Ripple in still water
© wingmar/E+/Getty Images
In fancy science talk, ripples are known as capillary waves, and they're just one of many focuses in the expansive field of fluid dynamics. They're a delicate thing: If the wavelength of a ripple gets too big, it begins seeing substantial effects from gravity, disturbing the ripple's symmetry. Even undisturbed, a ripple is never really a perfect circle—as we see in this shot of Plansee, a crystal-clear alpine lake in Austria, where short, subtle waves from a gentle wind give our ripple a slightly shuddering shape.
Avian angler
Above the fog
Green today, gone tomorrow
Ssh, it's sleeping
Evolution of a castle
Africa's rooftop
A wooly welcoming committee
A beach in beast mode
