Earth
Sky
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse in May 2023
On Friday, May 5, 2023 the Moon will enter the Earth’s outer shadow, creating a celestial event known as a penumbral lunar eclipse. During the eclipse, observers will see the Moon darken, but it won’t disappear completely. The penumbral lunar eclipse will start at 11:15 am Eastern Time (15:15 GMT) and will be visible from any location on Earth where the Moon is above the horizon, including Antarctica, Asia, Russia, Oceania, and Eastern and Central Africa.
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Earth
Saint Elmo's Fire
Not just a simple lightning. Lightning strikes can look not only frightening, but also unusual. This is exactly what can be said about the “Saint Elmo’s fire”. This type of lightning in the form of luminous beams or tassels appears usually during a severe thunderstorm at the ends of tall buildings, on spiers, ship masts, tops of high trees or rocks.
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Sky
Lunar Rainbow
Did you know that apart from the usual rainbow, there is also a lunar one? Lunar (or night) rainbows are really rare. The reason is an exact combination of obligatory factors that must coincide in order for a lunar rainbow to appear in the night sky. What are these factors?
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Earth
Hottest in Europe
Hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe. The numbers are most likely already outdated in 2023 but should still give one the overall idea.
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Sky
Hurricane Names for 2023
The Atlantic hurricane names for the year 2023 are as follows: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney.
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Sky
Rainbow Circles
One of the most interesting and beautiful atmospheric phenomena is the rainbow circles, that has got a scientific name of “gloria”. This is an optical effect that can be seen from an airplane or standing on top of a mountain above the clouds with the source of light behind you.
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Earth
Can an island move?
Can an island move? Yes, but only if it’s an unusual floating island located in the Lake Pond in Massachusetts. This football-sized island is made up of moss and stays afloat because of the gases these very mosses produce. The floating island does not have an exact route; it moves along the lake rather randomly and sometimes even destroys buildings and moorings by approaching too close to the shore.
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Sky
Astronomical Spring
March 20 is the day of the vernal equinox, after which the length of the day will gradually become longer than that of the night. On the equinox day the Sun will cross the celestial equator and equalize day and night. That will start an astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere.
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Earth
Understanding How Meteorologists Predict Weather
Meteorologists use a variety of tools and techniques to predict the weather. One of the most important tools is a weather station, which measures temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed and direction, and other atmospheric conditions. Data from these stations is collected and analyzed to create weather forecasts. Another important tool used by meteorologists is weather radar.
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