Let's take a look at the most recent finds and see if you have ever heard of them.

1. 1997 - Cautipteryx (CAW-DIP-TER-IKS)

   This creature was located in the wetlands of China and is about the size of a large turkey. 3 feet tall, this flightless feathered dinosaur had a diet of small fish. Feathers covered its small arms making them appear to be wings and their tail feathers fanned out much like a turkey.

2. 1994 - Giganotosaurus (JIG-A-NOT-OH-SAWR-US)

   This creature was found in Argentina and considered a giant southern lizard. 18 feet high and 49 feet long, its skull was the size of a bathtub and its brain the size and shape of a banana. Walking on two legs, in many ways, resembled T-Rex even though it lived some 30 million years later.

3. 1989 - Leaellynasauraa (LEE-ELL-LIN-AH-SAWR-AH)

   This creature was found in Australia and considered one of the smartest of all dinosaurs. It had a huge brain and large eyes and was only 8 feet long and 18 inches tall. A small lizard type, they were thought to travel in herds, eating moss, ferns and leaves with their tough horned beaks.

4. 1988 - Argentinosaurus (AHY-GEN-TEEN-OH-SAWR-US)

   This creature was located in Argentina was a long necked herbivore that ate flowers, fruit and seeds. 69 feet tall and 130 feet long, Argentinosaurus has been determined to be the biggest animal that ever lived on earth, until the next discovery comes along, that is, resembling the Brachiosaurus.

5. 1983 - Baryonyx (BAR-EE-ON-IKS)

   This creature has been found in two separate areas of the world, England and Spain. Its name meaning "heavy claw" the 31 foot long and 16 feet tall fish therapod is the first meat eating diosaur to be discovered in England and the first fish-eating dinosaur to be discovered anywhere.

6. 1981 - Scutellosaurus (SKU-TEL-OH-SAWR-US)

    was located in Arizona, North America and is a tiny armoured dinosaur, possibly related to the Lesothaurus. No bigger than a dog, 5 foot tall and weighing a mere 22 pounds, Scutelloraurus was a herbivore and spent most of its time grazing. Heavily protected with over 300 armour plates over its skin, predators thought twice about taking a bite out of this little fellow.

7. 1979 - Seismoraurus (SIZE-MOH-SAWR-US)

    has been found in New Mexico, U.S.A. The nickname for this 45 ton herbivore is `earthquake lizard' because it surely shook the earth when walking. Peg-like teeth led scientists to believe that its diet consisted of leaves on trees and grazing on plants and looked a lot like Diplodocus.

8. 1977 - Maiasaura (MY-AH-SAWR-AH)

   This has been found in Montana, North America. A herding animal that had a flat head and a toothless beak, it is believed that this hadrorosaur was a loving mother, thus the name that maiasura means, "good mother lizard. 30 feet long and weighing in at 30 ton, Maiasaura is the Official State Fossil of Montana.

9. 1972 - Gallimimus (GALL-IH-MIME-US)

   Fossils have been found in Asia and the name stands for "chicken mimic' or "rooster mimic". Carnivorous, they preyed on small animals and used their beak to break open eggs of other dinosaurs. 13-20 feet long, Gallimimus had very weak jaws and used their mouths as shovels, an internal filter-feeder straining the food.

10. 1964 - Minmi (MIN-MEE)

    This was first located in Queensland, Australia. Somewhere between an ankylosaur and nodosaur, the Minmi is about the size of a year-old calf with bony plates called scutes. This small armoured herbivore feasted on leaves, fruit and stems.

Who knows if there will ever be an end to the history of our world's past when dinosaurs ruled the world.

Cyclone Nagris hit Bangladash, India, Sri Lanka, and Burma. It formed April 27, 2008. It ended May 3, 2008. It's strongest winds reached 103 mph- 135 mph. It caused 145,000 fatalities in all the cities, and many are still not found. It also cost $10 billion to repair all the damage caused by the cyclone.

Earthquake in Pakistan

- The earthquake killed more than 73,000 people in pakistan. Its magnitude was 7.6, it is called the Kashmir earthquake. it struck on october 8, 2005.  Its depth was 10 km. The repair converted to dollars cost about 5 billion.

