Bracing For a Solar Superstorm

As night was falling across the Americas on Sunday, August 28, 1859, the phantom shapes of the auroras could already be seen overhead. From Maine to the tip of Florida, vivid curtains of light took the skies.

Startled Cubans saw the auroras directly overhead; ships’ logs near the equator described crimson lights reaching halfway to the zenith. Many people thought their cities had caught fire. Scientific instruments around the world, patiently recording minute changes in Earth’s magnetism, suddenly shot off scale, and spurious electric currents surged into the world’s telegraph systems. In Baltimore telegraph operators labored from 8 p.m. until 10 a.m. the next day to transmit a mere 400-word press report.

Just before noon the following Thursday, September 1, English astronomer Richard C. Carrington was sketching a curious group of sunspots—curious on account of the dark areas’ enormous size. At 11:18 a.m. he witnessed an intense white light flash from two locations within the sunspot group.

He called out in vain to anyone in the observatory to come see the brief five-minute spectacle, but solitary astronomers seldom have an audience to share their excitement. Seventeen hours later in the Americas a second wave of auroras turned night to day as far south as Panama.

People could read the newspaper by their crimson and green light. Gold miners in the Rocky Mountains woke up and ate breakfast at 1 a.m., thinking the sun had risen on a cloudy day. Telegraph systems became unusable across Europe and North America.

The news media of the day looked for researchers able to explain the phenomena, but at the time scientists scarcely understood auroral displays at all. Were they meteoritic matter from space, reflected light from polar icebergs or a high-altitude version of lightning? It was the Great Aurora of 1859 itself that ushered in a new paradigm.

The October 15 issue of Scientific American noted that ‘‘a connection between the northern lights and forces of electricity and magnetism is now fully established.

The Gwiber of Penmachno

Mike Heffernan: The word “gwiber” in Welsh means viper or adder but many centuries ago the word actually meant “flying snake”. This is the story of how Wibernant (meaning “valley of the gwiber) which is near Penmachno got its name. The gwiber that resided in this particular valley was a very dangerous creature and was unique amongst its kind. It was the only one in Wales that could live on land and under the water. It preyed on the fish in the river, local livestock and on anyone foolish enough to get in its way !!! In despair, the local residents decided to offer a large reward to anyone who could kill the beast and a young man named Owen Ap Gruffydd (who lived in the nearby mountains) took up the challenge.

Before heading off to do battle with the monster, however. Owen decided to consult a local wise name by the name of Rhys Ddewin to find out his chances of success.

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The Single Hair that Could Finally Prove the Yeti Really Exists

He is 8ft tall and has a roar that could start an avalanche.

Despite this, the yeti has always managed to remain abominably elusive.

But yesterday, claims that the legendary beast really does exist took a giant step forward.

Scientists have used microscopes to analyse of strands of hair found caught on some rocks in jungle near the India-Bangladesh border.
The tests showed the thick, wiry hairs do not belong to any of the most common wild animals known to live in the area.

Instead, they bear a ’startling resemblance’ to some collected half a century ago by Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary.

Researcher Ian Redmond said: ‘The hairs are the most positive evidence yet that a yeti might possibly exist. It might be that the region this animal is inhabiting is remote enough for it to remain undiscovered so far. We are very excited.’

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Police flooded with UFO sightings

More than a dozen UFO sightings were reported to police after partygoers attached candles to balloons and released them into the night sky.

Saturday night revellers in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, were said to be playing a mystery game.

But residents in the surrounding area believed the illuminated objects were an alien invasion.

A spokesman for Central Scotland Police said: “We’ve had call, after call, after call, saying it’s UFOs.”

He said they received more than a dozen calls in half an hour.

“It turns out that there’s a party going on and they are letting off balloons with candles on. They make a wish and then release them into the sky.”

Halloween Reminds Us Of The Mystery In The Woods!

There are things that go bump in the night — I’ve heard them. Our forbearers heard them too. It’s no wonder then that spooky tales are part of our culture.

Many scary stories involve the deep, dark woods. Witch covens are said to reside under forest canopies. The headless horseman roamed colonial wilds just outside the bounds of “civilization.” And of course, there are those “creatures” of the night.

There are many animals across diverse cultures associated with all that is dark and mysterious. Ask any kid here in Maine, they can probably list the usual suspects of spooky critters that are appropriate for a Halloween scene. Bats and black cats are two popular choices, but they are not the only animals linked with the occult.

Let’s consider the raven. Edgar Allen Poe, in his classic “The Raven,” described that bird as “ghastly grim and ancient…wandering from the nightly shore.” He goes on to label the raven as a “grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore.” Perhaps their predominantly scavenging nature and inky black color have led to ravens having a supernatural association. Read more …