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☆ Johannesburg residents stunned by once-in-a-decade snowfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Children play in the snow at Laerskool Orion, a school located in Brackenhurst, a suburb south of Johannesburg in South Africa, July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, July 10 (Reuters) - Residents of South Africa's biggest city Johannesburg were stunned by the first snowfall in over a decade on Monday, with some children seeing snow for the first time. While parts of South Africa regularly receive snowfall over the southern hemisphere winter months around June to August, Johannesburg last saw snow in August 2012. South of the city in Brackenhurst, a Reuters photographer saw children making snowballs and snow angels in a school's grounds. But for others, like delivery driver Chenjerai Murape whose motorbike would not start, the snow made life difficult.

Persons: Jennifer Banda, Chenjerai, Snow, Tannur Anders, Thando Hlophe, Catherine Schenck, Shafiek, Alexander Winning Organizations: REUTERS, Nelson, Reuters, African Weather Service, Thomson Locations: Brackenhurst, Johannesburg, South Africa, Siphiwe, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa's, Gauteng, Pretoria, Mpumalanga province

☆ Kissing a Fellow Janitor Amid the Trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Elizabeth Endicott | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mortified, I fished them from my pocket and began sifting through the trash more carefully. Mere weeks before, I had been tutoring the children of migrant agricultural workers around Flathead Lake in northern Montana, after graduating from the University of Montana. I emerged from the belly of the C-17 military plane into a powerful wind that pushed the temperature to 40 degrees below zero. Among my duties was organizing each building’s trash center, an initial step before solid waste technicians retrieved, palletized and shipped it all back to America. Trash centers consisted of eight cabinets: skua, glass, aluminum, mixed paper, plastic, food waste and the particularly unsavory sanitary waste.

Persons: Mortified Organizations: University of Montana, U.S, National Science Locations: Flathead, Montana, Antarctica, U.S ., America

[1/3] One of Tiger Brands' most popular beverage products, Oros, is seen during production at a manufacturing facility in Germiston, South Africa November 17, 2022. This investment, sometimes at the cost of essential capital expenditure, will eventually be passed onto consumers, making food prices higher for longer, food companies, economists and lobby groups told Reuters. It comes at a time when South Africa is already struggling with acute unemployment, 14-year high interest rates and ballooning inflation and complicates efforts of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to ease interest rate hikes. Poultry producer Astral (ARLJ.J), diversified food producers AVI (AVIJ.J) and RCL Foods (RCLJ.J) have indicated in their recent earnings statements the mitigating measures would eventually translate into higher food prices. The listed food producers have collectively lost almost 15% in their market value since the beginning of the year.

Persons: James Oatway, Derek McKernan, Kobus, Pieter Taljaard, Thomas Funke, Charles Rossouw, Rosle, Cloete, Gertenbach, Tannur Anders, Anait, Promit Mukherjee, David Evans Organizations: Tiger Brands, REUTERS, Reuters, South African Reserve Bank, Reuters Graphics, Premier, RCL, Grain SA, Cane Growers ' Association, Food, Agricultural, Thomson Locations: Germiston, South Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Africa

☆ NASA’s Webb telescope image shows details of Saturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Astronomers have discovered surprising details about Saturn’s atmosphere, using a new image captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. In the image, Saturn itself appears extremely dark due to the near-total absorption of sunlight by methane gas. The image was taken with Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera, known as NIRCam, as part of a Webb program that involves several exceptionally deep exposures of Saturn, according to NASA. This latest detailed image comes just weeks after the Webb telescope spotted a record-breaking water plume erupting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which feeds Saturn’s diffuse E ring, according to NASA. In the future, additional and deeper exposures from Webb will help astronomers examine fainter rings around Saturn, according to NASA.

Persons: NASA’s James Webb, Webb, “, ” Organizations: CNN —, NASA’s James Webb Space, NASA, Cassini, Webb, Saturn, Hubble

☆ Breakingviews: El Nino will brew up potent new economic storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

It looks likely that the El Nino weather phenomenon has returned, according to both the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Reuters GraphicsBy one reckoning, a single El Nino event might seem manageable. The direct impact of El Nino- and La Nina-affected weather on sowing, growing and harvesting is not the only economic consideration. On June 8 the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center issued an advisory that El Nino conditions “are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter”. The highest temperature reached in any past El Nino was 2.6 degrees Celsius above average in 2016.

