• 7 months ago
Animation is created by Bright Side.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/

Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV

Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en

Stock materials (photos, footages and other):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more videos and articles visit:
http://www.brightside.me
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Category

😹
Fun
Transcript
00:00:00 Ah, beautiful!
00:00:03 You're walking with your friend and look up at the sky.
00:00:06 The sun looks a bit different today, like it has some kind of ring around it, a rainbow
00:00:11 type thing.
00:00:12 "Hey, look at that!" your friend pulls his head up out of his phone.
00:00:17 You shouldn't look directly into the "Stop everything!" he says.
00:00:21 It's a sun halo, we need to find shelter now, unless you have the world's biggest
00:00:25 umbrella on you!
00:00:27 A sun's halo is nature's sign that there's a snow or rain storm on its way.
00:00:32 It's caused by clouds that are made of bazillions of small ice crystals, flying around 20,000
00:00:38 feet.
00:00:39 Sunlight goes through those crystals, which causes the light to split and refract, like
00:00:44 when there's a rainbow.
00:00:45 Now, don't look at the sun halo directly.
00:00:47 It's gonna be tempting because it's not something you see every day.
00:00:51 Plus, it's really beautiful.
00:00:53 But ultraviolet light can burn the exposed tissue of your retina and cause serious damage.
00:00:59 So not worth it.
00:01:00 Grab some sunglasses, and you're good to go.
00:01:03 This phenomenon lasts about 40 minutes.
00:01:06 These clouds are the same ones that can cause a spooky ring around the Moon at night sometimes.
00:01:11 Nature sends early signs of disasters in many ways.
00:01:15 J-shaped trees means there's a landslide coming.
00:01:19 As the ground is moving slowly, the trees grow into the super-selfiable shape.
00:01:24 Try to find a flat area and avoid going near any trees, unless you have superhuman strength.
00:01:31 You're on a nice walk on the beach.
00:01:33 Sand, sun, not a cloud in the sky.
00:01:36 Then out of nowhere, you see the ocean going back away from the shore.
00:01:41 Suddenly, you can even see bits of coral, small fish, and other random small sea animals.
00:01:47 That's a good sign to leave.
00:01:48 There might be a tsunami on the way.
00:01:51 A tsunami is formed when there's an earthquake underwater, and it can hit the coast at 500
00:01:56 mph.
00:01:57 It's mostly a Pacific Ocean thing, but why risk it?
00:02:02 If there's a channel of choppy water on the beach, stay away.
00:02:06 There might be a rip current under the surface that can be extremely dangerous.
00:02:11 Sometimes waves hit the shore in a weird way, which forms these rip currents.
00:02:16 You might see a strange gap in the waves, or you might notice random bits of seaweed
00:02:21 going in all different directions.
00:02:23 If you don't ever find yourself caught in a rip current, try to stay afloat and don't
00:02:28 waste your energy swimming against the current.
00:02:31 Yell out for help and try to float your way along the beach.
00:02:35 Once you break out of the channel, swim diagonally to the shore.
00:02:39 If you find yourself in the ocean and see a group of sharks swimming, ok, this scenario
00:02:44 doesn't sound good either way.
00:02:46 Well, the good news is, they're not necessarily coming for you.
00:02:50 The bad news?
00:02:51 The sharks might be trying to escape from a huge tropical storm or even a hurricane.
00:02:57 Sharks can sense these things, so when nature gets angry, they group together and swim deep
00:03:02 under the surface to get to safety.
00:03:05 You probably shouldn't follow them.
00:03:07 Good luck!
00:03:08 The golden rule since ancient times – follow the animals.
00:03:11 Insects, rats, and snakes leave their homes a couple of days before really big earthquakes.
00:03:18 Scientists can't track or really explain how they know it's coming.
00:03:22 It seems animals really can sense earthquakes.
00:03:25 Maybe because they feel those smaller initial shock waves that we don't even notice.
00:03:31 What if you see animals running towards you?
00:03:33 That could mean you're about to get eaten for breakfast!
00:03:37 Or it means there's a wildfire behind them.
00:03:40 Amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders try to protect themselves by burrowing down
00:03:45 into the ground, and others just run.
00:03:48 Before you start running alongside them, check to see if you can see smoke.
00:03:52 You don't want to sprint flat out for nothing.
00:03:55 Well, it's not just animals.
00:03:58 We can spot warning signs too.
00:04:00 For example, if you notice your hair suddenly starts to stand on end and your jewelry starts
00:04:06 to buzz, take shelter right away.
00:04:09 Lightning might be about to strike somewhere nearby.
00:04:12 If you're outside and can't run into a house, make sure not to stand near any tall
00:04:18 structures.
00:04:19 Lie flat on the ground.
00:04:20 Be near water.
00:04:22 Seek shelter under an isolated tree or stand in an open space.
00:04:27 And don't stand on top of the Empire State Building.
00:04:29 That thing gets zapped hundreds of times a year.
00:04:33 Do you like skiing?
00:04:34 It's all fun and games until all you can see is white.
00:04:38 Avalanches can move up to 80 mph, so watch for some warning signs.
00:04:43 Does it feel hollow when you walk in the snow?
00:04:45 Are there cracks around your feet?
00:04:48 Can you see a huge avalanche coming?
00:04:50 Time to go!
00:04:52 Sometimes a storm mixes its blue light with the red light from the sun, and you get a
00:04:57 pretty impressive green.
00:04:59 Enjoy it from a safe distance, preferably indoors.
00:05:02 A super tall thundercloud usually means you're about to get smashed by hail, or worse, a
00:05:09 tornado.
00:05:10 Find cover somewhere, like in an underground parking lot or a basement.
00:05:14 It might be a bit embarrassing if you're wrong, though.
00:05:17 Okay, we know volcanoes can be dangerous.
00:05:21 But the lakes near them?
00:05:23 Is anything not a sign of danger?
00:05:25 Lakes that are near something boiling hot that never cools (so, volcanoes) are like
00:05:30 wildly shaken soda cans, just about to burst.
00:05:35 The magma that's underground actually pushes carbon dioxide into the bottom of the lake,
00:05:40 and that gas stays there, waiting.
00:05:42 Then, even something boring like rain can disturb the lake a little too much and bam!
00:05:49 Or boom!
00:05:50 You get the picture.
00:05:51 Diving, swimming, snorkeling – the sea can be amazing, but it's pretty unpredictable.
00:05:58 When two wave currents run into each other, they can create a cross-sea.
00:06:03 It looks pretty cool from far away, but it can be really dangerous for swimmers, surfers,
00:06:07 or even ships.
00:06:08 There's a strong current roaming around under the surface.
00:06:12 You're walking on the beach (apparently, every good story starts like this) and all
00:06:16 of a sudden, oooh, a cave!
00:06:19 How cool is this?
00:06:20 You should probably go in there, explore a bit, and… no.
00:06:24 If there's a full moon out, you might not be able to get out of that cave.
00:06:28 A full moon affects the tide and makes it lower than usual.
00:06:33 That cave might be more accessible, but instead of an exciting adventure, you could end up
00:06:38 trapped in there until the next full moon.
00:06:41 Bring a big lunch A wall cloud is one of those things you're
00:06:45 both excited and scared to see.
00:06:49 Scared because you don't know what it is.
00:06:51 And because, well, how often do you see something like that?
00:06:55 Whatever you feel, tell your legs to start running!
00:06:59 During a thunderstorm, these wall clouds sit lower than anything else and can be up to
00:07:03 5 miles long.
00:07:05 And if they start spinning, well, Dorothy ended up in Oz.
00:07:09 Who knows where you'll end up!
00:07:11 It's 2009 in Italy.
00:07:14 A man was hanging out in his kitchen.
00:07:16 Then he saw some flickering lights.
00:07:18 He knew just what to do.
00:07:20 He moved his family to a safe place.
00:07:23 A couple of seconds later, a massive earthquake hit the whole region.
00:07:27 His family survived thanks to his quick reaction.
00:07:30 He knew these flickering lights were actually a sign of an upcoming earthquake.
00:07:35 People had been seeing these mysterious lights for ages.
00:07:39 Some thought it was some kind of sign coming from space.
00:07:43 Scientists never used to take them seriously.
00:07:45 But after the invention of photography, more and more evidence of these strange lights
00:07:49 appeared.
00:07:50 Soon, they realized the connection.
00:07:52 The lights appear, and pretty soon, the earthquake hits.
00:07:56 After a bit of digging around, they actually found some records of these earthquake lights
00:08:01 from hundreds of years ago.
00:08:03 There were bluish flames coming out of the ground right before an earthquake.
00:08:07 Creepy.
00:08:08 Oh, ocean, come on, not you again!
00:08:12 Okay, but just one more.
00:08:14 If you see the ocean's turned all reddish-brown, don't go in the water or anywhere near it.
00:08:20 This red tide is caused by toxic algae and is something you can find all over the world.
00:08:26 That toxic algae can be there even if the ocean's a normal color.
00:08:30 Getting that stuff all over you can cause some health issues.
00:08:33 Rinse yourself off in fresh water as fast as you can.
00:08:37 You know, they even wrote a holiday song about it!
00:08:41 Algae home for Christmas!
00:08:43 Not really.
00:08:46 Hello distinguished guests and welcome to Aquarium Bright!
00:08:50 Here you will get to see the most dangerous sea and ocean creatures.
00:08:53 But don't let what I said mislead you.
00:08:55 It's very well possible for you to come across one of these underwater animals during a walk
00:09:00 on the beach.
00:09:02 So take a look at them carefully now and you might just avoid a disaster.
00:09:08 Is it fish or is it stone?
00:09:11 What you're looking at is commonly known as the stonefish, but its fancier names include
00:09:16 the doornorn and the sinansia.
00:09:19 If you're into diving and observing the underwater, you might already have come across
00:09:23 one without noticing.
00:09:25 Its appearance makes it almost impossible to distinguish it from a real stone due to
00:09:30 its grey coloration and mottled appearance.
00:09:33 Especially if you're wearing fogged snorkel goggles.
00:09:36 So you better pay attention because otherwise the consequences can be unfortunate since
00:09:41 stonefish are the most venomous fish known.
00:09:44 Although some types of stonefishes are known to live in rivers, and most of them are found
00:09:48 in coral reefs near the tropical Pacific and Indian oceans.
00:09:53 Their needle-like dorsal fin spines stick up when they're disturbed or threatened and
00:09:57 inject the poison they contain.
00:10:00 The most common reason why stonefish stings occur is swimmers stepping on them without
00:10:04 realizing it.
00:10:05 However, you don't need to be in the water to get stung.
00:10:09 Since they can survive out of the water for up to 24 hours, you'll have to watch where
00:10:13 you step when you're at the beach as well.
00:10:15 Those who got stung by stonefish describe their experience to be extremely distressing.
00:10:21 Their venom can result in infection and in some cases it is known to cause shock and
00:10:26 paralysis.
00:10:27 It might come as a bit of a shock, but despite its bad reputation, stonefish is edible if
00:10:33 it's prepared properly.
00:10:35 When the fish is heated, its venom breaks down.
00:10:38 And if the dorsal fins, which are the main source of its venom, are removed, raw stonefish
00:10:42 is served as part of sashimi too.
00:10:46 This creature might look like it came out of a science fiction movie, but it's very
00:10:50 much real.
00:10:51 Say hello to the blue-ringed octopuses.
00:10:54 Don't be deceived by their small size, which can range between 5 to 8 inches including
00:10:59 their arms, because they're packed with venom to cause great damage to as many as 26 people
00:11:05 within minutes.
00:11:07 Just like stonefishes, blue-ringed octopuses are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans,
00:11:12 from Japan to Australia.
00:11:14 They typically live on coral reefs and rocky areas of the sea floor.
00:11:19 Some may also be found in tide pools, seagrass, and algal beds.
00:11:24 Blue-ringed octopuses are not aggressive in nature.
00:11:27 When they're not seeking food such as crabs or shrimps, or searching for a mate, they
00:11:31 often hide in marine debris, shells, or crevices.
00:11:35 It's only if they're provoked, cornered, or handled that they get dangerous to humans.
00:11:40 When they're threatened, they turn bright yellow or blue iridescent rings appear all
00:11:45 over their body as a warning display towards the potential predators.
00:11:50 Their bites usually come unnoticed, so you might not be able to realize you're bitten
00:11:54 until it's too late.
00:11:56 The venom of a blue-ringed octopus can cause dizziness and loss of senses and motor skills,
00:12:01 and ultimately paralysis.
00:12:04 So better try to keep your hands to yourself and back away in a hurry if you see one.
00:12:09 Nope, it's not a flower bouquet, so don't try to pick and smell one of those pink tube-like
00:12:15 things.
00:12:16 What's standing before your eyes is a marine animal called a flower urchin.
00:12:21 It may look gorgeous, but don't let the looks deceive you.
00:12:24 It was named the most dangerous sea urchin in the 2014 Guinness World Records.
00:12:29 Flower urchins inhabit the tropical areas of the Indo-West Pacific and are found among
00:12:34 coral reefs, rocks, sand, and seagrass terrains at depths of 0 to 295 feet.
00:12:42 The most noticeable feature of them is their pedicularia, which are claw-shaped defensive
00:12:47 organs that are also found in sea stars.
00:12:50 What makes flower urchins differ from any other sea urchin is the fact that their pedicularia
00:12:55 is, as the name suggests, flower-like and usually pinkish-white to yellowish-white in
00:13:00 color with a central purple dot.
00:13:03 Hidden underneath those flowers, they possess short and blunt spines.
00:13:08 Although many sea urchins deliver their venom through such spines, flower urchins deliver
00:13:13 their venom through their pedicularia, or flowers.
00:13:17 If they're undisturbed, the tips of these flowers are usually expanded into round, cup-like
00:13:22 shapes.
00:13:23 On their surface, they possess tiny sensors with which they can detect threats, and once
00:13:28 they contact such threats, these flowers immediately snap shut and start injecting venom.
00:13:34 What's weird is that the little claws of the flowers can sometimes break off from their
00:13:39 stalks, stick to the point of contact, and continue injecting venom for hours into whoever
00:13:44 touched it.
00:13:46 Yeesh!
00:13:48 Looks like a giant puddle of melted strawberry ice cream, right?
00:13:52 You wish!
00:13:53 It's a lion's mane jellyfish, which is also called giant jellyfish, arctic red jellyfish,
00:13:59 or hairy jelly.
00:14:01 They're known to prefer cool water, that's why they can mostly be found in the Arctic,
00:14:06 northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans.
00:14:09 But it's possible to spot them around the British Isles or in the Scandinavian waters
00:14:14 too.
00:14:15 Lion's mane jellyfish are one of the largest known species of jellyfish.
00:14:20 They get their name from their long, flowing, hair-like tentacles and can reach lengths
00:14:25 up to 10 feet.
00:14:27 And although the average bell diameter of a lion's mane jellyfish is around 20 inches,
00:14:32 they can sometimes attain a diameter of over 7 feet!
00:14:36 The largest lion's mane jellyfish recorded was seen in 1865 off the coast of Massachusetts.
00:14:43 It was measured to have tentacles around 125 feet long and a diameter of 7 feet.
00:14:50 To help you picture it, this is longer than a blue whale!
00:14:54 Lion's mane jellyfish hunt by extending their tentacles outward and creating a trap
00:14:58 to catch their food.
00:15:00 Since they have around 1,200 stinging tentacles, the fish would have to be extremely lucky
00:15:06 to be able to escape them.
00:15:08 The sting of a lion's mane jellyfish is usually not life-threatening, but you would
00:15:13 still want to avoid swimming into its tentacles because it can be very painful to humans.
00:15:18 And if you see one washed up on the beach, better not touch it because it can still deliver
00:15:22 a sting long after they've been on the shore.
00:15:25 Fun fact, the lion's mane jellyfish appears in the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Adventure
00:15:30 of the Lion's Mane" as a suspect.
00:15:33 But don't worry, we won't give you any spoilers!
