HFIR Refueling

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The High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory being refueled. The blue light is Cherenkov Radiation, emitted by the reactor's nuclear fuel rods and is the characteristic color of spent fuel rods. The reactor itself appears to be filled with water to insulate the radiation that the fuel creates.

I particularly enjoy the green tint that the water and radiation lends to the metal structure.

Moon Jellies

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A photo of what is likely Aurelia aurita or the moon jellyfish. According to Wikipedia, Aurelia is generally an inshore genus of jellyfish, and are often found in estuaries and harbors. They can be found in the North, Black, Baltic and Caspian Seas, the Northeast Atlantic, Greenland, the Northeaster US, as well as Northwest Pacific and South America.

The rings on their bell are their gonads. Typically, the species has four, although some may have an anomalous number.

Archaeopteryx Fossil

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A photo of a preserved Archaeopteryx, known as the "Berlin Specimin" displayed at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Archaeopteryx was a genus of small, flying dinosaurs from the late Jurassic, 150 million years ago. Archaopteryx means "ancient wing" in ancient Greek.

This particular fossil is rather iconic, and the discovery of animals such as Archaeopteryx helped in discovering the relation between extinct non-avian dinosaurs and modern day birds.

Notice how delicately its plumage is preserved. The fossil itself comes from limestone deposits in modern day Germany, which would have joined the rest of Europe as a chain of islands in a shallow tropical sea.

Nebra Sky Disc

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The Nebra Sky Disc is a bronze disc about 30 cm in diameter found by a pair of illegal metal detectorists in the Ziegelrodaer Forest of Germany. With inlaid gold, it depicts either the sun or full moon, a crescent moon, and a cluster of seven stars, likely the Pleiades.

The disc is dated to 1800-1600 BCE and is attributed to the Early Bronze Age Unetice culture, and currently stands as the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena anywhere in the world.

Etruscan Boar Vessel

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The Etruscan Boar Vessel is an Etruscan ceramic depicting a wild boar. It measures about 7 inches long. It enjoyed a span of fame as an internet meme in 2018.

The Etruscans were a people that occupied what later became Rome, their civilization lasting from around the 8th century BC to the 4th century BC when they were assimilated into the Roman Republic.

Mushussu

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A Mushussu is a creature from ancient Mesopotamian mythology. The creature is a hybrid, with the front paws of a lion, the hind talons of an eagle, and the scaled body of a snake. The name Mushussu, according to Wikipedia, translates to "fierce snake" or possibly "splendour serpent" though the later may be a mistranslation. The Mushussu is the sacred animal of the storm god Marduk, who, once defeating the fearsome dragon, took it as his smybol and servant.

This particular image of a Mushussu originates from The Gate of Ishtar - the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon, constructed in 569 under the orders of King Nebuchadnezzar II. The gate is glazed a striking blue, reminiscent of lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone that has been long valued. Most of the gate is now located in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.