What physical phenomena did you observe in the summer? The most unusual natural phenomena and where you can see them. Stones that can crawl

Planet Earth - amazing place, filled with a lot of strange and interesting natural phenomena. Some of them are easy to explain from a scientific point of view, some are a real mystery of nature. Below are the most unusual natural phenomena, which not only intrigue, but also fascinate.

The natural phenomenon, which has long been called “St. Elmo’s Fire,” was a real threat to sailors. It looked like small but quite bright balls of yellow-orange color. During bad weather, storms or storms, they appeared on the sharp ends of masts or spiers of lighthouses. They frightened and delighted at the same time, seemed interesting and alluring.

Lights of Hessdalen Valley

From the point of view of chronic toxicity, substances can be divided into: Carcinogens that can cause teratogenic tumors that can cause malformations in fetuses mutagenic substances that can cause mutations that can lead to cancer. Man should live in symbiosis with nature and should not interfere with it, because any interference with nature causes some harm. Pollution is one of the dangerous interventions, although many people do not understand it.

Synchronized flashing of fireflies

Ever since we were little, our parents taught us not to throw garbage on the ground because waste was thrown into baskets. They do this because we need to protect the environment and people should know about this when they are young because they already have contact with nature. They spend different trips in nature or with parents and relatives or with teachers, and children need to know how to behave.

It was believed that these lights promised the lost ship hope for salvation, would bring good luck on long journeys and the protection of the gods.

Elmo lights were small point charges that concentrated on the edges of sharp objects. They did not burn and were absolutely safe. It is quite difficult to see these lights nowadays, because modern high-tech ships have smoother shapes.

People who live in big cities or industrial areas, need fresh air, which in these places, of course, cannot be breathed, and therefore nature is important to them. We do not despise it because, despite natural disasters, it offers us many things and gives us so many opportunities to live better and in symbiosis with it. Man, however, must limit himself to interventions in nature. All the harm we cause to nature is not because nature curses us, but “interests”.

This means that all the evil that we do to nature, we do not do it, but we do it ourselves. Therefore, environmental protection is very important and is a fundamental value in the interests of future generations. Nature is all around us, sacrificing us with its unearthly beauties.

Stones that can crawl

Once in a few years, national park California, USA, you can watch a strange natural phenomenon - crawling stones. It is noteworthy that the movement of the boulders themselves has not yet been captured on film. Traces left on the surface dry lake Racetrack Playa clearly confirms this mysterious natural phenomenon.

However, sometimes the world offers us phenomena that even scientists can hardly explain. Few are the lucky ones who have the opportunity to witness their greatness. Let's look at the most amazing natural phenomena. The Northern Lights are undoubtedly one of the most amazing sights that people have ever seen. This phenomenon can be compared to the graceful dance of colorful lights in the sky. The natural phenomenon is formed by the interaction of charged particles from the solar wind with the magnetosphere.

In the past, the Vikings believed that the lights were warriors riding horses across the sky, and according to the Eskimos, good spirits flashed the lights to light the way of the dead to afterlife. Cloud Clouds - These strange clouds can appear smooth or lumpy, can be opaque or translucent, and stretch for hundreds of miles. They are most common in the United States and are severe storm or rain events.

Red tide is a phenomenon caused by large concentrations of seaweed that accumulate very quickly in the water column. This causes the surface of the water to become discolored, making it appear dark purple, red, or pink. This phenomenon is usually observed in coastal areas.

Arc of Fire - This miracle of nature suddenly appears in the sky and creates an incredible illusion that it merges into different colors. The red color is the most intense and that is why they call it a fire rainbow. This phenomenon is extremely rare, making it even more mysterious and curious.

There are a huge number of versions and guesses regarding its origin. According to one of the most interesting, boulders fall from nearby hills, the height of which reaches about 250 meters. The clayey soil of the lake slows down the inertial movement on a flat surface several times, but it still occurs. As a result, stone blocks leave behind smooth traces up to 3 cm deep and tens of meters long.

