APOD: Noctilucent Clouds Over Germany (2009 Jun 24)

[neufer]

Noctilucent Clouds "beneath the oaks"

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090624.html

Potsdam (52° 24′ N, 13° 4′ E) was first mentioned in a document in 993AD as Poztupimi.
A possible translation of the name might be "beneath the oaks."

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Explanation: In the early morning hours of June 30th, ghostly clouds hovered in the east in this view of near dawn skies over western France. The noctilucent or night-shining clouds lie near the edge of space, reflecting sunlight from about 80 kilometers above Earth's surface. Usually spotted above the poles in summer, they are now seen with increasing frequency farther from the poles, in this case extending to the photographer's latitude of about 48 degrees north. The trend could be a telltale sign of global changes in the atmosphere.>>

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The Einstein Tower (German: Einsteinturm) is an astrophysical observatory in the Albert Einstein Science Park in Potsdam, Germany designed by architect Erich Mendelsohn. It was built to house a solar telescope designed by the astronomer Erwin Finlay-Freundlich to support experiments and observations to validate Albert Einstein's relativity theory. The building was first conceived around 1917, built from 1920 to 1921 after a fund-raising drive, and became operational in 1924. Although Einstein never worked there, he supported the construction and operation of the telescope. It is still a working solar observatory today as part of the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam. Light from the telescope is brought down through the shaft to the basement where the instruments and laboratory are located.

The exterior was originally conceived in concrete, but due to construction difficulties, much of the building was actually realized in brick, covered with stucco. The building was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II, leaving it in a state that was ironically more in line with Mendelsohn's conceptual sketches than the pre-war structure was. It underwent a full renovation in 1999, for its 75th anniversary, to correct problems with dampness and decay that had meant decades of repair. It is often cited as one of the few landmarks of expressionist architecture.



According to lore, Mendelsohn took Einstein on a long tour of the completed structure, waiting for some sign of approval. The design, while logical and perfectly sufficient to its purpose, stood out like an "ungainly spaceship" in the suburbs of Potsdam. Einstein said nothing until hours later, during a meeting with the building committee, when he whispered his one-word judgment: "Organic". Mendelsohn himself said that he had designed it out of some unknown urge, letting it emerge out of "the mystique around Einstein's universe."

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http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071028.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050928.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050619.html

[emc]

Not to be a stickler... but the subject is more "above the oaks"... don't you agree? I would venture the object to be below... as in our vantage point. Nice pic BTW

[bystander]

Hey, Ed. Where have you been? Good to have you back.

Yes, it's a rather unique building. Great architecture.

[apodman]

[neufer]

Not to be a stickler... but the subject is more "above the oaks"... don't you agree?

'Where was the sun?'
'Over the oak.'
'Where was the shadow?'
'Under the elm.'

- _The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual_ by Arthur Conan Doyle

[neufer]

Organic Noctilucent Crowds "beneath the oaks"!

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread.
She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

[apodman]

Moon illusion revisited ...

[emc]

[emc]

Hey, Ed. Where have you been?

Hi Bystander,

Would like to say I've been on a long trip... way out yonder. But truth is, I've just been working.

Thanks for asking!