Top Ten Most Amazing Pictures Taken By Hubble Space

Hubble Telescope's top ten greatest space photographs. Awesome!!!

The Sombrero Galaxy - 28 million light years from Earth - was voted best picture taken by the Hubble telescope. The dimensions of the galaxy, officially called M104, are as spectacular as its appearance. It has 800 billion suns and is 50,000 light years across.


The Ant Nebula, a cloud of dust and gas whose technical name is Mz3, resembles an ant when observed using ground-based telescopes... The nebula lies within our galaxy between 3,000 and 6,000 light years from Earth.


In third place is Nebula NGC 2392, called 'Eskimo' because it looks like a face surrounded by a furry hood. The hood is, in fact, a ring of comet-shaped objects flying away from a dying star. Eskimo is 5,000 light years from Earth.


At four is the Cat's Eye Nebula.


The Hourglass Nebula, 8,000 light years away, has a 'pinched-in-the-middle' look because the winds that shape it are weaker at the centre.
In sixth place is the Cone Nebula. The part pictured here is 2.5 light years in length (the equivalent of 23 million return trips to the Moon).


The Perfect Storm, a small region in the Swan Nebula, 5,500 light years away, described as 'a bubbly ocean of hydrogen and small amounts of oxygen, sulphur and other elements'.

Starry Night, so named because it reminded astronomers of the Van Gogh painting. It is a halo of light around a star in the Milky Way.


The glowering eyes from 114 million light years away are the swirling cores of two merging galaxies called NGC 2207 and IC 2163 in the distant Canis Major constellation.

The Trifid Nebula. A 'stellar nursery', 9,000 light years from here, it is where new stars are being born.

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The Old Seven Wonders of the World Pictures

The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt. The Egyptian pharaoh Khufu built the Great Pyramid in about 2560 B.C. to serve as his tomb. The pyramid is the oldest structure on the original list of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was compiled by Greek scholars about 2,200 years ago. It is also the only remaining survivor from the original list.

The Colossus of Rhodes, Greece. In contrast to the pyramids, the colossus was the shortest lived of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Completed in 282 B.C. after taking 12 years to build, the Colossus of Rhodes was felled by an earthquake that snapped the statue off at the knees a mere 56 years later.

The Lighthouse of Alexandra, Egypt. The lighthouse was the only ancient wonder that had a practical use, serving as a beacon for ships in the dangerous waters off the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, now called El Iskandarîya. Constructed on the small island of Pharos between 285 and 247 B.C., the building was the world's tallest for many centuries. Its estimated height was 384 feet (117 meters)—equivalent to a modern 40-story building—though some people believe it was significantly taller.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. The massive gold statue of the king of the Greek gods was built in honor of the original Olympic games, which began in the ancient city of Olympia. The statue, completed by the classical sculptor Phidias around 432 B.C., sat on a jewel-encrusted wooden throne inside a temple overlooking the city. The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) figure held a scepter in one hand and a small statue of the goddess of victory, Nike, in the other—both made from ivory and precious metals.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq. The hanging gardens are said to have stood on the banks of the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq, although there's some doubt as to whether they ever really existed. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II supposedly created the terraced gardens around 600 B.C. at his royal palace in the Mesopotamian desert. It is said the gardens were made to please the king's wife, who missed the lush greenery of her homeland in the Medes, in what is now northern Iran.
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Turkey. The famous tomb at Halicarnassus—now the city of Bodrum—was built between 370 and 350 B.C. for King Mausolus of Caria, a region in the southwest of modern Turkey. Legend says that the king's grieving wife Artemisia II had the tomb constructed as a memorial to their love.
The Temple of Artemis, Turkey. The great marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis was completed around 550 B.C. at Ephesus, near the modern-day town of Selçuk in Turkey. In addition to its 120 columns, each standing 60 feet (20 meters) high, the temple was said to have held many exquisite artworks, including bronze statues of the Amazons, a mythical race of female warriors



The Temple of Artemis, Turkey. The great marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis was completed around 550 B.C. at Ephesus, near the modern-day town of Selçuk in Turkey. In addition to its 120 columns, each standing 60 feet (20 meters) high, the temple was said to have held many exquisite artworks, including bronze statues of the Amazons, a mythical race of female warriors.

