Earth
Sky
Orionids Starfall
From October 16 to 27, a real starfall will spill onto the Earth. It will be a meteor shower with a radiant in the Orion constellation, and therefore it will be called the Orionids Starfall. The peak of its activity will be on October 21-22. Scientists estimate that the average number of falling stars will be around 20-25 per hour.
Read more
Sky
Why Does Fog Appear?
Fog is not just a simple weather phenomenon, it’s a scientific masterpiece. From the scientific point of view, fog is the accumulation of water in the air and the further formation of little condensation products of water vapor. Moreover, the lower the temperature, the more ice crystals are there in the fog instead of water drops.
Read more
Sky
Have You Seen Polar Lights?
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°.
Read more
Earth
What is "Indian summer"?
What is “Indian summer” and when does it happen? Mid-autumn is the time for the “return of summer”. Though all of us understand pretty well that a couple of warm and sunny autumn weeks will soon be replaced by the first frost, we continue calling this short period as summer.
Read more
Earth
Astronomical Autumn vs. Meteorological Autumn
Meteorological Autumn and Astronomical Autumn are two different ways of defining the seasons: Meteorological Autumn: Meteorological seasons are based on the calendar months and are primarily used by meteorologists and climatologists for consistent and simplified record-keeping and forecasting. In the meteorological definition, autumn is considered to be the three calendar months of September, October, and November in the Northern Hemisphere, and March, April, and May in the Southern Hemisphere.
Read more
Sky
How Hurricanes Get Their Names?
Did you know how hurricanes and typhoons get their names? Previously, no system existed; the names of the hurricanes depended on the date (for example, Hurricane Santa Anna, which happened on St. Anne’s Day) or its form (as happened with Hurricane “Pin”). There were even anecdotic cases: for example, one meteorologist from Australia used to give the hurricanes the names of politicians who voted against the budget for meteorological research.
Read more
Sky
How is Storm Naming in Europe Different from the USA?
Europe: History & System: The practice of naming storms in Europe is relatively recent compared to the USA. It began in the 1950s for the North Atlantic storms and was more widely adopted in the 21st century. Various national meteorological agencies across Europe are responsible for naming storms. For instance, the UK’s Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann, and the Netherlands' Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute collaborate to name storms that impact their regions.
Read more
Sky
Perseids Starfall
Perseids starfall from 10 to 20 August. Already next week, starting from August 10, it will be possible to observe the famous Perseids starfall in the night sky. The Perseids are numerous tail particles of the Swift-Tuttle Comet. It last approached the Earth in 1992. The peak of the starfall activity will take place on August 12-13.
Read more