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Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
US facing ice age? Polar vortex changes sending Northern Hemisphere into deep freeze
A new study links cold snaps in North America to changes in the polar vortex. The vortex, a low-pressure zone over the Arctic, is being disturbed by rising Arctic temperatures. This sends cold air southward. Researchers analyzed satellite data and weather records from 1980 to 2021. They found specific patterns in the stratosphere linked to cold weather in the U.S. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How polar vortex cause cold snaps How stratospheric patterns steer cold air In today's times, when experts, scientists, and leaders across the globe are contemplating ways to tackle the simmering issue of global warming amid rising temperatures, winters in the Northern Hemisphere are still marked by cold snaps and extreme snowfall events. The Northern Hemisphere often sees snowfall events to some extent, such as the 2021 deep freeze in Texas and Oklahoma that caused over $1 billion in damage.A new study has surfaced that suggests these cold extremes are due to a rising common pattern in the polar vortex . According to it is the zone of low pressure that usually circulates over the Arctic. When this vortex gets disturbed, it changes shape and sends cold air into Canada and the U.S. This is happening more often because the Arctic is getting warmer."Overwhelmingly, extreme cold and severe winter weather, heavy snowstorms, and deep snow are associated with these stretched events," study co-author Judah Cohen, the director of seasonal forecasting at Atmospheric and Environmental Research and a visiting scientist at MIT, told Live study carried out by Cohen and his team looked at how these events evolve in the stratosphere, the middle layer of the atmosphere that starts about 12 miles (19 kilometers) up. Understanding how these patterns shift could help meteorologists make longer-range forecasts, said Andrea Lopez Lang, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was not involved in the research."Knowing this information is useful for a lot of applications in energy and applications in insurance or reinsurance," Lang told Live Science. "How cold is it going to get? Are pipes going to burst? Are insurance claims going to spike this winter?" she polar vortex quite often circulates the North Pole like a spinning top, and occasionally, it collapses dramatically. This usually leads to polar air rushing toward northern Europe and Asia. These collapses can sometimes cause cold snaps in North America , but not always. "There's been this big question mark over what happens in North America," Lang and his team studied satellite data on the stratosphere and winter weather records from 1980 to 2021. They discovered that, short of total collapse, the polar vortex often wobbles and stretches, like a figure skater flinging out an arm for balance in a tricky spin. The researchers reported in the journal Science Advances that there were five different common patterns in the stratosphere, and two in particular were connected to cold weather dipping into Canada and the U.S. during these stretch events. Stretch events are increasing in general, Cohen said, but there has also been a shift in the type of stratospheric pattern usually brings cold air to the East Coast, while another chills the Midwest and Plains. Since 2015, researchers have noticed the westerly pattern happens more often. It's not clear why, but this change seems linked to La Niña, a pattern of unusually cold temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. In the last couple of decades, there have been multiple multiyear La Niña events. In the past twenty years, there have been several La Niña events that lasted for more than one researchers were able to detect some regularities in the way the polar vortex shifts between the five patterns, which might help improve forecasts over the two- to six-week period, Cohen said. "In that shorter range is the poorest accuracy," he said. "This paper can be helpful in that timeframe." One big question is how these polar vortex trends might change over time as the globe warms, Lang and his team have been looking at that question as well. The polar vortex is controlled by waves in the atmosphere, he said, and right now the most influential standing wave is over Eurasia, with a warm ridge to the west and a cooler trough to the east, which in turn is driven by patterns of warming in the melting sea ice is contributing to the increase in the temperature differences between the west and the east, strengthening the wave that can disrupt the vortex, Cohen said. If the sea ice disappeared, the pattern might collapse and flip. Instead of surprisingly cold winter events despite overall global warming, winter might suddenly become much toastier. "We could become more like the Southern Hemisphere, where you rarely get a breakdown of the polar vortex," Cohen said, "and it would probably mean warmer midlatitudes and a colder Arctic."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
When is the next full moon? June's Strawberry Moon rises Tuesday night
Ready to see a cosmic phenomenon in the night sky? There's a full moon rising tonight, and it won't be regular. June's Strawberry Moon will be different celestial event that won't be seen again until 2043. According to it will be the lowest laying full moon seen north of the equator, as well as one of the farthest from the sun. Because the moon is near its farthest point from Earth, it'll appear slightly smaller and dimmer. The Strawberry Moon is the final full moon of the spring in the Northern Hemisphere that signals the coming of the summer solstice. Each full moon name derives from natural event occuring such as seasonal changes used by Native American, Colonial American and European sources. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, The Strawberry Moon name comes not from its color, but from the Algonquin tribes in North America, who saw this full Moon as the signal that wild strawberries were ready for harvest. The moon will reach its peak and become full visible at 3:45 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 11, but the best time so see it will be as it rises on June 10, according to The moon rising occurs at different times depending on locations. Moonset in Monmouth and Ocean counties for June 10, 2025, is at 8:25 pm. All times are Eastern Daylight Time. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: June 2025 full moon: How to see Strawberry Moon in New Jersey
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What does Milky Way galaxy look like when it's visible from Earth? When is Milky Way season?
