Today would be a great day to stay in the hut and read a book. No such luck. It is very windy outside today. The wind chill is -41°C and -41°F. In Tucson the wind will kick up the dirt into a dust devil. It looks like a mini-tornado, but quickly dies out after traveling a little distance. Outside the window today I saw a snow devil. I'm fortunate that I only need to venture out for short periods at a time to sample snow and walk to the cafeteria.
Barrow Cactus on house. Photo copyright UCAR Photographer Carlye CalvinLast night I woke up at 2AM and glanced out the front window of the hut. I saw a greenish glow in the sky. I quickly pulled on my hiking boots and jacket and ran outside in my pajamas. I finally saw the aurora. It wasn't very bright with all of the lights around. I watched a few moments until I got too cold and then went to back to bed happy. Manuel Barret created a video of the aurora the other night.
My students have been asking me to throw water up into the air to see if it will freeze. I understand that this works much better if the water is boiling first. Below is the video of this experiment.
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