Ring of Fire If you’ve followed this project for a while, you know we’re big fans of eclipses. Lunar, solar, partial, full: we love them all. The United States is currently in the midst of a glittering age of eclipses. In 2017, many across the country glimpsed the “Great American Eclipse,” a full solar eclipse. Under seven years later […]
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Katahdin – Maine’s High Point Then here’s a hail to each flaring dawn!And here’s a cheer to the night that’s gone!And may I go a-roaming onUntil the day I die! — Robert Service, A Rolling Stone This was my Everest.In my fifth or sixth year on the planet, I embarked on a climb of Katahdin with my
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Dalmatia Make a list of the world’s 101 Most Recognizable Dog Breeds and one type of canine will likely top it. Photo by Bradlien Photo by Carlos Estrada Disney’s 101 Dalmatians A white coat punctuated by black dots can mean only one type of pupper. Adored by firefighters and bizarrely coveted by Disney villains, the Dalmatian is
Infantile Amnesia On my eldest daughter’s second birthday, we ferried her to one of her favorite parks. After cake, singing, and gifts at a shelter house, I took her toward the playground. When we approached the slides, a smile erupted on her face that seemed to illuminate the entire planet. It was one of the
Fat Bear Week Katmai National Park in Alaska is a massive tract, larger than Connecticut. It’s home to one of the most alien locations on the planet: The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. The result of the largest volcanic eruption by volume in the 20th century, the valley is strewn with ash, in some places as
Medicanes The world’s largest storms occur in its two biggest oceans, the Pacific and Atlantic. Tropical cyclones are massive dynamos that produce swirling destruction on unparalleled levels. We call storms that transpire in the Atlantic or Northeastern Pacific hurricanes, while those in the Northwestern Pacific go by typhoons. In the Indian Ocean and the extreme
Bennu & OSIRIS-REx As humans, we’re engrossed by the physics and metaphysics of beginnings. How did the universe arise? If we banged into reality in a big way, what existed beforehand? Did a creator create or did we spontaneously congeal? The answers to these cosmological questions might be beyond the grasp of beings designed to
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The Cake Forest The 1990s produced some fantastic rock music, both mainstream and underground. The bands most people recognize focused on riff-heavy guitars and soaring vocal melodies, mixed with a healthy dose of distortion. As with any era, some acts garner widespread success without adhering to the sound of the decade. For example, the Wikipedia
Will-o’-the-Wisp SCULLY: The National Weather Service last night reported atmospheric conditions in this area that were possibly conducive to lightning. MULDER: Possibly. SCULLY: It is feasible that the truck was struck by lightning, creating the electrical failure. MULDER: It’s feasible. SCULLY: And you know, there’s a marsh over there. The lights the driver saw
Ball Lightning The stovepipe sharply rattled. Laura looked up and screamed, “Ma! The house is on fire!” A ball of fire was rolling down the stovepipe. It was bigger than Ma’s big ball of yarn. It rolled across the stove and dropped to the floor as Ma sprang up. She snatched up her skirts