What does the Milky Way look like? Sometimes, the billions of stars comprising our home galaxy appear especially vibrant during 'Milky Way season' as the band arcs across the night sky. The reason has much to do with the cycle of the moon, but it also has to do with how high in the sky the Milky Way should appear from our perspective here on Earth, specifically in the United States. Here's everything to know about our Milky Way, including how (and when) to see the stunning natural phenomenon. The Milky Way is our home galaxy with a disc of stars that spans more than 100,000 light-years. Because it appears as a rotating disc curving out from a dense central region, the Milky Way is known as a spiral galaxy. Our planet itself is located along one of the galaxy's spiral arms, about halfway from the center, according to NASA. The Milky Way sits in a cosmic neighborhood called the Local Group that includes more than 50 other galaxies. Those galaxies can be as small as a dwarf galaxy with up to only a few billion stars, or as large as Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor. The Milky Way got its name because from our perspective on Earth, it appears as a faint band of light stretching across the entire sky. While the Milky Way is generally always visible from Earth, certain times of year are better for stargazers to catch a glimpse of the band of billions of stars comprising our galaxy. "Milky Way season," when the galaxy's bright center becomes easier to see from Earth, typically runs from February to October, according to Milky Way photography website Capture the Atlas. However, the best time to see the Milky Way in the Northern Hemisphere is from March to September. Those who live in the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the entire continental United States, could have spectacular views of the Milky Way on clear nights with a new moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to Typically, the sky is darkest between about midnight and 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas. Stargazers can observe the Milky Way galaxy by looking for the Summer Triangle, "a shape formed by three bright stars" that spans across the Milky Way, according to In Florida, the National Park Service recommends the Everglades: 'Each month around the time of the new moon, Everglades National Park offers superbly dark conditions that are ideal for viewing the Milky Way. On a dark night and in a dark place within the park, look to the south to find the Milky Way. 'In the Northern Hemisphere, the center of the Milky Way will be low in the southern sky, and the glowing band will sweep upward in an arch across the eastern sky to the northern horizon. Some parts of the faint silvery or milky cloud will be slightly mottled. The brighter spots are caused by star clouds, which are concentrations of millions of stars that are too faint to see as individual stars. The darker areas are caused by clouds of interstellar dust that block our view of the stars beyond. 'Viewing the Milky Way with a pair of binoculars will provide enough magnification to resolve the Milky Way into thousands of individual stars,' the section about Florida and the Milky Way on states. Spectators will have the best luck on cloud-free nights and in locations away from city light pollution. DarkSky International maintains a website that lists all designated dark sky communities around the world, including 159 locations in the U.S. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Milky Way season: How it got its name, when to see it in Florida sky
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
What is a Molotov cocktail, used in attack on pro-Israel activists in US?
