Category: Family

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The Scent of Rain

Petrichor is the name of that smell when the summer rains fall after a hot day. What’s it called? Why does it smell?

Petrichor is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek petra, “rock”, or petros, “stone”, and īchōr, the fluid that supposedly flowed in the veins of the gods. I think “Petrichor is better sounding than “rocky god blood”.

What is it?

Well, it is slightly more complicated than might be first thought.

The smell is the aeration of a combination of an oil that is produced by plants during long periods of dry weather that then settles into clay based soils and rocks. When the rain falls it gets lifted into the air and combines with another compound that is a metabolic (breaking down of compounds) by-product of Actinobacteria (see section below) which is released as the soil becomes wet.

So in short it is a mixture of plant oils and a by-product of bacteria that build up during as dry spell give us that distinctive scent from summer rain that invokes so many positive thoughts and childhood memories.

According to research from MIT University heavy rain actually produces fewer aerosols than a light or medium rainfall, according to their findings. So that might be why petrichor is associated with the moments after a drizzle. 

Actinobacteria exist as either dormant spores or actively growing mycelium with filaments called hyphae. Most of these free-living organisms look like strands of hair or spaghetti under a microscope. Some are spherical in shape, others are branched, and many have knobby or hair-like projections.

Enjoy,

Tom

How rain creates an aerosol effect
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Comet ATLAS

The comet ATLAS-Y4 will be closest to Earth on May 23, 2020.

On December 28, 2019, a new comet was detected. When it was first observed, the comet was quite faint. But since then, it has been brightening every day as it makes its way closer to the Sun.

ATLAS Y4

Astronomers believe that ATLAS is about to grace our skies with perhaps one of the brightest light shows that we’ve seen in a while.

The comet’s name is an acronym for Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), a robotic astronomical survey system based in Hawaii designed to detect smaller near-Earth objects a few weeks to a few days before their closest approach.

ATLAS’s Path

As comets travel closer to the Sun, they increase in brightness as the heat from the star causes them to burn. ATLAS is headed toward the Sun, and on May 31, 2020, it will be at its closest 23.5 million miles to the star, that’s closer than planet Mercury is to the Sun.

The comet ATLAS will be closest to Earth on May 23, 2020.

Comets are at risk of breaking apart as they draw nearer to the Sun, running out of gas and disintegrating from the heat of the star. However, if it does survive the journey, ATLAS will hit its peak brightness by the end of May, where it could possibly grow brighter than Venus and become visible to the naked eye.

ATLAS from Hubble

Perhaps the most opportune day to view comet ATLAS would be on May 22 as it will coincide with the new moon. Therefore, it provides the perfect opportunity to view other objects in the sky without the disrupting light of the Moon.

I hope you get to have a glimpse of this comet…

Tom 

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Bats

Greater horseshoe – 13-34g

Test yourself, how many of the following statements are true?

  • Bats are very clean animals and spend hours grooming.
  • Bats often choose to hang up in modern buildings, houses and bungalows.
  • Droppings are crumbly, consisting of insect remains which are neither unpleasant nor unhealthy.
  • Bats are not likely to attack people or pets. Of nearly 1000 species of bat in the world, only three living in south and central America, feed on blood.
Noctule – 18-40g

Answer = All four are TRUE

Bats are night creatures, seen only dimly at dusk. Their large wings make them look bigger than they really are, and as they swoop down after insects people may sometimes feel uneasy.

What are bats?

Bats are mammals. Like all mammals including ourselves they have fur on their bodies and are warm blooded. A baby bat feeds on its mother’s milk for a few weeks after it is born. Bats are the only mammal that can fly.

The bat you are most likely to see is a pipistrelle. We now know there are two similar species of pipistrelle living in Britain, sometimes called the ‘brown’ and the ‘bandit’.

Types of bat found in Britain

There are 16 species of bat living in Britain

Baby bat (known as a ‘pup’)
  1. Greater horseshoe
  2. Lesser horseshoe
  3. Daubenton’s
  4. Whiskered
  5. Pipistrelle brown
  6. Pipistrelle bandit
  7. Nathusius’s pipistrelle
  8. Noctule
  9. Brown long-eared
  10. Grey long-eared
  11. Serotine
  12. Natterer’s
  13. Leisler’s
  14. Brandt’s
  15. Bechstein’s
  16. Barbastelle

Food

All British bats eat insects. Each species has its favorite insects, hunting them in its own special way. Most are caught and eaten in mid air, though it is sometimes easier to hang up to eat larger prey. All bats have big appetites, flying uses up lots of energy. The tiny pipistrelle can eat over 300 insects in an hour.

Roosts

Pipistrelle – 4-7g

Bats do not make nests, they choose various places to hang up (roost). Some prefer hollow trees, others caves and some use both. Buildings and roof spaces are very similar to hollow trees or caves and make a suitable substiute.

Female bats gather in a maternity roost during the summer. they have their babies here and stay with them until they are able to feed themselves.

Winter

During winter there are very few insects to be found so British bats hibernate. they find a cool place and tuck themselves away. Their temperature drops and their heartbeat slows. They do occasionally wake up and look for food or water.

If you want to do your bit to look after our declining bat population you can’t go wrong with the Bat Conservation Trust you can find their website here. You can also find out a lot more information on bats.

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Full Flower Super Moon

Thursday 7th May at 10:45 will be the third and final Supermoon of 2020 and it is known as the full flower moon. It is also known as the May full moon, full milk moon, full corn planting moon. Whatever name you give it is always present near the constellation of Libra.

To find the constellation of Libra use a star map or a night sky app and search for one of the stars in the constellation like Beta Librae.

The moonrise will be around 8.45pm BST later this evening.

The moon will be at its fullest at 11.45am this morning, but it will not be visible in the UK at this time. 

However, the moon will be at its most impressive before it sets this morning at around 5.42am and also after moonrise around 8.45pm later this evening. The supermoon will be 6% larger than normal and a whole 14% bigger than a micromoon (when the moon is farthest away from the earth).

Constellation Libra

Full moons are always opposite the sun, rising in the east as the sun sets, equally setting in the west at sunrise.

Just before sunrise for six mornings this week the moon’s orbital motion from west to east will carry it past three bright planets; Jupiter, Saturn and Mars (also Neptune, but you can’t see this with the naked eye). To help you tell the difference Jupiter will be bright white. To the left of Jupiter Saturn will be yellowish and Mars reddish.

Halley’s Comet 1986

You may even get the pleasure of seeing some of the Eta-Aquariids meteor shower which will be close to the Horizon. These meteors are appearing as the earth passes through the stream of debris leftover from Halley’s Comet (Halley’s comet is not visible and will not be until 2061). The shower runs from 19th April to 26th May and has it’s peak on the 6th May.

Looking at a full moon with the naked eye, binoculars or telescope can damage your eye and should be done with moon filters or similar.

Enjoy

Tom