Wikipedia:Picture of the day/November 2012
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These featured pictures, as scheduled below, appeared as the picture of the day (POTD) on the English Wikipedia's Main Page in November 2012. Individual sections for each day on this page can be linked to with the day number as the anchor name (e.g. [[Wikipedia:Picture of the day/November 2012#1]] for November 1).
You can add an automatically updating POTD template to your user page using {{Pic of the day}} (version with blurb) or {{POTD}} (version without blurb). For instructions on how to make custom POTD layouts, see Wikipedia:Picture of the day.Purge server cache
November 1
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The mushroom cloud from the Ivy Mike nuclear test, one of two tests conducted as part of Operation Ivy at the Pacific Proving Grounds on Elugelab in the Marshall Islands. Mike was the first successful full-scale test of a multi-megaton thermonuclear weapon, and it left an underwater crater 6,240 ft (1,900 m) wide and 164 ft (50 m) deep where the island had been. Photo: United States Department of Energy
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November 2
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A sample of a 1.7 kg (3.7 lb) hafnium crystal bar, made by the van Arkel-de Boer process. Hafnium is a lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal that chemically resembles zirconium and is found in zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. Industrially, it is used in filaments and electrodes. Photo: Alchemist-hp
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November 3
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The Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) is a subspecies of the western honey bee native to the Balkans and surrounding areas. It is adapted to the Kočevje sub-region of Carniola (now in Slovenia). It is the second most popular among beekeepers (after the Italian bee). Photo: Richard Bartz
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November 4
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Alexz Johnson (b. 1986) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, best known for roles as Jude Harrison in the CTV series Instant Star (character shown here), Annie Thelan in the Disney Channel series So Weird, and as Erin Ulmer in the 2006 horror film Final Destination 3. Her album Voodoo was released in 2010. Photo: Epitome Pictures
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November 5
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A statue of the Hindu god Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance. In this form, Shiva performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe and make preparations for the god Brahma to start the process of creation. A Telugu and Tamil concept, Shiva was first depicted as Nataraja in the famous Chola bronzes and sculptures of Chidambaram. The form is present in most Shiva temples in South India, and is the main deity in Chidambaram Temple, the foremost Shaivist temple. Photo: Los Angeles County Museum of Art
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November 6
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A campaign poster from the 1900 United States presidential election for the incumbent William McKinley, who would eventually win. The poster shows McKinley standing on a gold coin, representing the gold standard, with support from soldiers, businessmen, farmers and professionals, claiming to restore prosperity at home and victory abroad. The election was a repeat of the 1896 election, pitting McKinley against William Jennings Bryan. Image: Northwestern Litho. Co.; Restoration: NativeForeigner
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November 7
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An officer of the Victoria Police, the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. The agency was founded in 1835 from an existing colonial police force of 875 men. As of 2011, the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations. Photo: John O'Neill
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November 8
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The Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus) is a member of the grebe family found in Australia and New Zealand. It is a fairly small dark grey and white grebe. During the breeding season the adult's plumage has white streaks over its entire head (seen here), which is the source of the common name. Photo: JJ Harrison
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November 9
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Industrial computed tomography scanning is a process which uses X-ray computed tomography to produce three-dimensional representations of components both externally and internally, such as this scan of a webcam. Industrial CT scanning has been used in many areas of industry for internal inspection of components. Some of the key uses for CT scanning have been flaw detection, failure analysis, metrology, assembly analysis and reverse engineering applications. Video: SecretDisc
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November 10
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The redeye gaper (Chaunax stigmaeus) is a sedentary species of anglerfish native to deep waters in the western North Atlantic from the Georges Bank off New England southward to the Blake Plateau off South Carolina. It is a sedentary ambush predator that spends most of its time resting on the sea floor on its pectoral and pelvic fins, moving only to capture prey or avoid predators. Photo: Steve Ross, NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration
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November 11
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Curve is a theatre in the "Cultural Quarter" of Leicester, England. It was designed by Rafael Viñoly and opened on 11 November 2008. Photo: Celuici
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November 12
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The Horn is the most prominent peak on the Mount Buffalo plateau in Victoria, Australia. It has an elevation of 1,723 m (5,653 ft) AHD. Found on the west side of the Victorian Alps (part of the Australian Alps and the Great Dividing Range), the top of the mountain has granite boulders and rock formations. Photo: John O'Neill
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November 13
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Heavy rust on the links of a chain near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was continuously exposed to moisture and salt-laden spray, causing surface breakdown, cracking, and flaking of the metal. In colloquial usage, "rust" refers to red iron(III) oxide and is formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water. Photo: WikipedianMarlith/Iamthedeus
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November 14
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Maurice of Nassau (1567–1625) was stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands from 1585 until his death. He succeeded his father William the Silent in that role, although the position was not hereditary. On the death of his half-brother Philip William in 1618, he also became the sovereign Prince of Orange. Maurice was responsible for organising the Dutch rebellion against Spain into a coherent, successful revolt. He won great fame as a military strategist and his training methods affected the entire conduct of warfare. Artist: Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt; Restoration: Brandmeister
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November 15
