Best Science Photography of 2005

During the autumn months, the normally drab bogs of Estonia become infused with color. Cotton grass turns gold and the leaves of hardwood trees become orange and red. Only the pine trees with their silver green needles and the bog's murky brown waters remain unchanged.

To capture this image, James Aber, a geologist from Emporia State University in Kansas attached a digital camera to a remote-controlled kite that could reach heights of up to 500 feet.

Aber won first prize in photography in this year's annual Science Magazine and NSF Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. The judges were impressed not only by the picture, but the unique way in which Aber captured it.

Check LiveScience's Image of the Day all this week to see the winners from the other categories.

--Ker Than

Amazing Images: Science & Nature Photos from Our Readers

Credit: 2005 Science Magazine and NSF Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge

James S. Aber, Emporia State University