Lexical Light

More Info on Rainbow Clouds

The "rainbow cloud" my 5 year-old spotted in June merited a blog post and some research. Thanks to Suzi's comment I looked up "sun dog" and found some amazing pictures of other "rainbow clouds."

Based on what I found, it seems we saw a circumhorizon arc.  The pictures I found of sun dogs,  don't look like what we saw. If you like our little picture, go check out the circumhorizon arc gallery  at Atmospheric Optics.

Update 10/21/07: I saw two mor circumhorizon arcs today at about 5:48pm CST. They were near the sun and visible only briefly, one of them only with the help of my sunglasses. Coo.

Rainbow Colored Cloud

"Look a rainbow!" exclaimed the five year-old.

"There can't be a rainbow. There aren't many clouds and no rain around," proclaimed the science teacher.

Shows what I know.

Kara spotted this cloud on Tuesday afternoon while we were in the van. There weren't many clouds around and no rain, but as you can see, it's not your typical rainbow. I've never seen anything like it.

Being the geek I am, I called News8Austin to tell them about it, thinking their cameras would capture it better and the weather guy could explain it. The lady on the phone was nice enough, but didn't quite know what to make of me. :) 

As it turns out, our picture isn't that bad. I submitted it online to News8 and we'll keep watching "Weather on the 8's" to see if our picture makes the news. (The girls were thinking they were going to be on the news.)

If News8 doesn't work out, I'll contact one of the other local stations.

In the meantime, have any of you every seen such a thing? (I'm preparing myself for, "Oh, yeah. We see those all the time. That's often how my "new discoveries" go.)

Fall Weather is Here: Today's High Only 81

Woo-hoo! After about a week of over 100 degree weather, we finally have some relief.

Several years ago I clued in to the fact that September, and even October, doesn't mean wearing sweaters in central Texas. But, continued 100 degree heat in September is unusual...and hot!

Earlier this week my ears perked up when the weather guy said we would have a taste of fall on Thursday. I laughed when he said that meant the high would only be 87.

Last night a cool/cold front came in. I saw the lightning in the distance (no rain...drats) and heard the wind, excited by the thought of being able to go outside comfortably today.

Here's the homeschool take that any parent can apply:  I've been talking about it with the kids and they celebrated today when they stepped outside to the noticeably cooler weather. (Boo is upstairs looking for a sweater when its 73 degrees. Texans.)

Our local cable company has a 24 hour news channeld that broadcasts "Weather on the 8s". We've used it a lot the past month, especially last week when Rita may have paid us a visit. The kids are well acquainted with our local map, are learning weather lingo, and are learning to notice how those things affect their lives.

We may have to go celebrate with a park visit.

This just in: this have been the hottest September in Austin history and it's been blogged.

Happy First Day of Autumn

Here in central Texas we’re observing it with 100-degree heat and anticipating lots of rain and wind from Hurricane Rita. Those of you a little farther north have hope of actually wearing a sweater instead of being a sweater.

FYI: The Autumnal Equinox is one day of the year when the length of day and the length of night are equal. (The Spring Equinox is the other.) In the Northern Hemisphere is marks the beginning of longer nights and shorter days. (It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Education World has loads of links to fall activities and information.

What's your weather like today?  Does it look/feel like autumn where you are? Are your leaves starting to change? If you'd be so kind to leave a little comment about your weather I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

That's Made of Corn?

My skirt is made of corn. So are the containers for my leftovers. They’re not really, but they could be. This article on my Yahoo home page caught my eye because it explores the possibilities of the USA becoming less dependent on oil because of corn. Go figure.

Not only is corn used to produce fabric and plastic, but less fossil fuel is used in that process than in the traditional manufacturing process for similar petroleum based products. "Anything you can make out of petroleum, I can make out of corn and soybeans," said Larry Johnson, director of the Center for Crops Utilization Research at Iowa State University. Cool. 

The article also caught my eye because it’s not the first time I’ve heard about this. Thanks to a Reading Rainbow episode* we saw a few months ago, even my kids know you can make fabric and plastic from corn. When I saw this news story today, I immediately thought of LeVar taking us to the factory where they turn corn into plastic. That’s one of the small joys in my life…making connections. I can’t wait to tell the kids.

*I couldn't find that episode info. I'll link it when I find it. Oh, the suspense. 

Hubble Helps Us Consider the Heavens

     

Psalm 8:1 (NAS)
O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

Take a look at the latest pictures from the Hubble telescope.   Amazing.