City Buildings

Saturday was quite a productive day for photography - as well as the flypast and the Docklands motor show, I got a few nice pictures walking through the City. We discussed architectural photography on our photographic course last week, so I thought I'd try some.

( Rogers v Foster )

Artistic Licence

The scientific press has been trumpeting this press release from ESO, announcing the discovery of three 'super-Earth' planets orbiting the star HD 40307. It's accompanied by this rather nice artist's impression, showing a trio of worlds at least two of which are cloud-streaked and Earthlike.


(ESO press release image, used for purposes of reportage and commentary.)

But I rather doubt that this is the case.

( In which Major Clanger gets out his slide rule )

So, I suspect that the artist took the description of 'super-Earths', meaning planets more massive than the terrestrial planets in our solar system, but much smaller than any of the gas giants, and interpreted it rather literally. But would a picture of one world shrouded in thick white clouds and the other two as scorched, arid wastes looked as pretty?