00:15:37 The last marine animal you're seeing now is a sea snake, and yes, they are different
00:15:42 from eels.
00:15:43 There are 69 identified species of sea snakes, most of them can be found in the tropical
00:15:49 and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and they have been around for millions
00:15:55 of years.
00:15:56 To make things easier, scientists have separated all different species of sea snakes into two
00:16:01 categories, true sea snakes and sea kraits.
00:16:06 Whereas true sea snakes spend almost all their time at sea, sea kraits can spend some time
00:16:11 on land as well.
00:16:13 If you see a snake on the beach, you can tell whether it's a land or sea snake by looking
00:16:18 at its tail.
00:16:19 If it's paddle-like, then that's a sea snake you got there, but make sure to keep
00:16:24 your distance in both cases.
00:16:26 All sea snakes need to surface regularly to breathe since they have no gills.
00:16:31 That's why you can come across one while swimming.
00:16:34 If that happens, you better swim away as fast as you can because most sea snakes have more
00:16:38 venom than the average cobra or rattlesnake.
00:16:41 However, since they only attack if provoked, bites are quite rare.
00:16:47 One more cool fact about sea snakes, they are the only reptiles to give birth in the
00:16:52 oceans.
00:16:53 The majority of sea snakes keep the eggs within themselves and give birth to nearly fully
00:16:57 formed snakes while swimming.
00:17:00 That's except for the yellow-lipped sea krait though.
00:17:02 They come onto land to lay eggs of their little ones.
00:17:05 Remember the stonefish from the beginning of our tour?
00:17:08 They're hunted by sea snakes.
00:17:10 Blame the food chain!
00:17:12 The Baltic Sea Anomaly In 2011, a diving team came down to the bottom
00:17:17 of the northern part of the Baltic Sea.
00:17:19 They went on a treasure hunt, but what they came upon was a pretty weird object.
00:17:25 When they took photos and showed them to others, many believed it was a sunken spaceship of
00:17:30 another civilization.
00:17:33 Other people thought that some natural causes formed the object, but the metals inside the
00:17:38 structure definitely couldn't have been formed naturally.
00:17:41 Now, some scientists even believe it was something that appeared way back in the Ice Age.
00:17:48 Maybe it was even a meteorite that ended up trapped under ice back then.
00:17:54 A maelstrom is a whirlpool, some sort of a powerful rotational current that forms when
00:18:00 two currents collide and create a circular vortex.
00:18:04 Even fearless Vikings were afraid of maelstroms because those were forces so powerful that
00:18:09 they could sink large ships.
00:18:11 These whirlpools remain dangerous even today, but luckily not for big modern ships that
00:18:17 are large enough to withstand the power of maelstroms.
00:18:21 But a cruise ship that gets into a maelstrom usually faces massive waves that can rock
00:18:26 even big vessels from side to side pretty intensely.
00:18:31 A maelstrom can be so strong it can turn into some sort of an underwater black hole.
00:18:37 Yep, black holes are not only present in the cold expanse of space, you can find them here
00:18:43 on our home planet too, swirling in the oceans.
00:18:46 They're similar to those in space since they're compacted so tightly that nothing they trap
00:18:51 can escape.
00:18:55 Underwater black holes often span up to 93 miles in diameter, and if you got into one
00:19:00 of those, you probably wouldn't even know it.
00:19:04 These black holes act like vortices, but because of their size, even professionals can hardly
00:19:09 see their boundaries.
00:19:12 Here's something relaxing.
00:19:14 Next time you go to the beach, pay attention, and maybe you'll see an optical phenomenon
00:19:19 called the green flash.
00:19:21 You can see it shortly after sunset or right before sunrise.
00:19:26 It occurs when the sun is almost completely below the horizon, while its rim, the upper
00:19:31 one, is still visible.
00:19:34 For just a second or two, that upper edge of the sun will appear green.
00:19:39 It's because you're looking at the sun through thicker parts of the atmosphere as it's moving
00:19:43 down in the sky.
00:19:45 As it's dipping below the horizon, light refracts, or bends, in the atmosphere and gets dispersed.
00:19:54 Wait for a clear day with no clouds or haze on the horizon to see this phenomenon better.
00:20:01 You've been looking forward to a nice swim, only to realize that the water in the ocean
00:20:05 is red?
00:20:07 Better avoid going in.
00:20:09 Florida is known for its red tides.
00:20:12 It occurs when the concentration of specific microscopic algae is higher than normal.
00:20:19 Thousands of species of algae in marine and fresh waters are mostly harmless to animals
00:20:24 and humans.
00:20:25 They even help us, since they're an important source of oxygen.
00:20:29 But some, like the algae that makes the ocean red, can be extremely dangerous for marine
00:20:35 animals like sea turtles, fish, and seabirds.
00:20:40 This kind can grow out of control and produce neurotoxins harmful to humans, especially
00:20:46 those who have some respiratory issues.
00:20:49 Such people should avoid red tide areas, especially when winds are strong enough to push the algae
00:20:54 toward the shore.
00:20:57 Volcanoes can spew poisonous gas, ash, and red-hot lava.
00:21:02 Those are the most obvious dangers most of us already know about.
00:21:05 But submarine volcanoes can be very tricky in their own way.
00:21:09 Sometimes, when they're located in shallow waters, they reveal their presence by blasting
00:21:14 debris of rock and steam high above the surface.
00:21:19 Since submarine volcanoes are surrounded by an unlimited supply of water, they can behave
00:21:24 differently from those on land.
00:21:26 When they erupt, seawater gets into active submarine vents.
00:21:32 Lava can be spreading across a shallow seafloor, or sometimes even flowing into the sea from
00:21:38 land volcanoes.
00:21:39 When in water, it may cool down so quickly that it shatters into rubble and sand.
00:21:45 So, there are large amounts of volcanic debris left there.
00:21:48 You know those popular black sand beaches in Hawaii?
00:21:52 That's how they formed.
00:21:56 Hot lava and powerful eruptions certainly don't sound safe.
00:21:59 But submarine volcanoes in deeper waters are equally dangerous, even though they're not
00:22:04 necessarily erupting.
00:22:06 They produce pockets of bubbles.
00:22:08 These bubbles reduce the density of the surrounding waters, which can even sink ships.
00:22:15 The worst thing is that when you look at the surface of the ocean, you can't understand
00:22:20 something's wrong.
00:22:21 But at the same time, tiny bubbles are there, causing ships to lose buoyancy and with very
00:22:27 little warning.
00:22:30 Across sea is a rare phenomenon, beautiful to observe, but also very dangerous.
00:22:36 That's when you see square waves, which are more common in shallow parts of the ocean.
00:22:41 That's something you can often see in France or on certain beaches of Tel Aviv.
00:22:46 But it can also happen in many coastal areas across the world.
00:22:52 A cross-sea occurs when two wave patterns travel at oblique angles.
00:22:57 They form this checkerboard-like pattern.
00:22:59 It mostly happens when two swells meet, or when a swell pushes waves in one direction
00:23:04 while a strong wind pushes them in another.
00:23:09 These square waves can be dangerous for swimmers and boaters.
00:23:13 The waves produced by strong ocean currents can be pretty unpredictable and tall, sometimes
00:23:18 up to almost 10 feet.
00:23:20 This phenomenon is sometimes called "white walls."
00:23:23 These waves can be so powerful that they can turn over even big boats.
00:23:28 If you fill a clear glass with some ocean water and take a closer look, you'll see
00:23:34 it's full of very small particles.
00:23:37 Seawater contains dissolved salts, fats, algae, proteins, detergents, and other bits of artificial
00:23:44 and organic matter.
00:23:47 If you shake that glass, you'll see tiny bubbles forming on its surface.
00:23:51 That's how sea foam forms when waves and winds agitate the ocean.
00:23:56 When you see thick sea foam, algal blooms might have caused it.
00:24:00 When big blooms of algae fall apart in the sea, large amounts of that matter move in
00:24:05 the direction of dry land.
00:24:08 Most kinds of sea foam aren't dangerous to humans.
00:24:12 But when blooms of algae fall apart, it can have a negative impact on both the environment
00:24:17 and people.
00:24:18 For example, when sea foam bubbles pop, the toxins they contain get released into the
00:24:23 air and they can irritate your eyes or cause some other health issues.
00:24:30 You can see a tidal bore in the areas where a river empties into a sea or an ocean.
00:24:36 It's a powerful tide that goes against the current and pushes up the river.
00:24:41 A tidal bore falls into a category of something called the surge, which is a sudden change
00:24:46 in depth.
00:24:47 A tidal bore is a positive surge, which means it pushes up a river, making it much deeper.
00:24:53 A negative surge is when the river suddenly becomes very shallow.
00:24:59 You won't see tidal bores everywhere.
00:25:01 The river must be fairly shallow with a narrow outlet to the sea.
00:25:05 The place where the sea and the river meet must be flat and wide.
00:25:09 Also, the area between low and high tide must be at least 20 feet across.
00:25:16 Of course, there are some exceptions, like the Amazon River, the world's largest one.
00:25:22 The mouth of the Amazon is not narrow, but the river experiences tidal bores.
00:25:27 That's because its mouth is shallow and has many sandbars and low-lying islands.
00:25:33 The tidal bore is so strong there that the river doesn't even have a delta.
00:25:38 Its sediment goes directly into the Atlantic Ocean, where fast-moving currents take it
00:25:42 away.
00:25:43 A tidal bore is often unpredictable and can be extremely rough.
00:25:48 In many cases, it changes the color of the river from greenish or blue to brown.
00:25:54 It can damage vegetation or even tear trees out of the ground.
00:25:58 So recreation sports like kayaking and river surfing can be hazardous in these areas.
00:26:06 Even if you just want to take a look at a tidal bore, be careful.
00:26:10 Tidal waves can sweep over lookout points and drag whatever or whoever is there into
00:26:15 the churning river.
00:26:16 So, you notice anything weird?
00:26:20 Recently there have been alarming changes in the water levels in different parts of
00:26:24 Yellowstone Lake.
00:26:25 At the same moment, the water level can be rising on one side of the lake and falling
00:26:31 on the other.
00:26:32 It looks as if the lake basin gets lifted by some underground forces.
00:26:37 Can it be a sign of a looming disaster?
00:26:40 Geysers, mudpods and hot springs turn Yellowstone National Park into some extraterrestrial world.
00:26:47 And all these wonders are fueled by a mighty supervolcano.
00:26:52 Supervolcanoes produce supereruptions.
00:26:54 When it happens, they launch more than 240 cubic miles of ash, molten rock and hot gases
00:27:00 up into the air.
00:27:01 To make it easier to imagine, four supereruptions could fill the Grand Canyon to the brim.
00:27:07 The Yellowstone Giant was thought to be responsible for at least three enormous eruptions and
00:27:13 countless smaller ones.
00:27:14 In that region, the volcanic deposits are scattered over tens of thousands of miles.
00:27:20 Scientists believe they had been created by many weak eruptions.
00:27:24 But after doing more research, experts found out these deposits had been left by two previously
00:27:30 unknown supereruptions.
00:27:32 Those probably took place about 9 and 8.7 million years ago.
00:27:37 This discovery means that the area around the Yellowstone volcano used to face a supereruption
00:27:42 every half a million years.
00:27:44 But over the last 3 million years, the hotspot has seen only two supereruptions.
00:27:50 It makes scientists believe these catastrophic events are slowing down.
00:27:54 Or just maybe one is overdue.
00:27:57 Anyway, if the Yellowstone supervolcano went off with as much power as it had 2.1 million
00:28:03 years ago, it would spit out more than 588 cubic miles of boiling lava.
00:28:10 That's more than 4,500 times the volume of Sydney Harbor.
00:28:15 That's a lot of lava!
00:28:17 Whether it's likely to happen or not is another question.
00:28:20 There's no doubt that something is going on with the volcano.
00:28:24 The water level changes in Yellowstone Lake mean the caldera is lifting under the surface.
00:28:30 And the caldera is what's left over after a volcano erupts and then collapses.
00:28:35 The Yellowstone caldera is not just going up, creating a dome-shaped uplift.
00:28:40 It also moves up and down in a kind of breathing motion.
00:28:44 It might be because the magma is seeping into the crust.
00:28:48 Or because this magma is heating up the Yellowstone hydrothermal system, making it expand and
00:28:54 raise the crust.
00:28:56 Yellowstone has the status of an active volcano.
00:28:59 Its volcanic explosivity index is 8 out of 10.
00:29:03 Such a high number means that if this volcano erupted, it would be an apocalyptic event.
00:29:10 Right before the disaster, the ground around the national park would lift.
00:29:14 Geothermal pools and geysers would heat up to boiling temperatures and get more acidic
00:29:19 than usual.
00:29:20 The magma would start to rise toward the surface.
00:29:24 At some point, the rock roof of the magma chamber wouldn't be able to resist anymore,
00:29:29 and the explosion would kick off.
00:29:31 A massive column of lava and ash would shoot up to a height of over 16 miles.
00:29:37 After that, the volcano would keep pumping ash for days on end.
00:29:41 The mixture of lava, ash, and gas would be hotter than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:29:47 It would travel through the area at a speed of 300 miles per hour, faster than a racing
00:29:51 car.
00:29:52 The air near the center of the eruption would heat up to 570 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:29:58 One of the most dangerous consequences would be ash fallout.
00:30:02 Volcanic ash can turn into glassy cement within seconds after being inhaled and getting in
00:30:07 the lungs.
00:30:08 People and animals would have problems with breathing.
00:30:11 Okay, so that's an understatement, just so you know.
00:30:14 Buildings would start to collapse under the weight of this dense substance.
00:30:18 It would take just several days until a 10-foot layer of ash covered the territory of about
00:30:24 50 miles around the center of the eruption.
00:30:27 After the ash got into the stratosphere, the temperatures all over the world would start
00:30:31 to drop.
00:30:32 If the eruption was rich in sulfur, an effective sun blocker, it would get so cold there would
00:30:38 be no summer in the entire world for the next several years.
00:30:42 The monsoon seasons would change.
00:30:44 Agriculture would face serious problems.
00:30:47 There would be issues with food supplies.
00:30:50 Over the past 50 years, the Yellowstone caldera has risen almost two feet.
00:30:55 It shouldn't alarm you, though.
00:30:57 Experts are sure it's a natural behavior for Yellowstone.
00:31:00 Periods of dome-shaped uplift are followed by the caldera lowering.
00:31:05 Scientists think the supervolcano doesn't present any danger at the moment.
00:31:09 For an eruption to happen, the magma inside has to be at least 50% molten.
00:31:15 With Yellowstone, this number is just 5-15%.
00:31:19 The probability of the eruption is 1 in 730,000.
00:31:23 Safe to say it's a long shot.
00:31:26 Even better, a recent study made the researchers believe the hotspot might be in a state of
00:31:31 decline right now.
00:31:33 Even despite all the breathing and dome-raising activity.
00:31:36 Still, there have been tons of discussions about what people could do to prevent the
00:31:41 disastrous super-eruption from happening.
00:31:44 Even the most popular, and seemingly effective idea, was to cool the Yellowstone supervolcano
00:31:50 down.
00:31:51 Unfortunately, there's a catch.
00:31:53 The volcano leaks out only 70% of the heat which comes from its magma-filled chambers.
00:31:59 But the rest of the heat stays inside.
00:32:02 As soon as it reaches a particular threshold, the volcano erupts.
00:32:06 If it was possible to extract at least 35% of the Yellowstone volcano's heat, the eruption
00:32:12 could be avoided.
00:32:13 The cooler the magma is, the thicker and stickier it gets.
00:32:17 It stops being so fluid and doesn't try to get out to the surface anymore.
00:32:22 After considering these facts, NASA scientists came up with a plan.
00:32:26 They suggested drilling a 6 miles deep well and pumping down cold, pressurized water.
00:32:32 The temperature of the water that would get back to the surface would be approximately
00:32:36 662 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:32:39 This way, the heat would be gradually extracted from the volcano.
00:32:44 And if a geothermal plant was built on the site, it would generate plenty of electric
00:32:48 power.