Floating stones - no one has ever seen them, no one touches them, because there is no living soul around, but they continue to wander. Rocks weighing 400 kg. leaving smooth footprints as proof of their journey. They “travel” across the endless desert at different speeds and in different directions. This phenomenon occurs in one of the smoothest places on the planet - “Death Valley”, which further strengthens the mystery.

Fish rain - “As soon as it hits the cloud, the fish freezes and after a while falls to the ground,” experts say. This sounds crazy in most parts of the world, but the people of Honduras are used to catching fish without throwing sticks into the water, but by collecting animals that have just been blown from the sky. It's called finding food for lunch easily.

Green ray of the setting sun

Inexplicable natural phenomena include the stunningly beautiful spectacle of a green ray appearing at sunset. To see it, you must meet only 3 conditions: find an open horizon, a cloudless sky and fresh air.

The strange optical effect lasts only a few seconds (less often, minutes) and is a greenish-emerald flash in the sky at the moment the sun disappears below the horizon.

Shadow of the "Giant Bear". Locals they call it the River of Five Colors. A really normal look at this area. This unusual shadow appears only twice a year in the mountains of North Carolina, USA. As a result, he attracts great amount tourists who want to see it. It can be seen in late October - early November, and from mid-February to early March - no more than half an hour a day.

Called. The Eye of the Sahara, also called "Struash Richat" or "Eye of Africa", is a geological formation with a diameter of about 50 km. Viewed from space, it looks like a real eye - with an iris and a pupil. It was once used as a starting point by astronauts because it stands in stark contrast to the desolate African desert.

Researcher William Cohn tried to explain the appearance of the green ray as follows. When oxygen atoms transition to a normal state from a metastable state, they emit radiation. It is expressed in a light wave, which tints the horizon green. This guess has not yet been confirmed from a scientific point of view.

Mystical mirages of the desert

Anomalous natural phenomena are not uncommon in the vast sandy areas. You can often observe the appearance of mirages in the desert. Strange and interesting, inexplicable and incomprehensible, they are illusions and images floating in the air.

Rain of animals

However, from June to December it takes on a wonderful multi-colored hue. Different types of algae change their colors and become red, dark, blue, yellow, orange and green. The concept of natural aesthetics in Karel Capek's dissertation and article "Nature", aesthetic judgment and the objectivity of Allen Carlson.

Karl Capk is interested in philosophical questions about the aesthetics of a few exceptions outside the area of ​​interest as aestheticians and art theorists and researchers who are interested in the personality and work of Capek. One can imagine various reasons why this is so. The most general purpose of this work is to highlight the fact that Capek is dedicated to philosophy, from which fields there were related issues concerning aesthetics and art theory, and even the thought of an academic career as an aesthetician, or philosopher of art. My contribution has other, more specific goals.


There are many guesses and explanations for their occurrence:

  • whim of the gods;
  • tribute to the past;
  • secrets of science.

According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, mirages are a reminder of the past, the appearance of objects, people, even cities that no longer exist. According to one of the legends of England, Fata Morgana was considered the ruler of mirages, who deceived sailors with ghostly visions.

The first option, most likely the result of a sketchy summary of Karl Capk's ideas without in-depth analysis, could significantly exceed the scope of this article. To understand Capek's views must be considered in a broader context, explain what makes his desirable objective method of aesthetics and answer the question of whether he can be a subject of his own nature. My goal here is not to compare them in detail, but only to indicate which approach seems more suitable for the study of natural aesthetics.

The solution that makes the concept more compelling will remain with the listener or reader. The place of “natural aesthetics” in Karel Capek’s dissertation work. The Objective Method of Karl Capcaw's Dissertation in Aesthetics with a Vision of Fine Art, summarizes his efforts to find or establish a way in which one could understand piece of art objectively. Natural aesthetics is thus at the edge of Čapek's theoretical interest, but his work cannot be said to be completely ignored.

