• Tagged environment, lakes, nature, pink lakes

We are more than ready for Spring, which made us think of pink spring colors, which led to the phenomenon of pink lakes. It’s not a Photoshop trick, but a phenomenon; the water is actually pink. In fact there are several pink lakes scattered across the globe, but they are comparatively rare. While it may depend upon where you live, most of us don’t see lakes filled with pink water on a daily basis. If that’s true for you, then here you go. [54 Photos, 1 Video)

• Tagged Austria, diving, Green Lake, lake, lakes, phenomenon, scuba diving

Green Lake has been called the “diamond gem” in Austria’s crown due to the natural phenomenon that occurs every spring when the snow melts off the surrounding rugged mountains and park benches, flowers, footbridges, trees and walking paths disappear under water. The very cold but crystal clear water becomes a hot spot for divers who want to experience the exquisite and otherworldly scene. [32 Photos, 3 Videos]

• Tagged love locks, love padlocks, Valentine's Day

Sometimes when two people are in love and believe in happily ever after, they memorialize that commitment with a padlock, a “love lock” that is; together you lock it, then throw away the key as a symbol of a “forever together until the end of time” love. Some folks love the romantic gesture, while others regard love locks as vandalizing architecture and infrastructure. No matter how many thousands are removed, thousands upon thousands of lovers continue the phenomenon of love locks all over the world. [50 Photos]

• Tagged Aurora, Aurora Borealis, Northern lights

Since we last covered Amazing Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis in 2011, many photographers have braved extremely cold temperatures to capture swirling Northern Lights dancing across the heavens. Here are some of those exceptionally beautiful auroras that you can enjoy from the warmth of your chair instead of the snowy wilds. [50 Photos, 3 Videos]

• Tagged Decade Volcanoes, Italy, Mount Etna, volcano

Mount Etna, one of the 17 Decade Volcanoes and Europe’s tallest active volcano, has been putting on a great show. Adrenaline-seeking tourists have been getting up-close and personal for the rumbling and lava spewing spectacle in Italy. Even the astronauts aboard the ISS have taken note and grabbed some stunning shots. Here’s Mount Etna…[42 Photos]

• Tagged blowholes, geology, nature, New Zealand, Pancake Rocks, Paparoa National Park, rock formations

On the edge of the New Zealand’s Paparoa National Park, you can walk among bizarre rock formations, many that resemble stacks of pancakes. The Tasman Sea surges into undercut cavities, booms, and then seawater geysers shoot through blowholes, making the spectacular natural attraction of blowholes in Pancake Rocks a “must see” at high tide and/or storms. [45 Photos]

• Tagged clouds, lenticular clouds, meteorological phenomena, phenomenon, UFO clouds, weather

Some folks think lenticular clouds look like a stack of pancakes, but most people think they look like “saucer clouds.” These clouds are more dense, colder, than the surrounding air, so if the ambient weather doesn’t change then it just appears to hover without moving. It’s been said that these “lennies” are a possible explanation for some reported Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings. If conditions are “just right,” lenticular clouds can form about anywhere. Yet this meteorological phenomenon most often appears over mountain peaks and extinct volcanoes. Even that has been dubbed “rare.” If you live in the “flat” lands, then it’s possible you’ve never witnessed an incredible UFO cloud. Photographers love to capture them, so thanks to their hard work, here are 42 fabulous photos of lovely lenticular clouds. [42 Photos]

• Tagged full moon, Harvest Moon, lunar eclipse, NASA, phenomena, space, tetrad, total lunar eclipse

April 15 is tax day in the USA, but don’t let that get you down. Instead, lift your eyes toward the heavens during the darkness and wee hours of the morning to view the first of four total lunar eclipses, spaced six full moons apart. Those four consecutive total lunar eclipses are called a tetrad. Christian Pastor John Hagee dubbed them “Blood Moons” denoting change for Israel; these total eclipses of the moon occur on Jewish holidays such a Passover in April 2014 and April 2015, and Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, in September 2014 and September 2015. Some folks are even claiming this series of blood-red moons is heralding the end is nigh. You’ve might have seen “blood red” moons before as the term has previously been applied to the coloring of Harvest moons. One thing that’s for sure, if you live in the USA, then you have a front row seat for a tetrad of lunar eclipses. Here’s a calculator to figure when you can see it from where you live. Here are some beautiful photos of blood red moons, aka total lunar eclipses. [20 Photos]

• Tagged abandoned, abandoned Sanatorium, abandoned tuberculosis hospital, haunted Waverly, Kentucky, Louisville, paranormal, paranormal phenomena, Waverly Hills Sanatorium

This former tuberculosis hospital has been called one of the most terrifying, most haunted, places in America. At least 6,000 people died there, many taken out through a ‘death chute’ tunnel, and Waverly Hills reached urban legend ghost status. Built in 1926, the massive Gothic architecture housed TB patients suffering from the “White Plague” with no antibiotic cure on the horizon. It closed in 1962, then became a facility for the elderly, but was shut down for patient abuse by Kentucky state officials in 1982. Here’s a ‘spooky USA’ armchair visit to a place of history and mystery, Waverly Hills Sanatorium. [66 Photos, 6 Videos]

• Tagged China, phenomena, Shilin Stone Forest, South China Karst, Stone Forest, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Imagine 96,000 acres of forest, then swap out the trees in your mind’s eye for huge karst formations, some of which formed at least 270 million years ago, and that “stone forest” is Shilin in China. Since the Ming Dynasty in 1368-1644 AD, the collections of intricate karst formations and landscapes at Shilin Stone Forest have “bewitched” people; the site became known as the ‘First Wonder of the World,’ according to the China Travel Guide. South China Karst is not one Stone Forest, but made up of many such individual landscapes of all sizes. In fact, UNESCO says South China Karst has “outstanding universal value” and named two smaller stone forests, Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village, both as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Here’s a look at Shilin Stone Forest in China.
[35 Photos]

• Tagged double rainbow, double rainbow photos, environment, meteorological phenomena, nature, optical illusion, phenomenon, positive quotes, rainbows, supernumerary rainbows, twinned rainbows

There are reflected rainbows in bodies of water; reflection and supernumerary rainbows, fogbows, multiple and high-order ‘rose of rainbows,’ tertiary and quaternary rainbows, twinned rainbows, and even moonbows . . . rare rainbows in the dark. Whew! Here we are focusing on a meteorological phenomenon and nature’s grand optical illusion trick that create double rainbows. Most all cultures regard a rainbow as a positive sign. So here is double the positive, double the awe and inspiration, that sparked the double rainbow meme. Have a great day and enjoy! [50 Photos]

• Tagged Caño Cristales, Columbia, liquid rainbow, most beautiful river in the world, nature, phenomenon, river, river of five colors, river that ran away from paradise

A river in Columbia is beautifully exotic and home to a natural phenomenon that earned it many complimentary names like ‘the river that ran away from paradise.’ You can only visit the Caño Cristales river from July to December. Within that time frame is a shorter period when the conditions are perfect to cause blooms in the water that showcase a ‘liquid rainbow’ of ‘yellow, green, blue, black, and especially the red of the Macarenia clavigera.’ During the rest of the year, the water looks like any other river, surrounded by fantastic rock formations that are so steep they are said to hide away the view of numerous waterfalls and natural swimming holes. The rock formations look remarkably similar to Moon Valley in beautiful Brazil, but Rio Caño Cristales has been bestowed with many titles such as “The River of Five Colors,” “The Liquid Rainbow”, “the river that ran away from paradise,” and even “The Most Beautiful River in the World.” [37 Photos]