Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.

West African Mythology

Visit the links to learn about the myths of West Africa related to objects in the sky, and aspects of their world.

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<a href="/mythology/shango_storm.html&edu=elem">Shango</a> was the forth king of the ancient Oyo Empire, the West African center of culture and politics for the Yoruba people.After his death, he became known as the god of <a href="/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/tstorm_lightning.html&edu=elem">thunder and lightning</a>. In artwork, such as this wood carving, he is often depicted with a double ax on his head, the symbol of a thunderbolt, or he is depicted as a fierce ram.<p><small><em>Image Courtesy of the Hamill Gallery of African Art, Boston, MA</em></small></p>

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Explore West African Mythology

Yoruba: Olokun

Olokun was the sea god of the Yoruba people, who live in Benin. His name means "owner of the ...Read more

Yoruba: Shango

Shango was the king of the Oyo kingdom in West Africa. This was where the Yoruba people lived ...Read more

Yoruba: Olorun

Olorun, whose name means "owner", is the sky-god of the Yoruba people. He is also known as ...Read more

Fon: Mawu

Mawu is the supreme god of the Fon people of Abomey (Republic of Benin). Mawu , the Moon, brings ...Read more

Fon: Liza

Liza is a god of the Fon people of West Africa. Liza is represented by the fierce Sun. Usually ...Read more

Historical Events

5/21 Williamina Fleming, a Scottish-American astronomer, died on this date in 1911 Details
5/22 ~7.9 magnitude earthquake hits near Xining, Tsinghai, China in 1927
5/24 Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, died on this date in 1543 Details

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Pollution from Asia Circles Globe at Stratospheric Heights

Air pollution can get high in the atmosphere – high above most of the clouds you see in the sky. Scientists are finding air pollution more than 20 miles above the surface of the Earth. That’s in the stratosphere...Read more

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