00:32:49 It would be very simple to produce, and its price would be very alluring – about 10
00:32:54 cents per kilowatt-hour.
00:32:55 At first glance, it was an amazing idea.
00:32:59 But sometime later, it started to receive a lot of criticism.
00:33:03 Imagine drilling through the Earth's crust, getting deeper and deeper, and then wham bam,
00:33:09 you hit a hypothermal pocket.
00:33:11 Uh-oh, get ready for a catastrophe!
00:33:14 This can release gases that are likely to cause a series of super-powerful explosions.
00:33:19 In the worst-case scenario, it may even trigger a full-scale volcanic eruption.
00:33:24 Now, you already know about its catastrophic outcomes – from fountains of lava and avalanches
00:33:30 of molten rocks to climate changes all over the globe.
00:33:34 Yeah, not good.
00:33:36 Or let's say you're drilling a well to deliver cold water to the volcano.
00:33:41 And then you suddenly hit its magma chamber.
00:33:44 In this case, instead of cooling the giant down, you'll make the top of the magma chamber
00:33:48 much more fragile than it used to be.
00:33:51 And the whole construction will be at risk of collapsing at any moment.
00:33:55 And don't forget that your drilling may also release toxic gases.
00:33:59 They often accumulate at the top of the reservoir with magma.
00:34:03 Can it get any worse?
00:34:04 Well, yes, it can.
00:34:06 The whole process would stretch for more than 16,000 years.
00:34:10 This method is too risky to cool the volcano down as fast as people would probably want.
00:34:16 And scientists aren't even 100% sure that when the cooling system construction is finished,
00:34:22 the volcano will stay cold for at least another 100 years.
00:34:26 And last but not least, the project of making the Yellowstone supervolcano a bit cooler
00:34:31 would cost a mind-boggling $3.5 billion.
00:34:35 A huge price for something that might not work out altogether.
00:34:39 Oh, by the way, Yellowstone isn't the only volcano that has a lava dome that's lifting
00:34:44 at the moment.
00:34:45 Lava domes are created when magma gets to the surface and then gathers around the vent.
00:34:51 Scientists have found one of those inside an underwater volcano in Japan.
00:34:56 This dome is more than 2,000 feet high and more than 6 miles wide.
00:35:01 Even though the Japanese supervolcano seems to be sleeping, experts don't let their guard
00:35:06 down.
00:35:07 A volcanic system can go from being calm and docile to teetering on the edge of an eruption
00:35:12 in the blink of an eye.
00:35:15 Another massive dome is growing in the central Andes, on top of the planet's largest active
00:35:20 magma store.
00:35:21 The Altiplano Puna Plateau – there's a tongue twister – and where the dome was
00:35:26 found is the second highest plateau in the world, and the dome itself is more than half
00:35:31 a mile tall.
00:35:33 You might wonder how come experts have known nothing about this enormous uplift until recently.
00:35:39 The answer is simple.
00:35:40 It was hidden within the plateau.
00:35:43 It's an arid region littered with volcanoes, and it stretches for thousands of miles.
00:35:47 Yep, another case of hiding in plain sight.
00:35:53 In 1991, somewhere in the lush jungles of central Vietnam, a local logger found a mysterious
00:36:01 hole among the foliage and bushes.
00:36:04 He looked in there and felt a strong wind blowing into his face.
00:36:09 Then he heard a strange sound from the cave depths and realized that it was the sound
00:36:13 of a river.
00:36:15 The logger didn't check the cave, but decided to go back there with a flashlight and a rope.
00:36:20 When he returned, he couldn't find the cave anywhere.
00:36:23 He spent a few years searching for it.
00:36:25 Finally, in the 2000s, the logger managed to locate it again.
00:36:30 In 2009, he brought scientists to this place.
00:36:33 They found out the cave, called Sundong, is the largest in the world.
00:36:38 There's so much space here that you'll hear a long echo if you shout.
00:36:42 Sundong's main passage reaches 660 feet in height in some places, which is more than
00:36:48 half as tall as the Empire State Building.
00:36:50 The area of the cave is so huge that an entire New York City block with 40-story skyscrapers
00:36:57 would fit in there.
00:36:58 There's a deep underground labyrinth under the jungles of Vietnam, hiding three of the
00:37:02 largest caves in the world, and Sundong is number one on this list.
00:37:08 The vast space inside is filled with various plants, unique microclimates, and different
00:37:13 landscapes.
00:37:14 There's a real jungle growing underground.
00:37:16 It became possible thanks to the collapsed ceiling in some places.
00:37:21 It lets sunlight penetrate there from above.
00:37:24 There are huge stalactites 250 feet high on the ceilings and walls, which is more than
00:37:29 the length of a passenger Boeing.
00:37:31 They've been here between hundreds of thousands and millions of years.
00:37:36 Some limestone deposits are more than 450 million years old.
00:37:40 It means they've existed since the time long before the dinosaurs.
00:37:44 Besides the jungle, there are also many rivers in the cave.
00:37:48 They were formed because of rainwater coming down from holes in the ceiling.
00:37:52 These rivers are smooth and fast, like slides in a water park.
00:37:56 But riding them isn't the best idea, since they can carry you into one of those long
00:38:01 labyrinths that the cave is full of.
00:38:04 And we still don't know where they're going.
00:38:06 You may find yourself in another unknown part of the cave.
00:38:10 This is what happened in 2018.
00:38:12 Three divers accidentally discovered new areas in Sundong.
00:38:16 The cave turned out to be much bigger than everyone thought.
00:38:20 They dove into one of the cave's lakes and reached a depth of 256 feet.
00:38:25 At the bottom, they found a separate tunnel.
00:38:28 Divers lowered a fishing line with a lead weight there and found out that this place
00:38:33 reaches a depth of 394 feet.
00:38:36 And the tunnel is more than half a mile long.
00:38:39 We still don't know the exact size of the tunnel.
00:38:42 Sundong also connects to another huge cave.
00:38:46 There are lots of things you can see in Sundong besides underground labyrinths and rivers.
00:38:50 You can find spacious ruins with lakes, and you can walk for hours along dark mountain
00:38:56 corridors.
00:38:57 This place is strikingly beautiful, but dangerous at the same time.
00:39:01 And the coolest thing is that you can take a walk here.
00:39:04 Since 2013, Sundong Cave has been open to tourists.
00:39:09 It's not just an easy walk to take some selfies, though.
00:39:12 The expedition to the cave lasts for several days.
00:39:15 For the first day and a half, you'll explore the third largest cave in the world.
00:39:20 And only after that, you'll reach Sundong.
00:39:23 The path will take you through rivers, dense jungles, mountains, and rocks.
00:39:28 You can meet many exotic birds, monkeys, and other animals.
00:39:33 And according to many people, the way to the cave is even more impressive than the cave
00:39:38 itself.
00:39:39 When you reach your destination, you'll spend the next few days exploring Sundong.
00:39:44 Together with other tourists, professional guides, and porters, you'll be sleeping in
00:39:48 tents in different places in the cave every day.
00:39:52 You'll see some stunning landscapes and, get ready for this, 400 million year old majestic
00:39:58 fossils.
00:39:59 There are also dark rooms with lakes that are good for swimming.
00:40:03 Such adventurous expeditions become more popular every year.
00:40:07 People who visited the cave call it the most amazing place they've ever seen.
00:40:14 Another amazing cave is located in Indonesia, on the island of Flores.
00:40:19 It's quite small, but holds amazing things inside.
00:40:22 In 2003, a group of scientists discovered ancient artifacts here, including fossils
00:40:27 of primitive tools, such as sharpened stones.
00:40:31 Scientists realized that hundreds of thousands of years ago, this place was home to our distant
00:40:36 ancestors.
00:40:37 Then, they found a very unusual female skeleton.
00:40:41 That woman was only three and a half feet tall.
00:40:44 This is the height of the waistline of an average adult person.
00:40:47 That woman had no problems with her spine or with the development of her bones, though.
00:40:52 This and other skeletons found in the cave belong to some unknown human ancestors.
00:40:58 Scientists called this species Homo floresiensis, or simply, Hobbit.
00:41:03 The woman's weight was about 35 to 79 pounds.
00:41:07 Analysis of the skull and bones showed she was about 30 years old.
00:41:12 Hobbits probably lived on Earth between 190,000 and 50,000 years ago.
00:41:17 There's a chance they met the ancestors of modern humans.
00:41:21 The next cave is in Turkey.
00:41:23 Imagine that you live in an old house and decide to make some repairs.
00:41:27 You throw all the old stuff out of the rooms.
00:41:30 The last place to sort out is your basement.
00:41:32 You've hardly ever visited it and have no idea what's hidden there.
00:41:36 But it's pretty spacious, so you decide to turn it into a room.
00:41:39 You tear down the wall and discover the entrance to the cave.
00:41:44 This is a tunnel that leads underground.
00:41:46 You walk through the cave and see a real underground city.
00:41:50 This happened in Turkey in 1963.
00:41:54 One of the locals discovered a secret passage to a lost city in his basement.
00:41:59 About 20,000 people could live there.
00:42:01 There was enough space for livestock and food supplies.
00:42:05 It's not just a maze of tunnels.
00:42:07 There's a chapel, a school, stables, kitchens, walls, and other signs of civilization.
00:42:12 The city was built in the Byzantine era, in the years 780 through 1180.
00:42:18 It's not the only one down there and is connected to many underground tunnels and towns that
00:42:23 stretch for several miles.
00:42:26 Let's finish our journey in the strangest and most frightening cave.
00:42:31 We're going to the southeast of Romania, near the Black Sea.
00:42:34 Here, on a desolate wide plain, you can find a hole.
00:42:38 This is a tunnel leading deep underground.
00:42:41 The air inside the cave has high levels of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.
00:42:47 Under normal conditions, the air we breathe contains around 20% oxygen, but it's only
00:42:52 10% here.
00:42:54 You won't be able to breathe freely without an oxygen tank.
00:42:57 The water and air here are poisoned.
00:43:00 No animals are able to live in such conditions, at least the ones we know about.
00:43:05 And this cave is filled with 48 species of living organisms, 33 of which are new unknown
00:43:11 species.
00:43:12 Creeping things that live here can scare you, especially if you're afraid of bugs.
00:43:18 Strange white snails and white spiders are crawling along the walls.
00:43:22 An unknown species of leeches and transparent shrimp are swimming in the water.
00:43:27 White millipedes with huge mustaches are creeping on the ground.
00:43:31 Here you can also meet an unknown kind of scorpion with a transparent white body that
00:43:36 doesn't look like any other kind of scorpion.
00:43:39 Nothing here looks like ordinary animals at all.
00:43:42 All creatures in the cave are white or transparent.
00:43:46 They don't have eyes, but they have long paws and antennae whiskers that help to navigate
00:43:51 in space.
00:43:52 Plants can't live here without sunlight and clean air.
00:43:55 This means that oxygen isn't produced in this place.
00:43:58 So how do these creatures manage to survive?
00:44:01 The answer is in the water.
00:44:04 The surface of the lake and puddles here is covered with strangely moving foam.
00:44:09 This substance is a living organism.
00:44:12 It consists of a billion bacteria called autotrophs.
00:44:16 Ordinary plants absorb carbon dioxide and use photosynthesis to produce oxygen.
00:44:21 This cave is filled with carbon dioxide.
00:44:24 Photosynthetic organisms absorb it and secrete tiny food particles.
00:44:28 Bacteria feed on these particles.
00:44:30 Larger organisms then feed on those bacteria and so on.
00:44:34 In the end, there's enough food for everyone.
00:44:37 This process is called chemosynthesis.
00:44:40 It's like photosynthesis, but uses water instead of sunlight in its chemical reactions.
00:44:45 In this cave, evolution has created a completely unique biological system separate from the
00:44:51 rest of the world.
00:44:56 Back in 2018, the biggest active underwater eruption ever happened.
00:45:00 At least, the one that we could officially record.
00:45:04 Scientists followed earthquakes that struck the area in the western Indian Ocean off Madagascar.
00:45:10 Between 2018 and 2021, over 11,000 earthquakes struck a small island called Mayan between
00:45:17 Madagascar and Mozambique.
00:45:19 The strongest one had a magnitude of 5.9.
00:45:23 Until then, this area had been pretty peaceful.
00:45:26 There had only been 2 earthquakes recorded over 50 years.
00:45:30 Along with regular earthquakes, there were also some unusual seismic hums, like earthquakes
00:45:36 at pretty low frequencies, forming deep underground.
00:45:39 People couldn't feel those hums at the surface, but researchers around the world discovered
00:45:44 them and realized they were related to volcanic activity no one actually noticed coming.
00:45:50 Something strange happened.
00:45:52 That underwater eruption created a giant skyscraper-sized volcano.
00:45:57 This new underwater volcano turned out to be around 1.5 times the height of One World
00:46:02 Trade Center in New York, and almost 10 times bigger than the Statue of Liberty.
00:46:07 The area where it appeared had been explored in 2014, but it was almost flat, peaceful,
00:46:14 and empty back then.
00:46:15 Now there is an actual volcano nearly 8,500 feet below sea level.
00:46:21 The volcano gets its magma from a super-profound reservoir located nearly 34 miles underground.
00:46:28 It's the deepest reservoir of volcanic magma that we know about.
00:46:33 The Earth has layers, and the middle one is kinda chunky.
00:46:37 It's very much like peanut-caramel filling many chocolates have.
00:46:41 Research shows there are probably hunks of oceanic crust deep inside the Earth's liquid
00:46:46 mantle.
00:46:47 They're stuck there, creating large lumps in something that was supposed to be a smooth
00:46:52 layer.
00:46:53 Our planet has a rigid outer layer.
00:46:55 It includes a hot upper mantle and cracked crust.
00:46:59 The hot mantle moves and churns all the time, making the crust at the surface move too.
00:47:05 This way, the oceanic crust dives into the depths and makes huge magma plumes go up toward
00:47:11 the planet's surface.
00:47:13 Scientists even found an ancient piece of the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles underneath
00:47:17 China.
00:47:19 Those are the old remains of the Pacific seabed from long ago, and they were pulled downward
00:47:24 below Earth's surface into the mantle transition zone.
00:47:28 This rocky slab that used to be at the bottom of the ocean is made of the crust and some
00:47:33 solid parts of the upper mantle.
00:47:36 Most of the volcanic activity on our planet happens where we don't even see it – under
00:47:41 the surface of the ocean.
00:47:43 About 70% of all volcanic activity happens in the oceans, and mostly in the area of the
00:47:49 South Pacific, with over 1,100 volcanoes squeezed into that area.
00:47:54 Coastal cliffs, mountain changes, soils, and sediments that line valleys – these are
00:48:00 only a small portion of the rocks on our planet.
00:48:03 Others hide so much more deep down below the Earth's surface.
00:48:07 In between the Earth's surface and its core is the mantle.
00:48:10 It's a warm, thick layer of rocks that moves and flows constantly.
00:48:15 Some hundreds of miles below, there's a place where diamonds grow.
00:48:19 As they form, they go through high temperatures and pressure, after which they eventually
00:48:24 freeze.
00:48:25 That way, when they arrive at the surface, scientists can explore their structure, find
00:48:30 out how they formed, and understand better what's going on in the depths of our planet.
00:48:35 Thanks to diamonds, they realize the mantle was very wet, and it possibly contained much
00:48:40 more water than all the oceans on Earth.
00:48:44 Our planet is eating up its own oceans.
00:48:47 As its tectonic plates move, dive, and go beneath one another, they drag huge amounts
00:48:52 of water into the Earth's interior.
00:48:55 The water beneath the surface of our planet can help with developing magma and lubricate
00:49:00 faults, which actually makes earthquakes more likely to happen.
00:49:04 Water is actually stored in the minerals.
00:49:07 It gets incorporated into the planet's crust when new oceanic plates form.
00:49:11 They go through the process of bending and cracking as they grind under other plates,
00:49:16 and huge amounts of water then go deep into the crust and mantle.
