Starship Asterisk*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistral_(wind) wrote:
<<The mistral in France is a cool or cold, often violent, and usually dry wind, blowing throughout the year but is most frequent in winter and spring. It blows from the northwest or north of Europe through the valley of the Rhône River to the Mediterranean. In the south of France the name comes from the Languedoc dialect of the provençal language and means "masterly". The same wind is called mistrau in the Occitan language, mestral in Catalan and maestrale in Italian and Corsican. The mistral is usually accompanied by clear and sunny weather, and it plays an important role in creating the climate of Provence. The mistral is an example of a katabatic wind, which is created by the difference in pressure between the cold air of a high pressure system over the Atlantic or northwest Europe and a low pressure system over the Gulf of Lion or the Gulf of Genoa in the Mediterranean. The high-pressure air flows south through the Rhone Valley, gathering speed as it is funneled between the Alps and the Massif Central. As summer visitors to the beach in Provence learn, the summer mistral can quickly lower the temperature of the sea, as the wind pushes the warm water near the surface out to sea and it is replaced by colder water from greater depths.

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Chris Peterson wrote:Parallel to the horizon, the atmosphere has no effect. But perpendicular to the horizon atmospheric refraction compresses the size of the Moon. That's what gives it (or the Sun) a flattened appearance right on the horizon.

apodman wrote:The boat in the foreground is carrying a giant set of calipers to help the photographer make this determination.

Earthbelow wrote:I find the name of those bicycle brakes amusing. Are they named after a certain famous pharmaceutical?