Images Dated 27th August 2002

Tyrannosaurus rex fleeing from an asteroid strike

Death of the dinosaurs. Artwork of the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex watching an approaching asteroid or comet core which is about to strike the Earth. This impact may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and 70% of all species on Earth. The impact occurred about 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous geological period. The object, thought to be 10-20 kilometres across, struck the Earth at Chicxulub on the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. It threw huge amounts of debris into the upper atmosphere. This blocked out the sunlight, causing darkness and global climate changes. The remains of this debris are found as a layer in rocks called the K/T boundary

© D. VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Keck I and II observatories on Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Keck observatories. Domes of the Keck II (at left) and Keck I optical telescopes seen by moonlight at the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii, USA. Keck I is open. Subaru is seen behind Keck I. Star trails are in the sky. Each Keck telescope has a 10 metre diameter mirror to focus light. The mirrors are made up of 36 hexagonal units with a 1.8m diameter which are mounted on computer-controlled motors that make tiny adjustments to keep astronomical objects in precise focus. The two telescopes can be used to observe the same object and can have their signals combined by interferometry to obtain a more accurate image. In 1997 the Keck telescopes are the largest optical telescopes in the world

© David Nunuk/Science Photo Library

Arctic Fox curled up sleeping with Head on Tail (Alopex lagopus)

© Von Hoffmann, Barbara / Animals Animals/Earth Scenes

Aa Photographer, Action, Alopex Lagopus, Animal, Animalia, Arctic Fox, Arctic Foxes, Asleep, Barbara Von Hoffmann, Canidae, Caniformia, Canine, Carnivora, Carnivore, Carnivores, Chordata, Close Up, Curled Up, Effect, Eutheria, Fox, Foxes, Individual, Mammal, Mammalia, Number, Pinnipedia, Rest, Resting, Rolled Up, Single, Sleep, Sleeping, Theria, Vertebrata, Von Hoffmann, Vulpes, Vulpes Lagopus, Wild Life