We decided to close out 2006 by recalling our favorite posts. Without hesitation, Damsel picked her photograph of Air Force One taken at the Ronald Reagan Library.
Completely unedited, the photo to the right seems to make the vertical fin on Air Force One look almost invisible! What’s going on?
I took this photo from behind the famous aircraft on the 3rd mezzanine level of the Air Force One Pavilion in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library when I noticed the unusual reflection pattern on the glossy surface of the rudder and vertical stabilizer. I knew immediately that I had a great shot! The lighting angles and the highly-polished surface of the airfoil rendered this intriguing optical illusion of near-invisibility.
See the full-size photo and read the rest of the post: Stealth Air Force One?
My favorite from this year is the animated article I wrote about why the Sun is the principal cause of global warming (and cooling).

Each year the anti-second-amendment folks at the Brady Campaign issue “


NASA Scientists studying the relationship between the Sun’s magnetic activity and the peak number of sunspots, have discovered a six-year relationship between the two phenomena. If the trend continues as it has since 1868, we should experience a count of about 160 sunspots during the next solar cycle peak, due in 2011.