Persons: El, Nina, Gabrielle, It’s, there’s, Peter Thal Larsen, Katrina Hamlin, Thomas Shum Organizations: MELBOURNE, Reuters, El, U.S . National Oceanographic, Atmospheric Administration, Australian, of Meteorology, International Monetary Fund, University of Dartmouth, El Nino, Nina, Rabobank, Barclays, World Meteorological Organisation, Center, Thomson Locations: India, Thailand, Vietnam, El Nino, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Europe, China, Southeast Asia, United States, Oceania, Australia, Western Australia, Delhi, Ukraine

☆ El Nino will brew up potent new economic storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ South Africa nearing end of daily power cuts, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Summary Electricity minister said summer could see no blackoutsCountry's power generation almost meeting demand, he saidWorst scenario of peak winter demand has not materialisedJOHANNESBURG, July 2 (Reuters) - South Africa's electricity minister said on Sunday the country was closer to ending daily power cuts as warmer weather returns towards the end of the year, but declined to give a specific date. South Africa is on course to see its most blackout days in history this year with daily power cuts extending to almost 10 hours a day, affecting businesses and households in an economy already hobbled by high interest rates and inflation. The power cuts, called loadshedding locally, is expected to shave off 2 percentage points from GDP this year, the central bank said last month. The capacity available is plateauing around 29,000 MW, giving enough room to bring the power cuts down to Stage 3, where 3,000 MW are taken off the grid, leading to between two and fours hours of daily power cuts, the minister added. South Africa implements power cuts in stages from one to eight with eight being the highest and translating into over 10 hours of daily power cuts.

Persons: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Ramokgopa, Promit Mukherjee, Alison Williams Organizations: Electricity, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

☆ Hotter, drier weather likely across Australia for winter and early spring
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - Dry and warm weather is forecast across large chunks of Australia through the southern hemisphere winter and into spring, the Bureau of Meteorology said on Thursday. Hot and dry weather is associated with the El Nino weather pattern, which the bureau earlier this month said had a 70% chance of developing this year. Below median rainfall is also "likely to very likely" across parts of eastern and western Australia over the same period, the bureau said, adding there was a 60% to 80% chance. July is set to be an exception to the dry spell, with above median rainfall likely for much of the Northern Territory, Queensland and northern South Australia state. The forecast reflected a tropical Pacific Ocean warming beyond El Nino thresholds, record ocean temperatures globally and the potential development of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole, it said.

Persons: Lewis Jackson, Christina Fincher Organizations: SYDNEY, Meteorology, El, Thomson Locations: Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, El

‘Living on top of each other’Mission Antarctica: Each year, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust sends a crack team to run one of the world's most remote post offices. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Shovel your way in: It was a tough start. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Food reserves: Unsurprisingly, fresh food is in short supply, other than what comes their way via visiting cruise ships. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Kitted out: Those sunglasses are crucial if you don't want to risk snow blindness. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust The post office at the end of the world Prev NextThe chosen candidates beat out odds of one in a thousand – but this is not a cozy posting.

Persons: They’d, Clare Ballantyne, it’s, Ballantyne, Lucy Bruzzone, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett, Camilla Nichol, Nichol, “, ”, Vicky Inglis, ‘ Cheeriness, Cheeriness, They’ll, aren’t, Says Nichol Organizations: CNN, Britain’s Royal Navy, Port, Antarctic Heritage Trust, Base, Antarctic Heritage Trust Food, Antarctic Heritage, British Antarctic Survey, International Association of Antarctica Locations: there’s, Antarctica, Inglis, Montreal, Antarctic

☆ Australia’s having an intense flu season, and it could be a signal of what’s to come in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It’s only June, but scientists in the US are already thinking about flu season. As always at this time of year, they’re keeping a close eye on Australia, which saw an early start to its flu season. “We closely monitor what happens in countries throughout the Southern Hemisphere this time of year, just to see what’s happening during their flu season. If many people opt out of the flu vaccine, cases could rise. So while Reed and her colleagues will be watching Australia’s flu numbers and running their calculations, it’s still not totally clear what 2023’s flu season will bring for the US.

Persons: CNN — It’s, don’t, Care, It’s, ”, Carrie Reed, Reed, “ We’ve, Thomas McAndrew, “, Taylor Swift, ” McAndrew, William Schaffner, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, –, it’s, ” Reed Organizations: CNN, Australian Department of Health, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Department of Community, Population Health, Lehigh University . “, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, CNN Health, World Health Organization, agency’s Department of Health, Care Locations: Australia, Southern, Chicago, agency’s

☆ El Nino may hammer Asian farms with dry weather, but shower American growers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Naveen Thukral | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

El Nino, a warming of water surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, is expected to develop in the coming months, according to meteorologists. The onset of monsoon rains across South Asia is likely to be slightly delayed this year and El Nino could hit rice and oilseeds production. "El Nino could develop during July ... it might have an impact in the second half of the season," said O.P. "In general, a big part of the Pampean region and Northern Argentina have above-normal rains with the El Nino phenomenon." In Europe, where El Nino is not typically linked to pronounced weather patterns, major crops are in good shape after abundant spring rain, with the exception of drought-hit Spain.

