The wind is caused by the differences in air pressure. These atmospheric pressure differences are created by the uneven heating of the Earth (or any planetary body which have an atmosphere, see notes 1) by the Sun.
Category Archives: Earth Facts
Stardust is raining down on Earth
It is all around us. Every day in our lives we are in contact with it. In fact, we are made from it: ancient stardust. All the atoms around us have witnessed the most violent explosions in the universe. Their journeys through space are the longest, roughest and loneliest voyages imaginable. Dominik Koll, Australian National …
Measuring Meteorites to Reveal the Origins of the Earth
The planet we call home has a 4.5-billion-year history, but humans have only been around for a tiny fraction of this time. To discover what happened before life arose on Earth, and even before Earth’s formation, scientists can study objects sent from space – from icy comets and rocky asteroids to tiny particles of interstellar …
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What is equilux and why on an equinox day and night aren’t equal lengths
In fact, contrary to the popular belief, the lengths of day and night aren’t equal on an equinox. There’s another term for this: equilux.
How high do you have to be to see the curvature of the Earth?
Most people don’t realize how large the earth is compared to the height of a mountain or the altitude of a passenger aircraft. It’s easy to think we’re really high up when we are atop a high mountain or in a passenger plane, but comparatively, even in the case of the plane (planes fly higher …
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10 Fun Geography Facts
Earth is an amazing place. Not only it is a beautiful oasis in the vast, cold space, it also has many interesting and even strange features. Here are 10 fun geography facts.
Earth’s magnetic field is changing 10 times faster than previously thought
The magnetic field of Earth is constantly changing. And, at the moment, even more rapidly than previously thought – up to 10 times, as British researchers have now figured out. This has significant implications not just for the old-school magnetic compass navigation but also for the proper functioning of telecommunications networks and GPS-and thus for …
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How LONG is the Earth? The answer may surprise you
“How long is the Earth” is a weird question – but what if you cut it up into Minecraft-sized 1-meter cubes and lay them in a line through space, how far would the Earth stretch? It is a thought experiment and in the video published by the astrophysicist (and a famous poker player!) Liv Boeree …
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How the moon was formed? An epic exploration of lunar origin theories
How the moon was formed? The most widely accepted theory of the Moon’s origin is known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis. The standard giant impact hypothesis, sometimes called the Big Splash, or the Theia Impact suggests the Mars-sized body, called Theia, impacted Earth, creating a large debris ring around Earth, and the Moon formed out …
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The Sun is less active than sibling stars, study shows – here’s what that could mean
All stars emit varying amounts of light over time – and the Sun is no exception. Such changes in starlight can help us understand how habitable any planets around other stars are – a very active star may bombard its planets with harmful radiation. Now a new study, published in Science, shows that the Sun …
