The Dunes: A New Kind Of Aurora

For those who live in the far northern regions of our world, the skies put up a spectacular show every now and then. These beautiful northern lights, known as Aurora Borealis, are caused when charged particles from the Sun interact with our Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field. Recently, amateur stargazers in Finland have discovered a new kind of aurora. Minna Palmroth and her coworkers realized that the aurora they were observing did not fit any of the known categories. Types of Auroras Let's first look at the science behind the auroras. Every now and then, our Sun releases large quantities...

Did You See The Snow Moon?

Snow Moon, Storm Moon, Full Hunger Moon, Little Famine Moon, Full Bony Moon, and Hunger Moon are all names for the same thing - February's full moon. Typically, February in America is the coldest and snowiest time of year, hence the name, “Snow Moon.” During this month, the moon reaches perigee, the point in its orbit where it is closest to Earth, making it look a little larger than normal. This year, the snow moon was on February 9, at 2:33 AM on the East Coast, 36 hours before it reached perigee. Many Names In Canada, the Ojibwe call it “Bear Moon” and the Cree call it the “Great Moon,” a...

New Images Of The Sun Surface

Have you ever wondered what the sun looks like? A recent image from the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope captures careful details of the sun’s complex surface. The high-resolution picture reveals the solar activity of multiple “cell-like structures” that make up the sun’s plasma layer, along with a mass of swirling and boiling gases. Let’s learn more about the science behind this discovery! A Sphere of Plasma Solids, liquids, gases… and plasma? Referred to as the fourth state of matter, plasma is made of atoms separated from their electrons - leaving charged...

Court Dismisses Lawsuit By Kids

Climate Change is becoming a growing concern and it seems that America’s youth are tackling it head-on. In 2015, 21 children and youth, from the age of 8 all the way to 19, filed a case against the United States for not actively passing measures to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The lawsuit expressed concern that the amount of carbon emissions that the US emits has been growing at an alarming rate. Carbon dioxide emissions have reached 412 parts per million and this had led to a global temperature rise of close to 1.2 degrees Celsius since 1880. Arctic ice has been decreasing at a rate of 12...

The Chiefs Win After 50 Years!

On Sunday, Feb 2, football lovers in the U.S were glued to the television for one of the biggest sporting events of the year -- the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is an annual American football game organized by the National Football League (NFL). The NFL has 32 teams which are divided into two groups: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The winners of each of these two conferences meet in the finals. This year, the San Francisco 49ers who were the NFC champions played against Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC champions. The 49ers had a blazing start. By...

When It Rains Iguanas...

You may have heard of the phrase -- it’s raining cats and dogs, but what if you were told it will be raining iguanas? Believe it or not, falling iguanas were recently forecast in Florida! It turns out that when temperatures go below the 30s and 40s, these cold-blooded animals become lethargic and fall from their resting spots in the trees. It’s not an uncommon sight for residents of Florida to find lizards frozen and scattered around the streets and in their backyards. Once the temperature rises, the lizards will return to their lives in the trees. Fun Facts Wild iguanas, which are native to...

February 2, 2020: A Palindrome!

This year, February 2nd was much more than Groundhog Day -- the day when Punxsutawney Phil takes a peek at the weather and offers us sage advice! After Phil was pulled out of the burrow by his handlers. Since he did not see his own shadow, the organizers concluded that spring will arrive early and temperatures will be warmer soon. While this is certainly a cause for excitement (even though Phil has been correct only 40% of the time), the day held a bigger significance for mathematicians. Let's take another look at the date -- 02022020. Do you see a pattern? The sequence of numbers is the same...

What Killed The Dinosaurs?

Dinosaurs were the unrivaled prehistoric reptilian rulers of the Earth. These massive reptiles appeared on Earth about 245 million years ago (mya) and dominated till 66 mya. They disappeared suddenly, in what is referred to as a mass extinction event that wiped out 75% of all of Earth’s plants and animals. This extinction transitioned our Earth from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene period and set the stage for the evolution of mammals. Scientists have debated the causes of the extinction event. But a recent study shows only one factor might have been responsible. Extinction Theories The theory...

A Double Whammy For Puerto Rico

Mother nature has not been kind to the island of Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria, a category 5 storm, devastated the island in 2017. Before Puerto Rico could recover, the island started experiencing a series of tremblors last December. Then, on Jan 7th, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake just off the coast damaged 600 buildings and causing over $110 million in damage. Moving Plates Puerto Rico sits on the edge of the Carribean tectonic plate which is actively colliding with the North American tectonic plate. The two plates are moving slowly towards each other at a rate of 2 cm per year. At the Puerto...

A Royal Split

The British monarchy has lasted for over a millennium, with the royal family tree stretching all the way back to Alfred the Great of the early 9th century. And now, with the opening of the year 2020, a prominent royal couple is looking to take a break from the crown. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced plans to relinquish their royal duties in an Instagram post released on Wednesday, January 8. The couple has decided not only to step down as senior royals, but also to stop receiving money from the Sovereign Grant -- public money that goes towards royal expenses -- and be financially...

Youngzine