Persons: El Nino, Chris Hyde, El, Phin Ziebell, Sreejith, Germán Heinzenknecht, David Tolleris, Rains, Naveen Thukral, Maximilian Heath, Mark Weinraub, Rajendra Jadhav, Gus Trompiz, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Nino, El, National Australia Bank, India Meteorological Department, El Nino, HIT, Thomson Locations: Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Asia U.S, South America, SINGAPORE, Asia, U.S, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, El Nino, Americas, Russia, Ukraine, New South Wales, Queensland, South Asia, ARGENTINA, United States, Argentina, Northern Argentina, China, Europe, Spain, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Paris

☆ Quito: Ecuador’s underrated capital city was the first to become a UNESCO site
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Sandra Macgregor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. Singular churchesInside the Spanish colonial church of San Francisco in the city center of Quito. The museum even puts on a variety of shows, including a karaoke night of traditional Ecuadorian song. It’s especially busy at lunchtime when it fills to capacity with locals looking to indulge in affordable traditional Ecuadorian cuisine. Guided toursMetropolitan Touring’s “Live Quito Like a Local” walking tour is great for visitors with only a day or two to explore Quito.

☆ Stunning photos of the night sky in one of the darkest places on Earth will make you want to visit New Zealand ASAP
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Rebecca Strong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is especially great for star gazing. But in one of the darkest places on Earth — the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve in New Zealand — that's not an issue. Aoraki is the second-largest dark sky reserve in the world, ranking at a level 2 on the nine-level Bortle Dark-Sky Scale for light pollution. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is located in southern New Zealand. Igor HoogerwerfAccording to Jason Menard, an executive at Mackenzie Tourism, The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is one of the best places to view the Milky Way — and that's pretty evident in this photo.

☆ Elon Musk once praised a rocket CEO who didn't go to college for beating Jeff Bezos to orbit, new book reveals: 'Bezos has spent a shitload of money, and he hasn't made it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new book reveals Elon Musk once praised a rival New Zealand rocket CEO in a 2018 phone call. Musk said it was "impressive" that Rocket Lab launched a rocket into orbit before Blue Origin, per the book. Like SpaceX, Rocket Lab has been able to launch rockets into orbit — something Bezos' Blue Origin company has not yet achieved. In March, Rocket Lab launched its 35th Electron rocket just a week after launching its 34th Electron rocket. Neither Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, nor Musk responded to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Get Ready to See More of the Northern Lights
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the southern hemisphere, aurora australis, or the southern lights, are typically visible from Antarctica, Australia and south of Argentina. As the sun’s magnetic fields flip over 11 years, this cycle, phases between solar minimum and solar maximum, Dr. Cameron said. Experts predict that solar maximum will be reached in 2025, meaning the auroral oval, or the area on earth where the lights are visible, will widen until then. “When we’re in the minimum part of the solar cycle, the sun is very quiet, basically nothing going on,” Dr. Cameron said. The solar cycle is tied to the sun’s magnetic field, Dr. Cameron said, but doesn’t affect its temperature.

☆ The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is peaking, giving you the chance to see up to 40 shooting stars an hour. Here's how to watch.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is due to peak May 5, offering up to 40 shooting stars per hour. The dazzling display is known as the Eta Aquarids and takes place in May each year when Earth travels through debris left behind by Halley's Comet. The meteor shower is active this year from between April 15 to May 27, but it is expected to peak on May 5. NASAThe Eta Aquarids are one of the few showers that favor the Southern Hemisphere. So you will have to wait over 20 years to see another Eta Aquarids outburst," he added.

☆ See a meteor shower and lunar eclipse this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —With bright meteors blazing across the sky from the Aquariids meteor shower and a chance to see a lunar eclipse, Friday will be the time to look up to the sky for a day of spectacular celestial events. That alignment will create what is known as a penumbral lunar eclipse, which is when the moon enters Earth’s outer shadow. Get a lawn chair and put the moon at your back,” said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. During a penumbral eclipse, the moon stays on this outer ring, appearing as if it is dimming, but not completely darkening like a total lunar eclipse. On October 28, a partial lunar eclipse will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America.

