Main Street Independent

TAG  ·  General

weather

Hubble images reveal 10-sided cloud formation over Saturn's south pole

Illustration accompanying article: Hubble images reveal 10-sided cloud formation over Saturn's south pole
  • A Spanish-led research team has identified an enormous 10-sided decagon of icy ammonia clouds swirling over Saturn's south pole.
  • The Hubble Space Telescope first detected the spinning formation in 2023.
  • Earlier observations of the same region had come up empty before the 2023 detection.
  • Researchers believe the decagon formed between 2017 and 2023, while Saturn's south pole was tilted away from Earth.
  • Lead author Agustin Sanchez-Lavega said the decagon's single side already exceeds 10,000 miles and the pattern could still be evolving.
 2026-09-02 · 3 MIN READ

Flash flood at Grand Canyon's Phantom Ranch kills two, leaves 15 missing

Illustration accompanying article: Flash flood at Grand Canyon's Phantom Ranch kills two, leaves 15 missing
  • A flash flood on Saturday at Phantom Ranch, the sole lodge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, killed two people and left at least 15 missing.
  • More than 60 people were evacuated by air from the ranch and the bottom of the adjacent North Kaibab Trail.
  • The National Park Service warned in February of "the elevated potential for flash flooding and debris flows in the Bright Angel Creek watershed" following last year's Dragon Bravo wildfire.
  • NPS describes flash flooding as an inherent risk in the Grand Canyon, where rain-swollen creeks can quickly form flash floods as they drop steeply into the canyon.
  • Phantom Ranch, established on a camp site set up by Theodore Roosevelt during a 1913 hunting trip, has operated at the bottom of the canyon since 1922.
 2026-08-31 · 3 MIN READ
Hurricane Karina strengthens in Pacific, expected to remain at sea