APOD: The Upper Michigan Blizzard of 1938 (2024 Jan 21)

[APOD Robot]

The Upper Michigan Blizzard of 1938

Explanation: Yes, but can your blizzard do this? In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's Storm of the Century in 1938, some snow drifts reached the level of utility poles. Nearly a meter of new and unexpected snow fell over two days in a storm that started 86 years ago this week. As snow fell and gale-force winds piled snow to surreal heights, many roads became not only impassable but unplowable; people became stranded, cars, school buses and a train became mired, and even a dangerous fire raged. Two people were killed and some students were forced to spend several consecutive days at school. The featured image was taken by a local resident soon after the storm. Although all of this snow eventually melted, repeated snow storms like this help build lasting glaciers in snowy regions of our planet Earth.

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[shaileshs]

Sorry, what's today's APOD got to do with "A" in "APOD" ? It happens from time to time, I wonder what the person in-charge of posting APOD was drinking last night..

[Chris Peterson]

Sorry, what's today's APOD got to do with "A" in "APOD" ? It happens from time to time, I wonder what the person in-charge of posting APOD was drinking last night..

What does an image of Mars have to do with the "A" in "APOD"?

[stardaddyed]

Gotta agree, not much astronomy in today's pic. Nebula, planets, stars, etc that kind of things.

[Ironwood]

While I too prefer deep sky images that provoke color commentary, I still enjoy visiting all the links in the description. In reality, every photograph ever taken is of a part of the cosmos. Some are just closer to home than others. Thanks to the APOD editors for making it entertaining enough that I have visited almost every day for many years.

If it went away, I would miss it even more than I miss OPOD, the atmospheric optics page.

[johnnydeep]

Sorry, what's today's APOD got to do with "A" in "APOD" ? It happens from time to time, I wonder what the person in-charge of posting APOD was drinking last night..

What does an image of Mars have to do with the "A" in "APOD"?

I assume you mean because Mars is not a "star", but a planet?

astronomy (n.)
c. 1200, "astronomy, astrology, scientific or occult study of heavenly bodies," from Old French astrenomie "astronomy, astrology," from Latin astronomia, from Greek astronomia, abstract noun from astronomos, literally "star-regulating," from astron "star" (from PIE root *ster- (2) "star") + nomos "arranging, regulating; rule, law" (from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take"). Perhaps originally with reference to mapping the constellations or movements of planets.

planet (n.)
late Old English planete, in old astronomy, "star other than a fixed star; star revolving in an orbit," from Old French planete (Modern French planète) and directly from Late Latin planeta, from Greek planētēs, from (asteres) planētai "wandering (stars)," from planasthai "to wander," a word of uncertain etymology.

Perhaps it is from a nasalized form of PIE root *pele- (2) "flat; to spread," on the notion of "spread out," "but the semantics are highly problematic," according to Beekes, who notes the similarity of meaning to Greek plazein "to make devious, repel, dissuade from the right path, bewilder," but adds, "it is hard to think of a formal connection."

So called because they have apparent motion, unlike the "fixed" stars. Originally including also the moon and sun but not the Earth; modern scientific sense of "world that orbits a star" is from 1630s in English. The Greek word is an enlarged form of planes, planetos "who wanders around, wanderer," also "wandering star, planet," in medicine "unstable temperature."

[johnnydeep]

repeated snow storms like this help build lasting glaciers in snowy regions of our planet Earth

Much as they did as recently as 12,000 years ago, when Long Island, where I live, was under a 2 mile high glacier!

The Last Glacial Period (LGP), also known colloquially as the Last Ice Age or simply Ice Age,[1] occurred from the end of the Eemian to the end of the Younger Dryas, encompassing the period c. 115,000 – c. 11,700 years ago.]

[Chris Peterson]

Sorry, what's today's APOD got to do with "A" in "APOD" ? It happens from time to time, I wonder what the person in-charge of posting APOD was drinking last night..

What does an image of Mars have to do with the "A" in "APOD"?

I assume you mean because Mars is not a "star", but a planet?

You presume correctly.

[johnnydeep]

What does an image of Mars have to do with the "A" in "APOD"?

I assume you mean because Mars is not a "star", but a planet?

You presume correctly.

I suppose we could have a catch-all - SPOD - Science Picture Of the Day, but it seems unnecessary.

[Roy]

“Mostly Cajun” does have a “Today in History” listing of notable events, along with amusing tongue-in-cheek comments. This would probably evoke “FEMA slow to respond. Bush widely blamed.”

[Confused]

I missed seeing this one before now but in answer to the question, can another blizzard do this, I have seen other pictures like this of snow that high. And I have seen pictures of water that high, and snow contains less water than liquid water. Therefore even as a science story the picture is not very significant.

[johnnydeep]

I missed seeing this one before now but in answer to the question, can another blizzard do this, I have seen other pictures like this of snow that high. And I have seen pictures of water that high, and snow contains less water than liquid water. Therefore even as a science story the picture is not very significant.

I have seen many pictures of the Moon, and can merely look up in the sky typically 15 days a month and see the Moon with my own eyes. That doesn't mean that APODs of the Moon aren't worth looking at.

[Confused]

I have seen many pictures of the Moon, and can merely look up in the sky typically 15 days a month and see the Moon with my own eyes. That doesn't mean that APODs of the Moon aren't worth looking at.

I do not understand the relevance of that to what I said except I was commenting on the question can your blizzard do this that is in the first sentence of the original post.

[johnnydeep]

I have seen many pictures of the Moon, and can merely look up in the sky typically 15 days a month and see the Moon with my own eyes. That doesn't mean that APODs of the Moon aren't worth looking at.

I do not understand the relevance of that to what I said except I was commenting on the question can your blizzard do this that is in the first sentence of the original post.

I was commenting mainly on your last sentence. Absent that, I probably would have said nothing.