After multiple high-profile injuries caused by atmospheric turbulence, you might be wondering whether airplane rides are getting rougher. Unfortunately, the answer is yes, at least for clear-air (i.e., non-storm-related) turbulence Keep reading
Tag: convection
The Solar Corona in Stunning Detail
The ESA’s Solar Orbiter captured this beautifully detailed video of our sun‘s corona last September. The Solar Orbiter took this footage from about 43 million kilometers away, a third of Keep reading
Convection in Action
We’re surrounded daily by convection — a buoyancy-driven flow — but most of the time it’s invisible to us. In this video, Steve Mould shows off what convection really looks Keep reading
“A Sun Question”
The sun‘s surface and atmosphere are endlessly dynamic, with magnetic lines, plasma, and convection creating a constant churn. In this photo by astrophotographer Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau, a curving question-mark-like filament Keep reading
How Squall Lines Form
Summertime in the middle U.S. means thunderstorms, many of which can form long lines of storms known as squall lines. Complex convective dynamics feed such storms. Here is an illustration Keep reading
“Níłtsą́”
Living in the central and western United States, it’s easy to dismiss summer weather as just another storm, but the truth is that this region sees some of the most Keep reading
Predicting Heat Waves
The United States, Europe, and Russia have all seen deadly, record-breaking heat waves in recent years, largely in areas that are ill-equipped for sustained high temperatures. A new paper presents Keep reading
Explaining Salt Polygons
Around the world, salt playas are criss-crossed with meter-sized polygons formed by ridges of salt. The origins of these structures — and the reason for their consistency across different regions Keep reading
Chemical Flowers
These “flowers” blossom as two injected chemicals react in the narrow space between two transparent plates. The chemical reaction produces a darker ring that develops a streaky outer edge due Keep reading
Stormy Skies
Photographer Mitch Dobrowner captures the majestic and terrifying power of storms in his black and white images. Towering turbulence, swirling vortices, and convective clouds abound. See more of his work Keep reading