Sunday Stills: Space, Sky, Earth, and Water

Read: Artistic Expressions of Syrian Refugee Children View in web browser. Sunday Stills ISSUE 23 Sunday, August 31, 2014 NEWS Voyager: The Explorers of the Realm of Stars Photographs courtesy Time Life Pictures, NASA, the LIFE Picture Collection, Getty Images, NASA/JPL Like the ancient mariners, they would navigate a vast ocean, the solar system ... It was 1977. Jimmy Carter was president, Elvis Presley gave his last performance, and Saturday Night Fever blasted into theaters. Above the Earth, twin spacecraft called Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 sailed into space on a trailblazing expedition to go where no man had gone before. They would reveal that the moons orbiting Jupiter were worlds in their own right, that Saturn's fabled rings boasted intricate weaves, and that Earth was but a pale blue dot set in the vastness of space. No other spacecraft have divulged the secrets of so many worlds, roamed so far, or so profoundly reshaped our view of our home in the cosmos. Their journey was an idea centuries in the making and their success far from predetermined. It was a risk but a serendipitous one. As Captain Kirk said, "Sometimes a feeling is all we humans have to go on." READ PROOF Sky Full of Cameras Photograph by Tomas van Houtryve Has photography become weaponized? From surveillance and targeting to drones and robotic aircrafts, the use of imaging technology has exploded and not just in distant, hostile skies. In the past few years, the use of drones has spread from foreign conflicts to American's airspace, employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, FBI, Texas Rangers, and local sheriffs' departments. Today, companies like Amazon are lobbying to put drones to commercial use as well, perhaps changing the landscape of photography forever. READ VIDEO Shark Face-Off Nietzsche said that understanding comes through confrontation. He also said that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Underwater filmmaker and artist Joe Romeiro regularly puts both these theories to the test. Ever since this wildlife cameraman saw his first shark at age five, he's been fascinated (obsessed?) with them and the "guttural, emotional" feeling he gets from interacting with them on their turf. WATCH YOUR SHOT Time Lapse: The Ghosts of Lives Past Photograph by Ivan Lesica Past and present collide on the streets of Manhattan in Ivan Lesica's photo. While checking out an enlarged ‘40s-era poster hanging in a store window, Lesica noticed yellow cabs reflected in the glass, waiting for the light to change. The illusion of New Yorkers from another time crossing a modern street created the perfect abstract time capsule. In the age of photo retouching and manipulation, we have to admit we love the simplicity. National Geographic's Time Capsule assignment ends September 12. READ NEWS Deadly Beauty Photograph by Aaron Ansarov Confucius said, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." That certainly rings true for Aaron Ansarov, a retired combat photographer for the U.S. Navy, who has spent the past two years combing a local Florida beach in search of the elusive Portuguese man-of-war. Where most of us see only its painful, sometimes deadly, sting, Ansarov sees brilliant colors. Yet those vibrant hues and ethereal bodies obscure tentacles that dangle 30 feet below the water, capturing and immobilizing their prey. READ Show Your Support: SHOP DONATE SUBSCRIBE TRAVEL BECOME A MEMBER You are receiving this email because bpi.hgmp.jusgein@blogger.com is signed up to receive National Geographic communications. If you prefer not to receive emails from us, please unsubscribe. To ensure that you receive your National Geographic emails, please add ngs@e.nationalgeographic.com to your address book now. Learn how. Contact Us | Privacy Policy | About Us | Customer Service National Geographic | 1145 17th Street N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036 Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Society. All Rights Reserved.