Starship Asterisk*

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:17 pm

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:12 pm

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Sat Mar 20, 2021 12:47 pm Ahh! Spring, happy solstice everyone! download.jpg

Oops! Did you all catch my error? Solstice er Eqinox!

What's three months among friends?

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148325/cyclone-tauktae-strikes-india wrote:

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership.

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Cyclone Tauktae Strikes India
Earth Observatory, May 17, 2021
Story by Adam Voiland.

<<An unusually powerful tropical cyclone named Tauktae struck the Indian state of Gujarat on May 17, 2021. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite acquired this natural-color image of the storm a few hours before it made landfall between Porbandar and Mahuva.

As Tauktae approached land, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported maximum sustained winds of 100 knots (185 kilometers) and gusts up to 125 knots (230 kilometers), equivalent to a category 3 or 4 hurricane. That made Tauktae the fifth-strongest storm observed in the Arabian Sea since 1998. Winds of that strength can easily snap trees, topple power lines, and damage homes. The storm also pushed a destructive storm surge of water onto the Indian coast; reports suggest it may have been as high as 3 meters in some areas.

Even before making landfall, Tauktae caused a trail of destruction in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra as it brushed India’s northwest coast over the weekend. According to news reports, the storm contributed to the deaths of at least 12 people, destroyed hundreds of homes, and caused power outages and traffic jams. More than 150,000 people evacuated Gujarat in anticipation of Tauktae’s arrival.

The North Indian Ocean generates only about 7 percent of the world’s tropical cyclones, but storms can be quite devastating when they occur because of the large number of people who live along low-lying coastlines. Compared to the Bengal Sea to the east, cyclones are uncommon in the Arabian Sea, an area that typically sees one or two storms per year. Cool water temperatures, dry air, and unfavorable upper-level winds typically make storms in the Arabian Sea weak and short-lived, though powerful storms occasionally come together under the right environmental conditions.

In Tauktae’s case, conditions were ideal. Upper-level winds were calm and conducive to storm formation. Sea surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea were about 31° Celsius (88° Fahrenheit) as the storm approached Gujarat, a few degrees warmer than usual for mid-May. A rule of thumb among scientists is that ocean temperatures should be above 27° C to sustain a tropical cyclone. During the past few decades, a group of NOAA researchers have observed an increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea, particularly in the post-monsoon season. The group’s modeling results indicate that global warming and rising ocean temperatures are among the reasons for the change.>>

Charlotte Bridgestone wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 7:40 am
I obsereved triple rainbow recently - what an amazing spectacle! Unfortunatelly my phone had low battery and I wasn't able to take picture and I was just standing and enjoying that view! This year it rains much more often, that is why I see rainbows almost everyday

A triple-split rainbow
https://atoptics.wordpress.com/2015/03/ ... gust-2012/
................................................................
When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:14 pm
It's been nothing but hot, hot, hot, lately! It's supposed to rain to day; but the radar says we will probably be missed! So probably no rainbows! On the bright side it will be cooler!

I have seen a few triple rainbows over the years; they get pretty light by the time they get to be #3!

https://atoptics.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/triple-split-rainbow-observed-and-photographed-in-japan-august-2012/ wrote:
<<Kunihiro’s pictures do not only represent the first photographic proof for multi-split bows, but will also give the rainbow theorists something to think about. It might be that we have to take into account additional influences such as electrostatic fields, refractive index variations, or anomalous wind drag.>>

neufer wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:33 pm

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:14 pm
It's been nothing but hot, hot, hot, lately! It's supposed to rain to day; but the radar says we will probably be missed! So probably no rainbows! On the bright side it will be cooler!

I have seen a few triple rainbows over the years; they get pretty light by the time they get to be #3!

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

https://atoptics.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/triple-split-rainbow-observed-and-photographed-in-japan-august-2012/ wrote:
<<Kunihiro’s pictures do not only represent the first photographic proof for multi-split bows, but will also give the rainbow theorists something to think about. It might be that we have to take into account additional influences such as electrostatic fields, refractive index variations, or anomalous wind drag.>>

emc wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:47 pm

There you go again… copying other people’s work

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:22 pm

emc wrote: ↑Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:47 pm

There you go again… copying other people’s work

It is a chronic cognitive disease of mine.

