Look, the chance is only like 1 in 10, maybe even 1 in 100, but that's better odds than winning the lottery, by a LONG SHOT. What am I talking about? A possible Aurigid Meteor "Storm" sometime between 5:20 and 5:40am on Saturday morning 9/1 !

It's true, we may go through the dense material from an ancient comet, if Earth makes it just at the right spot, brilliant fireballs may blaze across the sky every second for a minute or two.

Just in case, set your clocks early and go outside in open skies looking high in the Northeast, and just wait and see!

Todd

 

 

 

Some of the "native american" Full Moon names that I announce on ABC4 come from
Eastern Tribes and the names have no relevance here out west. An example would be
the full Sturgeon Moon next month. BUT , tonight's full moon, the full "Buck Moon"
is as appropriate here in the Inter-Mountain, Rocky Mountain area as much as anywhere else.

With the antlers on bucks just starting to push out at this time of year, it certainly is
appropriate anywhere across the nation.

The most famous full moon is coming up in two months.. the full Harvest Moon.

There are 13, not 12 full moons in the course of a year, complicating the naming scheme :)

(There are 29.2 days between full months, not quite a full month)

Todd

Sorry Mike McKay, I couldn't help it, this one I just knew too well.

When I mentioned the hot weather that tempers just a tweak during August, Mike McKay mentioned the "Dog Days of August". Now I dont mean to seem like a "wise guy", but I had to blurt out what Dog Days mean.

You see, the origin comes from the fact that the "dog star" , Sirius first rises before sunup during the month of August! It is the brightest star in the sky (not as bright as Jupiter, Mars and Venus though) .. and follows behind the constellation Orion, which DOES already come up above the horizon at sunup right now! Sirius is next, and will signal that the "dog days" are here. It actually does NOT have to do with the heat!

Todd

Here is more info. as we continue to have beautiful sunups and sundowns..
- Todd

Q: Why are some sunset skies bright orange and red, while others are
not?

A: Sunsets appear orange and red because of the way sunlight is
scattered as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere. Sunlight, like
all forms of radiation, travels as waves. The wavelengths at which
visible light travels range from about 0.4 micrometers (or microns; 1
micrometer = 1 millionth of a meter) to about 0.7 micrometers.

At the short end of this range are the blue and violet colors, while the
oranges and reds have longer wavelengths. During the day, air molecules
in the atmosphere scatter incoming sunlight in different directions -- a
process known as Rayleigh scattering (named for Lord Rayleigh, an
English physicist and mathematician who first described the effect.)

Since Rayleigh scattering occurs more at the lower wavelengths at which
visible light occurs, the blue portion of sunlight is more effectively
scattered and the sky appears blue on a cloudless day. During sunrise
and sunset, however, sunlight must pass through more of the Earth's
atmosphere, allowing more scattering to take place. By the time it
reaches us, most of the shorter wavelengths of the sunlight have been
completely scattered, leaving the longer wavelength portion --the
oranges and reds.