00:49:21 Scientists research an area that's 18 miles under the surface.
00:49:25 They realize these zones pull 3 billion teragrams, which is more than 2 billion pounds.
00:49:32 Any ocean is like a whole new world.
00:49:34 There are incredible sceneries below the surface.
00:49:38 Magnificent waterfalls, lakes, and rivers.
00:49:40 There are thick layers of salt beneath the seafloor, and rivers and lakes form because
00:49:45 seawater goes through those layers and dissolves them, creating something that resembles pools.
00:49:51 The dissolved salt makes the surrounding water denser.
00:49:55 That water then settles there, which eventually forms underwater lakes or rivers.
00:50:00 But there are also mountain chains, trenches, canyons.
00:50:04 There's a canyon in the Bering Sea with more than 8,500 feet of vertical relief.
00:50:10 This makes the Grand Canyon look way smaller than it is, since the underwater canyon is
00:50:15 nearly 2,500 feet deeper.
00:50:18 Deep parts of the ocean are really cold.
00:50:21 The temperature of the water can be about 40 degrees, but at the bottom, water can get
00:50:26 boiling hot.
00:50:28 There are hydrothermal vents in the seafloor.
00:50:31 Those are the hot springs located at the edges of tectonic plates.
00:50:35 The water they release can reach a temperature of up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:50:40 But the pressure at such depths is very intense.
00:50:44 So intense, no human being can handle it.
00:50:47 Still, it's the pressure that keeps the water from boiling.
00:50:51 Ocean depth is on average 2.3 miles.
00:50:54 Light waves can still enter at 3,280 feet, even though it's in a very small amount.
00:51:00 So all the mysteries hidden below that point remain in total darkness.
00:51:05 The actual illuminated part of the ocean goes until 600 feet.
00:51:09 Even though the sun gives us light, most of our planet is dark all the time.
00:51:14 It's all because of the oceans, covering over 70% of our planet.
00:51:19 The loudest sound that came from an ocean, and of the loudest sounds ever recorded, came
00:51:24 from an ice quake.
00:51:26 It was so loud, researchers picked it up by sensors more than 3,000 miles away.
00:51:31 There was a seismic activity that made frozen ground break down.
00:51:36 The Antarctic ice sheet is bigger than the continental part of the United States and
00:51:40 Mexico together.
00:51:42 A big iceberg from Antarctica holds over 20 billion gallons of water, which could make
00:51:47 a 5-year water supply for a million people.
00:51:51 Humans can generally drink sea ice, although we can't drink sea water.
00:51:55 As time goes by and the ice ages, the brine trapped between ice crystals drains out.
00:52:01 That way, ice becomes fresh enough to consume it.
00:52:05 If all the ice sheets and glaciers we have on the Earth melted at the same time, the
00:52:09 sea level would rise another 260 feet, which is just a little shorter than the Statue of
00:52:15 Liberty, the height of a 26-story building.
00:52:19 Clams live long enough to tell us more about oceans' past.
00:52:22 Ancient mollusks can live for more than 500 years.
00:52:26 To learn more about a tree, you can use its rings to see how old it is.
00:52:30 To learn how old a mollusk is, you can examine its rings within the shell and tell.
00:52:36 This is also how scientists get information about the ocean, climate, and whatsoever.
00:52:41 This can help take a look at what happened about a thousand years ago.
00:52:46 The Earth doesn't have 4 but 5 oceans now.
00:52:49 The new one, called the Southern Ocean, was officially recognized only a few months ago.
00:52:54 It borders the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, so scientists couldn't agree if
00:52:59 it's really a new ocean or just part of the colder regions of these three.
00:53:04 We don't only divide oceans on maps.
00:53:07 Each has different conditions for unique marine species.
00:53:10 For example, the Southern Ocean has leopard seals, orcas, minke whales, emperor penguins,
00:53:17 and other animals that live in cold, icy seas.
00:53:19 It's also home to krill, small creatures that look like shrimp, and are food for many
00:53:25 bigger animals that live there.
00:53:27 Life on our planet started about 3.5 billion years ago.
00:53:31 I wasn't around then.
00:53:33 It's still a mystery how and when exactly, but some theories say life could've first
00:53:38 emerged in the depths of the ocean.
00:53:41 A few years ago, scientists found microscopic tubes and filaments within rocks formed about
00:53:47 4 billion years ago.
00:53:49 These rocks are fragments of ancient oceanic crust.
00:53:52 Also, these tiny tubes and filaments are similar to microbes that can still be found on hydrothermal
00:53:58 vents in deep parts of the ocean.
00:54:01 The idea is these living cells found conditions to stay alive in tiny rocky pores inside the
00:54:07 chimneys of those vents, and started the amazing adventure of the evolution of life on our
00:54:13 planet.
00:54:16 You're walking along a hot desert under the scorching sun.
00:54:21 You run out of supplies.
00:54:22 There's no more water.
00:54:24 You dream about rain, but there are no clouds in the sky.
00:54:28 With each step, you lose more and more strength and…
00:54:32 Oh.
00:54:33 You notice a small pond nearby.
00:54:36 Is it real water or just a mirage?
00:54:39 You can't get to your feet, so you crawl there.
00:54:42 The water is getting closer by the minute, but not because you're moving towards it.
00:54:46 It's the water approaching you.
00:54:49 In a few minutes, the pond area increases.
00:54:52 Here, you're already in it.
00:54:55 A small lake is formed 60 feet deep at the place where the piece of desert was.
00:55:00 This real event happened in 2014 in the Tunisian desert.
00:55:05 No one knows exactly on what day the lake appeared, since this part of the south of
00:55:10 Tunisia is sparsely populated.
00:55:12 And first, shepherds passing by saw the lake and didn't believe their eyes.
00:55:17 In the next few hours, hundreds of locals came running to the place.
00:55:21 They began to swim, jumping into the water from the surrounding rocks.
00:55:26 But a few days later, something strange happened to the lake.
00:55:29 In the beginning, it was a crystal clear turquoise blue color, but then it turned dark green.
00:55:36 People didn't attach any importance to this and continued to swim.
00:55:40 They shouldn't have done that.
00:55:42 The scientists and geologists arrived and immediately announced that it wasn't safe
00:55:46 to swim in the lake.
00:55:48 Muddy green water means the lake is stagnating.
00:55:51 It's not refreshed.
00:55:52 It's not fed by underground springs.
00:55:55 Now the lake is filled with algae and a lot of harmful bacteria that can cause serious
00:55:59 diseases.
00:56:00 They also found out that this region of Tunisia is filled with huge deposits of phosphate.
00:56:07 This substance can disintegrate and leave radioactive traces.
00:56:11 The lake can be carcinogenic, toxic, and hazardous for any living organism.
00:56:17 But people didn't worry about this too much.
00:56:19 They walk in the middle of the desert, while the sun heats the air to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:56:24 Most of them are unlikely to refuse to jump into cool water, despite the warnings of scientists.
00:56:30 Until now, no one knows exactly the reason for the appearance of the lake.
00:56:35 Some scientists believe the lake was formed because of heavy rains.
00:56:39 The lake is surrounded by rocks and is located inside a canyon.
00:56:43 The water could just accumulate after each storm.
00:56:46 Some geologists think an earthquake was the cause of the lake.
00:56:50 A small seismic activity provoked the rupture of the Earth's rock above the water table.
00:56:55 And through this hole, all the water splashed out.
00:56:59 And if this theory is correct, then the lake can be pulled back underground through cracks.
00:57:04 This is the same as when you pull the plug out of a drain hole in a filled bathtub.
00:57:09 Any small earthquake is like pulling the plug out.
00:57:12 Therefore, if you find yourself in these places, don't swim in this radioactive lake.
00:57:19 We're going to the Caribbean Islands region.
00:57:22 Among the Clear Blue Sea, you can find a unique lake.
00:57:25 It's located on one of the paradisical islands.
00:57:28 You may not even notice the lake right away.
00:57:30 The entire territory may seem like a huge concrete platform, but the main thing is not
00:57:36 to step on its surface.
00:57:38 Pitch Lake is a lake filled not with water, but with liquid asphalt.
00:57:43 This is the largest asphalt deposit in the world.
00:57:46 Steam is coming from all over the lake as it's hot.
00:57:49 The depth of this lake is 250 feet.
00:57:52 An entire passenger Boeing could fit there in an upright position.
00:57:56 The lake is not fully studied, but scientists believe there's a deep fault in the Earth's
00:58:00 crust under it.
00:58:02 A huge amount of oil seeps through it.
00:58:04 It passes through various chemical compounds and turns it into the asphalt.
00:58:09 According to rough estimates, there are about 10 million tons of hot material inside this
00:58:14 place.
00:58:15 Theoretically, no life can exist in such conditions, but scientists have discovered
00:58:20 a colony of microbes.
00:58:22 Somehow these creatures have learned to survive here.
00:58:25 This also suggests that life outside of our planet may exist.
00:58:29 The largest moon of Saturn, Titan, has many hydrocarbon lakes on the surface.
00:58:34 And if the simplest forms of life appeared among a million tons of molten asphalt here
00:58:39 on Earth, then nothing prevents them from appearing on Titan.
00:58:43 We're going to Indonesia, to the island of Java.
00:58:47 You need to climb a large volcano to see the next phenomenon.
00:58:50 The volcano is overgrown with grass and trees, but it doesn't seem to be sleeping.
00:58:56 Smoke is pouring out of its mouth.
00:58:58 You climb to the top and see a clear lake instead of boiling magma.
00:59:02 The blue sky is reflected in its bright turquoise surface.
00:59:05 But don't try to jump there.
00:59:07 This lake is filled with acid.
00:59:10 The magma inside volcanoes comes from the deep bowels of the Earth's crust.
00:59:15 The incandescent liquid consists of many molten metals and chemical compounds, and the lake
00:59:20 is filled with particles of these metals.
00:59:23 In addition, the volcano emits sulfur dioxide gases.
00:59:27 When they combine with metals, they form a beautiful turquoise color.
00:59:32 You better come back here at night.
00:59:34 In some places, a lot of sulfur is concentrated.
00:59:37 These accumulations come out of the lake and come into contact with the air.
00:59:41 When this happens, everything around bursts into a bright blue flame.
00:59:46 It's safe to observe this from the side, but don't get too close.
00:59:50 Nearby, on this island, there's another acid lake.
00:59:53 It also releases sulfurous gases into the air, which are easily ignited when in contact
00:59:59 with oxygen.
01:00:00 When this happens, the gases burst into a bright blue electric flame.
01:00:05 It's difficult to see the flames during the day.
01:00:07 At night, you can see these flashes from afar.
01:00:11 Our next location is Australia.
01:00:13 You start the drone high above the forest area.
01:00:16 Among the green, dense forests, you can see a bright pink spot.
01:00:20 It's our lake.
01:00:21 This time, the beautiful pink color may not stop you from swimming.
01:00:25 You can relax here and take beautiful photos.
01:00:28 The lake attracts thousands of tourists, but scientists have only recently been able to
01:00:32 find out the reason for the unusual color.
01:00:36 At the bottom of this salty lake in Melbourne, special algae grow and secrete a red pigment.
01:00:42 In combination with sunlight, high temperatures, and a small amount of precipitation, it turns
01:00:47 the lake pink.
01:00:49 By the way, Australia is not the only place with such a phenomenon.
01:00:53 There are lakes with a pink tinge of water all over the world.
01:00:57 You can find them in Senegal, Bolivia, Kenya, and many other countries.
01:01:02 The water of these places is also salty and contains the red pigment of unusual algae.
01:01:09 We leave the hot beaches and fly to cold Canada.
01:01:12 Here, we see a frozen Lake Abraham.
01:01:16 We step on the ice and notice huge frozen bubbles inside.
01:01:19 They resemble jellyfish, and there are thousands of them there.
01:01:23 This is methane.
01:01:24 It's a highly flammable substance.
01:01:26 The grass, leaves, pieces of trees, and any organic substances that fall into the lake
01:01:31 become food for a lot of bacteria that emit methane.
01:01:36 Upon contact with frozen water, methane turns into tens of thousands of frozen balls.
01:01:41 When the ice melts, the bubbles burst and sizzle.
01:01:45 This phenomenon can also be observed on some shores of the Arctic Ocean.
01:01:49 There, the size of the bubbles can reach several times more than balloons.
01:01:53 It's a beautiful sight, but it's not safe since methane ignites when it contacts with
01:01:59 air.
01:02:00 We're in the coldest place of our journey.
01:02:02 It's Antarctica, near the driest desert on Earth.
01:02:06 A dry place doesn't mean it has to be hot.
01:02:09 It's an area with minimum precipitation.
01:02:11 The desert isn't sand and cacti, but a place where almost no living life inhabits.
01:02:17 Some areas of Antarctica meet these two criteria.
01:02:20 However, in this icy desert, you can notice a tiny lake.
01:02:24 Its depth is only a few inches.
01:02:26 Technically, it's a pond.
01:02:28 But the most amazing thing is that it stays in a liquid form.
01:02:32 The temperature here drops to -58 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:02:36 The pond should be frozen, but this doesn't happen.
01:02:39 Don Juan Pond is one of the saltiest reservoirs on the planet.
01:02:43 The amount of salt here doesn't allow the water to freeze.
01:02:47 Scientists have been studying this lake for more than 60 years, but they still can't find
01:02:51 out the exact reason for the appearance of water here.
01:02:55 Ah, beautiful.
01:02:59 You're walking with your friend and look up at the sky.
01:03:02 The sun looks a bit different today.
01:03:04 Like it has some kind of ring around it.
01:03:06 A rainbow type thing.
01:03:08 Huh.
01:03:09 Look at that.
01:03:10 Your friend pulls his head up out of his phone.
01:03:13 You shouldn't look directly at the...
01:03:15 Stop everything!
01:03:16 He says.
01:03:17 It's a sun halo!
01:03:18 We need to find shelter now, unless you have the world's biggest umbrella on you.
01:03:24 A sun halo is nature's sign that there's a snow or rainstorm on its way.
01:03:29 It's caused by clouds that are made of bazillions of small ice crystals.
01:03:34 Sunlight goes through those crystals, which causes the light to split and refract, like
01:03:39 when there's a rainbow.
01:03:40 Now don't look at the sun halo directly.
01:03:43 It's going to be tempting because it's not something you see every day.
01:03:47 Plus it's really beautiful.
01:03:49 But ultraviolet light can burn the exposed tissue of your retina and cause serious damage,
01:03:54 so it's not worth it.
01:03:56 Grab some sunglasses and you're good to go.
01:03:59 This phenomenon lasts around 40 minutes.
01:04:02 These clouds are the same ones that can cause a spooky ring around the moon at night sometimes.
01:04:07 In June 2020, what the people were looking at was an anvil cloud, a rare storm formation
01:04:14 in the sky.
01:04:16 Formed when strong air currents carry water vapor upwards, the air expands and spreads
01:04:21 out as it hits the bottom of the stratosphere.
01:04:24 It pushes the dense cloud into the cool anvil shape you see, and sometimes it even gets
01:04:29 to be a mushroom.
01:04:32 Anvil clouds produce some of the most dangerous lightning of all storms, one that's called
01:04:37 a "bolt out of the blue."
01:04:39 This lightning strike seems to magically come out of the blue sky, with the storm being
01:04:43 many miles away.
01:04:46 This type of bolt comes from the top of the anvil and can be 10 times more powerful than
01:04:51 a typical lightning strike.
01:04:53 People got so frightened after witnessing a giant cloud that they thought something
01:04:57 terrible must have happened.
01:04:59 The locals had pictures of the large billow on social media before officials could explain
01:05:04 what was going on.
01:05:06 Authorities managed to calm everyone's fears by informing them it was nothing more than
01:05:10 a natural phenomenon, and a beautiful one at that.
01:05:14 Before dissipating, these clouds typically stay in one area, regardless of how strong
01:05:19 the wind is.
01:05:21 If you look off the western coast of France, you'll see the Isle of Re.
