Fastest Eco Boat on the planet! 

Eco-boat powered by human fat attempts round the world speed record

The fastest eco boat on the planet will attempt to break the round the world speed record using fuel made from human fat.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, said the attempt to circumnavigate the globe would begin from Valencia in Spain on March 1 next year.

Bethune and his wife mortgaged their house and sold everything they own to help make the project happen, while continuing to seek support from sponsors.

Record breaking attempt: Earthrace will attempt to circumnavigate the globe running 100 per cent biodiesel, and with a net zero carbon-footprint.

Earthrace is a 78 foot alternative fuel powered wave-piercing trimaran, it can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled

Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure, making a total of 10 litres of human fat.

This in turn produced seven litres of biofuel, which could help the boat travel about 15km.

Earthrace is fuelled on 100 per cent biodiesel and has a net zero carbon footprint.

The announcement was made at the QE2 pier in Greenwich where Earthrace is being hosted by Greenwich Council until January 1.

Circumnavigating the globe represents the pinnacle of powerboat challenges, and more than 24,000 nautical miles is the world’s longest speed challenge.

Pete Bethune, the New Zealand skipper of Earthrace, believes the boat can help advance biodiesel as a genuinely viable alternative to petroleum diese

The current record holder is British boat Cable and Wireless Adventurer which took 75 days in 1998.

From the start in Valencia the boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals..

From there the boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans as it thunders along the planet’s circumference at a maximum speed of 40 knots.

When it attempts to break the Round the World Speed Record, the goal is to do 20-25 knots (23-29mph) almost continually for 65 days.

The not-for-profit project aims to promote awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources.

Inside Earthrace: The not-for-profit project aims to promote awareness of the environment and the sustainable use of resources

Earthrace, which cost about £1.5 million to build, can carry 3,000 gallons of fuel, and weighs 23 tonnes when fully fuelled.

The boat is designed to cut through waves rather than sail over which enables the boat to go faster through big seas compared to conventional craft.

Bethune believes Earthrace can help advance biodiesel as a genuinely viable alternative to petroleum diesel.

He said: “Governments have a role to legislate to make biofuels happen.

Route to success: The boat will cross the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans and travel through the Panama and Suez Canals

“If it were up to market forces, biofuels wouldn’t happen at all.

“Politicians in Western Europe must be prepared to stand up to the oil industry, and be more supportive of the biofuels industry to make sure the production of biofuels is sustainable.”

A successful attempt by Earthrace would mark the first time in history that an official UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique - The International Powerboating Association) Powerboat world record has been broken using only renewable fuel.

The Fastest Animals on Earth

 Here is an unusual list of the Fastest Animals and there won’t be a cheetah in sight! In order to survive, an organism is likely to have at least one skill that it can perform better than any other creature, or will become perfectly suited to a particular way of life. With this in mind, we’ll take a look at some animals whose ability to use unusual parts of their body with great speed gives them an edge. Think of it as a mostly alternative list of the fastest animals.

The Fastest Animals on Earth

Peregrine falcon

Found worldwide, peregrine falcons are efficient hunting machines, and among the fastest creatures on Earth. They can reach speeds of 200 miles per hour when on the trail of another bird – and they’re large enough to prey on rooks, magpies, hooded crows and jackdaws.

 Mantis shrimp

This colourful crustacean possesses an extremely specialised pair of front limbs known as ‘raptorial claws’. Though they’re designed for catching prey, they can move with such a devastatingly quick ‘punch’ that they have been known to shatter glass aquariums.

Giant Palm Salamander

This Central American amphibian can produce the most powerful burst of muscular power known in the animal kingdom – using its tongue. The giant palm salamander releases over 18,000 watts of power per kilogram of muscleas it flicks its tongue at incredible speed to catch fast-moving insects. Some species possess tongues that are as much as 80% of the animal’s entire body length.

 Anna's Hummingbird

Like most hummingbirds, Anna’s hummingbirds flap their wings at an incredible 50 times a second. This is quick enough that the human eye cannot perceive the individual beats. This is made possible because of their small body size, fast heart rate and high body temperature. But the downside to this specialised lifestyle is that they must consequently feed once every ten minutes or so throughout the day.

Dragonfly

Dragonflies are among the fastest insects known, with the common green Darner dragonfly clocking in at an astonishing 100 kilometres per hour. Even more common members of the order Odonata, the most ancient group of flying insects, tend to reach speeds of about 50 kilometres per hour. All four of their wings can move semi-independently, allowing them levels of agility unknown to other insects – they can reverse, hover in place or change direction in midair. This suits their natural history, as their niche is that of an extremely specialised predator.

Frogfish

 

Nature buffs are probably familiar with certain members of the order Lophiiformes – they’re the famous anglerfish. But the frogfish is an even more bizarre member of this distinguished family. Covered in vegetation-like ‘spinules’, the frogfish is designed not to blend in with the background to escape detection, but to actively resemble the food of potential prey. When smaller fish approach to take a bite, they instead become swallowed up by the frogfish in a movement so quick that it often cannot be seen by human eyes. The frogfish moves its jaws with such swiftness that suction pressure is created, pulling water and prey into the gaping maw.

Spiny-Tailed Iguana

Though ‘cold-blooded’ creatures such as lizards aren’t famous for their speed, the spiny-tailed iguana of Central America can reach over twenty miles per hour – a record for reptiles. Their active nature extends to their temperament, as they are notoriously aggressive towards humans. This relationship extends both ways, however, as the iguanas are heavily hunted as a source of food throughout their home ranges, though they are not yet thought to be endangered.