Welcome to planet soap bubble: The extraordinary close-up pictures that look like an alien world By Claire Bates Last updated at 12:33 PM on 25th August 2011 At first glance these incredible images appear to show a sun shining on a distant alien world. But on closer inspection the oily surface of the 'planets' reveal they are actually soap bubbles. Richard Heeks has been taking the amazing photographs for the past few years and said it had become something of an obsessive hobby. The 38-year-old from Exminster, near Exeter, said he created the pictures through a combination of experimentation and good luck. This image is titled 'Solar flares on planet soap bubble': 'There is no editing at all here, just a crop,' says Mr Heeks, adding the image reminded him of a scene from Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey. 'I've been trying to get better shots of "coronas" on soap bubbles. This is my first try.' The photographer from Exminster, near Exeter, said he created the pictures through a combination of experimentation and good luck 'Sometimes I stand back and just watch a bubble as it hangs in the air. I walk around it, admiring it, and I see how the light plays on it,' Mr Heeks said. 'And sometimes I photograph a bubble and see things I didn't expect to see. I didn't realise these bubbles would look like planets until I caught one or two good ones and then looked at them carefully on the camera screen. 'I find it uncanny that they seem to have an atmosphere just like a planet. And with the sun corona on the surface, it reminds me of pictures of the earth from space, where the sun appears behind Earth's surface.' 'Sometimes I stand back and just watch a bubble as it hangs in the air. I walk around it, admiring it, and I see how the light plays on it,' Mr Heeks said. 'Nuclear fires on planet bubble': 'I'm really pleased with some of these results. The close-ups show a different side to bubbles, with the surface textures' Mr Heels takes his pictures in his back garden. Here his house can be seen reflected in the bubble Writing on his Flickr photostream he added: 'The lens is always in the centre of the bubble reflection. I find that reassuring for some reason. Life is rarely so simple.' Mr Heeks takes his soapy shots with a Nikon D90, which retails at around £650. However, he warned anyone thinking of photographing bubbles to take care if using an optical viewfinder, as the reflected sun could potentially damage the retinas.

Room with an intergalactic view: Russian firm reveals plans for space hotel By Daily Mail / Science And Tech / Foreign Service Last updated at 7:45 AM on 17th August 2011 Tiring of the annual two-week break in a Med hot spot? Fed up with overcrowded resorts with no room to move? Then how about a real get-away-from-it-all holiday with plenty of space – in space? Russia yesterday announced plans for a hotel in orbit 217 miles up which would house seven guests in four cabins and have huge windows for views of the Earth turning below. Futuristic: Orbital Technologies has revealed plans for a space hotel, which could be open by 2016 Just getting there will be an adventure in itself – it will take two days aboard a  Soyuz rocket – and it won't exactly be  a budget holiday: A five-day stay will  cost you £100,000, on top of £500,000 for your journey. The hotel, or the Commercial Space  Station to give it its proper name, is due to open by 2016 and, according to those behind it, will be 'far more comfortable' than the International Space Station used by astronauts and cosmonauts. In the weightlessness of space, visitors can choose to have beds that are either vertical or horizontal, while showers will be sealed affairs to stop water going where it shouldn't (those aboard the International Space Station must make do with sponge baths until they return home). Tourists, who will be accompanied by experienced crew, will dine on food prepared on Earth and sent up on the rocket, to be reheated in microwave ovens. The plan is to do away with the freeze-dried tubes of nourishment given to astronauts and replace them with delicacies such as braised veal cheeks with wild mushrooms, white bean puree, potato soup and plum compote. Space tourism: The hotel room pods will be fitted with binoculars and cameras so guests can enjoy the spectacular intergalactic views Space age: The rooms will also act as an emergency bothole for astronauts at the manned space station Iced tea, mineral water and fruit juices will be available, but alcohol will be strictly prohibited. Toilets will use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system. Waste water will be recycled, while the air will be filtered to remove odour and bacteria and then returned to the cabin. Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies which will construct the hotel, said: 'Our planned module inside will not remind you of the International Space Station. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth through large portholes. 'The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.'  Tourists might also find themselves playing host to unexpected guests – there is a plan for the hotel to be used as an emergency bolthole for astronauts aboard the International Space Station if there is a crisis, rather than bringing them all the way back to Earth. Drop-off point: Guests will be sent in to the Commercial Space Station via Russian Soyuz rockets Exclusive: The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space Opening time: Orbital Technologies said it hoped the hotel will be up and running in just five years time Price: The amount spent on the project has not been revealed, but a five-day stay will cost around £100,000

