True Enchantments

miss-mary-quite-contrary:

The Castlestrange stone is located in the grounds of “Castlestrange House” near Athleague in County Roscommon. It is a granite boulder decorated with flowing spirals in the La Tène style, dating from the Iron Age period between 500 BC and 100 AD.
It is believed that there was a strong Continental influence in Ireland at the time, which the carver was imitating.
Only three other stones of this type have been found in Ireland, of which the Turoe stone in County Galway is the best known. The use of the stones is not known but it is assumed they served some religious or ritual purpose.
The stone is a protected National Monument.

The Castlestrange stone is located in the grounds of “Castlestrange House” near Athleague in County Roscommon. It is a granite boulder decorated with flowing spirals in the La Tène style, dating from the Iron Age period between 500 BC and 100 AD.

It is believed that there was a strong Continental influence in Ireland at the time, which the carver was imitating.

Only three other stones of this type have been found in Ireland, of which the Turoe stone in County Galway is the best known. The use of the stones is not known but it is assumed they served some religious or ritual purpose.

The stone is a protected National Monument.

rwa42:

Neptune has not completed an orbit since it was discovered.

Actually it has, but only just. It was discovered Sept 23, 1846 and has an orbital period of 164.79 years. That would mean it completed that orbit mid June of 2011.

Interestingly, Galileo’s logs show that he actually observed Neptune on December 28, 1612, and again on January 27, 1613 but mistook it for a fixed star, not only because of its distant orbit, but also because its orbit was just starting a retrograde motion relative to Earth rendering it practically motionless.

rwa42:

Blue moon over Manhattan

tokyosanpopo:

Kastelorizo Island

theartofanimation:

Yohannus Boots

bluepueblo:

Ancient Castle Ruins, Scotland

photo via whimsical

sapphire1707:

In a blue dress by Coco Carrigan on Flickr.

neptunesbounty:

untitled by Antoine David on Flickr.

Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi, Palermo, Sicily. The house was constructed in several phases during the 18th century and completed circa 1780.
Painted panels in the dome by Giuseppe Velasco.
In 1963 the palazzo, and most memorably its ballroom, were the setting for Luchino Visconti’s film’ Il Gattopardo (The Leopard).
The palace is designed in the Baroque style, although its ornamentation is of a more severe form than that which is generally accepted as Sicilian Baroque. In a way the architecture could be said to be more Renaissance than Baroque.
The creation of the house took so long that the Baroque style passed from fashion in favour of the neoclassical style.

Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi, Palermo, Sicily. The house was constructed in several phases during the 18th century and completed circa 1780.

Painted panels in the dome by Giuseppe Velasco.

In 1963 the palazzo, and most memorably its ballroom, were the setting for Luchino Visconti’s film’ Il Gattopardo (The Leopard).

The palace is designed in the Baroque style, although its ornamentation is of a more severe form than that which is generally accepted as Sicilian Baroque. In a way the architecture could be said to be more Renaissance than Baroque.

The creation of the house took so long that the Baroque style passed from fashion in favour of the neoclassical style.