☆ South Africa’s most epic hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Here are nine of South Africa’s best multiday backpacking trails:Otter TrailThe coastal Otter Trail takes in some of South Africa's most beautiful coastline. South African TourismSouth Africa’s oldest (established in 1968) and most celebrated hiking route, the Otter Trail runs along the Eastern Cape coast between Storms River Mouth and Nature’s Valley in Garden Route National Park. South African TourismSummit the legendary Drakensberg escarpment on a vertiginous route that rises high above Thendele Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu-Natal province. Distance: About 25 kilometers (16 miles)Time: 2 daysInfo: hikingsouthafrica.co.za/kgaswane-summit-trail/Tsitsikamma TrailThe Garden Route National Park is an advenure sport paradise. Each traverse takes seven to 10 days during the South African spring (September-November).

☆ The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is about to peak, giving you the chance to see up to 40 shooting stars an hour. Here's how to watch.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is due to peak May 5, offering up to 40 shooting stars per hour. If you're heading out to see the display, here are NASA's top tips for getting the best look. The meteor shower is active this year from between April 15 to May 27, but it is expected to peak on May 5. NASAThe Eta Aquarids are one of the few showers that favor the Southern Hemisphere. So you will have to wait over 20 years to see another Eta Aquarids outburst," he added.

☆ Fact Check-Ocean pulled to Earth by force of gravity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ocean is pulled down to Earth due to gravity, despite a viral post shared online falsely claiming that the planet’s oceans are held inside a “container,” with Antarctica forming the external ridge. The posts allude to flat earth conspiracies. OUR CONTAINER.”The ocean is pulled down to the irregular ellipsoid-shaped Earth due to gravity (here), however, and is not held together by containers on a flat surface. On Earth, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “gravity pulls all objects ‘downward’ toward the center of the planet” (bit.ly/41XcxYq). The ocean is pulled to Earth due to gravity.

The northern and southern lights, which are usually confined to the Arctic and Antarctica, have generated awe and wonder for centuries. The northern lights were visible over St. Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay, England on Monday. The southern lights glowed over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand on Monday. Over the next few years, the northern lights might appear further south more regularly, said Robert Massey, executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society. A National Weather Service employee took a photo of the northern lights in Maine on Sunday.

☆ The Lyrid meteor shower could give you the chance to see up to 20 shooting stars this weekend. Here's how to watch.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A meteor shower peaking this weekend is expected to offer a spectacular show. The Lyrid meteor shower can offer around 10 to 20 shining meteors an hour. Here are tips to give you the best chance of seeing the shower in all its glory. As debris from the comet falls into our planet's atmosphere, it burns up and leaves behind a trail of dazzling shooting stars in the night sky that can be viewed for several seconds. The Southern Hemisphere will also have a chance to see Lyrid meteors, but they will be fewer in number.

☆ Dramatic image shows a 'plasma waterfall' on the sun that's 8 times the size of Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This is the latest in a string of stunning solar events as our sun nears a peak of activity. The solar plasma 'waterfall' is shown here on the southern hemisphere of the sun on March 9, 2023. About every decade, the sun's magnetic poles flip, which causes havoc with local magnetic fields that are bursting all over our star. NASA Solar Dynamics ObservatoryA massive coronal "hole" in our sun that spewed energy towards the Earth in recent weeks. NASA / Solar Dynamics ObservatorySpace weather is not just prettyScientists don't only look to the sun to see these beautiful structures.

However, strong suppressive trade winds have not yet allowed this warmth to disperse across the ocean and allow El Nino to gain its footing. The most recent two weeks where the anomaly was as warm or warmer were in July 2015, preceding the 2015-16 El Nino event, and in June 1998, coming off the 1997-98 event. A few forecasters see a possible Super El Nino in 2023. The timing of El Nino is most immediately pressing in the Southern Hemisphere, which begins planting wheat next month. Argentina, often wet during El Nino, is wrapping up a catastrophic crop year due to severe drought.

☆ Coyotes and Kings to play first pre-season games in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, April 12 (Reuters) - The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings will clash in pre-season games in Melbourne, Australia in September, the first National Hockey League contests in the southern hemisphere. The Sept. 23 and Sept. 24 games will be held at Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park, the venue for the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam. "The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are two of our League's rising young teams and among our most innovative and adventurous franchises," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman added. "We look forward to their two games at Rod Laver Arena and know this history-making visit will thrill our many avid fans in Australia." Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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