Environmental Graffiti

Seven Gigantic Rock Figures Rising from Beneath the Urals

Bursting out of a plateau in a remote region of the Ural Mountains, like the gnarled fingers of some giant subterranean monster, the seven rock formations of Manpupuner in the Komi Republic are as veiled in mystery as they sometimes are in snowstorms. Known as the “7 strong men”, these gargantuan stone towers are considered one of the Seven Wonders of Russia, and with its air of inscrutability, Manpupuner draws visitors from across its vast country.

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Mount Vesuvius Erupting in 1944

It was 1944 and the Second World War was raging. In Italy, American airmen were stationed at Pompeii Airfield when the debris started falling, but this was no ordinary wartime air raid. The cinder and rock dropping from the sky were being sent forth by the volcano dominating the horizon: Mount Vesuvius. Overhead, bombers wheeled in the air, their pilots’ minds turning from the threat of flack to an altogether more pervasive menace.

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10 Incredible Images of Meteor Showers

When you wish upon a star, you may not be wishing on what you think you are. The reason: shooting stars are of course not stars at all but meteors, the streaks of light we see etched in the sky when the space rocks known as meteoroids burn up as they hit the Earth's atmosphere. When a number of meteors appear to radiate from one point in the sky, we are treated to the celestial event known as meteor showers – but forget your umbrella; break out your telescope!

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