Weather: The Ultimate Book of Meteorological Events

LIGHT

Lightning, Rainbows, Auroras, Comets, and Rays

"Daddy, why is the sky red?" might query a young descendent of Earth residing in a future Martian colony. And why blue here on Earth, except when it's orange, red, pink, or gray? For those taking the time to look skyward, a decided minority in our frantic, increasingly urbanized society, the celestial dome displays a never-ending kaleidoscope of tints, hues, and textures, all in high definition, without monthly cable or satellite charges.

The light detected by our eyes is just a fraction of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum emitted by our nearest star. Visible light is absorbed, scattered, reflected, and refracted by molecules, water droplets, ice crystals, and atmospheric layers, which extract the spectrum's rainbow colors. Shorter than violet, UV wavelengths can burn our skin, while those longer than red can be felt radiating from a brick wall releasing the heat from a day's intense sunshine. Highly energetic particles streaming from the solar nuclear furnace energize the upper atmosphere into multihued curtains draped around both poles, not only on the third rock from the sun but Jupiter and Saturn as well.

Once thought a harbinger of war, the aurora sky show gets thumbs-up from all critics, and is also a reminder there is indeed "weather" in near space. Cosmic radiation and magnetic disturbances can cripple satellites, expose astronauts and transpolar airline passengers to worrisome radiation dosages, and trigger massive power outages in the intertwined electrical grids on the planet below. The same solar wind that bombards our upper atmosphere vectors the glowing tails of comets like Hale-Bopp to always point away from the sun, which they orbit.

We now celebrate when Comet Halley, once an omen of pestilence, returns as predicted by Sir Edmond. Meanwhile, we send probes to sample icy, rocky cometary surfaces, and worry if after 65 million years, another really, really big one might impact us. Everyone's favorite, the rainbow, once sent a Franciscan monk to prison for life. Around 1265, Roger Bacon displeased the ecclesiastical authorities by daring to demonstrate how raindrops refracted sunlight to decorate the heavens without need of direct Divine intervention.

Yet one light in the sky, brighter and hotter than the sun, should be feared, or at least respected. We now know neither Thor nor Jupiter nor Zeus hurl the lightning flashes that strike the U.S. 30 million times yearly, killing perhaps a hundred Americans and thousands worldwide, with damage mounting into the billions. Following the 30:30 rule can save you. If the time delay between the brilliant flash and the resounding boom of the thunder is less than 30 seconds, the next bolt could well strike where you are standing. Seek safety inside a well-constructed building and avoid conducting objects with pathways to the outside. Stay inside until 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder. Many fatalities occur as people venture outside to admire the receding storm, only to encounter one of the many strikes occurring outside the storm's rain footprint.

Perhaps that thunderstorm was triggered by a sea breeze on a tropical coastline, where evening finds you relaxing on the beach as the sun sets slowly into the ocean, allowing a glimpse of the elusive green flash. This brief emerald apparition results from sunlight's passage through layers of moisture and temperature near the sea surface. Or maybe it is just Mother Nature giving you a knowing wink because you took time to slow down, smell any available roses, and especially watch the never-ending light show that is our sky.
—Walter Lyons, CCM

Weather: The Ultimate Book of Meteorological Events

Authors: Editors of the Weather Calendar
ISBN: 978-0-7407-6989-4
Format: 13 ½ x 10 ¼, 256 pp, hardcover with jacket
Price: $50.00 U.S.A. ($60.00 Canada)

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Contact: Shelly Barkes, (800) 851-8923, ext. 7498, sbarkes@amuniversal.com