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Artistic Water Tanks

Pineapple Water Tower. Location: Honolulu - HI.
Coffee Pot Water Tower. Location: In Stanton Montgomery Co. IA.
Catsup Bottle Water Tower. Location: In Collinsville IL Madison Co - IL.
Ear of Corn Water Tower. Location: Libby Foods in Rochester. One block south of Rt 14 on 3rd Ave. Olmsted Co - MN.

Old Forester Water Tower. Location: In Louisville. On Dixie Hwy just south of Rt 150 (Broadway). Jefferson Co - KY.
Coffee Pot WT. Location: In Lindstrom. Along US8 in the center of town. Chisago Co - MN.

Cup Saucer Water Tower. Location: In Stanton Montgomery Co. IA.

Peach Water Tower. Location: In Gaffney SC, north of I-85 and east of exit # 90 1.4 miles. Cherokee Co - SC.
Baseball Water Tower. Location: North of Ft. Mill on the east side of I-77. Just south of exit 88. York Co - SC.
Watermellon Water Tower. Location: In Luling TX Caldwell Co - TX.

Eye WT. Location: In Austin Travis Co - TX.

Cape Charles Water Tower. Location: Cape Charles Northampton Co - VA.
Mud Cats Baseball Water Tower. Location: East of Zebulon on 264 at Rt 39 beside the Mud Cats baseball diamond. Wake Co - NC.
Globe WT. Location: In Germantown at the Univ. of Maryland campus off of Observation Drive. Montgomery Co - MD.

Strawberry Water Tower. Location: In Poteet. Atascosa Co - TX.

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A Plethora of Extraordinary Uses for Condoms

Thought condoms were only for the bedroom? Think again.
Survival Tactics

If you ever find yourself stranded on a desert island in the South Pacific or lost in the Amazon forest, condoms are the perfect survival tool against anything a desert island or tropical jungle throws your way. Now if only somebody could inform the cast of Lost.

1. When the pains of starvation start attacking you, you're going to want to find something to eat. If you happen to be near an ocean, river or even a stream, your best bet is to dust off the old rod and start fishing. Looking for bait? A blown up condom will do just the trick.


2. Whether you want to cook some fish, keep warm or draw the attention of an oncoming ship, you'd better start yourself a fire. To do so, fill a condom with water and refract light the same way you would with a magnifying glass. Before you know it, your water balloon will be bursting into flames.
3. If you're looking to preserve the last supply of fresh water you can find and don't have a water bottle handy, a non-lubricated condom can be the ideal compact water jug
4. You're going to want to keep whatever possessions you still have safe (hopefully those include some versatile rubbers!). Depending on your objects' size and the size of your contraceptive, store those items in a condom. The condom will keep your items dry and airtight.
5. Injuring yourself is the worst thing that can happen to somebody who's trying overcome the obstacles of the unknown. But if you or somebody else happens to hurt themselves, do not fear. Rubbers create excellent sterile dressings and surgical gloves by keeping out infectious blood and fluids. They're also great for mouth to mouth resuscitation or to keep a punctured lung airtight.
6. Last but not least, if you and somebody else are stranded or lost for a long period of time, your libidos are going to get the best of you two. Don't hold it back - let loose. But use a condom - the last thing you need when struggling for survival is a baby!

