Latest news with #MattMelnyk
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Alberta storm chasers find beauty, science, community up in the clouds
You know when Environment Canada tells you a storm is coming and to stay away from it? There's a group of people based in Alberta who find their happy place in the eye of a storm, not a safe distance from it. Matt Melnyk comes by his love of clouds organically. As an airline pilot, he flies among them on a regular basis. "I've always been fascinated by clouds," Melnyk told CBC News in an interview. "Why does that one look like cauliflower, why does this one look like silk? When you see them in a thunderstorm there are so many different parts. You have the wall cloud, the shelf cloud, the cumulonimbus cloud. There are so many different parts of it. No two storms are the same, which I find super amazing." Melnyk has been storm chasing for more than 15 years. "I am part of a group called Team Dominator Canada. It's the Canadian version of professional storm chasers in the States." Mark Simpson is on the same team, but with another purpose. "My focus is mainly collecting science data so we can improve response times for tornados," Simpson explained. "Other members do photography, safety, and some others do some science as well." Simpson, who isn't a pilot, stumbled into his passion almost 30 years ago in 1996. "I supposed I got into it when I saw the first Twister movie," he said, with a laugh. "I kind of always had a passion for it and the opportunity arose when I moved to Canada. I found out there are tornados nearby so I decided to learn how to chase. I got the opportunity to go down to the U.S. due to the need to get data. I used the skills I have in electronics so I could build a sensor that we could launch into a tornado." During the summer, especially in July, Simpson stays busy. It's roughly four days on, then three days to analyze the video and data. "We are a little bit on the fringe from the research ourselves. We are not affiliated with the university. That allows us to do some things that others consider a little bit extreme," he said. But working outside the world of academia has its advantages too. "That said, the science stands on its own. You can either do it and reach that goal, or not. We do get more scrutiny but that's fine. Some of the work we do is fairly cutting edge, it's new, and stuff not being done in the universities." The goal is to get the work published, but there is also a public safety piece. "A lot of people monitor social media to see where bad weather is going to hit, so we try to give the location of the storm, the direction it is moving in, things like that." Simpson said a good sized storm can attract around 30 to 40 chasers. Meanwhile, for the pilot with a side hustle, it's about capturing a split second of magic. "I like to go out there and put myself in a position where I can get a really cool photo and come home with a postcard," Melnyk said. "When I got my first lightning photo, I was hooked right away."
CBC
15-07-2025
- CBC
Alberta's wild weather has become a magnet for a unique group of characters: storm chasers
Whether it's for science, photography or an intense thrill, storm chasers have found southern Alberta to be a good place to go about their business. Dan McGarvey spoke with a couple of them about why they do it. (Photo credit: Matt Melnyk)
CBC
15-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Alberta storm chasers find beauty, science, community up in the clouds
Social Sharing You know when Environment Canada tells you a storm is coming and to stay away from it? There's a group of people based in Alberta who find their happy place in the eye of a storm, not a safe distance from it. Matt Melnyk comes by his love of clouds organically. As an airline pilot, he flies among them on a regular basis. "I've always been fascinated by clouds," Melnyk told CBC News in an interview. "Why does that one look like cauliflower, why does this one look like silk? When you see them in a thunderstorm there are so many different parts. You have the wall cloud, the shelf cloud, the cumulonimbus cloud. There are so many different parts of it. No two storms are the same, which I find super amazing." Melnyk has been storm chasing for more than 15 years. "I am part of a group called Team Dominator Canada. It's the Canadian version of professional storm chasers in the States." Mark Simpson is on the same team, but with another purpose. "My focus is mainly collecting science data so we can improve response times for tornados," Simpson explained. "Other members do photography, safety, and some others do some science as well." Simpson, who isn't a pilot, stumbled into his passion almost 30 years ago in 1996. "I supposed I got into it when I saw the first Twister movie," he said, with a laugh. "I kind of always had a passion for it and the opportunity arose when I moved to Canada. I found out there are tornados nearby so I decided to learn how to chase. I got the opportunity to go down to the U.S. due to the need to get data. I used the skills I have in electronics so I could build a sensor that we could launch into a tornado." During the summer, especially in July, Simpson stays busy. It's roughly four days on, then three days to analyze the video and data. "We are a little bit on the fringe from the research ourselves. We are not affiliated with the university. That allows us to do some things that others consider a little bit extreme," he said. But working outside the world of academia has its advantages too. "That said, the science stands on its own. You can either do it and reach that goal, or not. We do get more scrutiny but that's fine. Some of the work we do is fairly cutting edge, it's new, and stuff not being done in the universities." The goal is to get the work published, but there is also a public safety piece. "A lot of people monitor social media to see where bad weather is going to hit, so we try to give the location of the storm, the direction it is moving in, things like that." Simpson said a good sized storm can attract around 30 to 40 chasers. Meanwhile, for the pilot with a side hustle, it's about capturing a split second of magic. "I like to go out there and put myself in a position where I can get a really cool photo and come home with a postcard," Melnyk said. "When I got my first lightning photo, I was hooked right away."
