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.

Hindu Mythology

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

Back to the World Map
<a href="/mythology/indra_sky.html">Indra</a> is the supreme deity in Hindu mythology, as well as the storm god and the god of the atmosphere. He was called the "Mighty Lord of the Thunderbolt", "Cloud-Gatherer", and the "Sender of Rain". He was constantly at war with demons from the underworld or the immoral, fighting an ongoing battle between good and evil. As a god of war, he was the guardian of the East. This image (c. 1820) shows Indra on his elephant mount, Airavata.<p><small><em>Image &copy; Trustees of the British Museum</em></small></p>

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Explore Hindu Mythology

The Sun: Surya

Hinduism is the oldest Indian religion. Hinduism is based on some antique sacred writings and ...Read more

The Moon: Soma

According to Hinduism, every part of the cosmos is seen as an action of a god. Time is the ...Read more

The Big Dipper: Rishis

According to the epic Mahabharata, composed in about 500 B.C., the stars of the Big Dipper ...Read more

The Pleiades: Krttika

In the Hindu mythology, it is said that the stars of the Big Dipper were the seven sages called ...Read more

The Pleiades: Svaha

According to Hindu mythology, Svaha represents the star Zeta Tauri, which is the tip of one ...Read more

The Sky: Indra

In the Rig Veda, which is a collection of antique Hindu hymns, Indra is described as the king ...Read more

The Sun: Garuda

Garuda is an ancient Indian mythological creature, believed to be a devourer of serpents and ...Read more

Mars: Mangala

In Hindu mythology, the planet Mars is known as Mangala. The planet of Mars is identified ...Read more

Saturno: Sani

In Hindu mythology, Sani was identified with the planet Saturn. ...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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Did you know?

Did you know that the Sun will eventually evolve into a red dwarf star, and finally, a white dwarf star?

Did you know that the Roman god, Neptune, was not only the god of the sea, but also of earthquakes?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Tsunami
xTsunami : A tsunami is a sea wave of local or distant origin that results from large-scale seafloor displacements associated with large earthquakes, major submarine slides, or exploding volcanic islands.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Deadly Tonga Earthquake Revealed as Three Big Quakes

Geologists have learned that a magnitude-8.1 earthquake and tsunami that killed 192 people on September 29, 2009 in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga was in fact a triple-whammy. The 8.1 "great earthquake"...Read more

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