Looking up tonight is sure to be an impressive sight, with a full harvest moon signalling summer’s near end surrounded by reddish orange lights. Kevin Lewis of Johns Hopkins University says the color is due to dust and aerosols in the atmosphere reflecting light reaching the moon’s surface. First Quarter Moon Tonight, as it reaches…
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune form what are known as Jovian planets (Jupiter-like). Each system in this grouping exhibits similar non-solid yet gaseous characteristics to Jupiter. Each solar system possesses rings, numerous moons, and significant magnetic fields; some even boast significant gaps where ring particles have gone missing from view. Jupiter Jupiter is the largest…
As temperatures begin to dip, ladybugs start looking for warm, dry places where they can hibernate until spring arrives. Most commonly they take refuge in homes or crevices in buildings in order to avoid freezing over. Each winter, large groups of ladybird beetles hibernate together at one location using pheromones to find each other and…
Weather radar can be an invaluable tool for monitoring the climate, but its accuracy can be subject to errors and uncertainties due to factors like ground clutter, beam blockage, attenuation and second-trip echoes. C-Band radars in particular may experience problems, leading to inaccurate velocities or overestimation of rainfall forecasts and results in inaccurate velocities or…
The moon’s four main phases – new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter – can occur at slightly different times and locations on Earth. During these primary phases, the fraction of Moon that is illuminated gradually changes; two intermediate phases – crescent and gibbous – appear between these principal ones. First Quarter Moon…
The Moon is currently orbiting near some of the brightest stars and constellations in our skies, yet its path is highly irregular and complex, creating an impression that it “wobbles” around Earth. At its best, viewing the Moon during either a New or Full Moon requires being in an environment which offers excellent light levels…
Stingrays are aquatic mammals typically found in shallow sea environments, typically near shore where they can hide from predators and wait for potential prey to pass by. These rays can feast upon a wide range of prey, such as clams, crabs, shrimps, oysters, mussels and fish. Their powerful jaws can even crack hard mollusk shells…
Mercury may seem distant compared to Venus and Mars, but in terms of size it actually ranks closer. Scientists devised a mathematical formula to find which planet was nearest the earth in size, using data on distance between planets over time and then averaging their values to find which was nearest of all seven planets….
When sunlight reaches Earth’s atmosphere, it bounces off of molecules. The air molecules scatter light — just like billiard balls do when they collide. The shorter the wavelength of the light, the more it gets scattered. This is why the sun’s light looks blue. Sky Blue Is Due to Rayleigh Scattering Sky blue is a…