Molotov cocktails were used in a 'targeted terror attack' on a pro-Israel demonstration in the United States on Monday. A suspect, identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, also used a makeshift flamethrower in the attack, reported the Associated Press. Six people were injured, with their wounds being consistent with burns. Also Read: Boulder attack: Witness says Molotov cocktail thrown at pro-Israel protestors, raising terrorism concerns Several videos have also emerged on social media showing the suspect holding Molotov cocktails in his hand. The 45-year-old suspect himself was also reportedly injured and was taken to the hospital for treatment. A Molotov cocktail is a makeshift flame-throwing device used to cause fires. The crude bomb is made of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid (such as gasoline) and usually fitted with a wick (such as a rag ) that is ignited just before the bottle is hurled at its target. According to the American historian William Trotter, the phrase comes from Finnish, where it is called "Molotovin koktaili." Also Read: 'Palestine is free': FBI investigates 'targeted terror attack' in Boulder, Colorado The history of the improvised incendiary device can be traced to Russian politician Vyacheslav Molotov, who was the foreign minister of the Soviet Union during World War II, as per a report from In 1939, during the Winter War, Russian foreign minister Molotov produced propaganda against their enemies in Finland, on Soviet radio, claiming that bombing missions over the country were 'airborne food deliveries' for their 'starving neighbours.' The bombs were sarcastically named by the Finnish people as 'Molotov bread baskets." Later, when the hand-held fire-throwing bottles were invented, they were named 'Molotov cocktails,' as a drink to go with the bombs (breadbaskets) being dropped by Russia. The outnumbered Finnish population developed the firebomb as a means to easily attack and destroy Soviet tanks, which were fueled by gasoline and were extremely flammable. Due to its simple ingredients - a bottle, gasoline and a wick - Finland managed to mass-produce the Molotov cocktails, with state liquor factories making vodka, manufacturing the devices instead. The Alko corporation in 1939, made 5,00,000 of the flamethrowing bottles which empowered the Finnish to push back Soviet forces despite their superior military strength. The Molotov cocktail also allowed the Finnish people, who were equipped with limited weaponry and armaments, to isolate large Soviet tanks from the infantry troops and attack them with the flamethrowers in a difficult terrain, where they could not manoeuvre away from the bomb. The Molotov cocktail became a key weapon in several civil uprisings and revolutions after its conception in the 1930s.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Why is it called Strawberry Moon? How to glimpse June's full moon in Michigan
June is nearly here and the Strawberry Moon is on its way, set to symbolize the season's early fruit harvests. Look up June 11 to catch a glimpse of the Strawberry Moon lighting up Michigan skies. Here's what to know about the Strawberry Moon. No, the Strawberry Moon is not a supermoon. The Strawberry Moon, June's full moon, will reach peak illumination June 11. The previous full moon was May's Flower Moon. The name Strawberry Moon comes from June-bearing strawberries ripening during this season, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The moon is currently in its new moon phase, at 0% illumination, according to The moon's phases in June 2025 are: New Moon: May 27 First Quarter: June 3 Full Moon: June 11 Last Quarter: June 18 New Moon: June 25 Clear skies will ensure optimal viewing, so keep an eye on the weather forecast. The full moon will peak in the afternoon at 3:44 p.m. and appear full that night. The average distance between the Earth and the moon is 238,855 miles. At its farthest from the Earth, the moon is about 252,088 miles away and astronomers say it's at apogee. When the moon is at perigee, it's 225,623 miles away. You may have noticed the moon will occasionally take on a dramatic shade of orange or red in the night sky. That's because of how sunlight strikes the moon's surface after passing through the atmosphere. When the moon moves into the inner part of Earth's shadow, or umbra, according to NASA, some of the sunlight entering Earth's skies scatters before reaching the moon's surface. Colors with shorter wavelengths, such as blues and violets, scatter more easily than colors with longer wavelengths, which include red and orange. Here are all the full moons of 2025: More: Michigan lays claim to oldest rocks in US. Where you can find 3.6 billion-year-old stone Wolf Moon: January Snow Moon: February Worm Moon: March Pink Moon: April Flower Moon: May Strawberry Moon: June Buck Moon: July Sturgeon Moon: August Corn Moon: September Harvest Moon: October Beaver Moon: November Cold Moon: December The Buck Moon will peak July 11, 2025. Those who live in the northern hemisphere, which includes the entire continental United States, could have spectacular views of the Milky Way on clear nights with a new moon. Typically, the sky is darkest between about midnight and 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas. Stargazers can observe the Milky Way galaxy by looking for the "Summer Triangle," "a shape formed by three bright stars" that spans across the Milky Way, according to In the northern hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to DarkSky International maintains a website that lists all designated dark sky communities around the world, including 159 locations in the U.S. and multiple sites in Michigan. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: When to view Strawberry Moon. 10 things about moon, night sky
