The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has so far produced a record-tying 10 tropical systems that have undergone rapid intensification, including Iota — the strongest tropical cyclone of the season. Iota strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained…
Based on images of Mars taken during 6 nights in October and November 2020 with the 1-meter telescope at the Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees, astronomers led by Francois Colas built a complete planisphere of Mars and generated hundreds of images to…
Nishinoshima is a volcanic island located in the Ogasawara archipelago, south of Tokyo, Japan that had been expanding since its eruption in 2013. Nishinoshima looks like a small island, but this is actually the summit of a huge seamount that rises more than 3 km…
This beautiful meteor spotted from Spain overflew the Mediterranean Sea at about 03:13 UTC on November 8, 2020 (04:13 LT). It was generated by a rock from Comet Encke that hit the atmosphere at about 101 000 km/h. The visual part of the event began at an altitude…
Medicane Cassilda, known as Ianos in Greece, formed on September 16, 2020, as the first named storm of the 2020/21 Mediterranean medicane season. Cassilda made landfall in Argostoli, Kefalonia, western Greece at 02:20 UTC on September 18, bringing powerful winds…
A new massive sinkhole opened up last week in the Russian Yamal Peninsula, with blocks of soil and ice thrown hundreds of meters from the hole. This is the 17th — and considered the largest — such sinkhole to form in the Yamal Peninsula since the phenomenon was…
Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun. But over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean, an unusually weak spot in the field – called the South Atlantic…
A devastating derecho ripped through several Midwest states on August 10, 2020, leaving a path of destruction, more than 1.5 million customers without power, and more than 404 600 hectares (1 million acres) of destroyed or damaged crops. Northern Illinois University…
Category 1 Hurricane "Hanna" made landfall on Padre Island, Texas, at around 22:00 UTC on July 25, 2020, as the first rapidly-intensifying named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. As it made landfall, extreme meteorologist Reed Timmer was in Port…
A large waterspout formed near a popular beach in Sochi, Russia, on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, sweeping away beach equipment shore and causing people to run to safety. The waterspout hit the beach area in the afternoon, damaging several beach equipment and blowing…