From a scientific point of view, mirages are the consequences of thermal overheating of air, the creation of a so-called “air lens”. Quite interesting is the fact that the clearest mirages do not appear in sandy deserts, and in ice ones. Thus, in Alaska, centuries-old cold intensifies light inhomogeneities and leads to the emergence of stunningly bright aerial illusions.

Given the traditions of aesthetics, there must be a question about nature and its beauty somehow to be dealt with, and therefore this question is with the author of several pages. Therefore, in order to be able to adequately perceive the subject of natural aesthetics, we need to explain this term in more detail. Aesthetic understanding is not the only modality of aesthetic behavior. According to Kapek, three types of behavior can be distinguished that can be subordinated to the concept of aesthetic perception and which vary in complexity. These modes are: aesthetic pleasure, aesthetic appreciation and aesthetic understanding.

Electric lightning extravaganza Catatumbo

A real landmark of Venezuela is the Catatumbo River, or more precisely, the place where it flows into Lake Maracaibo. Here you can quite often observe a strange and fascinating natural phenomenon - a huge concentration of electrical charges in the atmosphere. Catatumbo lightning appears up to 150 times a year and continues to flash for up to 10 hours in a row. This phenomenon is not accompanied by any sound effects.

Regimes differ in their character and, as we will see later, in the subjects to which they relate. We are not interested in the subject, we are just hedonists. The true character of the subject under consideration is not a question for us, we are focused only on how the subject appears and as such accepts it. This way you can look at anything. This moment of happiness is due to the emotional perception of the continuum of phenomena in their entirety, regardless of what the phenomena are.

The longevity resulting from this process is always the same, and therefore there is practically no difference between viewing art and nature in this regard. We no longer only enjoy the experience of the continuum of phenomena, but our attention is focused on a specific segment of it. Our consciousness works selectively, we concentrate on certain aspects of matter, and therefore things emerge from the mere disorder of appearances. The key aspect on the basis of which aesthetic appreciation can be distinguished from simple aesthetic pleasure is the input of the subject, his active participation.

All this allowed the Venezuelan municipality of Catatumbo to proclaim its territory as the Capital of Lightning. This rather interesting phenomenon has been known since the times of ancient sailors: lightning discharges, which were visible 400 km away, served as a kind of beacon for them and were used for navigation.



Although in the case of aesthetic pleasure perception follows only a continuum of phenomena that lead to its depletion, in the case of aesthetic appreciation it refers to a definite and durable subject. The necessity of choice brings us closer to the nature of the subject under consideration, we must decide which functions are significant and which play only a secondary role, that is, we focus on what is constant and objective. As a result of the judicial decision, this issue arises completely.

In this case, the subject receives new ideas in consciousness. In the background there is an intermittent multiplicity of individual data that remains after immediate enjoyment, complemented by the assumption of an objective unity that is aesthetic. The new presentation attempts to combine a given set with an intended set. Our use, as Kapek argues, gave us material, that is, sensory data and evaluation, posed a problem and a task. In short, in the new presentation Kapka's aesthetic object is set as a task.

Today, the phenomenon of multiplicity of Catatumbo lightning is explained quite simply. Several unique natural factors came together:

  • The Andes block the wind's access to the lake;
  • evaporated water forms massive clouds;
  • Electrical discharges appear in the clouds.

As a result of all this, unusually beautiful and high lightning occurs, and a huge amount of ozone is released into the atmosphere.

It follows from this that the aesthetic object relates not only to the senses, but also to the mind. Although we can think of an active subject in relation to aesthetic appreciation, his reactions were limited to sympathy or resistance to the matter. Now we need to understand the work. The intelligent personality coincides with the understanding body.

Aesthetic pleasure in a work of art is practically no different from aesthetic pleasure natural object. Aesthetic evaluation can be approached in the same way. As Kapek says, anything that is aesthetically pleasing can be appreciated aesthetically and can be subject to personal responses. Moreover, in the nature of Čapek resorts in the context of reflection on the nature of aesthetic appreciation, indicating: Nature is provided with large game rays, color and movement, inexhaustible data, a huge and unitary impression.

