In November 2016, a massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand, causing significant damage and between 80 000 – 100 000 landslides. Now, an international team of scientists says the quake was so complex and unusual that it is likely to change how scientists…
Celebrating the World Meteorological Day on March 23, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released its new, long-awaited, digitized International Cloud Atlas. The atlas is global reference for observing and identifying clouds, which are an essential part…
A new research instrument located on the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii – K-Coronagraph – showed the technique it uses to observe Sun's corona can be used to provide earlier warnings to astronauts when dangerous high-energy particles are blasted out of the…
A very large blue fireball illuminated the sky over Sweden around 20:30 UTC (21:30 CET) on March 20, 2017. The event was so powerful that the whole sky lit up, Swedish All Sky Meteor Network astronomers said. Images of the event immediately started appearing on…
The first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the southern hemisphere takes place on March 20, 2017. On this day, the Sun rises due east and sets due west. It will shine directly on the equator,…
A tornado has reportedly touched down near Brisbane Airport in Queensland, Australia on March 17, 2017, during a severe weather outbreak. Although BOM said evidence suggests the twister was a landspout, Higgins Storm Chasing group claims the phenomenon was actually…
Diego Rhamon managed to capture a gigantic jet (giant blue jet) taking place in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil on March 13, 2017. It is the first recording of this elusive weather phenomenon in Brazil. According to Rhamon, the cumulonimbus cloud that…
A new study argues that eruption of the Chilean volcano Calbuco on April 22, 2015 stretched the Antarctic Ozone Hole, the thinnest portion of the ozone shell that shields Earth from harmful radiation, to a record size nearly as large as Africa. It did so by ejecting…
Sri Lanka is enduring its worst drought in decades and worst harvest in 40 years, affecting more than 1.2 million people. Of them, over 600 000 are children. Sri Lanka's government said over 1.2 million people have been affected by drought which began last…
For the past couple of days, Comet 2P/Encke is visible through the eyes of ESA/NASA solar observatory SOHO as it swings around the Sun. The comet made its closest approach to the Sun – perihelion – at 02:11 UTC on March 10, 2017. Encke is a periodic comet that…