Orca wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:33 pm
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heat-wave- ... d-weather/

I don't normally complain about the heat, but we are experiencing very hot weather right now. Ridiculously hot you might even say. I think I just saw two people walking down the street wearing stillsuits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Earth_Stood_Cool wrote:
<<"The Day the Earth Stood Cool" is the seventh episode of the 24th season of The Simpsons. Homer becomes upset when someone believes him to be Bart's grandfather, and worries that he is no longer cool. He then meets Terrance, a cool donut chef from Portland, who is looking for a new place for him and his family to live as he believes Portland has been "played out". When he tells Homer that he sees potential in Springfield, Homer suggests he buy the house next door to his, which he does.>>

neufer wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:56 pm

Orca wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:33 pm
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heat-wave- ... d-weather/

I don't normally complain about the heat, but we are experiencing very hot weather right now. Ridiculously hot you might even say. I think I just saw two people walking down the street wearing stillsuits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Earth_Stood_Cool wrote:
<<"The Day the Earth Stood Cool" is the seventh episode of the 24th season of The Simpsons. Homer becomes upset when someone believes him to be Bart's grandfather, and worries that he is no longer cool. He then meets Terrance, a cool donut chef from Portland, who is looking for a new place for him and his family to live as he believes Portland has been "played out". When he tells Homer that he sees potential in Springfield, Homer suggests he buy the house next door to his, which he does.>>

Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Sun Aug 22, 2021 4:57 pm
Floods in the eastern US, drought in the west. As water resources dwindle in the west and excess water accumulates in the southeast, will it ever become feasible to construct a sea level water transportation pipeline?

A National Aqueduct System may seem far-fetched but as resources become more stretched, it may eventually become necessary.

• Dirty floodwater from (some) eastern floodplains (at sometimes) is cheap.
  Regular clean fresh water from eastern reservoirs may be a little trickier situation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pass_(Wyoming) wrote:

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<<South Pass (2,259 m) lies on the American Continental Divide, in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. South Pass is the lowest point on the Continental Divide between the Central and Southern Rocky Mountains. The historic pass became the route for emigrants on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails to the West during the 19th century.>>

• 6.15 kWh = minimum energy to lift 1 tonne of water 2,259 m.
  1.00 kWh = minimum energy to desalination 1 tonne of water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination#Energy_consumption wrote:
<<Energy consumption of seawater desalination has reached as low as 3 kWh/m³. including pre-filtering and ancillaries, similar to the energy consumption of other fresh water supplies transported over large distances, but much higher than local fresh water supplies that use 0.2 kWh/m³. or less.

A minimum energy consumption for seawater desalination of around 1 kWh/m3 has been determined, excluding prefiltering and intake/outfall pumping. Under 2 kWh/m³ has been achieved with reverse osmosis membrane technology, leaving limited scope for further energy reductions as the reverse osmosis energy consumption in the 1970s was 16 kWh/m³.>>

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2021 7:33 pm

Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Sun Aug 22, 2021 4:57 pm
Floods in the eastern US, drought in the west. As water resources dwindle in the west and excess water accumulates in the southeast, will it ever become feasible to construct a sea level water transportation pipeline?

A National Aqueduct System may seem far-fetched but as resources become more stretched, it may eventually become necessary.

• Dirty floodwater from (some) eastern floodplains (at sometimes) is cheap.
  Regular clean fresh water from eastern reservoirs may be a little trickier situation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pass_(Wyoming) wrote:

---

<<South Pass (2,259 m) lies on the American Continental Divide, in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. South Pass is the lowest point on the Continental Divide between the Central and Southern Rocky Mountains. The historic pass became the route for emigrants on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails to the West during the 19th century.>>

• 6.15 kWh = minimum energy to lift 1 tonne of water 2,259 m.
  1.00 kWh = minimum energy to desalination 1 tonne of water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination#Energy_consumption wrote:
<<Energy consumption of seawater desalination has reached as low as 3 kWh/m³. including pre-filtering and ancillaries, similar to the energy consumption of other fresh water supplies transported over large distances, but much higher than local fresh water supplies that use 0.2 kWh/m³. or less.

A minimum energy consumption for seawater desalination of around 1 kWh/m3 has been determined, excluding prefiltering and intake/outfall pumping. Under 2 kWh/m³ has been achieved with reverse osmosis membrane technology, leaving limited scope for further energy reductions as the reverse osmosis energy consumption in the 1970s was 16 kWh/m³.>>

Fred the Cat wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2021 3:54 pm
Very good point. Pumped water does have some benefits if the power used is renewable but clean water is preferable.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:51 am

Had ourselves a nice little snowfall this afternoon. It only stuck up on the higher hillsides, as the temperatures weren't too cold. Very pretty with the still changing aspens, though.

neufer wrote: ↑Sat Nov 06, 2021 8:28 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:51 am

Had ourselves a nice little snowfall this afternoon. It only stuck up on the higher hillsides, as the temperatures weren't too cold. Very pretty with the still changing aspens, though.

neufer wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 10:34 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.