Nevado Del Ruiz

- This was a volcano that erropted in 1985 in Colombia.  It ejected dacitic tephra almost 30 kilometers into the sky. The eroption was rich with sulfur dioxide. It was up to 50 meters thick. It killed more than 24 thousand people, and affected 13 villages. It cost 7.7 million dollars to repair the damages.

Sumatran Tsunami

  The underwater earthquake was a 9.3 magnitude earthquake in the Indian ocean. It hit on December 26, 2004.  killed approximatley 230,000 people and its also the 2nd deadliest earthqake in all of history. Some people were still not found.

Hurricane Katrina

It formed on August 23, 2005 and it ended on August 30, 2005.  It highest winds went up to 175 mph. It killed around 1,800 people and also 700 missing. The repair costs were 90 billion dollars. The hurricane mostly affected New Orleans.

Yellow River Flood

-  This flood occured in China in 1931 and in 1887. It killed from 1-4 million people both times. People died from drowning, disease, and droughts. Not alot of information is known about this flood because it occured a along time ago.

Hurricane Andrew

It formed August 16, 1992. It ended August 28, 1992. Its highest winds reached 175 mph. It killed 30 people. The damage costs were 40 billion dollars. It hit Florida, Bahamas, and Louisiana.

Hurricanes transform water into an unimaginable destructive force. As the hurricane wind speed increases to higher and greater velocities, the ocean waves of water grow increasingly larger and more powerful.

When hurricane Opal made landfall in 1995 near the Florida Panhandle, the destruction it caused was widespread. The small resort town of Mexico Beach Florida was hit very hard. After the hurricane, almost all of the beach homes were damaged. Many of the beach houses were swept away entirely never to be seen again. There was little or no evidence of their previous existence.



As the powerful waves crash onto the shore, the water sweeps inward and pushes a path forward.

The ocean is a wonderful place to visit. The sweet smell of the cool sea breeze and the sound of the waves rolling on shore are very calming and relaxing.

A peaceful beach with soft waves lazily rolling on shore. When hurricane winds start to blow, these calm waves can quickly turn into rolling storm waves.

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In his most famous and most influential multivolume work "Principles of Geology," Scottish lawyer-geologist Charles Lyell (1797 - 1875) advocated the controversial doctrine of uniformitarianism, an assumption that geological and natural processes that occur in the past are the same as those in operation in the present. It is based on the idea that the Earth is constantly being shaped and reshaped by forces gradually acting on it over a long period of time. The doctrine is in contrast to the then accepted idea of catastrophism, which proposes that the Earth undergoes from time to time sudden and violent changes that can be worldwide in scope, such as earthquake and flood. Today's scientists hold a more consolidative view of both doctrines.

Troposphere and Stratosphere (1890s)

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With his pioneering use of unmanned balloons equipped with scientific instruments, French meteorologist Leon Teisserenc de Bort (1855 - 1913) observed that air temperature steadily decreases up to an altitude of 11 kilometers (7 miles), but remained constant above that height. Following at least 200 balloon experiments, he indicated that the atmosphere is made up of two layers called the troposphere (the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere) and the stratosphere (the second layer).

Magnetic Field Reversal (1900s)

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In his paleomagnetic study of rocks hardened by Miocene lava flow around 13 million years ago, French geophysicist Bernard Brunhes (1867 - 1910) discovered that magnetic direction of Earth then was nearly in direct opposite to present-day magnetic field, that is, the Earth's magnetic field has reversed direction. However, it would take another fifty years before his discovery was fully acknowledged as correct by the scientific community.

Radiometric Dating (1900s)

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American chemist Bertram Boltwood (1870 - 1927) calculated the age of rocks by measuring the rate of its radioactive decay from uranium to lead. The result of his calculations placed the age of the Earth at 2.2 billion years. Much older rocks or minerals have recently been discovered and have been dated at 4.4 billion years old, an age that is very close to the best estimate of the age of the Earth determined by radiometric dating of lunar samples. His method has been found to be compatible with other radioactive elements, including carbon-14, which is used extensively by geologist, paleontologist and archeologist to date historical artifacts.