Just for Fun

Whether you're the creative type or are just looking for something to do on a boring Sunday afternoon, condoms will provide you with a great source of entertainment! The following is a list of things you could do with your rubbers to past the time:

* Use as a shower cap
* Throw a finger puppet show
* Make suspenders
* Cushion you shoe soles
* Prevent soda from fizzing over
* mold your Jell-O
* Create an inexpensive punching bag
* Deck the halls with Christmas stockings
* Make an animal muzzle
* Don't drown - make water wings
* Keep your feet warm
* Invent the first automatic door closer
* Complete your clown costume by adding a big red nose
* Keep a grip on your bicycle handles
* Stretch one over a light bulb for a mood lighting effect
* Put one over a showerhead for April Fool's
* Blow up balloons
* Create baggies for your condiments
* Make eyeballs for a funny pair of glasses
* Balloon puppets
* Nose/Ear plugs
* Paint scales and put in fish tank
* Make ceiling fan covers
* Novelty key rings
* Nipple tassels
* Water bed
* Make a money holder
* Home-made breast implants
* Wax fruit
* Slingshot

The Real World

Believe it or not, condoms have actually been used and are stilled being used in real life situations. Whether smuggling drugs or protecting the urethra, rubbers are being used all around the world by real people.

* In the Amazons, South American foot travellers wear condoms when wading through water. Why? To prevent candirú, a species of small catfish, from swimming into their urethras. Candirú are attracted to the scent of blood and urine.
* Condoms aren't only for civilian life. They are also used by the military for a plethora of reasons. In the OSS, condoms were used for storing corrosive fuel additives and wire garrottes and holding the acid component of a self-destructing film canister. The Navy SEALs have used doubled condoms, sealed with neoprene cement, to protect non-electric firing assemblies for underwater demolitions-leading to the term "Dual Waterproof Firing Assemblies.".
* To assure that no water or dirt can get in, condoms are placed over the muzzles of guns to prevent fouling
* Smuggling cocaine and other drugs isn't an easy business. Sometimes dealers have to resort to unsanitary and even dangerous methods to get their shipment of crack over the border. This sometimes involves filling a rubber with drugs, tying it into a knot and inserting it in the rectum or swallowing it. Gross, I know. The lethal part: if it breaks, it could cause overdose. So drug users, think twice about where your cocaine has been.

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Outstanding Aerial Photos around the World

This was the staggering scene after a faulty gas cooker exploded in a timber-framed shack – and devastated a tiny Caribbean island. The blast caused an inferno that leapt from hut to hut, taking less than ten minutes to sweep across Soledad Miria. Many of the 1,014 inhabitants dived into the sea or took to fishing boats to escape. More than a third – 348 – were injured but, amazingly, no one died.
A real picture of 300+ low income homes in Ixtapaluca (Mexico), a complex with more than 10
Aerial view of Roar Rollercoaster, Six Flags, Baltimore, USA
From the sky, it looks just like a giant oak tree lying on its side.But this fascinating image is partly down to nature and partly made by man. The remarkable shape of trunk, branches and foliage was created by a combination of storm damage and scars left on the landscape by forestry machinery used to retrieve logs. Swedish photographer Jocke Bergland took the shot while flying over Sweden documenting damage in the wake of Hurricane Gudrun in January 2005.
This show the devastation that occurred when a large tornado struck Greensburg Friday night.
By sitting and lying in the snow, students of Park City middle-school used their bodies to spell: "Step it up. Go carbon neutral" for activist and aerial artist John Quigley as part of a Sundance Film Festival documentary.
Aerial Picture Of 3 Air Craft Carriers
Taxicabs in Mexico City, rounded up for not having permits ("Taxis Piratas")


A Soccer field in Africa (by Michael Poliza)
A message of love to an unknown "Gina" is scrawled across the lanes of an overpass on Highway 520 in the Arboretum on Tuesday in Seattle. The message was painted on an unused ramp on the highway in the serene park. The painter and the recipient of the message are mysteries.



The Amundsen-Scott South Pole station: A functioning community of scientists living at the bottom of the world.



Aerial photograph of Grand Prismatic Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park, USA
Striking aerial image of an unusually large herd moving through Chad toward the Tinga



This guy decided to show the words in a crop field so it would be visible in aerial photos. Only, he decided to do it in the form of a Semacode (a visual code - or bar code - for containing information).


Aerial view of birds on Bass Rock, Scotland.

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Weird Japanese Self-Defense

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