Tarantulas and Ice Crystals
Atmospheric Ice-crystal Effects are often observed, starting about this time of year, because of the frequent appearance of high clouds made of tiny bits of ice. The most familiar of these optical effects is the 22°-radius halo, or ring, around …
Rainbow Season
"Rainbow Season" arrives with the first rains of the season. Scattered showers are best for rainbow watching: sunlight refracting and reflecting through the raindrops causes two bows to appear -- an intense circular arc at 42°, and a bigger, but …
Beaver Moon Tonight
November's Full Moon rises dramatically in the east at around 4:45 p.m., just after the time of sunset, on Sunday, November 21. Barring the incursion of overnight low clouds across the coastal strip, San Diegans can witness the same full …
Temperatures, Sunsets, and Fremont Cottonwoods
Low-lying Temperature Inversions commonly occur in San Diego as winter approaches. During the night and morning hours, a meterological condition often occurs in which the "normal" higher-you-go-the colder-it-gets trend is reversed. At such times cold marine air lies below a …
The Annual Leonid Meteor Shower
The Annual Leonid Meteor Shower, famous for its outbursts over the period 1998-2002, has now settled down to a modest display of only about 10-30 visible events per hour (as seen under clear, dark skies). This year the shower peaks …
Declining Temps, Santa Anas, and Acorn Dropping
Local Temperatures should be declining most rapidly during this time of year, according to more than a century of local meteorological records. With every successive week, daily maximum temperatures are declining by about 3/4°Fahrenheit, and daily minimum temperatures are plummeting …
Daylight Savings Time Arrives
Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday morning, November 7 at 2 a.m. With the resumption of standard time, midday (the time when the sun reaches its maximum altitude in the south part of the sky) will again be close to …
New Moon = Extreme Tides
Extreme Low and High Tides are taking place this weekend, in concert with the new moon. On Friday, November 5, the tide crests at +6.7 feet at 8:39 a.m., and then falls to a low of -1.1 feet at 3:28 …
The Taurid Meteor Shower and the Planet Venus
The Taurid Meteor Shower, featuring about 10-15 visible events per hour -- as seen under clear, dark skies -- peaks this year on the morning of Thursday, November 4. Best times for viewing are approximately 10pm to 3am. No moonlight …