Earth's Core (1900s)

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Irish geolologist Richard Oldham (1858 - 1936) discovered that seismic waves passing through the center of the Earth move much slower than through the mantle around it; and deduced the fact that the Earth has a liquid core as seismic wave cannot travel as rapidly through liquids as through materials of lesser density.

Earth's Inner Core (1930s)

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In 1936, Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann (1888 - 1993) verified that some seismic waves do not pass through the Earth's core but instead are reflected back. Based on these observations, she concluded that the Earth has an outer core composed of molten iron that surrounds an inner core of solid iron sphere.

Continental Drift (1910s)

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Struck by the similarities of fossils in geological strata oceans apart and the seeming fit of the of the eastern bulge of South America with the bend of Africa's west coast, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener (1880 - 1930) advance the theory that all of the continents in the world once formed a single giant continent that ultimately split apart around 200 million years ago in a process called continental drift. The theory was not generally accepted until it is incorporated into the theory of plate tectonics and seafloor spreading developed in the 1960s.

Seafloor Spreading (1950s - 1960s)

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Integrating his accumulated data on the changes in seafloor depth with the discovery of other geologists, American geologist Harry Hess (1906 - 1969) proposed the theory that the Earth's crust moved sideways away from volcanically active oceanic ridges, a process called seafloor spreading, resulting in continental drift. He hypothesized that when molten magma beneath the Earth's crust seeps through the Mid-Ocean Ridge, it pushes the plates away from the rift as the hot magma cools, bringing about the widening of the Atlantic Ocean over time.

Plate Tectonics (1960s)

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The work of many scientists reveals that the Earth's outermost layer or crust, called "lithosphere," is made up of at least seven interconnected plates, the movement of which results in continental drift and mountain building. Some plates diverge at ocean ridges, pushed apart by molten magma, forcing its way up between the plates. This process can throw up volcanic mountains above sea level. Where plates converge or collide, one plate can go under another, thrusting the other upwards. This is called a subduction zone, and these zones encircle the Pacific in a so-called "ring of fire," where volcanoes erupt and earthquakes happen with great frequency.

Cosmic Radiation (1910s onward)

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In 1912, Austrian physicist Victor Hess (1883 - 1964) personally flew by hot air balloon, outfitted with measuring instruments, to a height of 5.3 kilometers (3.3 miles) and discovered that levels of radiation rise with altitude. With further meticulous experiments using equipments of higher precision, he became deeply convinced that the radiation came from outer space and penetrated the Earth's atmosphere. His discovery was subsequently confirmed in 1925 by American experimental physicist Robert Andrews Millikan (1868 - 1953), who gave the radiation its name, and led to many advances in the field of nuclear physics.

Periodic Ice Ages (1930s)

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Serbian astrophysicist Miultin Milankovic (1879 - 1958) expounded on the theory that the Earth goes through periodic cycles of ice ages and long-term climate change due to variations in its motions, such as the orbital shape (eccentricity), axial tilt (obliquity), precession (wobble) and orbital inclination, resulting in different levels of solar energy reaching the Earth.

Global Warming (late 20th century)

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Many scientists believe that there is increasing evidence that the Earth is warming up due to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been steadily rising since the Industrial Revolution took effect in the late 18th century. Global warming theory states that temperature of the Earth's atmosphere will increase if these greenhouse gas emissions continue, resulting in unpredictable effects on the climate and on sea level.

Discovered in 2000, this find has become one of the most important geological finds in history. Hydrothermal fluids formed the crystals. They've managed to survive for a millennia by a constant heat of 136 degrees Fahrenheit and a mineral rich water that helps to make the crystals grow.

The cave is so intense in heat, with temperatures soaring to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and a humidity of 100%. The crystals are literally enveloped in steam. So hot is the cavern, that people can only withstand the heat for minutes at a time before severe loss of mental functions become present.

Apparently a man who tried to steal some of the crystals lost consciousness due to the excess heat. A crystal he was chopping lose fell and pinned him. He was later found roasted to death.

Scientists who study the caves come prepared when trying to deal with the inhospitable caves. Plans of conditioning the caves are now being undertaken when the caves will become open to the public.

