The Watchers team and our contributors bring the latest on extreme weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, space weather, and all things science. We're all about making sense of the natural world and keeping you informed on what’s happening. Got a tip or a question? Hit us up using the form at newstips!

  • Night sky guide for February 2017

    A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place at 00:45 UTC on February 11. Although the Moon's light dims considerably during a penumbral eclipse, this is only perceptible to those with very astute vision, or in carefully controlled photographs. The eclipse will be…

  • Submarine eruption detected near Tonga

    A new submarine eruption is taking place about 30 km (18.6 miles) north of Tonga's main island Tongatapu. It seems to have started on January 23, 2017. According to GeoNet, this volcano has been called 'Submarine Volcano III' in historic reports….

  • New eruption started at Piton de la Fournaise, alerts raised

    A new effusive eruption has started at Piton de la Fournaise volcano located on the French island of La Réunion around 15:40 UTC on January 31, 2017. The Aviation Color Code was raised to Orange. According to the Observatoire Volcanologique du Piton de la…

  • Scientists found ‘lost continent’ under Mauritius

    An international team of scientists has confirmed the existence of a 'lost continent' under the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius that was left-over by the break-up of the supercontinent, Gondwana, which started about 200 million years ago. The piece of…

  • Asteroid 2017 BS32 to flyby Earth at 0.41 LD

    A newly discovered asteroid 2017 BS32 will flyby Earth on February 2, 2017 at a distance of 0.41 LD from the surface. This near-Earth object belongs to the Aten group of asteroids. 2017 BS32 was discovered on January 30 by Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala. Its estimated size…

  • Eruptive activity resumes at Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano

    The eruptive activity at Costa Rica's Turrialba volcano has resumed over the weekend with constant vapor, gas and ash explosions. UCR's National Seismological Network (RSN) volcanologist Mauricio M. Mora said that ash and vapor spewings of almost 500 m (1…

  • Fermi sees gamma rays from Sun’s far side

    Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has observed high-energy light from solar eruptions located on the Sun's far side, which should block direct light from these events. This apparent paradox is providing solar scientists with a unique tool for exploring how charged…

  • Extremely dangerous low pressure moving across the Atlantic

    A very powerful storm is forming off the coast of eastern United States today and is expected to move across the Atlantic toward Europe over the next couple of days. NWS Ocean Prediction Center describes the storm as extremely dangerous. Official OPC forecast calls…

  • Military helps New Brunswick after devastating ice storm

    A devastating ice storm hit Canada's New Brunswick province last week leaving at least 2 people dead and 133 000 households without power. As of Monday afternoon, January 30, there are still 18 000 homes without power, including 15 635 in northeastern New…

  • Earthquake swarm detected under Etna volcano, Italy

    An earthquake swarm has started under Italy's Etna volcano during the early morning hours of January 30, 2017. The swarm is located on the volcano's southwestern slope, INGV-OE reports. The observatory added it detected about 60 shocks by 11:45 UTC, with…