Photography

China’s National Space Administration published four photos taken by its Tianwen-1 Mars mission, including the first full photo of the orbiting probe over the Red Planet. China’s New Photographs of Mars The full-color photos show the Tianwen-1 orbiter above Mars as well as the ice cover on the planet’s north pole. According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the photos were…

Growing up in a communist country, we had no access to or real knowledge of the outside world. With the information that we now take for granted tightly controlled, we were living in a bubble. When communism ended, my entire concept of what the planet and all living things were all about changed quickly and dramatically. I became a sponge for every type of available data as most was all new to…

Optics and accessory manufacturer Viltrox has announced a new 13mm F1.4 autofocus lens for Fujifilm X-mount camera systems. The lens, which offers a roughly 20mm full-frame equivalent focal length, is expected to ship in February. The Viltrox 13mm F1.4 AF is constructed of 14 elements in 11 groups. It has a minimum focusing distance of 22cm (8.7”), uses a stepping motor (STM) to drive the…

Lightning is a widespread atmospheric event. Per the Met Office in the UK, there are three million flashes of lightning every day on Earth, or about 44 strikes per second. Despite this, scientists haven’t been able to conclude how exactly lightning forms inside a thundercloud. That could be changing though, with the help of new video recorded by a team of researchers. In 2018, a very…