[Earth]

2023 Compared to Previous Year & Previous Century

[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.

[Earth]

May 2023 compared to May months from 1922 to 2022

[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.

[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?

[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 The numbers are most likely already outdated in 2023 but should still give one the overall idea.

[Earth]

April 2023 compared to Aprils from 1922 to 2022

[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.

[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.

[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.