01:05:27 Thanks to its beautiful blue waters, clean sandy beaches, and stunning lighthouses, this
01:05:32 place is a very popular vacation spot.
01:05:35 But perhaps the coolest part about the Isle of Re is what you see just beyond the shore.
01:05:41 Square waves.
01:05:42 This strange wave pattern looks like a giant chessboard over the ocean.
01:05:47 Many visitors to the island become captivated by these waves and go to high up places like
01:05:52 nearby lighthouses to take pictures of this natural phenomenon.
01:05:56 They say that when looking down at these square patterns in the water, it's almost as if there's
01:06:01 some sort of metal grid underneath it.
01:06:04 And while these wave patterns are truly fascinating, the people who choose to enjoy them from afar
01:06:09 are doing it right.
01:06:10 They know to stay out of the water.
01:06:13 To understand how these square waves come to be, it's important to know how waves occur
01:06:18 in the first place.
01:06:20 Generally, waves can travel many miles over the surface of the water, depending on local
01:06:25 winds and weather.
01:06:28 And even on days when the weather seems somewhat calm, storms located elsewhere can send in
01:06:33 crashing waves that affect the surrounding calm waters.
01:06:37 When waves travel onto the shores of distant lands, they're called swells.
01:06:42 This is different from a wave that occurs from local wind.
01:06:45 When two different swells coming from opposite directions meet, it's known as a cross sea.
01:06:51 This is what generates these square waves you see near the Isle of Re.
01:06:57 While these waves are one of the reasons why people flock to this island, they can still
01:07:02 expect to enjoy calm, relaxing waters most of the time.
01:07:06 The cross sea only occurs during certain times of the year in specific weather.
01:07:11 Plus, it's common knowledge around Re to steer clear of the ocean when these square waves
01:07:16 appear, so it's not often that you hear about anyone getting caught in them because most
01:07:22 people know better.
01:07:23 And since a lot of people on the island are tourists, there are plenty of signs around
01:07:28 warning them to get out of the water during this time.
01:07:31 However, not everyone gets the memo.
01:07:34 There have been a handful of cases where people got caught in the cross sea, but thankfully
01:07:40 and luckily, they managed to get out safely.
01:07:44 These square waves have become somewhat famous over time given that there's really no other
01:07:49 place in the world that boasts a cross sea like this one.
01:07:53 In fact, no one has ever spotted square waves anywhere but the Isle of Re.
01:07:58 However, there are swells that can be found throughout the oceans in the world, and a
01:08:03 cross sea can take place.
01:08:06 But if the angle they approach each other at is more shallow, the wave may actually
01:08:10 look like it's coming from the same direction, even when it's not.
01:08:14 Not to mention, swells can slowly lose momentum as they drip further and further away, so
01:08:20 their crest, or the top of the wave, appears more round and less jagged.
01:08:25 The Isle of Re's specific wind and weather patterns are literally the perfect storm and
01:08:31 create a cross sea that people can clearly recognize.
01:08:35 It's 2009 in Italy.
01:08:38 A man was hanging out in his kitchen.
01:08:40 Then he saw some flickering lights.
01:08:42 He knew just what to do.
01:08:44 He moved his family to a safe place.
01:08:47 A couple of seconds later, a massive earthquake hit the whole region.
01:08:51 His family survived thanks to his quick reaction.
01:08:54 He knew these flickering lights were actually a sign of an upcoming earthquake.
01:09:00 People have been seeing these mysterious lights for ages.
01:09:03 Some thought it was some kind of sign coming from space.
01:09:07 Scientists never used to take them seriously.
01:09:10 But after the invention of photography, more and more evidence of these strange lights
01:09:14 appeared.
01:09:15 Soon, they realized the connection.
01:09:18 The lights appear, and pretty soon, the earthquake hits.
01:09:23 After a bit of digging around, they actually found some records of these earthquake lights
01:09:28 from hundreds of years ago.
01:09:30 There were bluish flames coming out of the ground right before an earthquake.
01:09:35 Oh, creepy.
01:09:38 The Christmas Island Crab is part of an amazing phenomenon once a year.
01:09:43 Their migration period is determined by the phase of the moon and the first rainfall between
01:09:48 October and February, although the precise date can't be predicted.
01:09:53 Once the crabs have been prompted, they leave their homes amongst the forest and migrate
01:09:58 in massive hordes towards the sea.
01:10:01 Numbering in millions, a sea of red crabs is observed as they make their journey across
01:10:06 the island, creating roadblocks and making their way to the ocean.
01:10:11 There, they lay their eggs and then make their trek back, returning to the forest until the
01:10:16 next year.
01:10:19 There are bridges in the Indian state of Meghalaya that are created entirely of living tree roots.
01:10:25 The bridges are made up of tangled thick roots that are strong enough to hold over 50 people
01:10:31 at a time.
01:10:33 The Khasi and Jaintia tribes became masters in the art of growing these insane bridges.
01:10:39 They need them to cross the streams below with ease.
01:10:42 Some of these root bridges are over 180 years old.
01:10:46 To make them, the members of the tribes care for the roots until they grow long enough
01:10:50 to reach the opposite bank.
01:10:52 It can take as long as 10 to 15 years to grow a bridge.
01:10:57 In the process, the roots become tightly entwined with one another.
01:11:01 This is how the bridges get so strong.
01:11:04 And once a bridge is fully grown, it can last for over 500 years.
01:11:09 While some roots decay, new ones are continually growing.
01:11:13 That's why the unusual natural constructions last so long.
01:11:18 Light pillars are colorful beams of light that either jet up from Earth towards the
01:11:22 sky or shine down from the clouds.
01:11:25 Usually, they only occur in cold temperatures, as they form when the sunlight gets reflected
01:11:30 off ice crystals floating in the air.
01:11:33 The higher the crystals are in the air, the taller these bright and colorful pillars become.
01:11:38 They're most common at sunrise and sunset.
01:11:42 There are hidden caves all over the world that are filled with glowing light.
01:11:47 This light comes from hundreds of glowworms that have made a cozy home in the caves.
01:11:52 Some of the caves are more than 30 million years old, and most of them can be found in
01:11:57 New Zealand and Australia.
01:12:00 The worms themselves don't actually glow, but baby worms, called larvae, form silk strings
01:12:06 made out of mucus.
01:12:08 These strings form nets.
01:12:10 It's these nets that can illuminate the entire cave.
01:12:13 Their purpose is to attract flies and other tasty insects for the glowworms to munch on.
01:12:20 Rainbow trees are 100% a real thing.
01:12:24 Hailing from the Philippines and Indonesia, these colorful wonders are called rainbow
01:12:28 eucalyptus, or rainbow gum.
01:12:31 The rainbow hues are created by the contrast in colors of old and new bark.
01:12:37 As the thin surface layers of bark peel away, they reveal newer ones with brighter, more
01:12:42 eye-catching colors.
01:12:44 The brand new bark is green.
01:12:47 Then it changes to purple, then red, and finally brown.
01:12:51 This is because the trees contain a substance called chlorophyll.
01:12:54 It makes the bark green.
01:12:56 As each strip of bark ages, it loses chlorophyll and slowly changes its color.
01:13:03 When lightning flashes across the sky, it releases somewhere around 300 million volts,
01:13:08 or the equivalent to power 25 million car batteries.
01:13:12 Some say you're more likely to be zapped by lightning in your lifetime than to win
01:13:16 the lottery.
01:13:18 And statistics seem to prove this urban myth, as each year around 28 US locals do get electrically
01:13:24 charged from the sky.
01:13:29 The world's infrastructure can be affected by lightning too.
01:13:32 That's because it generally seeks out the tallest structure around.
01:13:36 But in certain conditions, it can also strike an open field.
01:13:40 So scientists came together and invented a laser lightning rod that might help.
01:13:45 This unique invention might make lightning strikes a bit more manageable, since it can
01:13:49 guard a much larger area than the traditional one.
01:13:53 And it's flexible.
01:13:55 Classic lightning rods work like magnets for that powerful electrical charge.
01:14:00 They're these tall metal devices placed on top of buildings.
01:14:03 When a storm approaches, the rod provides an easy path for lightning to follow, preventing
01:14:08 it from hitting other parts of the structure.
01:14:11 The rod is also connected to the ground with a conductor, like a wire, helping the electrical
01:14:16 charge to safely make its way into the earth.
01:14:20 This process protects the building, and the humans in it, by directing the electrical
01:14:24 energy away.
01:14:26 We've been using lightning rods for the last 300 years, courtesy of Benjamin Franklin.
01:14:31 But they're not damage-proof.
01:14:33 When it comes to safeguarding vast spaces like airports, they can't manage.
01:14:38 That's because they can only cover an area proportional to their height.
01:14:44 Here's where this new, improved lightning rod can help.
01:14:49 When the laser zaps the sky, it leaves behind a trail of super-heated air, called plasma.
01:14:56 The same way a sculptor carves out traces in clay, the laser creates channels in the
01:15:01 air.
01:15:02 These channels then become the lightning's new favorite route, guiding it down to the
01:15:06 ground.
01:15:07 This new method was tested in the Swiss Alps back in 2021, and the results were promising.
01:15:14 These lasers do have their own disadvantages.
01:15:17 They aren't always available and need a heads-up.
01:15:20 That's because they have to be activated before a bolt hits.
01:15:24 If you're a second too late, tough luck!
01:15:28 Also, once the laser stops, the air loses its conductivity pretty quickly.
01:15:33 This means the laser rod might not have enough power to guide the lightning safely.
01:15:38 A potential solution might be monitoring the electric field around a certain area, predicting
01:15:45 where lightning might strike.
01:15:47 Yet these new rods still need more testing, and lots of funds.
01:15:55 The European Space Agency found another way to make lasers useful, to turn moon dust into
01:16:00 roads.
01:16:02 It would make our future lunar exploration missions much easier if a laser beam could
01:16:07 do the hard jobs, allowing astronauts to drive around the moon.
01:16:11 This discovery might also help with another tricky issue, moon dust clinging to everything
01:16:17 in sight.
01:16:19 Roads on the moon might seem too much of a hustle for now, since we haven't been to
01:16:23 our satellites since 1972.
01:16:26 But when future space explorers will touch down again, they don't just plan to walk
01:16:31 small distances.
01:16:32 It'll be nice to have them driving around, so they can explore larger areas.
01:16:37 Problem is, that pesky moon dust is very fine, abrasive, and sticky.
01:16:43 Back during the Apollo missions, it clogged up equipment, eroded spacesuits, and even
01:16:48 caused a lunar rover to overheat.
01:16:51 That's why scientists want to zap simulated moon dirt with a laser.
01:16:59 This laser-powered project used a 12-kilowatt laser to melt simulated moon dirt into a solid,
01:17:05 glassy surface, perfect for moon roads.
01:17:09 The plan isn't to send a huge laser on the moon.
01:17:12 This device they're testing here on Earth is like a stand-in for the sun, mimicking
01:17:17 what lunar sunlight could do.
01:17:19 The idea is to eventually concentrate sunlight using a big lens on the moon's surface.
01:17:25 Some experiments have been done so far with different laser sizes, finding that a bigger
01:17:30 beam made the whole process go smoother.
01:17:34 Instead of dealing with tiny molten balls, they got a stable layer of molten moon dirt
01:17:38 that's easier to work with.
01:17:41 What they got was a glassy, somewhat brittle material that can handle downward forces.
01:17:46 And even if it cracks, it's fixable.
01:17:50 The laser beam was used to make triangle-shaped road parts that fit together like puzzle pieces,
01:17:56 forming solid surfaces across lunar soil.
01:17:59 If this goes as planned, we'll have moon roads made of interlocked triangles.
01:18:04 This unique type of moon pavement could be the solution for landing pads, too.
01:18:12 Lasers can help piece together information on long-lost civilizations, too.
01:18:17 Discovering Maya cities has always been difficult for researchers exploring Mexico's Yucatan
01:18:22 Peninsula.
01:18:23 For years, experts believed no early civilization could have thrived in that harsh environment.
01:18:30 But advancements like light-mapping technology and laser scans are showing us this might
01:18:35 not be true.
01:18:38 LiDAR technology can lend a helping hand for archaeologists, especially in areas that are
01:18:43 hard to physically reach.
01:18:45 That's because it's like we're equipping computers with a pair of eyes.
01:18:49 The whole thing works as a flashlight, sending out small light beams in the form of a pulsated
01:18:55 laser.
01:18:56 These beams balance off objects like trees and buildings and come back to the flashlight.
01:19:02 LiDAR measures how long it takes for the light to return, creating a map of the surroundings.
01:19:08 When a self-driving car or robot wants to know where it is, it uses LiDAR to send out
01:19:13 these light beams.
01:19:15 By figuring out how long they take to come back and where they hit, the car or robot
01:19:20 can understand what's around it, making it safer for them to move around through the
01:19:25 fog or at night time without bumping into things.
01:19:31 With this technology, a team uncovered the massive Maya city of Ocomtun.
01:19:37 LiDAR technology helped researchers to map the jungle floor, revealing hidden structures.
01:19:43 But someone still needed to verify these findings on foot.
01:19:46 The journey to Ocomtun wasn't extremely challenging.
01:19:50 The region, quite far from the nearest airport, is mostly unexplored, accessible only through
01:19:55 old hunting and logging routes.
01:19:57 The dense terrain made the trek challenging, taking the team up to two weeks to cover just
01:20:02 30 miles.
01:20:04 But the effort paid off, revealing monumental structures like a large acropolis and intriguing
01:20:09 shapes hinting at a marketplace or cultural center.
01:20:13 LiDAR is also used in rovers we'll need to explore other planets.
01:20:18 This will allow the robots we send up there to navigate their surroundings without direct
01:20:22 human indications.
01:20:24 It's also helped us better understand the best location to place solar panels, making
01:20:29 it cheaper and faster for us to meet our energy needs.
01:20:36 We might also be able to use lasers to predict how a volcano is going to act.
01:20:41 These structures are loaded with magma, the molten rock sneaking upwards from the Earth's
01:20:45 insides.
01:20:46 When a volcano blows its top, a chemical reaction happens, transforming magma into what we call
01:20:53 lava.
01:20:54 The specialists behind this new use of lasers think of magma as the computer code of volcanoes.
01:21:00 It reveals information on how a volcano might pop up.
01:21:04 That's because not all eruptions bring lava, and even if they do, there are different lava
01:21:09 types depending on how runny it is.
01:21:13 Magma is like a mix of liquid, gas, and crystals that are shaken up inside the volcano.
01:21:19 There are many elements at play before a volcanic eruption, so it's hard to study and understand
01:21:24 that complex chemistry.
01:21:26 To organize things around a bit, scientists hit the cooled magma, the rock matrix, with
01:21:31 a laser.
01:21:33 Just like the ones you might have encountered if you've ever had eye surgery, it makes the
01:21:37 chemical components easier to study.
01:21:40 This latest laser eye method was used on samples from a 2021 eruption which lasted 85 days.
01:21:47 It covered over 4 square miles, spewing loads of lava that wrecked over a thousand homes
01:21:53 and displaced over 7,000 people.
01:21:57 To prevent such events from happening again, scientists need more data.
01:22:02 It's true, earthquakes and ground shifts help specialists predict what a volcano might do,
01:22:07 but knowing a bit more about its chemistry can help a bit more.
01:22:13 On some nights, when the sky over a powerful thunderstorm is clear, you might see elves,
01:22:18 gnomes, trolls, or blue jets.
01:22:21 Blue jets sound kinda random here, right?
01:22:24 But we're not actually talking about fairy tales.
01:22:28 These are all just different types of lightning flashes that are mostly visible very high
01:22:33 above raging thunderstorm clouds.
01:22:37 Let's take red sprites.
01:22:39 Those are flashes of light that appear above thunderstorms that come in clusters.
01:22:45 They are rare because they're only caused by a specific type of lightning called positive
01:22:50 cloud-to-ground strikes.
01:22:52 So a positive charge is transferred from a thundercloud to the ground during a lightning
01:22:57 strike.
01:22:59 These types of lightning make up only 10% of all lightning strikes.
