Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
A slow-moving meteor was observed and recorded falling over the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, December 23, 2017. The event lasted about 14 seconds before the object disintegrated in a bright flash. "This beautiful meteor, which resembles a Christmas star, was…
A very bright fireball streaked across the sky over Finland around 18:06 UTC (20:06 local time) on Friday, December 22, 2017. The phenomenon was visible on the northernmost side of Lapp and southernmost coast of Finland. Experts said fireballs as bright and…
At 273 400 acres (110 641 ha) on Saturday, December 23, 2017, the Thomas Fire has become the largest wildfire in the history of California. So far, it destroyed 1 063, damaged 280 and still threatens 18 000 structures. It is now 65% contained and the estimated…
The death toll caused by Tropical Cyclone "Tembin," locally known as Vinta, rose to over 200 late Saturday (local time), December 23, 2017. There are still more than 100 people missing, authorities said. The storm hit the Philippines on Friday, December 22…
Increased seismicity and rapid caldera inflation are being observed at the Sierra Negra volcano on Isabela Island, Galapagos, IGEPN reports in a special bulletin released December 22, 2017. The last eruption of this volcano took place in 2005. The current inflation…
The total economic losses resulting from natural and man-made disasters in 2017 soared to US$ 306 billion from US$ 188 billion in 2016, according to a preliminary estimate by insurance company Swiss Re. Preliminary sigma estimates for insured global losses resulting…
At least eight people have been killed and nine are missing since Tropical Cyclone "Tembin," known locally as Vinta, started affecting the Philippines this week. Tembin made landfall along the east coast of Mindanao early Friday, December 22, 2017, with…
Several days of heavy rain caused widespread flooding on Maui and the Big Island, Hawaii this week. Heavy rains started Tuesday night but the worst hit Wednesday, December 20. According to NWS, Kahului Airport recorded nearly 67 mm (2.65 inches) of rainfall in 1…
Two people have died and nearly 100 were injured after a M5.2 earthquake hit near Tehran, capital of Iran on Wednesday, December 20, 2017. The quake hit at a depth of 15 km (9.3 miles) at 19:57 UTC (23:27 local time) just 2.8 km (1.7 miles) WSW of Malārd…
A bright fireball lit up the sky over southern Norway at 16:37 UTC on December 18, 2017 and was registered by cameras of the Norwegian Meteor Network through the cloudy skies. Analysis of videos recorded by the network and residents shows that the meteor started at…