Serious action is now being taken to prevent further removal of these crystals, although some are held in the Smithsonian Institute.

Stratocumulus Clouds

Now I'm not claiming to be a cloud expert or anything close to one but I know what I like and these are one of my favorite cloud formations. This certain type of cloud is called “Stratocumulus Cloud” which usually forms in the lower levels of the atmosphere at about 8,000 feet. Although in the first two pictures they seem nothing spectacular but as you see in the third picture at some rare times the clouds can form in thick lines like waves and get trapped in air currents.

To me these formations are one of the more relaxing ones to sit and watch if you ever have the chance and if you get the right type they make spectacular pictures.

Roll Clouds

Now when it comes to clouds these ones take the cake in freaking me out. They are so ominous looking that they look like they are about to roll in and destroy everything in their path.

Basically these “Roll Clouds” usually forms when warm moist air and water condenses forming the cloud and eventually rolling it with the winds. Usually they are a sign that a storm or something is on its way but that's not always the case.

Also over the years many people have mistaken these cloud formations to be the start of tornados or hurricanes which is not the truth and really not even associated with them. Harmless or not they are still freaky looking to me!

Lenticular Clouds

These clouds are some of the most amazing clouds I have ever seen and UFO hunters hate them and you can see why.

These cloud formations are known as “Lenticular Clouds” which usually forms at high altitude when strong warm winds blow over ruff terrain causing these clouds to form at right angle on the right side of the terrain. Although that's not the full details how they form it is the basic idea.

These certain clouds normally form at or around mountains and hills but not always. As mentioned above these clouds are commonly mistaken by people as UFO's which one could easily see. It's another amazing thing that only nature can create on such a large scale and remains to be one of my favorite formations.

Mammatus Clouds

These cloud formations are known as “Mammatus Clouds” which are some of the scariest looking clouds I have ever seen.

These clouds are also commonly mistaking by people as a sign of a tornado or hurricane coming but in all the truth experts claim these types of clouds usually form after the thunderstorms have passed.

I have also read on other sites that these certain types of clouds can actually be a warning of a pending thunderstorm so I don't know which is true. Either way they look spectacular but I still can't help imagining a tornado falling out of the middle of these destroying everything.

Nacreous Clouds

Now finally we have my favorite clouds known as “Nacreous Clouds” which usually form in really cold temperatures high in the atmosphere.

These clouds usually form in winter months and are truly an unforgettable site. They are also known to many people as Mother of Pearl clouds because of the colors usually resemble that of the inside of pearl shell. The clouds require temperatures below -80 Celsius to even start forming which is why here in Canada you're more likely to see them on a regular basis.

So that's it my list of five amazing and spectacular cloud formations. There are many more types of cloud formations it's just that this 5 are my favorite and most appealing to the eye.

Mount Makalu is located on the border between Nepal and China. Its peak is measured at 27,824 feet high, and is considered as one of the highest mountains in the world. It has the shape of a four sided pyramid and has two subsidiary peaks, namely Makalu II and Kangchutse. The peak of Mount Makalu was first reached by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy on May 15, 1955.

McKinley

Mount McKinley is located in Alaska. Standing 20,320 feet high, it is the highest mountain peak in North America. Its layout is somewhat vertical and steep, and it is characterized by exremely cold weather. This mountain has two summits: the South and the North. Only 50% of all expeditions to reach its peak were successful. The first mountaineer to make it on top of McKinley was Hudson Stuck on June 7, 1913.

Popocatepetl

Mount Popocatepetl is actually a volcano. It is located in Mexico, 7- kilometers southeast of Mexico City. It is 17,930 feet high, and is the second highest mountain peak in Mexico. This mountain has had 20 major eruptions since the year 1519. On that same year, 1519, the summit of Popocatepetl was first reached by a Spanish group led by Diego De Ordaz.

