GeekwithEnvy

Weather

How Much does a Cloud Weigh?

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How much does a cloud weigh? How about a Hurricane? I have spent a fair amount of time looking into the sky and watching clouds pass and trying to figure out which ones look like unicorns and which ones look like t-rex, but have you ever thought about how big they are? Sometimes, we see thunderstorms build up into massive towers that flatten out as they push up miles into the sky, and I have always wondered how much water is really up there.

Have you ever wondered how much all of that water weighs? Well, whether you have or not, NPR helps answer that very question in this great video.

Possible Northern Lights Show for Parts of US and Canada

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Image by Dave Dyet
Image by Dave Dyet

Early Thursday parts of Northern United States and much of Canada could possibly be in for a Northern Lights show (weather permitting). Joe Kunches, a Federal space weather forecaster said the sun had shot out a strong solar flare late on Tuesday and should arrive early Thursday.

“The University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute predicts much of Canada and the northern fringes of the U.S. should see the northern lights. Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, Seattle and Des Moines might see the shimmering colors low on the horizon.” says www.wkyc.com.

You may also see some disruption in GPS systems due to the solar flare on Thursday.

Stunning Photo of a Meteor Flying Through the Aurora

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A meteor passing through the Aurora Borealis, Photo Credit: Shannon Bileski
A meteor passing through the Aurora Borealis, [Click photo for Larger Version] Photo Credit: Shannon Bileski
This stunning photo was taken by Shannon Bilesk of Signature Exposures.

The aurora was on and off all night, but at 11:10pm just as everyone else was packing up their camera gear, the green glow in the sky intensified. Bileski began snapping some shots with her Nikon D800 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, with settings at f/3.2, 8s, and ISO 800.

Suddenly, during one of the 8-second exposures, there was an intense streak of light in the sky and bright green flashes. It was a meteor that had broken up in the atmosphere, and Bileski captured the whole event as the photo above.”

Thanks to NASAWatch.

Dihydrogen Monoxide In Your Home!

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man in chemical suit

Upon doing some research, I have found that large amounts of the chemical compound Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is inside my own home and I thought I would mention that it’s likely in your home as well. I feel that it’s important to point out some of the hazards associated with the chemical compound.

  • Solid Dihydrogen Monoxide can be dangerous especially when exposed to your skin for long periods of time.
  • When Dihydrogen Monoxide is in a gaseous state it can cause severe burns.
  • It corrodes and oxidizes many metals which can lead to damage of infrastructure like bridges or many of the common items in your home.
  • DHMO is a major component of acid rain.

What makes all of this even more scary is that Dihydrogen Monoxide is almost guaranteed to be in your home and it’s likely in all forms, solid, liquid and gas. I have found a helpful website that goes into greater detail about the uses and dangers of DHMO.

** For those who become especially concerned about DHMO please head here.

For images of the chemical compound head here.

Tornado Path Seen From Space

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OKTornadoSpace
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

The devastating E-F5 tornado that struck central Oklahoma on May 20th 2013 caused 2 billion dollars in damage and has taken up to 24 lives. This powerful storm has left a scar on the Earth’s surface that can easily be identified in this image from far above the Earth.

The photo was taken using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra spacecraft. This is a false-color image that clearly shows the path of the powerful tornado that lasted nearly 40 minutes as it continued to move along for 17 miles.

You can see a larger view of the image with it’s caption from NASA.