I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Somalia’s severe flooding crisis sees a slight improvement as waters start to recede in some regions, but the humanitarian impact remains critical, with 118 deaths, 2.48 million affected, and 899 000 displaced as of December 12, 2023.
A new comet made what appears its final approach towards the Sun from December 10 – 12, 2023.
Tropical Cyclone “Jasper,” currently a Category 1 system, is moving towards the west-northwest and is expected to intensify to a Category 2 as it nears the Far North Queensland coast, with landfall likely between Cooktown and Innisfail on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit the Tonga region at 06:33 UTC on December 11, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 238 km (147 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
An extremely rare celestial event will unfold at the beginning of next week as the main belt asteroid Leona transits in front of Betelgeuse, the famed red supergiant in the Orion constellation. This rare astronomical occurrence, observable from regions stretching from South Florida to Italy and Greece, will offer a unique spectacle where the luminous Betelgeuse may temporarily dim or even vanish from the night sky.
A series of destructive tornadoes swept through Tennessee on December 9, 2023, hitting areas including Nashville and Clarksville. At least 6 people have been killed, including two adults and one child in Montgomery County, and more than 23 people were injured. The tornadoes caused extensive property damage, downed trees and power lines, and led to widespread power outages, affecting thousands of residents across the state.
An impulsive solar flare measuring M5.4 erupted from Active Region 3511 at 23:07 UTC on December 8, 2023. The event started at 22:57 UTC and ended at 23:14.
Severe Tropical Cyclone “Jasper” has intensified to a Category 4 system on Friday, December 8, 2023, with sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph) and gusts up to 270 km/h (165 mph). Currently located about 650 km (405 miles) from Honiara, Solomon Islands, Jasper poses a potential threat to the north Queensland coast.
New activity/unrest was reported for 2 volcanoes from November 29 to December 5, 2023. During the same period, ongoing activity was reported for 14 volcanoes.
A very strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.1 hit Vanuatu at 12:56 UTC on December 7, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 48.4 km (30 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.9 at a depth of 32 km (20 miles).
