NASA's ICON mission team has released its first batch of observations of the ins and outs of the Earth's ionosphere–the dynamic region high in the planet's atmosphere where terrestrial weather meets space weather. The satellite is designed to study…
A 16-second flash of lightning in Argentina on March 4, 2019, and a 700 km (435 miles) bolt in Brazil on October 31, 2018, set new records for the greatest lightning duration and longest bolt ever, respectively, according to the World Meteorological Organization…
Rare noctilucent clouds (NLCs) put on a spectacular display over London, England, on June 21, 2020– during the summer solstice. "Even the bright lights of the London Eye on the River Thames couldn’t drown out the display," said Phil Halper, a…
Massive Saharan dust cloud is engulfing the Caribbean as it heads toward the U.S., with air quality across much of the region falling to record hazardous levels. The phenomenon is described to be the most significant in 50 years, according to environmental health…
A massive dust cloud from the Sahara continues its westward progression and has moved over the Lesser Antilles, the eastern Caribbean Sea, and Puerto Rico as of June 21, 2020. The dust plume, which is described by scientists as an abnormally large cloud, is forecast…
An expansive plume of dust from the Sahara continues to move over the Atlantic Ocean and is forecast to spread to the Caribbean by the weekend. It may also reach the Gulf of Mexico and parts of the U.S. by next week. The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) usually forms from…
Giant red sprites resembling jellyfish were captured over the skies in the Czech Republic on June 13, 2020. According to SpaceWeather.com, sprite season is underway in Europe and more atmospheric bullseyes are in the offing. Czech photographer Daniel…
It's commonly believed that oxygen first accumulated in the atmosphere about 2.4 billion years ago, when the Great Oxidation Event happened. Geologic clues indicate that early bacteria were pumping out oxygen hundreds of millions of years before then, but…
Temperatures at the mesosphere have been breaking 14-year records over the past few days, according to Lynn Harvey of the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. This causes noctilucent clouds to spill across the Arctic and descend to…
The Northern Hemisphere noctilucent cloud (NLC) season has officially begun. The first cloud was detected by NASA's AIM spacecraft inside the Arctic Circle on May 17. The detection marks one of the earliest starts in the 14-year history of the spacecraft. …
