The Ephemeral Phenomena of Noctilucent Clouds

So far this year we haven’t really been blessed with that many cloudless nights but the few we have had did provide us with some opportunities to espy spectacular night-sky phenomena such as the Aurora borealis a few weeks ago. That display was an absolute boon for photographers and astronomers, especially those who combine theContinue reading “The Ephemeral Phenomena of Noctilucent Clouds”

The Loss of the Riverdance

On the night of the Thirty First of January, sixteen years ago, I experienced some of the wildest weather i’ve ever been out in. I remember the night well because I had to walk over two miles home from work in it, and also because of how strange a night it was. At the timeContinue reading “The Loss of the Riverdance”

Hair Ice

Hair ice, also known as Frost Beard or Ice Wool, is very rare and only forms in very specific conditions, for many centuries its formation had been a complete mystery to science. However researchers found in 2015 that it is formed by a fungus, Exidiopsis effusa, it only forms between 45° and 55° North inContinue reading “Hair Ice”

“Ring Around The Moon Means Rain Soon”

If you look up to the sky tonight you cannot help but notice a large ring of light around the moon, this is known by meteorologists as a 22º halo, this is because the radius of the halo is always approximately 22 degrees. An old saying has it that a “ring around the moon meansContinue reading ““Ring Around The Moon Means Rain Soon””

Autumn, the “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”

Traditionally autumn starts at the autumnal equinox, which falls on the 23rd of September this year, ‘equinox’ meaning ‘equal nights’ as the day and night are of equal length. This event is highly significant to many cultures, to the Pagans it has the name Mabon, after the Celtic sun-god, to the ancient Greeks and theContinue reading “Autumn, the “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness””

In like a Lion, out like a Lamb

The expression ‘In like a Lion, out like a Lamb’, is recorded as far back as the 1600’s but is thought to be much older. It is used to describe the tendency of the month of March to begin with stormy weather yet end with calm, after all March marks the start of meteorological springContinue reading “In like a Lion, out like a Lamb”