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Emperor of Brazil Pedro II was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, his father Pedro I's abrupt abdication and flight to Europe in 1831 left him as Emperor at the age of five. Inheriting an Empire on the verge of disintegration, Pedro II turned Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. On November 15, 1889, he was overthrown in a coup d'état by a clique of military leaders who declared Brazil a republic. However, he had become weary of emperorship and despaired over the monarchy's future prospects, despite its overwhelming popular support, and did not support any attempt to restore the monarchy. Photo: Mathew Brady/Levin Corbin Handy |
November 16
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The nictitating membrane of a Masked Lapwing as it closes. The membrane is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye for protection and to moisten it while maintaining visibility. Some reptiles, birds, sharks, and mammals have full nictitating membranes. Most mammals, however, have a small, vestigial portion of it remaining in the corner of the eye. Photos: 99of9
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November 17
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A diagram showing the structure of DNA, with detail showing the structure of the four bases: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine, and the location of the major and minor groove. Along with RNA and proteins, DNA is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life. Most DNA molecules are double-stranded helices, consisting of two long polymers of simple units called nucleotides, molecules with backbones made of alternating sugars (deoxyribose) and phosphate groups, with the bases attached to the sugars. Image: Richard Wheeler
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November 18
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The near-elegant frog shell (Bufonaria perelegans) is a species of sea snail in the frog shell family. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean, off the coasts of the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Thailand. The shell ranges from 65 to 115 mm (2.6 to 4.5 in) in length. Photo: George Chernilevsky
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November 19
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Knut Steen (1924–2011) was a Norwegian sculptor based in Italy. Born in Oslo, Steen is best known for his work on the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts with the Danish sculptor Per Palle Storm. There is a museum dedicated to his work located in Sandefjord. Photo: Nina Aldin Thune
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November 20
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The International Space Station (ISS) as seen from the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Zarya, the first module of the ISS launched in 1998, is seen in the foreground. Since then, twenty-six Space Shuttle flights have docked with the ISS to assemble various other modules and components, which include four pairs of solar arrays seen on each side. Photo: NASA
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November 21
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The original sheet music for "God Defend New Zealand", one of the two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being "God Save the Queen". Legally they have equal status, but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used, and is popularly referred to as "the national anthem". Originally written as a poem, it was set to music as part of a competition in 1876. Over the years its popularity increased, eventually being named the second national anthem on 21 November 1977. The anthem has lyrics in both English and Māori, with slightly different meanings. Composer: John Joseph Woods; Restoration: SMasters
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November 22
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The Black-headed Honeyeater is a species of honeyeater endemic to Tasmania. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. Despite the name, insects form the bulk of its diet. The Black-headed Honeyeater specialises in foraging among the foliage of trees, unlike the related Strong-billed Honeyeater (the other honeyeater species endemic to Tasmania), which probes the trunks for prey. Photo: JJ Harrison
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November 23
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The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is a species of rhinoceros. It is actually more of a dark grey color than black, and is really only distinguishable from the white rhinoceros by the shape of its upper lip. It is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the western black rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011. Photo: Ikiwaner |
November 24
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Stephen Merchant (b. 1974) is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, with whom he co-wrote and co-directed the popular British sitcom The Office, co-hosts The Ricky Gervais Show, and co-wrote, co-directed, and co-starred in Extras. Photo: Carolyn Djanogly
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November 25
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The longtail tadpole shrimp (Triops longicaudatus) is a freshwater crustacean resembling a miniature horseshoe crab. It is one of the oldest animal species still in existence. Like its relative Triops cancriformis, the longtail tadpole shrimp is considered a living fossil because its basic prehistoric morphology has changed little in the last 70 million years, exactly matching ancient fossils. Photo: Micha L. Rieser
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November 26
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Samuel Reshevsky (1911–92) was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess grandmaster. He learned to play chess at age four, and at age eight he was beating accomplished players with ease, such as in this photo from 1920, and giving simultaneous exhibitions. Although he never became a truly professional chess player, he competed for the World Chess Championship and maintained a rivalry with Bobby Fischer. Photo: Kadel & Herbert
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November 27
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Synthetic crystals of high-purity bismuth, and a 1 cm3 cube of it for comparison. Bismuth is a pentavalent poor metal. Silvery white when freshly produced, it is often seen in air with a pink tinge caused by surface oxidation. Among metals, it is the most naturally diamagnetic and has one of the lowest values of thermal conductivity. Photo: Alchemist-hp
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November 28
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Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid, a character named after the Golden Rule, from The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby, a children's novel by Charles Kingsley. Published in 1863, the book was extremely popular in England, and was a mainstay of British children's literature for many decades. The book had been intended in part as a satire, a tract against child labour, as well as a serious critique of the closed-minded approaches of many scientists of the day in their response to Charles Darwin's ideas on evolution. Artist: Jessie Willcox Smith; Restoration: ErikTheBikeMan
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November 29
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Benjamin Haydon's painting of Thomas Clarkson addressing the 1840 Anti-Slavery Convention, held by the Anti-Slavery Society at Exeter Hall in London. The organisation was the second to bear that name and was dedicated to the abolishment of slavery worldwide. It continues to function today as Anti-Slavery International. Painting by Benjamin Haydon
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November 30
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Sea foam is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the compounds trap air, forming bubbles which stick to each other through surface tension. Photo: Mbz1 |
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