01:23:05 For more than half a century, many believed these flashes were just urban legends.
01:23:11 People did see them from time to time, but the flashes were so brief that even if you
01:23:15 had been lucky enough to catch them, you wouldn't have had time to call someone to witness this
01:23:20 phenomenon with you.
01:23:23 Even when respectable scientists or pilots would talk about them, the scientific community
01:23:28 would mostly ignore them.
01:23:30 In 1989, something strange happened.
01:23:34 The researchers from the University of Minnesota actually managed to catch sprites on film.
01:23:39 And that's how it started.
01:23:41 People across the world began sharing videos and photos of red sprites.
01:23:48 Red sprites can start as 328-foot balls made of ionized air.
01:23:54 These balls shoot down from heights of about 50 miles at 10% of the speed of light.
01:24:01 And researchers have been studying not only the lightning that plunges down from ranging
01:24:05 clouds but these colorful flashes that go towards space too.
01:24:10 So electricity stretches up to the electrically charged ionosphere, but at the same time,
01:24:15 it crushes down towards the ground.
01:24:19 Red sprites come in different shapes, like these big, cool jellyfish sprites that sometimes
01:24:24 have areas that measure up to 30 square miles.
01:24:29 You may see carrot sprites or column sprites.
01:24:31 They're similar, it's just that carrots also have long tendrils.
01:24:36 The lower parts of tendrils are often blue, while the higher ones are red.
01:24:41 On August 22, 2022, we were able to take some stunning photos of red-white streaks in the
01:24:47 sky above the Atacama Desert in Chile.
01:24:51 They were surrounded by another, bigger glow of greenish color.
01:24:55 It's something we call air glow, and you can only see it this well when there's no light
01:25:00 pollution.
01:25:02 It's basically when we use too much artificial light, and among other things, it doesn't
01:25:07 allow us to observe stars and other objects we might otherwise see in the sky.
01:25:13 And this air glow happens because of atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in our atmosphere.
01:25:19 Sunlight knocks away their electrons during daytime.
01:25:22 Then, they slowly recombine with their electrons, which is a process that causes them to glow.
01:25:30 How can you see a red sprite?
01:25:32 First, you need to find a large thunderstorm.
01:25:36 They're more common during summer and spring, for example in June.
01:25:40 Of course, sprites can appear at any time if there are powerful enough storms with lightning
01:25:45 at ground level.
01:25:47 The skies need to be clear and very dark, ideally without bright moonlight.
01:25:53 And the storm should be around 100 to 200 miles away.
01:25:58 That way, clouds won't block the sky, and you'll have better visibility.
01:26:02 In the perfect scenario, the storm will be moving along a distant horizon, so you'll
01:26:07 be able to see everything above the cloud tops.
01:26:11 You can track a storm with weather radar.
01:26:15 Your eyes need some time to adapt to the darkness around you.
01:26:18 Give them some time, about 20 to 30 minutes.
01:26:22 Keep your eyes above the clouds and try not to look at the clouds directly.
01:26:27 Ignore lightning flashes.
01:26:29 A sprite will pop maybe once for every 200 lightning strikes.
01:26:34 Don't expect to really capture it on camera, it's not easy.
01:26:38 But the view itself will likely be worth the wait.
01:26:42 This and similar flashy events are something we call TLEs, which stands for Transient Luminous
01:26:48 Events.
01:26:50 Blue jets are also worth mentioning.
01:26:53 These are dim blue lights that stream up like a very fast puff of smoke above powerful hail
01:26:58 storms.
01:26:59 They're also very rare, and in most cases, you'll only be able to see them from an airplane.
01:27:07 And now we get to those fairy tale creatures.
01:27:09 Elves, when we talk about lightning flashes, are brief discs of dim light you can see about
01:27:15 60 miles high in the atmosphere.
01:27:19 It's just an abbreviation.
01:27:20 Their full name is Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations Due to Electromagnetic
01:27:25 Pulse Sources.
01:27:26 Yeah, I suggest we stick to elves.
01:27:31 Moving to Trolls.
01:27:33 Those are red spots that pop close to cloud tops after the flash of a very powerful red
01:27:38 sprite.
01:27:40 Gnomes are the smallest and fastest flashes.
01:27:43 We're talking about tiny white spikes of light that flash from the top of a big anvil of
01:27:49 thunderclouds.
01:27:51 The anvil is that elongated cloud you see at the top of a raging storm.
01:27:56 It spreads downwind together with upper-level winds, and gnomes last for only a microsecond.
01:28:04 And check this out.
01:28:05 Ball lightning is in the shape of fiery orbs that can be as big as a golf ball or can grow
01:28:10 up to a very large beach ball.
01:28:13 They can be yellow, red, white, orange, green, or purple, and they can stay alive for a couple
01:28:20 of seconds, even minutes sometimes.
01:28:24 Over the centuries, many people have been talking about how they saw ball lightning
01:28:28 sometimes even floating into their homes.
01:28:32 But such events are really unpredictable and happen very rarely.
01:28:37 Scientists have managed to recreate ball lightning in the lab, or at least something very similar
01:28:41 to it.
01:28:43 They have realized that ball lightning probably shows up after a lightning bolt strikes the
01:28:48 ground.
01:28:49 It's when mineral grains in the soil then vaporize.
01:28:54 Here's something spectacular, volcanic lightning.
01:28:57 This one is born in the plumes of a wild volcanic eruption.
01:29:02 Like the rest of thunderstorms, volcanic lightning forms when static electricity builds up in
01:29:08 Earth's atmosphere.
01:29:10 And then it gets released in the shape of a lightning bolt.
01:29:14 Scientists don't understand the whole mechanism here, but they think it's related to charging.
01:29:19 For example, ice charging is what causes thunderstorms to form.
01:29:24 It plays a part in producing lightning during volcanic eruptions too.
01:29:29 This happens when the air heated in an eruption rises into the sky and meets cold air.
01:29:36 The water from the eruption turns into ice particles, and when these particles bump into
01:29:41 each other, some electrons get knocked off.
01:29:44 The ice particles that now have more positive charges move higher into the sky and gather
01:29:49 together.
01:29:50 Or, it may be frictional charging, another thing that leads to volcanic lightning.
01:29:56 The same as ice charging happens when tiny particles of ice collide.
01:30:01 Here we have ash and pieces of rock colliding and creating charged ions.
01:30:06 There's dark lightning too.
01:30:08 Over 10 years ago, researchers discovered that thunderstorms could generate brief but
01:30:13 very strong bursts of gamma rays, which is the form of light with the highest energy.
01:30:18 They are so bright that they can blind sensors on satellites, even when they're hundreds
01:30:22 of miles away.
01:30:24 They can also create antimatter.
01:30:28 Antimatter is a type of matter made of particles with opposite charges compared to the particles
01:30:32 in normal matter.
01:30:34 Imagine having two boxes full of blocks.
01:30:37 Some blocks are red and some are blue.
01:30:39 When these pairs touch each other, they disappear or annihilate and turn into energy.
01:30:46 That's what happens when particles of matter and antimatter meet.
01:30:50 And these flashes could be the result of dark lightning because it gives off light that's
01:30:54 not really visible.
01:30:57 Regular lightning involves slow electrons.
01:31:00 In dark lightning, electrons are high energy.
01:31:03 They crash into air molecules and, by doing that, produce gamma rays.
01:31:08 Hey, don't we all love wintertime, gingerbread cookies, and sitting by the fireplace?
01:31:16 And frozen methane bubbles?
01:31:19 Freezing temperatures afford humanity the pleasure of some very weird winter phenomena.
01:31:25 Let's go take a look at some of them.
01:31:28 Beneath the surface of Canada's Lake Abraham in Alberta or beneath other lakes across Antarctica,
01:31:35 you'll witness a truly mesmerizing phenomenon of ice bubbles.
01:31:40 From the top, they look like glittering jewels.
01:31:42 But these bubbles don't meet our expectations as they never pop.
01:31:47 They just freeze midway before ever reaching the surface.
01:31:51 So how did they get there in the first place?
01:31:54 And what are they made of?
01:31:56 Some of them come from gas released from the melting of glaciers, while others are a result
01:32:01 of the decomposing of organic matter lying at the bottom of the lakes.
01:32:06 Now they sure look pretty, but they're also pretty harmful to human life.
01:32:11 These bubbles are made of methane, and they can intoxicate you.
01:32:15 So if I were you, I wouldn't get too close.
01:32:21 If you're driving on a curvy hillside road when a snow squall begins, you'd be wise to
01:32:26 stop driving immediately.
01:32:28 A snow squall is the winter equivalent of a severe thunderstorm.
01:32:32 The thing is, they're difficult to predict and very fast moving.
01:32:37 It can be sunshine, but then all of a sudden, a huge snow squall might start.
01:32:42 If you haven't heard this term before, it's because the National Weather Service in the
01:32:46 US only began using it in 2018.
01:32:51 They called it a squall because it reduces a lot of our visibility and can be very dangerous
01:32:56 if you don't take it seriously.
01:32:58 But still, falling snow is beautiful, even if it's that crazy.
01:33:05 Say this winter you decided to finally visit the famous Niagara Falls.
01:33:11 Located between the US and Canada, these falls are the fifth largest waterfall in the world,
01:33:16 with over 3,000 tons of falling water per second.
01:33:21 In winter, the area looks like a winter wonderland and is home to an interesting phenomenon,
01:33:26 a frozen fall.
01:33:28 No, this isn't the work of Hollywood or an internet prank.
01:33:32 Niagara Falls can actually form a layer of ice.
01:33:36 This happens when the falls have been exposed to frigid temperatures for a long time.
01:33:41 So the surface water and mist in the air turn to ice, giving the impression that the entire
01:33:47 waterfall is frozen.
01:33:49 But that's not exactly what happens.
01:33:51 If you look closely into the ice, you'll notice that there's still plenty of flowing water.
01:33:59 Have you ever heard of something called a natural snowball?
01:34:02 This is a rare yet beautiful environmental phenomenon that happens when smaller pieces
01:34:07 of ice end up being rolled by strong winds and water.
01:34:12 The further they roll, the more ice they gather, and the more that ice is polished.
01:34:17 They end up as giant, perfectly shaped snowballs.
01:34:21 They would look pretty amazing on their own, but hundreds of them together?
01:34:26 That's some scenery.
01:34:29 Some snowballs turn into huge rolling doughnuts.
01:34:33 These rare shapes happen only in perfect temperature conditions, when the snow is in the perfect
01:34:38 state between hard and fluffy.
01:34:40 It happens when a snowball begins rolling down, gathering more and more snow, until
01:34:45 suddenly its middle part collapses.
01:34:48 This allows for the snowball to get its doughnut shape.
01:34:52 Hmm, does it also taste as good as a doughnut?
01:34:55 I guess not, right?
01:34:57 Oh, almost forgot.
01:34:58 If you want to see them in real life, you have to go to some severely cold places.
01:35:03 But still, people reported having seen them in Ottawa, in the Midwest of the US, and even
01:35:09 in Scotland.
01:35:13 If you go for a walk in the woods at the beginning of winter, you might stumble upon a magical
01:35:18 phenomenon known as frost flowers.
01:35:22 These flower-shaped phenomena are rare and occur only when the temperature of the air
01:35:26 is freezing, but the ground is still moist.
01:35:30 When the perfect conditions align, vapor coming out of stems form these veil-thin patterns
01:35:37 that make up delicate flower-like ice.
01:35:40 Don't try to pick them, you'll break them.
01:35:42 And certainly don't try to plant them anywhere else, as they aren't real flowers.
01:35:47 Oh, and be sure to go before the sun is too strong, otherwise it'll melt these delicate
01:35:52 things.
01:35:55 Say you just checked the forecast and the weather for the day is -8 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:36:01 Maybe you'd choose staying home underneath the blankets, but I'm sure you'd change your
01:36:05 mind if you had the option of this day trip.
01:36:10 Picture Yellowstone Park under a few feet of snow on a sunny day.
01:36:14 Well, if that didn't do it for you, then add some snow-covered bison and steamy geysers
01:36:20 to the scenery.
01:36:22 Still not convinced?
01:36:23 How about the chance to see the rare phenomenon of hoarfrost?
01:36:27 If you haven't heard of them before, they're a geometrically enchanting type of frost that
01:36:32 you can see when moisture in the air skips the droplet stage and appears directly as
01:36:38 ice crystals on top of a leaf.
01:36:41 They're much more photogenic than your windshield or garden-variety frost.
01:36:46 FYI, the term hoarfrost comes from Old English, meaning a frost that resembles an old man's
01:36:52 beard.
01:36:53 Well, what do you say?
01:36:55 Does this actually look like a beard?
01:36:59 You're walking in a frost-covered forest on a freezing day when suddenly you hear a loud
01:37:04 banging sound.
01:37:06 No, it's not an avalanche nor an earthquake.
01:37:09 You're in the middle of a frost quake.
01:37:13 If only that meant that you'd see beautiful snow crystals cracking on the floor, but that's
01:37:18 not quite the case.
01:37:20 Frost quakes, also known as ice quakes, happen when the moisture below the ground starts
01:37:25 to freeze and expand.
01:37:27 It's normal for things to expand in their frozen state.
01:37:31 Just look at an ice cube, for example.
01:37:34 These frost quakes can move rocks and the soil above and cause loud cracking sounds
01:37:40 as if the world were falling apart.
01:37:43 Don't worry, though.
01:37:44 It's not.
01:37:47 If you happen to see black ice, be careful.
01:37:51 Although we call it that, black ice isn't really black.
01:37:54 It's made up of a thin layer of ice that looks black due to the color of concrete or earthy
01:38:00 ground.
01:38:01 It blends in so well with the ground that it's almost impossible to spot.
01:38:06 It forms during winter days when the ground is wet from rain or melted snow, and the temperature
01:38:11 suddenly drops below freezing temperatures.
01:38:14 So, this thin layer emerges, multiplying considerably your chances of slipping while walking on
01:38:21 bridges or overpasses.
01:38:23 It's also pretty common on spots on the road that are shaded by trees.
01:38:29 This next phenomenon happens in a very specific wintry context - the Antarctic one.
01:38:35 Amongst the unique things that occur on the continent, Antarctica is home to an extremely
01:38:40 weird waterfall.
01:38:42 The year was 1911, when an Australian geologist wondered about the so-called "blood falls".
01:38:49 He was extremely puzzled by this red stream of liquid pouring from a small hillside amongst
01:38:54 the Antarctic ice.
01:38:56 After years of studying, it was understood that what caused the redness was the high
01:39:01 iron content in the water.
01:39:03 The last piece of the puzzle came when scientists discovered that there was an underground lake
01:39:08 with water full of oxidized iron nearby, which was what caused the blood fall to exist in
01:39:14 the first place.
01:39:17 The North Pole is more than Santa's fictional home.
01:39:21 Together with the South Pole, it's home to the so-called "polar vortex", a phenomenon
01:39:26 that helps to enhance our winter experience.
01:39:29 The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air.
01:39:34 It's called a vortex simply because over there the air rotates counterclockwise.
01:39:40 It sends a jet stream that makes you want to bundle up, and helps induce several winter
01:39:45 phenomena such as freezing fog.
01:39:49 If fog is when a cloud touches the ground, what happens when it freezes?
01:39:54 You can expect that all of the moist droplets of water that are hanging around in the air
01:39:58 will possibly freeze when they touch the ground.
01:40:01 Meaning, you really wouldn't want to be driving around in the middle of one of these
01:40:05 things.
01:40:09 Going to the beach in winter seems like a good plan.
01:40:12 You can have a bonfire, build a sandcastle, search for shells, or swim in the ocean.
01:40:19 The vibe might make you overlook the dangers ahead of you.
01:40:22 Do you really think through the potential risks of paying a visit to the beach in the
01:40:26 winter?
01:40:29 The number one risk is waves.
01:40:31 You might think it's ok to admire the view on the beach a few steps back from the ocean.
01:40:36 Now let me introduce you to sneakers.
