Earth | EarthSky

What are sun pillars or light pillars?

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Earth | Sun | 3 weeks ago

Sun pillars, or light pillars, are shafts of light extending from the sun or other bright light sources under the right atmospheric conditions. They’re caused by ice crystals drifting in Earth’s air.

Kelvin Helmholtz clouds near Sandpoint, Idaho.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds look like waves in the sky

Posted by EarthSky in Earth | 3 weeks ago

Clouds in the sky can mimic cresting ocean waves. These photographic clouds are called Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, and occasionally also go by the name billow clouds or shear-gravity clouds.

2020 Arctic Report Card: Sea ice loss, extreme wildfires

Posted by Eleanor Imster in Earth | 1 month ago

NOAA’s 2020 Arctic Report Card describes a region that is warming even more rapidly than scientists expected.

Night photo of lava flowing down a mountainside, into a lava lake.

Dramatic images of erupting Kilauea volcano in Hawaii

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Earth | 1 month ago

Overnight on Sunday, USGS reported lava fountains that shot nearly 165 feet into the sky from a fissure on the eastern side of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. Lava has replaced the water that was in the basin of the crater, and a new lava lake was formed.

Personal solstices

Posted by EarthSky in Earth | Human World | Today's Image | 1 month ago

Photos from EarthSky community members around the world, showing what the December solstice – bringing winter to half of Earth, and summer to the other half – means to them. Thanks to all of you for sharing these evocative images with us!

All you need to know: 2020’s December solstice

Posted by Deborah Byrd in Astronomy Essentials | Earth | 1 month ago

Late dawn. Early sunset. Short day. Long night. December solstice 2020 arrives on December 21 at 10:02 UTC. High summer for the Southern Hemisphere. For the Northern Hemisphere, the return of more sunlight!

Illustration showing the ice shelves around South Georgia and the iceberg's position with respect to them.

Iceberg due to collide with island splits in 2

Posted by Eleanor Imster and Deborah Byrd in Earth | 1 month ago

Antarctic iceberg A-68A has drifted menacingly close to a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The giant iceberg could strike land this month. It has now split into 2 pieces.

Solstice tale of two cities

Posted by Bruce McClure in Astronomy Essentials | Earth | 1 month ago

December solstice sunrise comes at the same time for St. Augustine, Florida, and New York City. But St. Augustine has an hour more of daylight than New York. Here’s why.