[Earth]
What is a mirage and where does it come from? Mirage is undoubtedly one of the most mysterious atmospheric phenomena that has always been associated with secrets and legends. But in reality, the mirage is easily explained from a scientific point of view. It appears when the air near a highly heated surface (about 60-70 °C) also heats up and becomes inhomogeneous.
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Imagine the sky as a vast blue canvas. On partly cloudy days, nature decides to get artistic and dab a few fluffy clouds here and there. It’s like the sun and clouds are engaged in a friendly game of tag, each taking turns to dominate the sky. The weather, in its whimsical mood, seems to waver between shining bright and casting shadows.
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[Earth]
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]
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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[Sky]
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? 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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[Earth]
In 2018, record cold temperature was registered at -98.6 °C. This happened in the eastern part of the Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. Several cracks from 2 to 4 meters deep are located there accumulating icy air. If you breathe at this temperature it may easily provoke rather serious burns.
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When the skies are in a whimsical mood, undecided between rain and snow, we get a sprinkle of sleet. Patchy sleet is like nature’s confetti, a mix of tiny ice pellets and raindrops, giving us a taste of both worlds. It’s a fleeting phenomenon, adding a crunchy layer to the ground, often surprising those out and about.
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Freezing fog is like fog that’s been touched by Jack Frost. As you step outside, you enter a crystalline world where everything is coated with a delicate layer of frost. The tiny water droplets in the fog freeze upon contact, turning trees, grass, and structures into sparkling winter wonders.
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[Earth]
Amazing “Giants’ Causeway” in Northern Ireland People have paved millions of roads, but nature has surpassed them here too, creating a unique “Giants’ Causeway”. This extraordinary road consists of 40,000 interconnected flat basalt pillars which appeared as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The road begins at the foot of a cliff in the North of Ireland, a few kilometers from the town of Bushmills, and goes straight into the sea.
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