Falling skies season 6

0 Weather The Draconids run Thursday through Monday, Oct. 6-10, peaking Saturday and Sunday, according to the American Meteor Society. Amanda Lumpkin , Patch Staff Posted Reply GEORGIA — It’s been a bit since shooting stars streaked across the Georgia skies, but fall meteor showers are already underway with the Orionids and longrunning Taurids spitting out meteors and the much shorter but more unpredictable Draconid meteor shower peaking this weekend. The Draconids run Thursday through Monday, Oct. 6-10, peaking Saturday and Sunday, according to the American Meteor Society . But will the weather cooperate? Here is the local forecast: According to the National Weather Service, the weather should be sunny during the day with a high near 81 degrees Thursday through Sunday in metro Atlanta. The weather service reported night skies should be mostly clear, though Friday night is forecast to be partly cloudy. Low … [Read more...] about Draconids Kick Up Fall Meteor Shower Season In Georgia

0 Community Corner If you love stargazing November is an ideal month. With longer nights and clear night skies forecast look up for fireballs, full blood moon. Ashley Ludwig , Patch Staff Posted Reply RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CA — Although usually not prolific, the Taurid meteor shower that lumbers along through most of the fall could produce a rare “fireball swarm” if typical patterns hold true when the shooting star peaks over Orange County this weekend. In late October Many Southern California residents reported seeing a large meteor flash behind the mountains One Reddit user posted this video their Tesla captured of a meteor falling as they drove north on I-15 into Temecula. The following flash lit up the mountain range . Did you see it? Check your local Accuweather forecast to match with important skywatching dates in November, and don’t forget the total lunar eclipse occurring next week. The blood moon … [Read more...] about Rancho Santa Margarita November Sky: Taurid Meteors, Full Blood Moon

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST, N.C. — Here’s what I was told: Get away from the city, go during a new moon and keep my flashlight off. When the sky faded black enough to spot stars twinkling, I’d be able to see mushrooms glowing. There are about 100,000 species of fungi, but only about 80 of them bioluminesce, or glow in the dark. They pop up in tropical and temperate forests in the Americas, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. They emit green light, a result of nearly the same chemical reaction that illuminates the belly of a firefly or the skin of a squid , only the resulting light is constant in the mushroom, not on-demand or reactive as in some insects or marine animals. The molecules responsible for the colors are different too. And in a study published on Wednesday in Science Advances, researchers have finally revealed what’s going on inside these flamboyant fungi — at a molecular scale. With mushroom season approaching, you can see them glowing, too, … [Read more...] about Hunting Mushrooms, and What Makes Some Glow in the Dark

Warming my hands around a campfire just outside Zion National Park, I scan the horizon and take in the panoramic view: As the sun begins to set in southwest Utah, the region’s famed Navajo sandstone glows pink in the fading light. I hear the eerie, cascading notes of a canyon wren calling somewhere nearby. There’s not a soul in sight at this secluded Bureau of Land Management (BLM) site. Though we can see some of Zion’s iconic landscapes from our quiet perch atop Smith Mesa, including the Towers of the Virgin rock formations, my friends and I are miles away from the thousands of travelers who flock to the national park each day. Last year, Zion was the country’s third-busiest national park, with 4.69 million total visits. For travelers who want to experience Zion’s colorful sandstone cliffs and slot canyons, especially during the busy summer months, the park’s popularity typically means crowded hiking trails, long lines at entrance stations, jam-packed shuttles and full-to-the-brim … [Read more...] about Avoid the crowds at Utah’s Zion National Park with these travel tips

In January 2002, the Oakland Raiders, a football team I have worshiped since I was 5, flew east to face the New England Patriots in a playoff game. I was living 30 miles north of Foxboro Stadium, and I can still remember the color of the sky that morning, the dense gunmetal of a looming storm. By late afternoon, snow was falling at an almost comical rate. It blotted out the yard markers and hampered traction, which lent the game a surreal, slapstick air. The Raiders dominated, but the Patriots rallied late, led by a rookie quarterback named Tom Brady. Down three points with two minutes left, Brady dropped back to pass and found his receivers blanketed. If I close my eyes I can still see Brady there, hopping about in the snow like a sparrow. He cocks his right arm as if to pass, thinks better of it, then pulls the ball down and pats it with his left hand. At this precise moment, the Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson (my favorite player of all time) crashes into him and rakes away … [Read more...] about Why Does Anyone Root for Incompetent, Failing Teams?

IN a secluded valley deep in the Canadian Rockies, miles from any road and even farther from the nearest chairlift, sits a luxurious cabin. Inside there’s a sauna, a crackling fire and two chefs laboring in a fully stocked kitchen; outside, trackless powder stretches to the glacier-capped horizons. This is not the story of that cabin, a privately owned backcountry ski haven called Selkirk Lodge on the edge of the Albert Icefield that costs 25,500 Canadian dollars (about the same in U.S. dollars) to book for a week, including the helicopter ride to get there. Instead, it’s the story of the Plan B that my wife, Lauren, and I devised for our Rockies getaway in February, after regretfully concluding that the first option was about 25,200 Canadian dollars beyond our budget. Thanks to the Alpine Club of Canada ’s network of backcountry huts, we did manage to spend three nights in a secluded valley deep in the Canadian Rockies, miles from any road, etc. Granted, there were no personal … [Read more...] about Skiing to a Remote Retreat in the Canadian Rockies