Earth & Space Weather

At the foot of the red planet's Giant Volcano

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www.esa.int-July 5,2013

4 July 2013

Hundreds of individual lava flows are seen frozen in time on the flanks of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the Solar System.

The images, taken on 21 January 2013 by ESA’s Mars Express, focus on the southeast segment of the giant volcano, which towers some 22 km above the surrounding plains. This is more than double the height of Mauna Kea, the tallest volcano on Earth at 10 km, when measured from its oceanic base to summit.

Olympus Mons in context

Like Mauna Kea, Olympus Mons is a shield volcano, with gently sloping sides that extend outwards at low angles. But unlike other shield volcanoes, it has an abrupt cliff edge, or scarp, separating it from the surrounding plains.

Floods hit northeast India, washing away over 300 villages

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English.peopledaily.com.cn, 7/4/13

 

NEW DELHI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Monsoon floods have now hit the northeastern Indian state of Assam, washing away more than 300 villages, just days after the natural calamity devastated the northern state of Uttarakhand, killing thousands, a senior government official said Thursday.

"Heavy rains have triggered flash floods which swept away 300 villages across eight districts of the state, located on the banks of overflowing Brahmaputra river, displacing thousands and destroying crops. There have been no reports of any casualty yet," he said.

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How Stellar Magnetic Fields Affect The Chances Of Life Beyond Earth

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Red Orbit, 7/5/13

Image Credit: Illustration of how material ejected from the Sun (on the left) interacts with the magnetic field of the Earth (on the right). The white lines represent the solar wind; the purple line is the bow shock line and the blue lines surrounding the Earth represent its protective magnetosphere. Credit: NASA

The presence of an atmosphere – among many other factors – is vital for the evolution of life as we know it on a planet. However, this seemingly simple requirement is bathed in a multitude of variables that can affect its creation and existence. Thus, establishing an atmosphere is by no means a trivial detail.

Scientists believe mechanisms such as volcanic eruptions, other tectonic activity and even comet impacts could all play a role in creating an atmosphere on a planet. But once in place, maintaining it is another problem all together.

Volcanoes Today, 4 Jul 2013: Popocatépetl

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volcanodiscovery-July 4, 2013

Eruption from Popocatepétl this morning

Eruption from Popocatepétl this morning

Popocatépetl (Central Mexico): A phase of strong eruptive activity has started last night and is continuing with frequent explosions that eject incandescent bombs onto the upper outer slope and create a plume of gas and ash rising 3-4 km above the volcano to flight level 250 (25,000 ft).
During 2-3 June, the rate of emissions had climbed to 3-4 per hour, and volcanic earthquakes accompanied the rise of a new batch of magma. Strong tremor started last night, when activity became more vigorous.

Read More: http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html

Sunrays before sunrise or after sunset

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EarthSky.org, 7/4/13

Before sunrise or after sunset, you might be gazing skyward and notice that there are beams of light that appear to be shooting out from horizon, or down from the clouds. These are crepuscular rays, sometimes called sunrays. They are beautiful, mysterious and very noticeable.

Crepuscular rays are columns of sunlit air, streaming through gaps in clouds or other objects (for example, mountain peaks). Darker cloud-shadowed regions lie between the sunlit columns. These rays are really parallel to each other. But they appear to diverge, much as a road that looks narrow in the distance appears wide beneath your feet.

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