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.
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).
A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2023 XJ1 will fly past Earth at a distance of 0.27 LD / 0.00066 AU (98 242 km / 61 045 miles) from the center of our planet at 18:57 UTC on December 6, 2023.
A major eruption at Mount Marapi in Indonesia on Sunday, December 3, 2023, has led to a confirmed death toll of 23. Rescuers, facing challenging conditions, found additional bodies near the eruption site. The volcano, remaining on high alert since 2011, unexpectedly erupted, impacting climbers and nearby villagers.