Credit Pictures From The Red Planet Mars Along with Information Latest release Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kaiser Crater Dune Field (ESP_020942_1330) : NASA/JPL/University of Arizona -- --------------------------------                        -------------------------------------------------------------- Go with the Flow (ESP_020822_2220) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This image shows flows with rather large ridges extending down off of the central mountains of Moreux Crater. What made those flows? It doesn't look like lava, and the central mountains are not volcanoes--they were thrust up by the impact event. Instead, it may be that these were flows of ice, or glaciers. There are lots of boulders on the surface, and glaciers tend to carry lots of rocks. The Shallow Radar (SHARAD) experiment on MRO is able to penetrate through ice, confirming that many features such as this one are composed of ice, with a thin cover on non-icy material. The existence of glaciers on Mars was controversial more than 10 years ago, but not today. So far we have seen no evidence for currently active glaciers on Mars, but maybe they are moving very slowly. This image is actually a repeat image of this site. Written by: Alfred McEwen Original release: 3 February 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Spider Terrain (ESP_020955_0930) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona The actual term used to describe this type of terrain is "araneiform," although "spider" is apt because of what the formation looks like to us. Sublimation (when a solid goes directly to a gas) is a cause of these striking patterns. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conjoined Twins (ESP_020894_1395) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This image shows a remarkable double crater with a shared rim and North-South trending ejecta deposits. These two craters must have formed simultaneously. The bolide may have consisted of two objects of the same mass that were loosely connected, perhaps similar to comet 103P/Hartley 2, which the Deep Impact spacecraft (EPOXI mission) encountered on 4 November 2010 (seehere). Many more asteroids than comets impact Mars, but asteroids also come in double shapes, like asteroid Itokawa explored by the Japanese Huyabusa mission. The bolide must have separated into two distinct pieces prior to impact in order for two craters to be recognizable. Written by: Alfred McEwen Original release: 9 February 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ True Gullies on Mars (ESP_020940_1315) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona This images shows many channels from 1 to 10 meters (approximately 3 to 33 feet) wide on a scarp in Hellas impact basin. On Earth we would call these "gullies." Meanwhile, the much larger landforms that are typically called "gullies" on Mars would be called "ravines" on Earth. Written by: Alfred McEwen Original release: 16 February 2011 _____________________________________________________________________--- -                                How Old are Rocks on Mars? (ESP_020945_1690) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Some of the largest landslides known in the Solar System have happened on Mars. These are interesting phenomena, but they also sometimes produce excellent exposures of the bedrock geology, in cross-sectional views. The purpose of this image was to view bedrock exposures at a deep level in Valles Marineris. We have only a vague idea how old these rocks are. Crater counts date landscapes, and clearly this is a young landscape with very few impact craters due to the continual mass wasting (landslides) of the steep slopes. The rocks are much older--probably older than the plateaus surrounding Valles Marineris (2 to 3 billion years based on the large craters), unless these are intrusive rocks emplaced later from migrating magma. We need radiometric age dating, either on Mars or from returned samples, to measure the age of igneous (volcanic or plutonic) rock layers within the strata. The age of sedimentary layers such as river or lake deposits can be bracketed by the ages of overlying and underlying igneous layers. Not knowing the absolute ages of bedrock units on Mars is a huge limitation to our understanding of the geologic history. Written by: Alfred McEwen Original release: 16 February 2011 Changes on Dunes in Russell Crater (ESP_021496_1255) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona HiRISE images of the large sand dunes in Russell Crater have been repeatedly acquired to look for evidence of surface changes. This full image shows diffuse, dark patterns that are likely caused by many dust devils removing bright dust from the surface of the dunes. In addition, as shown in the cutout, narrow troughs continue to form on the steep faces of the sand dunes. These troughs appear to be formed when chunks of carbon dioxide ("dry") ice slides down the face of the dune. The image on the left was taken a bit over a Mars year before the image on the right; both were taken in the springtime. The ice blocks may sometimes slide down the same troughs, but comparison of these two images shows that new troughs have been formed during the past year. The pits near the ends of the troughs may be locations where blocks of ice came to rest and then evaporated away. Written by: Ken Herkenhoff Original release: 9 March 2011 Opportunity Still Knocks (ESP_021536_1780) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona HiRISE acquired this color image of Santa Maria Crater, with the Opportunity rover perched on the southeast rim. Rover tracks are clearly visible to the east. Opportunity has been studying this relatively fresh 90 meter diameter crater to better understand how crater excavation occurred during the impact and how it has been modified by weathering and erosion since. Note the surrounding bright blocks and rays of ejecta. Spectral information from CRISM indicates a hydrated sulfate at this location. Opportunity is about 6 kilometers from the rim of Endeavour Crater, which CRISM indicates both hydrated sulfates as well as phyllosilicates that formed in a wetter past. Written by: Matthew Golombek Original release: 9 March 2011 Monitoring Sand Motion in Gusev Crater near the Columbia Hills (ESP_021569_1650) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  Color Coverage of Candidate Landing Site in Holden Crater (ESP_020812_1530) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona The four candidate Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) landing sites have been completely covered by HiRISE, in stereo. However, the color coverage is only the center 20 percent of each full HiRISE observation.This observation was acquired in color only, to extend the color coverage. The subimage shows an enhanced-color portion where some of the light-toned layered deposits are well-exposed beneath the dark windblown materials. The layers may have been deposited in ancient lakes. Catastrophic floods through this crater may have ripped apart and rearranged large blocks of the layered material. Written by: Alfred McEwen My best wishes Hussain Almousawi The End The End

A collection of 34 very cool pictures of free space wallpapers that are outer this world! These wallpapers are so cool. To download to your computer desktop, click each picture to open and enlarge. Once the picture is open, right click and select save as desktop. Simple!