Take A Closer Look... Magnificent Photos Capture The Awe And Wonder Of Our Planet

Planet Earth is truly a remarkable and diverse place. We often take the power of nature for granted, but if you look closer you'll see that your backyard can also be full of surprises and unexpected beauty. In this collection of photographs, you will appreciate the strange places, unique geographical features, bizarre plants, and strange man-made structures that help make the world a place of wonder and mystery.

Make sure you take your time with each picture because there's more to it than meets the eye! Be warned, most of these images captured much more than the photographer expected. However, rest assured, everything you are going to see is unedited and real.

No Photoshop here...she's actually posing for a picture with a tornado. It was taken in 1989 by Marylee Thomas of Beaver City, Nebraska, near Furnace County, Nebraska. In Agaraland we see Marilee's daughter Audra. In the background, about two miles away, a huge funnel cloud is visible below. The square is located in Nebraska Tornado Street, so the Thomas Family is accustomed to realtors. Still, taking a selfie with a tornado outside instead of seeking shelter seems pretty foolish. Thankfully this storm did not kill anyone.

This birch tree is proof that nature can be scary sometimes. This is also an example of face pareidolia. It is a term coined by psychologists to describe the phenomenon of seeing human faces in normal, everyday objects. Our brains are designed to recognize certain shapes and patterns, including facial features of the human face. This birch tree is clearly not human. It looks as if Photoshop has been used to show the hair, breasts and arms, but the unchanged tree is likely to be struck by lightning or broken in a storm.

Don't be afraid to go into the water at Palolem Beach in South Goa, India. The shark you see will not attack you. This eerily realistic painted rock jutting out of the ocean is a masterpiece by American graffiti artist Jimmy Swift. An avid traveller, Swift has visited over 90 countries during his travels and tries to create a lasting piece of art wherever he goes. He was inspired by the shape of this stone when he visited Palolem Beach for the first time. It reminded him of one of his favorite movies, Jaws. With spray paint in hand, Swift transformed the sharp rock into a great white shark. It is now a popular destination and selfie spot. Don't try this at home... Swift was allowed to engage in her own graffiti art legally.

This stunning photo was taken in Patagonia, a geographic region at the southern tip of South America. It is a wonderland filled with towering peaks, pristine mountain lakes, glaciers, fjords, deserts and coastal beaches. To say that it is a place of diversity would be an exaggeration. Encompassing parts of both Chile and Argentina, Patagonia is a beautiful and wild place. Before the invasion of Europeans, Patagonia was home to many different groups of people, as diverse as the region's landscape.

It is the colossal stone face of Chief Crazy Horse, one of the only complete parts of the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. Located not far from Mount Rushmore, the mountain monument is a privately funded project that was started by Henry Standing Bear, an elder of the Lakota tribe, to honor the Native American hero. This was not in response to the carving of four American presidents on the face of Mount Rushmore. Work on the Crazy Horse Memorial has been ongoing since 1948 and the statue is not completed. However, when it is built, it will be the second tallest statue in the world.

This bird's-eye view of Niagara Falls really gives you a clear view of how the force of water is eroding away the bedrock. Located between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, the falls are moving toward Lake Erie at an average rate of about three feet per year. Over the past 12,000 years, the location of the falls has gradually shifted about seven miles from its previous location. The path of erosion is even more obvious when viewed from above. The rate of erosion appears to have accelerated over the past two centuries. This may be close to five feet per year.

This picturesque German town looks like it came out of a fairy tale. Cochem, located in the Rhineland district, is the second smallest district in Germany and was settled in the year 886. Towering above the village is the Kochem Imperial Castle. Built in 1130, this castle played an important role in the history of the region. The former home of King Konrad III and sacked by the forces of French King Louis XIV, the charming castle fell into disrepair and, in 1868, a Berlin businessman purchased it. He painstakingly restored the palace to its former Gothic Revival glory. Today, the castle is owned by the city of Cochem.