Kilimanjaro

Although an inactive volcano, Mount Kilimanjaro boasts of having some unique vegetation. It is located in Northeastern Tanzania, is 19,340 feet high, and is considered the highest mountain peak in Africa. This mountain has three volcanic cones: namely Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Dr. Hans Meyer first stood at Kilimanjaro's peak on October 5th, 1889

Logan

The current height of Mount Logan as of this writing is 19,859 feet. It is constantly rising in elevation due to strong tectonic activity. It is the highest mountain peak in Canada and is located in the Kluane National Park and Reserve. Mount Logan is also the source of the so called Hubbard and Logan glaciers. Its summit was first reached on June 23, 1925 by a group led by Albert H.MacCarthy.

Rainier

Mount Rainier stands 14,410 feet high, and is located 54 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington. It is the highest mountain peak in the Cascade Range. This mountain has a high topographic prominence, and is a source of numerous glacier networks. Its three summits are called Columbia Crest, Point Success, and Liberty Cap. The first two people who climbed this difficult mountain were Hazard Stevens and P.B. Van Trump in 1870.

Everest

The highest mountain on earth, Mount Everest is located in Nepal, on the border between Sagarmantha Zone, Nepal and China. There are two major climbing routes to the top: the Southeastern Ridge, and the Northeastern ridge. To date, Everest has claimed the lives of 210 mountain climbers. The first man to proudly set foot on the summit of Everest was Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953.

Lhotse

Mount Lhotse is also located in Nepal, and is actually connected to Mount Everest. It stands 27,923 feet high and is the fourth highest mountain on earth. This steep and ice filled mountain has claimed a total of 11 lives as of October 2003. its main summit was first reached on MAy 18, 1956 by Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger.

Kanchenjunga

This mountain is located between Sikkim, India and the Taplejung District of Nepal. It stands 28,208 feet high and is the third largest mountain in the world. It has five peaks, but the easiest route to the highest peak is through a path of glacier and snow. The Kanchenjunga summit was first reached by British mountaineers Joe Brown and George Band on 1955. Many lost their lives while attempting to climb this mountain, including renown female mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz (the first woman to reach the peak of K2).

K2: The "Savage Mountain"

K2 is located in the Kashmir region in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It stands 28,250 feet high. Although K2 is only second to Everest in height, it is considered as one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. According to statistics, for every four people who attempts to climb K2, one of them dies. Having somewhat a pyramid shape, its level of steepness is unmatched anywhere in the world. There were numerous unsuccesful attempts to climb K2 since the early 1900's, which claimed the lives of many mountaineers. The first two people who reached the K2 summit are Italians: Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni on July 31, 1954.

Annapurna

Annapurna is a series of mountains in the Himalayas region. It stands 26,538 feet and is the 10th highest summit in the world. According to statistics and climbing history, Annapurna is the most dangerous mountain to climb, having a 40% fatality rate. Avalanches are pretty common on the slopes of this mountain, claiming the lives of over 56 mountaineers. Many of the climbers died on the summit itself, either by lack of oxygen, exhaustion, or extreme cold.

Reed Flute Cave

The Reed Flute Cave is located at the Guangming Hill in the northwestern outskirts of the city. The cave is full of an immense number of stalactites, stalagmites, and rocks in all shapes and sizes. The cave is about 240 meters long.

Ajanta  

 

The first Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. during the Gupta period. The paintings and sculptures of Ajanta, considered masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, have had a substantial artistic influence.

Melissani Caves, Kefalonia

In Greek mythology, Melissani was the cave of the nymphs. The cave features a lake that is surrounded with foliage and forests. The cave is located east of the mountains of Evmorfia and Agia Dynati.

Sea Caves Apostle Islands, Lake Superior

Candelaria Caves

The Candelaria Caves are located in an archaeological region typically known for its lack of large-scale ceremonial architecture.  In fact, only one small temple has been found at Cancuen, while the other large site in the region, Raxruha Viejo, lacks temples completely.  Instead, it appears that they were using the mountain-caves which mark the region as "tailor-made" temple pyramids.  The caves are also one of the "birthplaces" of the Pasión-Usumacinta river structure, as the Río Candelaria, one of its tributaries, passes through the 4 principal caves.  In fact, the river passes in and out of the cave system 7 times, which, "if current theories about the validity of applying ethnohistoric documents (in this case, the Popol Vuh) to the Classic Maya would also have been reminiscent of the "Seven Caves, Seven Canyons" of the creation myth."

