Current Events

  • Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read more

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    Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather

    A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate.
  • EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read more

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    EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US

    The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG.
  • 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.

Mythology

   For thousands of years people have associated objects in the sky, the Earth, and aspects of their physical world with the gods and goddesses of their cultures. Through these pages, find out about the gods and goddesses of different cultures around the world, and the works of art people have created to give them expression.
Left 
section of the east frieze of the Siphnian Treasury (c. 525 B.C.) depicting 
from left to right <a 
href="/mythology/Definitions_gods/Venus_def.html">
Venus</a>, <a 
href="/mythology/Diana_def.html">
Diana</a>, and <a 
href="/mythology/Definitions_gods/Apollo_def.html">
Apollo</a>. This portion of the frieze shows the gods sitting, watching the 
Greeks raid Troy.<p><small><em>   Image courtesy of the Superintendency (Ephoria) of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in Delphi. Greek Ministry of Culture-Archaeological Receipt Fund. (c) Greek Ministry of Culture.</em></small></p>The artist, Peter Paul Rubens, painted this image, Neptune Calming the Tempest, in 1635.  Rubens is known for the style of painting termed, "baroque".  Rubens (1577-1640) combined the tradition of Flemish painting with the themes of the Renaissance.<p><small><em>Image credit: (c)1996 President and Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard University Art Museums, Courtesy of the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Art Museums Alpheus Hyatt Fund. To be reproduced only by permission of the Harvard University Art Museums, </em></small></p>For the Aztecs, who lived in central Mexico, <a href="/mythology/tonatiuh.html">Tonatiuh</a> was a <a href="/sun/sun.html">Sun</a> god. Aztecs believed that four suns had been created in four previous ages, and all of them had died at the end of each cosmic era. Tonatiuh was the fifth sun and the present era is still his. The carvings on this sunstone represent the four cycles of creation and destruction in the Aztec creation story. The skull at the center depicts the god Tonatiuh.<p><small><em>   Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.</em></small></p>"Temple of Jupiter" by Giovanni Battista Cipriani.    In Roman mythology, Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology) was the king of heaven and Earth and of all the Olympian gods. He was also known as the god of justice.<p><small><em>   Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.</em></small></p>Pegasus was a winged horse that came out of Medusa when she was be-headed by <a href="/mythology/perseus.html">Perseus</a>.
This is a mural of Pegasus from Turkey.<p><small><em>   Image courtesy of Corel corporation.</em></small></p>Side view of an ancient Aztec carving depicting Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed
Serpent. The carving is from the Quetzalcoatl Temple at Teotihuacan, Mexico.<p><small><em>   Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.</em></small></p>

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