WORLD WATCH

Amazing images that celebrate the beauty and diversity of the incredible world we all share.

Our collection of amazing images from around the world.

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL

A Perseids meteor streaks across the sky above a campsite at the Negev desert near the city of Mitzpe Ramon in August, during the Perseids meteor shower, which occurs every year when the Earth passes through the cloud of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle.

The comet is 26km across – larger than the estimated size of the Chicxulub impactor thought to have caused the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. When Swift-Tuttle circles the Sun, dust spreads into a trail around its orbits. Every year, Earth passes through the debris trails and pieces interact with our atmosphere to create the Perseids meteor shower. The debris enters Earth’s atmosphere at about 60km per second relative to the planet. Most pieces are the size of sand grains and almost none hit the ground.

Comets are usually named for their discoverers, or for the name of the observatory used in the discovery. Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle discovered this comet independently – on 16 July, 1862 and 19 July, 1862 respectively. It makes repeated close approaches to the Earth, and it was once thought there was a likelihood that the comet could impact Earth on 14 August, 2126. However, subsequent observations led to a recalculation of its orbit and it was found to be sufficiently stable and no immediate threat. A close encounter with Earth is predicted for the comet’s return to the inner Solar System in the year 3044, with the closest approach estimated to be 1.6 million kilometres.

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There is extensive international law that applies to activities in outer space, but there is increasing concern about weapons in space, for which there is very little law. mindfood.com/who-owns-the-moon

PINNAWALA, SRI LANKA

Elephants play in a river at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala, about 90km from the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, on the eve of World Elephant Day. It is celebrated every year to spread awareness about the preservation and protection of elephants. Competition for habitat between humans and elephants is the biggest threat to the ongoing survival of the Asian elephant, but as a result of Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 lockdown the death toll from clashes between elephants and humans has reduced significantly this year.

According to government data, more elephants were killed last year than the year previous. But 121 people were killed by elephants last year, too, as a result of the elephants entering villages in search of food, after their habitat had been reduced and converted to farmland.

The Asian elephant is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species and is faring much worse than its African relatives, which are listed as vulnerable. While ivory poaching has caused a dramatic drop in the number of African elephants, it is largely clashes with farmers that continue to threaten the Asian elephant.

There are now thought to be only about 415,000 African elephants left in the wild and 40,000-50,000 elephants left in Asia. Today, one third of the world’s Asian elephants live in captivity.

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All over the world, elephants are taken out of their natural habitats and kept as tourist attractions, for religious purposes or to be used in the workforce. mindfood.com/capturing-elephants