Cave of Hams

Situated at Porto Cristo, in the east of Majorca, the Cave of Hams is renowned throughout the world for its delicately ramified dripstone formations. The unsurpassed exquisiteness of the Caves is heightened by the artistic illumination created by Lorenzo Caldentey, son of the discoverer.

Caves at Keri

The Caves at Keri are located on the southwest coast of Zakynthos (Zante) The Blue Caves, the Bat cave, the Seal Cave and several others, were created by the erosion of the rocks. They are impressive and the fluctuation of colors inside and outside the caves is marvelous.

Kongshan Baiyun Cave

The Kongshan Baiyun Cave is located to the west of the Lincheng County Seat, 50 kilometers away from Xingtai City. The local geography has created great cave formations. In this over 4,000 square meters cave, there are five interconnected halls and over two hundred scenes in which the stalactite, the stalagmite, the sheet, the stone waterfall can be seen. Furthermore, the ancient stalagmite group found on the ridge of the Kongshan Hill is unique in China and even rare in the world, for there has not been a similar discovery in other countries. They are very valuable for the research on the ancient climate, crust, and geological changes.

Bhaja Caves

The Bhaja Caves, near the Karla Caves, are a group of 18 rock-cut caves dating back to 200 BC. The caves are located near Lonavala and Karli in the western state of Maharashtra between the cities of Mumbai and Pune in India. There are a group of 14 stupas, five inside and nine outside the caves. A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, once thought to be places of Buddhist worship, typically the remains of a Buddha or saint.

Geologists have classified volcanoes into four main types: cinder cones, composite, shield and lava domes. Cinder cones are the simplest type while shield volcanoes are built almost entirely of lava flows. Lava domes are built by slow eruptions of highly viscous lava. Some of the world’s majestic mountains are composite, also known as stratovolcanoes. Explosive eruptions by stratovolcanoes is said to have posed the greatest hazard to civilizations.

Osorno Volcano

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Volcan Osorno is one of the most active volcanoes in the Chilean Andes. This stratovolcano is located in the Los Lagos Region of Chile with an elevation of 8,701 feet.

Mount Taranaki

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Also known as Mount Egmont, Mount Taranaki of New Zealand is an active but quiescent stratovolcano that has an elevation of 8,261 ft. Having experienced at least five major eruptions by cone collapse, Taranaki is said to be considered unusual since few volcanoes have undergone more than one cone collapse. Taranaki came from the word tara which means mountain peak, while naki is believed to come from the word ngaki meaning “shining”.

Mount Cotopaxi

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One of the world's highest active volcano, Mount Cotopaxi, rises 19,388 in the Andes Mountains south of Quito, Ecuador. Mount Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano that is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The name cotopaxi means “smooth neck of the moon.”

Arenal Volcano

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Located northwest of Costa Rica, Volcan Arenal is an active andeistic stratovolcano rising at 5,436 feet. It was presumed extinct until July 1968 when an earthquake caused it to erupt after more than 400 years of being dormant. Arenal’s eruptions are considered strombolian or frequent but moderately active making it a popular tourist destination especially at night. The word arenal means “sandy.”

ShisHaldin Volcano

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Rising at 9,373 feet in the Aleutian Islands chain of Alaska, Shishaldin Volcano is the third largest island-based volcano in North America. Mt. Shishaldin's most recent eruptions were in 1995-96 and 1999. Shishaldin is a moderately active nearly perfectly conical stratovolcano.

Mount Fuji

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Mount Fuji or Fuji-san as the Japanese calls it is a stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707-08. Rising at 12,388 feet, it is located west of Tokyo. Japan’s two major religions, Shinto and Buddhism, regards Fuji as sacred. The name Fuji means “deity of fire”; a more recent interpretation means “never die.”

Mayon Volcano

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Rising at 8,081 feet, Mayon Volcano is an active stratovolcano located in Bicol, Albay, Philippines. It is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted more than 50 times in the past 40 years. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is renowned as the world’s most perfect cone because of its almost perfectly conical shape. The name Mayon came from the Bicol word magayon meaning “beautiful.”

