outer space - The Fun Times Guide to Weather

Tracking the ISS (International Space Station) from Your Computer and in the Night Sky

Tracking the ISS (International Space Station) is a fun activity that many backyard sky gazers will enjoy when the night sky is clear of clouds and the trajectory of the space station in your part of the world is just right. The ISS, which is a multi-national, modular space station that was planned and built over the course of several years during the 1990s and 2000s, orbits around Earth about 15 times per day. The orbiting ISS can be easily seen from ground as a bright, white dot slowly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fun Weather Stuff, Outdoor Fun Tagged With: outer space

Starry Night: A Free Tool To Identify Stars & Planets In The Night Sky Above You

My friend Andy is an astrology buff. I am not. That's why I love it when he reminds Jim and I of the best nights that we can see the coolest things in the skies above. (You know like meteor showers projected for our area, eclipses, etc). I thought I'd share with you one of the coolest tools that Andy found. It's called Starry Night. It explains exactly which stars and planets are appearing right now above your house (or hotel, or boat, or camping tent... or wherever you might be). In … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fun Weather Stuff, Outdoor Fun Tagged With: outer space, stars

The Ozone Layer: What It Is & How The Ozone Layer Protects You

You've probably heard about the ozone layer -- maybe in the news, in an article, or perhaps you've even heard your local weatherperson mention it at one time or another. But what is the ozone layer? How does it protect you? What are we doing to protect the ozone layer? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather 101 Tagged With: clouds, global warming, outer space, winter

Saving Our Ozone Layer: Phasing Out R22 Air Conditioning Refrigerant, Incandescent Light Bulbs & More

Have you heard about the phase out of R22 air conditioning & the need for R22 replacement refrigerants (freon) lately? Well, here's what that's all about... it's called the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol regulates substances that deplete the Earth's ozone layer -- like incandescent light bulbs and R22 freon. R-22 is the refrigerant that has been most commonly used for decades in household air-conditioning systems, and the name is a reference to its chemical … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather History Tagged With: air quality, global warming, outer space, sun, videos

What Are Odds We’ll See An Asteroid Impact On Earth?

With movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon, we've come to realize just how devastating a significant asteroid impact here on Earth would be. But have you ever wondered what the odds are that we'll actually see an asteroid impact like the kinds we've seen in the movies? While we have seen some objects come within a relatively close millions of miles, there are a couple asteroids that have the attention of NASA scientists: Asteroid 1950DA has potential of hitting earth in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fun Weather Stuff, Outdoor Fun Tagged With: outer space, stars

The Exosphere: The Transition Between The Atmosphere & Outer Space

The exosphere... sounds like a really far out place, huh? Well, it is. In fact, the exosphere is the outermost layer of our atmosphere. The exosphere is the layer above the ionosphere and starts at the exobase -- somewhere around 300 to 400 miles above ground. The exosphere is the layer where the atmosphere merges into outer space. Air pressure is very, very low, even at the base of the exosphere. In fact, it's in the exosphere were matter can actually escape Earth's gravitational … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather 101 Tagged With: air pressure, outer space

Beautiful Solar Eclipse Will Block Sunlight In The South Pacific

A solar eclipse is about to block the sunlight... for a little while anyway. On July 11, 2010, those living in northern New Zealand, the Cook Islands, the Society Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island will be able to see a solar eclipse lasting 3 to 4 minutes. Solar eclipses happen when the moon blocks out the light from the sun. The moon has to get directly in front off the sun to block out the sunlight and create a full or nearly full solar eclipse. Always be careful when viewing a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather Tools & Forecasts Tagged With: eclipses, moon, outer space, sun, videos

Do You Know The 3 Twilights? The Definitions Of Different Levels Of Twilight

Did you know there's more than one type of twilight? No, I'm not referring to the ever-popular Twilight movies.I'm talking about that time of day when the sun is shining light into our atmosphere -- just before sunrise and just after sunset.However, few people realize that there are actually 3 different definitions of twilight: Civil Twilight: This refers to the period of time when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon. It's before the morning civil twilight and after the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather 101 Tagged With: moon, outer space, sun

National Weather Service Satellite Radar Online + NASA Satellite Photos

Here's a cool tool for weather bugs: it's the National Weather Service's (NWS) satellite radar. You can check out the most recent images from the NWS satellite radar at the NWS website. The National Weather Service is a government organization responsible for providing forecasts, weather data, and other climate information for the public -- as well as being a great resource for scientists and meteorologists. Be sure to check out all the other great weather tools on the NWS website, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather Tools & Forecasts Tagged With: clouds, forecasting weather, outer space, videos, weather maps

How Hot Is The Sun? 5 Fun Sun Facts You’re Burning To Know

The sun is rising higher into the sky everyday as spring goes into full swing. So, about that sun... how hot is the sun? How far away is the sun? Well, slap on some sunscreen and bask in the warmth of these 5 fun sun facts: The Sun is approximately 90 million miles from Earth. The core of the Sun is a whopping 27 million degrees Fahrenheit; the surface is a relatively chilly 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Sun has been around for about 4.6 billion years. The Sun is 109 times … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Outdoor Fun, Weather 101 Tagged With: energy, outer space, stars, sun, temperature