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First Full Moon of Summer 2025 shines this week
Do you have reasonably clear skies during the latter half of this week? If so, take a few minutes to look towards the sky, and witness the beauty of the Full Buck Moon. July 2025's Full Moon occurs at exactly 20:39 UTC, or 4:39 p.m. EDT, on the 10th. This view of the Buck Moon was captured by Matt Melnyk on July 13, 2022 from Calgary, Alberta, and uploaded to The Weather Network's UGC gallery. Don't be too focused on seeing it at that precise moment, though. The side of the Moon that perpetually faces Earth will appear full — over 99 per cent illuminated by the Sun — from after midnight on the morning of July 10, all night long from moonrise to moonset on the night of the 10th to 11th, and even as the Moon rises again on the evening of the 11th. This is the first of three Full Moons for Summer 2025. It is also the second of four 'normal' sized Full Moons that span the season, following a string of 'Micromoons' in late winter through the spring, and before the upcoming trio of 'Supermoons' that will close out the year. The three Full Moons of Summer 2025. Although the September 7-8 Corn Moon does produce a Total Lunar Eclipse, the event will not be directly visible from anywhere in Canada. (NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Scott Sutherland) However, if you'd like to see the Moon look exceptionally big, be sure to find it in the eastern sky just after sunset, or in the western sky just before sunrise. In either case, a mysterious effect known as the Moon Illusion will make our celestial companion look huge! READ MORE: Who will actually get to see the Moon Thursday night? Here are the cloud forecast maps for across Canada: Cloud cover forecast for the western half of Canada. (The Weather Network) Cloud cover forecast for the eastern half of Canada. (The Weather Network) With the exception of the occasional Blue Moon, each Full Moon we see during the year has its own popular name. The publishers of the Old Farmer's Almanac gathered these names together in the early 20th century, inspired by Colonial and European folklore, but mostly by the indigenous peoples of what is now the northeastern United States and the Great Lakes region. This graphic collects all the relevant data for the 12 Full Moons of 2025. (Scott Sutherland/NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Supermoon and Micromoon data courtesy Fred Espenak) According to the Old Farmer's Almanac: "The full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by." Although the name is most often used just to describe this particular Full Moon, it refers to far more than just this one phase. Like other advanced cultures around the world, the indigenous peoples of North America used a sophisticated lunar calendar to track time. For example, the Anishinaabe visualized their calendar using the pattern of plates on the shell of a turtle. The 28 small plates around the shell's edge corresponded to the days of each lunar cycle, and the 13 large plates on the turtle's back were the 13 lunar months of the year. (Scott Sutherland) DON'T MISS: Each of the 13 moons was given a name, similar to the months of the Gregorian calendar. However, whereas the names of the Gregorian months came from gods, rulers, and their numerical order in the calendar, indigenous names for the moons were taken from the aspect of nature that affected the peoples' lives at that time of year. Coincidentally, the Buck Moon most often lines up with the month of July in the Gregorian calendar. As shown below, though, it does not usually match up perfectly with the calendar month. The phases of the Buck Moon in 2025, from the June 25 New Moon through the July 23 Waning Crescent Moon. (NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Scott Sutherland) (Thumbnail image shows the Full Buck Moon on June 30, 2024, taken by Lisa O'Driscoll from Deer Lake, Newfoundland.) Click here to view the video
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First Full Moon of Summer 2025 shines this week
Do you have reasonably clear skies during the latter half of this week? If so, take a few minutes to look towards the sky, and witness the beauty of the Full Buck Moon. July 2025's Full Moon occurs at exactly 20:39 UTC, or 4:39 p.m. EDT, on the 10th. This view of the Buck Moon was captured by Matt Melnyk on July 13, 2022 from Calgary, Alberta, and uploaded to The Weather Network's UGC gallery. Don't be too focused on seeing it at that precise moment, though. The side of the Moon that perpetually faces Earth will appear full — over 99 per cent illuminated by the Sun — from after midnight on the morning of July 10, all night long from moonrise to moonset on the night of the 10th to 11th, and even as the Moon rises again on the evening of the 11th. This is the first of three Full Moons for Summer 2025. It is also the second of four 'normal' sized Full Moons that span the season and into early Fall, following a string of 'Micromoons' in the spring, and before the upcoming trio of 'Supermoons' that will close out the year. The three Full Moons of Summer 2025. Although the September 7-8 Corn Moon does produce a Total Lunar Eclipse, the event will not be directly visible from anywhere in Canada. (NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Scott Sutherland) However, if you'd like to see the Moon look exceptionally big, be sure to find it in the eastern sky just after sunset, or in the western sky just before sunrise. In either case, a mysterious effect known as the Moon Illusion will make our celestial companion look huge! READ MORE: With the exception of the occasional Blue Moon, each Full Moon we see during the year has its own popular name. The publishers of the Old Farmer's Almanac gathered these names together in the early 20th century, inspired by Colonial and European folklore, but mostly by the indigenous peoples of what is now the northeastern United States and the Great Lakes region. This graphic collects all the relevant data for the 12 Full Moons of 2025. (Scott Sutherland/NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Supermoon and Micromoon data courtesy Fred Espenak) According to the Old Farmer's Almanac: "The full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by." Although the name is most often used just to describe this particular Full Moon, it refers to far more than just this one phase. Like other advanced cultures around the world, the indigenous peoples of North America used a sophisticated lunar calendar to track time. For example, the Anishinaabe visualized their calendar using the pattern of plates on the shell of a turtle. The 28 small plates around the shell's edge corresponded to the days of each lunar cycle, and the 13 large plates on the turtle's back were the 13 lunar months of the year. DON'T MISS: Each of the 13 moons was given a name, similar to the months of the Gregorian calendar. However, whereas the names of the Gregorian months came from gods, rulers, and their numerical order in the calendar, indigenous names for the moons were taken from the aspect of nature that affected the peoples' lives at that time of year. Coincidentally, the Buck Moon most often lines up with the month of July in the Gregorian calendar. As shown below, though, it does not usually match up perfectly with the calendar month. The phases of the Buck Moon in 2025, from the June 25 New Moon through the July 23 Waning Crescent Moon. (NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Scott Sutherland) (Thumbnail image shows the Full Buck Moon on June 30, 2024, taken by Lisa O'Driscoll from Deer Lake, Newfoundland.) Click here to view the video