01:40:39 Not the chocolate bar, sneaker, or with another name, sleeper waves.
01:40:43 These are oversized coastal waves.
01:40:46 They catch people off guard because they occur without warning or trace.
01:40:51 These waves are particularly seen in Oregon, United States.
01:40:55 People have been injured and at least 17 people have been swept up into the ocean since 2000.
01:41:01 It got more media attention in 2011 when a memorial statue was built honoring the two
01:41:06 teens faced with sneaker waves in Oregon.
01:41:09 So, how come these waves are so dangerous?
01:41:14 It's about their nature.
01:41:15 They come out of the blue.
01:41:17 With big waves, you see them coming or growing big.
01:41:20 Plus, they form in the ocean and come towards the beach.
01:41:24 These waves appear near the shore.
01:41:26 It leaves less time for you to run to a safer spot.
01:41:30 Ok, most of the time, they're not huge, as would be seen in apocalyptic movies.
01:41:35 Yet, you can never know what nature holds.
01:41:38 Maybe you remember this example from Mavericks.
01:41:41 In 2010, a crowd was watching the surfing competition.
01:41:44 Suddenly, two large waves struck the people on the beach.
01:41:48 It broke the seawall and injured more than 10 people.
01:41:53 Sneaker waves don't look particularly larger than other waves until they break and quickly
01:41:58 reach the beach.
01:41:59 They form in a period of 10 to 20 minutes in between soft and regular-sized waves.
01:42:05 They can surge more than 150 feet beyond the foam line.
01:42:09 Then, they reach the land with high power.
01:42:12 Plus, they carry lots of sand and gravel with them.
01:42:17 Sleeper waves are more commonly seen along steep coastlines compared to beaches with
01:42:21 wider and softly sloped areas.
01:42:25 People named these waves, not scientists.
01:42:27 They observed what waves do.
01:42:29 They washed up in a sneaky way.
01:42:31 I mean, scientists didn't classify this phenomenon as a distinct sort of wave like
01:42:36 they did with tsunamis or rogue waves.
01:42:38 There's little scientific research made about them.
01:42:42 Researchers say that sneaker waves form in offshore storms.
01:42:46 These storms transfer the wind energy to the water's surface.
01:42:50 The waves carry this energy and then arrive at the beach during times of calm weather.
01:42:56 The larger amount of energy they obtain compared to the regular waves that preceded them causes
01:43:01 them to go higher up the coast.
01:43:04 Imagine you go for a walk on the beach with your dog.
01:43:07 The waves gently reach the beach.
01:43:09 You play the throw and catch game.
01:43:11 You don't know about sneaky waves, so you turn into an unwary beachgoer.
01:43:16 What's the risk?
01:43:18 Being washed into the water trapped against rocks.
01:43:21 Since it's winter, you tend to wear heavier clothes.
01:43:24 The sand that sneaker waves carry can quickly fill clothing and shoes, and that weighs you
01:43:29 down.
01:43:30 How can people enjoy the beach safely?
01:43:33 First off, keep your distance if you're on the beach for storm watching, for instance.
01:43:37 It might be mesmerizing to see how waves roll in over miles of ocean.
01:43:42 The storms hit the shore, and you look at those extreme turbulent swells transform into
01:43:47 strong 30-foot long waves.
01:43:50 Finding a higher spot that sees the ocean and waves might be best.
01:43:55 Be the eagle, not the crab.
01:43:57 Did Confucius say that?
01:44:00 The second tip is if you're determined to storm watch, never turn your back to the ocean.
01:44:05 Yes, eyes on the water.
01:44:07 Lastly, be mindful of which part of the beach you're walking on.
01:44:11 Stay away from the logs because they hold water.
01:44:14 The water increases their weight.
01:44:17 In the worst case scenario, the ocean is powerful enough to roll the logs onto you.
01:44:23 Let's assume you're hiking near the ocean.
01:44:26 Use the designated trails because park authorities determine them as the safest roads possible.
01:44:32 Going off-route can sound charming, but it can be dangerous for you and harmful to the
01:44:37 ecosystem in the surrounding area.
01:44:40 Now that you know where to walk, you can keep your eyes open about the geological stuff.
01:44:45 But the rocks can be slippery.
01:44:46 Erosion can rip them off.
01:44:48 Yeah, it's better to avoid walking near bases of cliffs and bluffs.
01:44:54 You'll never know when a natural phenomenon will occur.
01:44:57 It might sound a little extreme, but you may want to check the tsunami evacuation routes
01:45:02 of the area you're visiting.
01:45:04 Tsunamis are hard to predict, but tides aren't.
01:45:08 Tide tables are available online.
01:45:11 This natural phenomenon looks harmless.
01:45:13 Yet, it can isolate rocks from headlands and the shore.
01:45:17 You probably don't want to find yourself with soaked wet clothes in the ocean for no
01:45:21 reason.
01:45:23 Climbing up onto the logs might not be the best idea either.
01:45:27 Sure, they look heavy and sturdy when you're climbing, but even the smallest wave can take
01:45:31 you like a leaf flying in the air.
01:45:34 Not just logs, but also jetties are tricky.
01:45:38 Sudden waves can make you lose your balance, and you can collapse.
01:45:43 Let's return to the scenario where you and your dog are walking on the beach.
01:45:47 This time your pet sees shorebirds and chases them.
01:45:51 Birds could be there for foraging or roosting.
01:45:53 Your dog could interrupt their chill zone.
01:45:56 They can lose their energy reserves.
01:45:59 Can you bump into creatures hiding under the sand?
01:46:02 Some sorts of creatures can be dangerous for you.
01:46:04 Better not to poke someone's home.
01:46:06 Take a look at this one.
01:46:08 It's a horseshoe crab.
01:46:10 This one looks scary, yeah, but it's safe as long as you don't step on its spines.
01:46:15 So it depends on the type of creature you see, but generally it's okay to explore the
01:46:19 sand with caution.
01:46:22 Until now, we look at scenarios where you were on the beach when they caught up to sneaker
01:46:27 waves.
01:46:28 You could be in the water too.
01:46:30 You could be surfing, just like the contestant in the Maverick Surf competition, or swimming
01:46:35 if swimming is the new case.
01:46:37 Consider these.
01:46:38 The temperature is lower, the waves are crazier, and there are probably no lifeguards there
01:46:44 watching you in the winter.
01:46:47 Swimming with friends is a safe option.
01:46:49 Bonus, it's more fun.
01:46:52 You should choose your swimming location carefully.
01:46:55 Are there dangerous rocky areas?
01:46:57 Can you easily go out if there's some sort of emergency?
01:47:00 Know your spot.
01:47:02 For that, you should check the weather too.
01:47:05 Planning has a key role in winter water safety.
01:47:07 A quick weather forecast and sea conditions check would do.
01:47:12 You can consider buying a TowFloat if you're an adventurous open water swimmer.
01:47:17 It's a flotation device designed to increase the swimmer's visibility in the water.
01:47:22 They are lightweight and have fluorescent colors.
01:47:25 Alternatively, you can wear a brightly colored swimming cap.
01:47:29 We can talk more about the gear.
01:47:32 Wearing a wetsuit is wise, as well as wetsuit gloves and boots.
01:47:36 You can put your phone in a waterproof pouch or bag.
01:47:39 Staying warm is essential in the winter.
01:47:42 Don't just jump into the water at once.
01:47:45 This can result in cold water shock.
01:47:47 It's vital to enter the water slowly.
01:47:50 In that way, your body can get used to the temperature.
01:47:54 Once you take all the necessary precautions, you can enjoy the beach and explore its offers.
01:48:00 What sort of gems can you find on the beach?
01:48:02 A mermaid's purse?
01:48:03 Maybe.
01:48:04 No, it's not the purse of Ariel from Disney's Little Mermaid.
01:48:08 That's actually an egg case belonging to sharks and rays.
01:48:12 It's made out of keratin, kind of similar to your hair and fingernails.
01:48:17 These purses are the place where the embryo grows.
01:48:20 The egg hatches and the cases are carried away with the water to the beach.
01:48:25 If you want to find one, you can look at the area near the seaweed.
01:48:28 Have fun while searching for it!
01:48:30 Now, I'm ending this video with a quick joke that's suitable for the cold weather of winter.
01:48:36 What did the ocean say to the beach?
01:48:38 Nothing, it just waved.
01:48:43 Something interesting has recently happened in South Dakota.
01:48:45 It was all over the internet, so perhaps you already know about it.
01:48:50 In July of 2022, the sky in this state suddenly turned green.
01:48:56 So what happened there?
01:48:58 Was it caused by a human or by nature?
01:49:01 Let's find out!
01:49:04 Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
01:49:07 Shortly after a heavy storm, the sky over South Dakota in the US was still overcast.
01:49:13 Locals finally went outside and saw that the sky had an intense dark green hue, and they'd
01:49:19 never seen anything like that before.
01:49:21 People said that it looked like something straight up from science fiction or even a
01:49:25 horror movie.
01:49:28 Unsurprisingly, South Dakotans immediately started spreading the news all over social
01:49:33 media.
01:49:34 People shared their beautiful, yet very eerie pictures on Twitter.
01:49:38 They showed the sky over the city of Sioux Falls and a few other towns.
01:49:45 Even though it may look like something supernatural, in reality, this is not a terrifying phenomenon
01:49:50 at all.
01:49:51 It's a simple play of the light and the atmosphere.
01:49:54 Something like this happens quite rarely and usually means that really bad weather is approaching.
01:50:01 And that's also true to what happened in South Dakota.
01:50:05 Just before people started sharing photos, a thunderstorm swept through the town of Sioux
01:50:09 Falls.
01:50:10 This was confirmed by the US Weather Service.
01:50:13 This hurricane was terrible.
01:50:15 The wind speed was about 100 mph.
01:50:18 According to the Buford Scale on wind speeds, this is the fastest and most destructive storm.
01:50:24 There are only 12 numbers on this scale and the maximum wind strength starts at 73 mph.
01:50:31 But why isn't this all over the news then?
01:50:34 Well, because it's kind of a usual thing for the residents.
01:50:40 Thunderstorms occur very often in the United States, especially in the warmer months.
01:50:45 And 1 out of 10 such thunderstorms can become something serious, like a tornado.
01:50:50 This one wasn't an exception.
01:50:52 It was the so-called "Derecho Storm".
01:50:56 Derecho is very widespread and long-lived.
01:51:00 It's actually a combination of a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms and downpours.
01:51:07 People often say that a derecho is as strong as a tornado.
01:51:10 Still, there's a difference between them.
01:51:13 A tornado is a vortex, a rotating column of air.
01:51:17 It's usually about 500 feet in diameter.
01:51:20 Although sometimes its width can reach up to 2.5 miles.
01:51:24 I don't envy those who would stumble upon that.
01:51:26 But the main point is that they rotate.
01:51:29 The wind moves very fast in a circle near some invisible center.
01:51:36 A derecho is a strong thunderstorm, or a system of strong thunderstorms with straight-line
01:51:41 winds.
01:51:42 In other words, it doesn't spin.
01:51:45 Instead, the derecho chooses a point somewhere and simply runs to it, like a very motivated
01:51:52 marathon runner.
01:51:55 If we compare a derecho to an ordinary tornado, the latter has six levels of strength, from
01:52:00 40 to 380 miles per hour.
01:52:03 So a derecho is kind of like a small, average-level 1-2 tornado.
01:52:09 Usually its speed is within the range of 73 to 113 miles per hour.
01:52:16 And in both cases, they can be accompanied by severe thunderstorms, lightning, and rain.
01:52:22 But still, these are different things.
01:52:26 A storm becomes a derecho if the damaged trail left by it exceeds 240 miles, and if the wind
01:52:32 speed is at least 58 miles per hour.
01:52:37 It's quite difficult to predict.
01:52:39 It can form even on a clear day, when meteorologists don't even anticipate any storms.
01:52:45 And then, the winds appear suddenly.
01:52:48 It's so surprising that they may even feel explosive.
01:52:52 But the National Weather Service tries to warn people at least half an hour or an hour
01:52:56 before this happens, so that residents have time to prepare and hide.
01:53:01 It wasn't any different this time.
01:53:05 The storm swept through almost all of South Dakota, as well as the states of Minnesota
01:53:10 and Iowa.
01:53:11 The consequences were quite serious.
01:53:13 More than 30,000 people were left without electricity.
01:53:17 Fortunately, people were fine.
01:53:20 That's because the locals are pretty used to derechos.
01:53:24 However, the green sky is something different.
01:53:28 It became a very unusual sight for the locals.
01:53:32 Everyone was wondering why it happened.
01:53:34 Was it a bad sign or a normal weather phenomenon?
01:53:38 Well, to be honest, scientists don't have an exact explanation.
01:53:43 But, although there are only assumptions, they sound pretty convincing.
01:53:49 A green sky is a very rare phenomenon.
01:53:53 Most scientists think that this happens when a powerful storm approaches the area before
01:53:57 sunset or sunrise.
01:54:00 Then the sky will turn green in this area.
01:54:04 NBC meteorologist Bill Karens, who once faced a similar event himself, suggests that the
01:54:10 green sky appeared because of the huge hail before the storm.
01:54:15 First, let's talk about why the sky looks blue, or any other shade, depending on its
01:54:21 mood.
01:54:22 In short, the sun simultaneously carries all the rays of the color spectrum.
01:54:27 It may seem white to us in total, but it actually has all the colors at the same time.
01:54:34 However, these color waves all have different lengths.
01:54:38 For example, blue rays are shorter than the other ones.
01:54:41 They jump away from the air molecules better than the red waves, so they reach us faster.
01:54:48 Because of this, on a regular clear day, the sky seems blue.
01:54:54 At the same time, red and orange color waves are very long and move slower, so they're
01:55:00 usually left behind.
01:55:02 But when the sun goes below the horizon, or rises, the rays' directions change, and
01:55:08 these waves reach us better.
01:55:11 It all means that even if the sunrises and sunsets seem red and orange to us, in fact,
01:55:18 there are still blue and green waves among them.
01:55:21 But they have to bounce off something to reach us faster, and become stronger than the red
01:55:26 rays.
01:55:28 Have you guessed what I'm getting at?
01:55:32 This is where the water comes into play.
01:55:35 Clouds are made up of water droplets.
01:55:37 When they become large enough, but don't fall yet, for example, due to strong winds,
01:55:42 they affect how the light behaves in the sky.
01:55:47 Large heavy storms mostly consist of water and hail, and water reflects blue and green
01:55:52 rays best of all.
01:55:54 That's exactly the reason why the water in rivers and lakes seems bluish green to us,
01:56:00 although in reality, it's transparent.
01:56:03 And yeah, algae matter too.
01:56:06 So there are a couple of key factors why the sky may turn green.
01:56:11 First off, the sun should be at the horizon level.
01:56:15 Another factor is that while the storm clouds are approaching, they shouldn't cover the
01:56:19 sky completely.
01:56:21 There still must be a little room for the sun rays.
01:56:24 Then, barely noticeable blue rays jump up to storm clouds.
01:56:29 They're repelled by water droplets and hail.
01:56:32 Mixing with the red sunset, they turn into a bright green light.
01:56:36 And this green light is spreading all over the sky.
01:56:42 That's why in most of these cases, when the sky turns green, people can only see it in
01:56:46 the evenings.
01:56:47 Yeah, it can also happen in the middle of the day.
01:56:51 But since the conditions are already quite specific, seeing something like that during
01:56:55 the day is even rarer.
01:56:58 Still, if you see a green sky, you don't need to panic.
01:57:03 It doesn't necessarily mean that a terrible storm is approaching.
01:57:06 The chances are high though, but still, it's not a rule.
01:57:11 It can be just heavy rain or a heavy hail.
01:57:15 In other words, if you see a green sky, then you'd better hide.
01:57:19 And hide your car.
01:57:20 However, if you were lucky enough to see the stunning sky from the comfort of your own
01:57:25 home, it's indeed very exciting.
01:57:28 If you get a glimpse of something like that, just know that you had a chance to experience
01:57:33 something very rare and special.
