This is the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning. In what sounds like a hideous industrial accident, this building attempts to ‘fuse the idea of a modern skyscraper with the tradition and ideals of Gothic architecture’, and is America’s tallest university building. Not much of the height is shown from this angle, except for the gigantic shadow of course, which dwarves all other shadows for miles around.

Completed way back in 1937 the building is over 163 metres tall, has 2,529 windows and 42 floors. Apparently floors 38 through 42 are closed off to the general public though, as they not only contain electrical wiring for the building, but also house a nesting pair of peregrine falcons.

There’s a tour of the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh’s site, with a great ground-level shot, and there’s also a webcam at the top of the building which you can spin around and zoom in and out till you’re dizzy.

Worth noting by the way, that this is only the second tallest educational building in the world…

Thanks to Sixf00t4, Sayf Sharif and David Drexler.

As the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum is spread over a couple of locations. The main display facility is right in the heart of Washington DC, although all the aircraft are stored indoors so it’s not much to look at.

The companion facility, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre was opened in December 2003 but in the aerial photo it is still under construction (so no planes to see). The completed hanger currently houses hundreds of aircraft including Concorde 205.

The Smithsonian Institution also have two aircraft on permenant display at Dulles International Airport (finally, some planes!). The one to the north is a Lockheed C-130 (one of more than 2,000 built) and the one to the south a Lockheed Constellation (which were the first pressurised aircraft in widespread use).

Thanks: Kirk & Marquis de Sade

Large type painted atop the basketball gym at Loyola University in Chicago. Student legend says that it was painted for the sake of the many passengers flying into O’Hare airport. However; the normal flight path is to the south of the basketball gym, so most passengers see the writing upside-down.

Thanks: Gabe Germann, Ryan, Ramsey Callaway, Shard & Peter

Astonishing picture here of what looks like a massive glacial flow at the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland. Low reolution I’m afraid, but scroll around the rest of Iceland and you’ll see loads more stunning natural imagery.

Thanks to Rachel and Lauri Kangas.

This is Paramount’s Kings Island theme park in Mason, Ohio, and it looks absolutely awesome. The place is a flippin’ enormous 364 acres, with more rides than you could shake a stick at… in fact there’s more than enough room for a 1/3 sized Eiffel Tower replica, and about a bajillion-trillion parking spaces. This place is so big that it even has its own built in waterpark, Boomerang Bay.

As for the rides themselves, Kings Island is not only home to the world’s longest wooden rollercoaster, Beast (it’s actually 2,143 metres long) but also to Son of Beast, the world’s tallest, fastest, and only looping wooden rollercoaster. Son of the Beast is 66.4 metres tall, and has a top speed of 78 mph.

The images here are absolutely fantastic, particularly of Son of Beast, and also be sure to check out how far into the woods the Beast goes…

More info on the history of Paramount’s Kings Island is available at its Wikipedia entry, here’s a map of the park in pdf format on the official site, and for you stats-heads out there, the Wikipedia pages on Beast and Son of Beast should keep you more than satisfied.

Many thanks to Kenneth Head, Josh Lee, Clint, Jesse Allmyer and John Quigley II.