“Earth's liquid jewelry wrought of air.” -Philip James Bailey

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Dew forms on any exposed and thin object in the morning and (unknown to some) also in the evening. It is caused by the object cooling. When it cools it radiates the heat it is generating. That heat causes moisture in the surrounding atmosphere to condense. The water is not able to evaporate faster that it is condensing. So, dew forms.

The dew-bead - Gem of earth and sky begotten. - George Elliot (nee Mary Ann Evans)

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Dew still forms in the winter, or when temperatures lower enough, in its icy form - we know it as frost. The formation of dew is intimately related to the temperature of the surfaces on which it will form. Surfaces which are not warmed from deep ground heat, such as leaves and railings are therefore more susceptible to the formation of dew.

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The above is a Blue spruce. The water formed on it is most likely not dew, but guttation. This occurs when the leaves of plants transpire any additional water in to the atmosphere. Many people mistake guttation with dew.

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The surface tension of water is such that small creatures, like the Gnat above, can become trapped in a single droplet. They may drown but there is always hope that the plant will transpire more water or further dew will form, making the droplet roll and splash, so releasing its unwilling captive.

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The morning dew can be a welcome source of water to the smaller denizens of our planet. Here a spider edges towards a drop, perhaps to take a drink?

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Guttation can also be caused by root pressure as transpiration does not occur in the evening. Special leaf tips called hydathodes are used to push water from the plant. This forms the drops you can see in the beautiful picture above.

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Water condenses in to droplets very much depending on the surface temperature of objects. This is known as the "Dew Point". In this way dew is different to clouds or fog. These are formed in the air meteorologically (and are known as hydrometeors). In these cases the atmosphere is saturated by water which condenses. It then falls out of the gaseous solution that makes up the atmosphere. This is known as precipitation. The principles of the formation of dew and hydrometeors are almost identical, however.

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A fly takes advantage of the early morning dew by taking a drink on a rose petal. In desert areas the plants as well as the insects may rely on the dew to sustain themselves.

“The dew of compassion is a tear” - Byron

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The most likely time that dew will form is when there are not many clouds in the sky. As the moon can then be seen the night before dew appears it has become connected with the phenomena in many folk histories. Even today, many urban occidentals associate dew with fairies having been playing in the garden during the night.

“What Youth deemed crystal, Age finds out was dew” - Robert Browning

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As some insects such as the Damselfly above are small and thin enough, often dew can form on them if they remain still for long enough.

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Most parts of the world do not have climates where the amount of dew produced can possibly compete with the amount of rain. In some places with long dry seasons some plants have adapted so they can make the most from the dew fall. These include pine seedlings and some lichens.

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Dew is overwhelmingly thought of as a benefit to the environment. However, it is known to be a goof habitat for some fungi. The Phythopthora infestans fungus, for example, which is present in dew can infect and eventually destroy potato plants.

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The legends of Polynesia include one the moon seduces oysters on the sea bed by shining his light on to the ocean. He lets fall dew drops from the night sky and these impregnate the oysters and become pearls. With pictures such as the one above, who could argue with the ancient Polynesians?

“I must go seek some dew-drops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.” - Shakespeare

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A set of pearl earrings waiting for a fairy to claim them perhaps?

“Man's life is like a drop of dew on a leaf.” - Socrates

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Irish legend has it that you should go out on Beltane morning and gather up dew in a bowl. If the dew is used to wash your face with you will have a perfect complexion by the next day. Don't put the alarm clock on for an unearthly hour tomorrow - there is no medical evidence to back this up! Dew was also used in ritual, particularly those relating to the moon.

“The person who doesn't scatter the morning dew will not comb gray hairs” - Hunter S Thompson

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In Greek mythology, Ersa is the goddess of Dew. She is the daughter of Zeus and Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Eos would rise each morning to greet Helios, the god of the sun. She would open the gates of heaven for him so he could ride across the sky.

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There is no large scale commercial dew harvesting systems in the world as it is considered a resource too scarce and difficult to collect to be worthwhile. However, ideas are changing. One harvesting system in Kutch, India collects dew through condensers that harvest up two hundred liters each evening. This is only for the ninety nights a year that the dew season lasts there, however.

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