Monkeys and Meerkats

Vervet monkeys are found in a number of areas around Africa. They are mostly vegetarian monkeys, and typically have black faces and grey body hair color. They range in size from about 50 cm for males to about 40 cm for females. Meerkats are a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family, and found in parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. 

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Meerkat

Total Eclipse of the Moon

A total lunar eclipse was observed across Australia tonight. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the earth sits perfectly between the sun and the moon, with its shadow blocking the majority of the light from reaching the moon. 

This creates a "blood moon", with the moon appearing in a dark red colour, and is caused by the scattering of light around earth's atmosphere and reflecting off the moon. This red colour is significantly dimmer than the usual white moon.

A total lunar eclipse was last observed in December 2011, and the event of 15th April 2014 is actually the first of a series of four, known as a tetrad. The remaining lunar eclipses will occur in October 2014, April 2015, and September 2015.

The earlier photos show when the sky hasn't completely darkened yet, but that is when the total eclipse occurred and the moon is fully red. The later photos show a partial eclipse, where part of the moon is fully illuminated by the sun, but a shadowy red part remains.

The Venetian - Macau

Shots from The Venetian casino and hotel in Macau.

Hanging Rock

Hanging Rock is a geological formation located north-west of Melbourne in Australia. It is a mamelon, which is a rock formation created by eruption of relatively thick or stiff lava through a narrow vent in the bedrock, which results in a small mound around the vent. Successive eruptions forms a number of layers to create these unique formations. 

Hanging Rock is also famous for being the location in the Australian novel and film, Picnic at Hanging Rock. In this story, a group of school girls mysteriously disappear while on a trip in Hanging Rock.