01:57:36 Some people said it was the most incredible thing they had ever seen.
01:57:41 You're relaxing at the beach when suddenly you notice a huge flock of birds.
01:57:47 They're excited about something near the water.
01:57:50 You get the urge to go and investigate what's going on there.
01:57:53 Here's some advice.
01:57:55 Sit back down and stay away from the water.
01:57:58 I get it, you think you're tough enough to handle a few pecks from a seagull.
01:58:03 But it's not the birds that have me worried.
01:58:05 It's what's lurking beneath the water.
01:58:08 Fish are a staple of many diets across the animal kingdom, both above and below the ocean.
01:58:14 Tuna, squid, and octopus, as well as marine mammals like seals, all prey on a wide variety
01:58:20 of smaller fish.
01:58:23 Species such as bluefish and striped bass are their favorite dinner time meal.
01:58:28 They're also the favorite of another ultra predator, which is why you shouldn't join
01:58:32 those birds by the water.
01:58:35 If you do, you're risking an encounter with a creature that can measure up to 20 feet
01:58:39 long.
01:58:40 That's three times the size of an average human.
01:58:44 These are the size credentials of a great white shark.
01:58:47 If there are fish around, they may come up near the ocean's surface to feed.
01:58:54 A great white shark has the strongest bite force among animals.
01:58:58 The only other animal species that comes close to them is the saltwater crocodile.
01:59:04 But boy is their ability to catch whiffs strong.
01:59:08 Scientists believe it to be more than 100 times stronger than a human's.
01:59:12 They don't even use the nostrils located beneath their snouts to breathe.
01:59:16 It simply serves as a specialized sniffer.
01:59:21 Thankfully though, we're not the favorite meal of a shark, and the creature isn't going
01:59:25 out of its way to hunt us.
01:59:27 Researchers claim that the odds of being attacked by a shark are as low as 1 in 3.7 million.
01:59:34 When unfortunate meetings between sharks and humans do happen, a shark may mistake a human
01:59:40 for a seal or an extremely large striped bass.
01:59:44 This is why you should stay away from those birds and fishes, and just let the other animals
01:59:49 animal.
01:59:50 You just focus on catching a tan in that sun chair.
01:59:55 So I guess this means that sharks have poor vision?
01:59:58 Not quite.
01:59:59 Their vision in clear water is up to 10 times better than that of humans swimming in the
02:00:03 same environment.
02:00:05 The structure of a shark's eye is quite similar to that of our own.
02:00:08 It consists of a cornea, lens, retina, deep blue iris, and the pupil.
02:00:14 Their eyes have two types of photoreceptors, rods and cones.
02:00:19 Just like humans.
02:00:21 Although we're not too sure how well rods and cones perform for sharks, research has
02:00:25 shown that they possess only one type of cone.
02:00:29 It means they most likely don't have full color vision like a human.
02:00:33 This might explain why they can sometimes mix humans up with other creatures.
02:00:37 But hey, who's ever really fully focused when they're about to devour their dinner?
02:00:43 Shark eyes also have tapetum lucidum.
02:00:46 This is a layer of mirrored crystals located behind the shark's retina.
02:00:51 These crystals allow the shark to see quite well in extremely dim light and murky water.
02:00:57 The crystals reflect incoming light, which gives the rods inside the retina a second
02:01:01 chance at detecting light that they might have missed the first time around.
02:01:07 Fun fact, cats also have tapetum lucidum.
02:01:10 This is why your cat's eyes glow in the dark when you shine a light on them.
02:01:16 Another telltale sign that sharks may be hovering around in nearby waters is the presence of
02:01:20 whales.
02:01:22 Sharks have been known to stalk the creatures for over 100 miles.
02:01:26 They'll follow pods waiting for one of the members to become vulnerable before expertly
02:01:31 striking.
02:01:32 So, lesson learned?
02:01:35 If you now see birds by the water, it's probably not a good thing, unlike when you see thousands
02:01:40 of birds flying together through the sky.
02:01:43 This is known as murmuration.
02:01:45 You can see thousands of starlings unite together in the sky, moving in unison, dipping and
02:01:50 swerving at the same time.
02:01:52 It's like they're competing in some sort of synchronization event at the Bird Olympics.
02:01:58 This happens when the birds begin to roost.
02:02:00 It can be as early as September in some places and as late as the end of November elsewhere,
02:02:06 with more birds joining the nightly displays during this time.
02:02:10 Are they doing it for our entertainment?
02:02:13 Well, not really.
02:02:14 Grouping together in the sky offers protection for predators, like falcons.
02:02:19 It can also get cold when you're flying that high up.
02:02:22 So, the birds gather in their thousands to keep warm and exchange information on potential
02:02:27 feeding sites.
02:02:29 Okay, so in this case, a huge group of birds doesn't mean anything evil.
02:02:33 But if you ever see some flying towards you whilst in a wooded area, it's probably time
02:02:37 to leave the area.
02:02:40 Birds and other animals flee wildfire areas.
02:02:44 Certain mammals, like amphibians, may actually stay in the fire.
02:02:48 Instead of fleeing for their lives, they will dig underground to escape it.
02:02:52 But nearly all other animals will try their best to leave.
02:02:56 Oh, and don't forget to jump out of the way whilst all those animals are running towards
02:03:00 you.
02:03:01 Why don't we switch back from birds to sharks?
02:03:04 Yes, we now know if there are birds near the ocean surface, then sharks will probably be
02:03:09 quite close as well.
02:03:10 But what if there are no sharks anywhere near at all?
02:03:14 If you ever happen to be in the ocean and notice some sharks heading deep towards the
02:03:18 bottom of the ocean, this may be a sign that a hurricane or tropical storm is on the way.
02:03:24 Sharks can sense the drop in barometric pressure that accompanies the storm, so they could
02:03:29 be trying to get out of the hectic zone.
02:03:33 Sharks don't quite care for humans, so they don't view our sandy beaches and inland towns
02:03:37 and cities as safety zones.
02:03:39 They're quite intelligent creatures and know the deeper they go in the ocean, the safer
02:03:43 it gets.
02:03:45 But the ocean's not always the best place to go in an emergency.
02:03:50 Case in point, if you come across sea creatures who usually live in water randomly resting
02:03:54 on the sand, don't get inside the water.
02:03:58 This is a sign that the water is potentially toxic.
02:04:01 It's possible that a red tide is congregating in the water near the beach.
02:04:06 Red tides happen all over the world, but one algae species causes them in the Gulf of Mexico.
02:04:13 A red tide occurs when the water is full of more toxic algae than normal.
02:04:18 It can make the water reddish or brown, but sometimes the water's color is normal.
02:04:23 If you go in the water, you might experience respiratory irritation like coughing or an
02:04:28 itchy throat.
02:04:30 If this happens to you, you should thoroughly rinse your mouth with fresh water.
02:04:35 Speaking of water, frogs are famous for their croaking, but if you've ever heard them do
02:04:40 it a lot more than usual, it might be because it's about to rain.
02:04:45 One theory says that this might have to do with their mating.
02:04:48 They first do it, then lay eggs in bodies of fresh water.
02:04:53 A good rain means more watery real estate for the frogs.
02:04:57 That's why male frogs invite the ladies for a date before the showers with a croaking
02:05:02 symphony.
02:05:04 If you hear a lot of buzzing around, meaning the bees are more active than usual, a storm
02:05:10 could be on the way.
02:05:12 When they feel like it's approaching, bees start working even harder and faster to collect
02:05:17 more nectar before the storm.
02:05:20 And once they're done with it, they'll always come back to the hive 10 to 15 minutes before
02:05:25 the heavy rain, even when there are no obvious signs of it.
02:05:30 Their secret is super sensitive hairs on their back that can pick up electrostatic build-ups
02:05:35 from storm clouds.
02:05:43 The moon, our little companion, our only friend in the big dark cold space.
02:05:50 It's not surprising that any event related to it, like solar or lunar eclipses, excites
02:05:55 us.
02:05:56 But how about the black moon, the blue moon, a super moon?
02:06:01 Have you ever heard of them?
02:06:02 Well, let me tell you about it and how you can observe them.
02:06:06 Let's get your calendars ready.
02:06:08 The distance between the Earth and the moon is 238,900 miles, I've measured.
02:06:13 Feels not so far, doesn't it?
02:06:15 But trust me, most people greatly underestimate this difference.
02:06:19 Did you know that every planet in the solar system, including Jupiter and Saturn, would
02:06:24 fit between the moon and us?
02:06:26 I couldn't believe it myself.
02:06:28 The moon is tidally locked to the Earth.
02:06:30 That's why it's always turned to us with only one side.
02:06:34 There are a few phases in a lunar cycle.
02:06:36 The new moon is the first phase.
02:06:38 The sun illuminates the unseen side of our satellite, so we can't see the moon.
02:06:43 It's almost invisible in the sky.
02:06:46 The rising moon is the gradual growth of the light part.
02:06:49 The full moon is the phase during which the sun completely illuminates the visible side.
02:06:54 The descending moon is a gradual waning of the light part.
02:06:58 And finally, another new moon.
02:07:00 And the whole cycle starts again.
02:07:03 There are 29 and a half days in a lunar cycle, so it takes around a month if we're not
02:07:07 talking about February.
02:07:09 But why am I telling you all this?
02:07:11 So you can better understand Black Moon, a rare astronomical event that happens once
02:07:17 every 29 months or 2 and a half years.
02:07:20 This term doesn't exist in astronomy, as it was made up by astrologers.
02:07:24 It's unofficial and has several meanings.
02:07:27 Black Moon may mean the second new moon in a month.
02:07:31 Usually there's only one new moon per month, so having two is a rare phenomenon.
02:07:35 It's caused by a slight discrepancy between the lunar cycle and the Earth's annual one.
02:07:40 Something like leap years.
02:07:42 Black Moon can also mean something else.
02:07:45 For example, usually there are only 3 new moons per one season.
02:07:49 Basically, one new moon every 30 days.
02:07:52 However, if there are 4, the Black Moon means the third one.
02:07:56 There are also some less popular meanings.
02:07:59 For example, that's what people call February without a new or full moon.
02:08:04 This happens about once every 19 years.
02:08:07 But what's so special about it?
02:08:09 The satellite is wholly hidden in the sky during a regular new moon.
02:08:13 But during a Black Moon, you'll be able to see its dark silhouette.
02:08:17 You'll have to choose a good place without city lights.
02:08:20 If you live in a big city, you'll hardly be able to see it without a telescope.
02:08:24 Also, since the sky turns black during this phenomenon, you'll be able to see different
02:08:29 constellations that were hidden before, as well as Jupiter and Venus.
02:08:34 The last time this happened was on April 30, 2022.
02:08:38 You could observe it in most parts of the United States, except for areas in the Pacific,
02:08:42 Alaska, or Hawaiian time.
02:08:45 Aloha!
02:08:46 Unfortunately, if this is the first time you hear about the Black Moon, you've already
02:08:50 missed it.
02:08:51 Now, you'll have to wait another 2 and a half years.
02:08:54 The next Black Moon will happen in September 2024 by standard definition, and May 19, 2023
02:09:02 by seasonal definition.
02:09:04 But hey, don't worry!
02:09:05 You can always see another astronomical event once upon a blue moon.
02:09:10 Now, I'm not mocking you, I'm being serious.
02:09:13 You can still see the blue moon.
02:09:15 Well, not literally, of course.
02:09:17 The moon won't turn blue.
02:09:18 It's just what astrologers call the second full moon in a month.
02:09:22 The Black and Blue Moons are similar by definition, but they're actually the opposites.
02:09:27 If the Black Moon is a rare second new moon in a month, the Blue Moon is a rare second
02:09:32 full moon.
02:09:33 They also both happen every 29 months.
02:09:36 Not so rare, right?
02:09:38 Kind of ironic that this event was called the Blue Moon.
02:09:41 Folklorist Philip Hitchcock assumed that the calendrical meaning of the term "blue moon"
02:09:46 was first invented by the Maine Farmer's Almanac in 1937.
02:09:50 Now, another interesting astronomical event is called the Supermoon.
02:09:55 Stock up on telescopes and look for some hills, because you'll see an exceptionally bright
02:10:00 and large moon like the one we only see in movies.
02:10:03 What exactly does a supermoon mean?
02:10:06 You see, the moon doesn't revolve around the Earth in a circular orbit.
02:10:10 Its orbit is elliptical, and the place where it's closest to the Earth is called perigee.
02:10:16 A supermoon is a phenomenon that occurs when the full moon coincides with the perigee.
02:10:22 Because of this, it seems to us especially large and bright.
02:10:25 It looks 14% larger in diameter and 30% brighter than usual.
02:10:31 By the way, this phenomenon is often confused with the so-called "moon illusion."
02:10:35 During the moon illusion, the moon is low above the horizon and visually appears larger
02:10:40 in size.
02:10:42 Of the 12 or 13 full moons in a year, 3 or 4 are supermoons, but most of them are not
02:10:48 very significant.
02:10:49 You probably won't see a difference at all.
02:10:52 The most interesting ones are the rare large supermoons.
02:10:55 During them, the moon actually becomes big.
02:10:58 The last major supermoon occurred in 2016.
02:11:01 Unfortunately, large-scale supermoons are rare and occur about once every 18 years.
02:11:07 The next one will happen only in 2034.
02:11:10 But we can observe smaller supermoons quite often.
02:11:13 In 2022, they'll take place on June 14 and July 16.
02:11:19 There is also an opposite phenomenon called the micromoon.
02:11:23 You've probably already guessed what that means.
02:11:26 It happens when the full moon is at its farthest point from the Earth.
02:11:29 This point is called apogee.
02:11:31 The next micromoon in 2022 will take place on June 29.
02:11:36 In 2023, we'll be able to observe it on January 7, February 5, and August 16.
02:11:43 Of course, you don't have to follow each of these events.
02:11:46 Most people are more interested in lunar and solar eclipses.
02:11:49 By the way, are you one of the people who confuses these two events with each other?
02:11:54 Test yourself.
02:11:55 Pause this video, describe what these two eclipses mean.
02:11:58 Let's compare your answer with the correct definition.
02:12:02 Are you back?
02:12:03 Ok.
02:12:04 So, a solar eclipse is a phenomenon where the moon entirely or partially covers the
02:12:08 Sun.
02:12:09 A solar eclipse is possible only during the new moon when the moon itself is not visible.
02:12:15 Many people believe that this event is incredibly rare, but this is not quite true.
02:12:20 A lunar eclipse is a phenomenon in which the moon is entirely or partially in the shadow
02:12:25 cast by the Earth.
02:12:26 The lunar eclipse can only happen during the full moon when the proximity of the moon is
02:12:31 on the node of its orbit.
02:12:33 If you guessed right, well done!
02:12:35 If not, hey, don't worry, many people confuse them.
02:12:38 In 2022, a partial solar eclipse will occur on October 25.
02:12:43 It'll be visible in Europe, South and West Asia, North and East Africa, and the Atlantic.
02:12:49 As I mentioned, a total solar eclipse is not as rare as many people think, but the problem
02:12:53 is that it's not always visible from any part of the planet.
02:12:57 So, if you want to see this event, be sure to look for their calendar and see from which
02:13:01 parts of the Earth you'll be able to see it.
02:13:04 And don't forget the special glasses!
02:13:07 Lunar eclipses occur much more often, though.
02:13:10 Partial lunar eclipses happen almost every month.
02:13:12 But the total lunar eclipse in 2022 will take place on the night of November 7-8.
02:13:18 You'll be able to see it in almost all parts of the world except Africa.
02:13:22 I hear that the zebras are not happy about this.
02:13:25 The Moon is a genuinely fascinating satellite.
02:13:28 You think whatever, it's just a small rock ball.
02:13:31 But in reality, there are so many interesting things connected to it.
02:13:36 What rare lunar events have you seen or want to see in your life?
02:13:39 Have you observed any rare and interesting astronomical events?
02:13:43 Be sure to share in the comments!

Recommended