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.

Myths about the Sky

Many early civilizations developed myths of sky gods or goddesses, to help them explain the sky and the stars. These deities were usually particularly important or powerful, associated with or the most powerful gods or goddesses in their pantheons. The stories below provide an overview of a few myths associated with sky gods and goddesses identified by early civilizations around the world.
For millennia, people have sought to understand the origin of the heavens, and the stars in the sky. This image, entitled "The Universe and Man", is based on an earlier 16th century graphic and was later published by French astronomer Camille Flammarion in L'Atmosphère: Météorologie Populaire (Paris, 1888).<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Photodisc, Inc. </em></small></p>

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Explore Myths about the Sky

Navajo: Ahsonnutli

Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief deity of the Navajo Indians. He created heaven, Earth, ...Read more

Sumerian: An

According to the Sumerians, An was the sky god and symbolized heaven. In fact his name means ...Read more

Egyptian: Horus

Horus was a fierce and proud Egyptian god. He was the son of Osiris, the god of air and the ...Read more

Egyptian: Nut

Nut was the Egyptian sky goddess. She was depicted as a giant, naked woman who was supporting ...Read more

Maori: Rangi

According to the Maori people of New Zealand, Rangi was the Sky Father and his wife was the ...Read more

Norse: Tyr

In the early centuries after the birth of Christ, Tyr was not only the sky god but also the ...Read more

Norse: Odin

Odin was the prominent deity of the Norsemen. He was called the All-Father. Odin was depicted ...Read more

Hindu: Indra

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

Greek: Zeus

In Greek mythology, Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology) was the king of heaven and Earth and ...Read more

Roman: Jupiter

In Roman mythology, Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology) was the king of heaven and Earth and ...Read more

More about Myths about the Sky

Historical Events

5/30 7.5 magnitude quake hits Quetta, Pakistan in 1935
5/31 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits Peru in 1970
6/8 Giovanni Cassini, an Italian-French astronomer, was born on this date in 1625 Details

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Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

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Orographic lift
xOrographic lift : Occurs when an air mass is forced to rise over geographic relief from a lower elevation. As the air mass rises it expands and cools adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100%, create clouds and precipitation.

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Research Highlights

Oldest Earth Mantle Reservoir Discovered

Researchers have found a primitive Earth mantle reservoir on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Geologist Matthew Jackson and his colleagues from a multi-institution collaboration report the finding--the...Read more

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