The most brilliant orange and red sunsets are often due to the presence
of particles larger than air molecules -- such as smoke, dust, or ash --
in the atmosphere. These particles help scatter out even more sunlight
at shorter wavelengths, resulting in sunsets that appear redder than
they would otherwise. Events such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions
can create spectacular sunsets, even very far away and long after the
created the brilliant red and orange sunsets that were the inspiration\u003cbr /\>for Edvard Munch\'s painting, "The Scream."\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>For more, see our graphic on what gives the sky its color and our page\u003cbr /\>on understanding sky color.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>(Answered by Sean Potter, a certified consulting meteorologist and\u003cbr /\>science writer in Washington, D.C., June 12, 2005)\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>---------------------------\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003ca onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\" href\u003d\"http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/wasksky.htm\" target\u003d_blank\>http://www.usatoday.com\u003cwbr /\>/weather/resources/askjack\u003cwbr /\>/wasksky.htm\u003c/a\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Q: What does a red moon signify? Perhaps a change in the weather?\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>A: A red moon means there is a high concentration of particles in the\u003cbr /\>air, such as dust and smoke. These particles “scatter” away the short\u003cbr /\>and intermediate wavelengths of light (violet, blue and yellow), leaving\u003cbr /\>only the longer wavelengths (orange and red) to reach our eyes. A red\u003cbr /\>moon does not mean there is a change coming in the weather.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>See our page on optical phenomena for more information.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>(Answered by meteorologist Dennis Feltgen, National Weather Service,\u003cbr /\>Silver Spring, Md., April 26, 2006)\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Q: What causes a red moon?\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>A: The same process that brings colorful sunsets – when the Earth’s\u003cbr /\>atmosphere filters out the blue end of the sun’s visible light – causes\u003cbr /\>the moon to appear red or orange when near the horizon. The most\u003cbr /\>breathtaking red moons occur during a total lunar eclipse, when the moon\u003cbr /\>passes through the Earth’s shadow. Again, the scattering of the blue end\u003cbr /\>of the visible light spectrum allows the red end of the spectrum to\u003cbr /\>illuminate the eclipsing moon.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>Without the Earth’s atmosphere, the moon would look much different to us\u003cbr /\>during a lunar eclipse. While some sunlight would still reach the moon,\u003cbr /\>it would be much dimmer and it wouldn’t appear red or orange.\u003cbr /\>\u003cbr /\>(Answered by Bob Swanson, USA Today\'s assistant weather editor, July 4,\u003cbr /\>2005)\u003cbr /\>\u003c/div\>",0] ); //-->event. The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia, for example, may have
created the brilliant red and orange sunsets that were the inspiration
for Edvard Munch's painting, "The Scream."

For more, see our graphic on what gives the sky its color and our page
on understanding sky color.

(Answered by Sean Potter, a certified consulting meteorologist and
science writer in Washington, D.C., June 12, 2005)

Every month the Native Americans dubbed another name for the full moon. This month was known as the Strawberry Moon, or Rose Moon. In many parts of the country it is Strawberry picking season, so once again, it just "all makes sense". The most famous "Harvest Moon" comes up in September. But when is the full moon? Well officially it is Saturday, but since it is Saturday morning, it is really Friday night and not Saturday that we are closest to full moon!

 

Todd

 

Mike McKay did it this morning, he said "who would named their child Sky?" Little did he know my OWN children were nicknamed and middle-named after the weather. My daughter, Breezy (nickname) Sunshine (middlename) and my son's middle name: SKY!

Well Mike, in the Great state of Utah, we are known for being wonderfully creative in how we name our children from spelling right through to the choice of names. What kind of name is "Mike" anyway? Isn't that kind of "plain"? Okay, okay, I'm JUST kidding. Mike's a fine name, even if it isn't really your own. (oops, was I supposed to let that slip?)

The bottom line: All power to you if you have a unique and creative name out there, or if you named your children after the weather, Mike admitted to me on the side, he was "only joshin'"  :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Todd

 

 

 

I have been using the "One of the 10 best days" of the year phrase, or "Top Ten Day" for over 20 years after surveying television viewers around the country. But what about up and down the Wasatch front specifically? What is YOUR favorite kind of weather? Please let me know by emailing me at gmu@abc4.com. Please be specific in terms of wind, temperature, sky cover, humidity level, rain, snow, etc.

Let's see what we come up with as I redefine what constitutes a 'top ten' day!? for our Good Morning Utah audience!

 

Todd

 

 

As you no doubt know, hot weather is heading our way for later this weekend and early next week. However, a little "pet peeve" this morning: As someone who has lived in the "East" much of his life, I've got to remind you that until it reaches 90 for a high, it is just downright FANTASTIC when it is in the 80s up and down the Wasatch front, because of the low humidity... AND we have two more days in the 80s, Friday and yes, even Saturday.

You have probably experienced high humidity sometime in your life, on a trip to Florida,or even in California and Arizona. What is so interesting about the high humidity  is that especially east of Denver along the Gulf Coast, and the Easternmost U.S., you can actually have a day in the mid to upper 70s which is FAR more uncomfortable than when it is in the low 90s here. However, if you want to go for a swim, higher humidity is more "comfortable" when you get out of the pool, and it does not allow evaporation to take place off your skin, and you won't get that sudden chill. Soooooo, high humidity does have its place :)

Meanwhile, enjoy the LOW humidity and 80s today, and tomorrow, the upcoming heat will only last for 3 days:at most Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, in NORTHERN Utah anyway.

Todd