(Exciting) Natural Phenomena of Late
By Shoshana Seigel (4-12-24)
Hi readers (the 3-ish of you that there are)! The last week has been an unexpected time for natural phenomena. Now, before you close the tab because you don’t care about natural phenomena, remember that you’re truly not alone, and that’s why we’re in a climate crisis. Anyhoo, on that note, let’s get started!
I’ve heard mixed results of whether or not people actually felt it, but everyone was affected by the earthquake on April 5th (this past Friday) nonetheless. Recess was canceled, in addition to out-to-lunch for 8th graders, dooming the entire school to a period in the cafeteria together (which wasn’t ideal, but precautions were necessary). At 10:23 the morning of, fairly soon after the fire drill in our building, the earthquake struck near Tewksbury, New Jersey. Tremors could be felt up to 45 miles away from
the middle— known as the epicenter— of the earthquake, including up here in New York City, earning it a 4.8 on the Richter Scale. For those who don’t know, the Richter Scale is used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes and goes from 1-10, though 4.8 is not near the center as you might think as the scale grows exponentially (the difference between 1 and 2 is much less than between 9 and 10). That being said, this earthquake was one of the strongest in state history.
Only three days later, much of America experienced a total— or nearly total— solar eclipse! In case you’re confused about this (like me), a solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun. Lunar eclipses are when the Earth is between the moon and the sun, so the moon darkens without the sun’s light. These are FAR more common than solar eclipses, happening about once every 6 months. On the flip side, the last full solar eclipse that could be viewed in most of America occured in 2017, and according to NASA, won’t happen again until 2044. Can’t wait until that New Years. However, this doesn’t mean that other countries across the world won’t have solar eclipses— we just won’t be able to view them here in America necessarily.
Well anyway, that’s all for now! Keep buzzing along stingers (the line is cringe, but it’s iconic)!
I’ve heard mixed results of whether or not people actually felt it, but everyone was affected by the earthquake on April 5th (this past Friday) nonetheless. Recess was canceled, in addition to out-to-lunch for 8th graders, dooming the entire school to a period in the cafeteria together (which wasn’t ideal, but precautions were necessary). At 10:23 the morning of, fairly soon after the fire drill in our building, the earthquake struck near Tewksbury, New Jersey. Tremors could be felt up to 45 miles away from
the middle— known as the epicenter— of the earthquake, including up here in New York City, earning it a 4.8 on the Richter Scale. For those who don’t know, the Richter Scale is used to measure the magnitude of earthquakes and goes from 1-10, though 4.8 is not near the center as you might think as the scale grows exponentially (the difference between 1 and 2 is much less than between 9 and 10). That being said, this earthquake was one of the strongest in state history.
Only three days later, much of America experienced a total— or nearly total— solar eclipse! In case you’re confused about this (like me), a solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the sun. Lunar eclipses are when the Earth is between the moon and the sun, so the moon darkens without the sun’s light. These are FAR more common than solar eclipses, happening about once every 6 months. On the flip side, the last full solar eclipse that could be viewed in most of America occured in 2017, and according to NASA, won’t happen again until 2044. Can’t wait until that New Years. However, this doesn’t mean that other countries across the world won’t have solar eclipses— we just won’t be able to view them here in America necessarily.
Well anyway, that’s all for now! Keep buzzing along stingers (the line is cringe, but it’s iconic)!
