FASCINATING IMAGES ACCUMULATOR (From USA.gov)

8 May 13 -- Please bear with the sparsity here.  I should be able to clear my back-log of images in a few days.

Image description: The National Zoo’s three-month-old...

04/16/2013 03:00 PM EDT

Image description: The National Zoo’s three-month-old sloth bear cub is male.
The cub was born on December 19 and has spent the past 13 weeks bonding with Hana, his mother, in a den near the Asia Trail exhibit. Animal care staff and the public have had the opportunity to watch Hana nurture the cub and watch him play and grow via the live Sloth Bear Cub Cam.
The information gathered from watching their behavior will be shared with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the benefit of other institutions that exhibit and want to breed this species. The cub’s first veterinary exam is planned in the next few weeks and the family’s public debut will take place later this summer.
Photo by Courtney Janney, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Image description: this animated gif shows the annual cycle of...

04/17/2013 03:00 PM EDT

Image description: this animated gif shows the annual cycle of severe weather threats based on data gathered by the National Weather Services from 1985 to 1989. Each of its 52 frames shows the probability of a severe storm occurring within 25 miles of any point for that week. More info about this image and the data used to create it.
It’s tornado season. Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms and they can be deadly. Learn how to prepare for tornadoes and what to do when one strikes at ready.gov/tornadoes.

Image description: This animated gif shows the distribution of...

04/02/2013 03:00 PM EDT

Image description: This animated gif shows the distribution of water vapor over Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. White areas have high concentrations of water vapor, while dark regions are relatively dry. The brightest white areas are towering thunderclouds. The image was acquired on the morning of September 2, 2010.
Learn more about the water cycle and why water is so important to the health of Earth from NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Image description: This animated gif shows a global composite...

03/29/2013 03:00 PM EDT

Image description: This animated gif shows a global composite image showing the glow of natural and human-built phenomena across the planet.
Learn about the technology used to capture these nighttime images of Earth from space on NASA’s website.