Icy underwater bubbles are one of the most curious natural phenomena. In the Canadian province of Alberta, there is Lake Abraham, which is known among scientists and nature lovers because of an unusual phenomenon: a large number of ice bubbles that have frozen under water. These fantastic circles are actually made up of methane bubbles.
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“Feels like” temperature (also called apparent temperature) is an attempt to translate weather conditions into how warm or cold they tends to feel on exposed skin. It is not a direct measurement from a thermometer: it’s a calculated value that usually combines air temperature with humidity and/or wind. In most forecasts and weather apps, “feels like” is computed using one of two different indices depending on conditions:
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Below is a practical list of official national meteorological (and often hydrometeorological) services for countries across Europe. Names and URLs are based on information published by the services themselves and international bodies such as the WMO; always check the linked sites for the most current details and any additional regional services.
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The first big celestial event of the year arrives quickly: the Quadrantid meteor shower peaks during the night of 3–4 January. This shower is famous for producing brief outbursts of more than 100 fast, blue meteors per hour, but only for a few hours when Earth slices through the densest part of the debris stream.
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In winter forecasts you may hear two very similar-sounding terms. In Russian they’re «гололёд» and «гололедица» — and they describe different kinds of ice. Glaze ice (ice on objects) This is ice that coats objects: tree branches, power lines, roofs, railings, cars. It most often forms during freezing rain/drizzle when the air temperature is around 0 °C (or slightly below) and supercooled droplets freeze immediately on contact, creating a smooth, glassy layer.
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If you still crave meteors after the Geminids, keep your gear handy for the Ursids. This faithful shower peaks on the night of 22 December, just after the solstice, delivering roughly 10 meteors per hour with occasional outbursts when Earth crosses dense filaments shed by Comet 8P/Tuttle. The radiant sits near the Little Dipper’s bowl in Ursa Minor, so it never sets for most Northern Hemisphere observers.
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Polar lights are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena on Earth If we were to rank the most beautiful atmospheric phenomena, we would definitely give one of the highest places to polar lights. The ideal time for them is clear frosty nights from September to March at latitudes of about 67–70°.
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Clear a spot on your calendar for the Geminid meteor shower, widely regarded as the most reliable display of the year. Activity stretches from 4 to 17 December, and the peak is predicted for the night of 13–14 December with zenithal hourly rates near 120 meteors per hour under dark skies.
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Below are common traditional names for each month’s full moon (largely from North American and European folklore). Names can vary by region, culture, and language. January — Wolf Moon (also: Old Moon, Ice Moon) February — Snow Moon (also: Hunger Moon) March — Worm Moon (also: Crow Moon, Sap Moon, Lenten Moon) April — Pink Moon (also: Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon) May — Flower Moon (also: Corn Planting Moon, Milk Moon) June — Strawberry Moon (also: Rose Moon, Hot Moon) July — Buck Moon (also: Thunder Moon, Hay Moon) August — Sturgeon Moon (also: Grain Moon) September — Corn Moon (often Harvest Moon if closest to the autumn equinox) October — Hunter’s Moon (follows the Harvest Moon) November — Beaver Moon (also: Frost Moon) December — Cold Moon (also: Long Night Moon) Notes
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