Cellular clouds are harbingers of a storm

Another fascinating natural phenomenon is cellular clouds, also called biconvex clouds. They were discovered quite recently, no more than 40 years ago. Classified as cumulonimbus clouds. Their structure is quite interesting, reminiscent of a kind of convex honeycomb. The elements hanging down are painted dark gray. If the sun is low above the horizon, they can acquire pinkish, golden, or bluish hues.

They are found mainly in the United States; their appearance portends the imminent approach of a storm or hurricane. Strange clouds are especially recommended to be avoided by airplanes and helicopters, since cellular clouds often cause frequent and sudden wind changes. Lenticular clouds are also unique in that they form on downward rather than upward air currents.

The miraculous aurora

One of the strangest and most mysterious wonders of nature is. A stunning sight can be seen in clear, windless weather near the Earth's magnetic poles. The duration of the northern lights varies from 1-2 hours to several days and depends on solar activity.

This phenomenon itself represents the glow of the upper atmospheric layer of our planet, which is formed as a result of its interaction with the flow of hydrogen-helium plasma of the Sun. When particles collide with each other, molecules and gases in the atmosphere are activated. Their radiation appears before us in the form of a magnificent and interesting phenomenon - the northern lights. Its color palette is highlighted in purple when nitrogen is activated, scarlet and emerald when oxygen is excited.


The latest discovery of scientists who conducted research on this natural phenomenon was confirmation of the sound effect of the aurora. A research team from Aalto University, Helsinki, made an audio recording of the light flashes. Numerous legends about the “voices of the luminous sky” were confirmed.

The weather can be good or bad, but its anomalies always fascinate us. We have selected the most unusual natural phenomena that occur all over the globe and are observed extremely rarely.

(Total 19 photos and videos)

Brainicle (finger of death)

We are used to seeing icicles hanging from roofs. However, in the Arctic there are special icicles that hang under water and pose a mortal danger to the inhabitants of the ocean floor. This phenomenon was discovered almost 30 years ago, but the process of its birth was only filmed in 2011 by a BBC team.
The formation of this extraordinary icicle is easily explained by science. Salty sea water freezes a little differently and turns not into icy solids, but into something similar to a porous wet washcloth. Icebergs are literally riddled with small channels filled with salt water.


In northern latitudes, the surface air temperature can be –20 degrees Celsius, while the water temperature is much higher – about –2 degrees. The heat from the ocean water rises and melts the iceberg, forming new ice. The salt from this ice concentrates into a saturated brine and exits through shallow channels into the ocean. The density of the brine is higher and the temperature is lower, so it rushes to the bottom in a continuous stream and freezes the sea water around it. Within a few hours, the stream is covered with a thin ice crust that looks like a stalactite.

Having reached the bottom, the “finger of death” does not stop, but continues to spread along the bottom. In 15 minutes, such a structure is capable of destroying all leisurely living organisms over an area of ​​several meters. It is for this reason that the fatal icicle was called the “icy finger of death.”

Tubular clouds

There are a large number of clouds that have a special shape and special reasons for their occurrence. Umbrella-shaped, or tubular, clouds look strange and unusual. They look either like sections of pipes, or like many suspended balls, the shade of which varies from white to blue-gray. The color depends on the thickness of the cloud.


How are they made? Clouds usually have a flat base. Warm, moist air cools and condenses into water droplets. This occurs at a certain temperature, and its decrease in the atmosphere is associated with altitude above sea level. The drops grow and form an opaque cloud.


However, under special conditions (humid air above and dry air below), cloud pockets begin to form in the atmosphere, filled with large droplets of water or even ice crystals, which literally fall into the clean air under their weight. This behavior of clouds is associated with the turbulent movement of air masses. And turbulent air movement indicates the proximity of a powerful thunderstorm front.

Like any relief surface, tubular clouds are especially impressive in low light conditions, during sunset or dawn. They are mainly observed in the tropics, but also appear in more northern latitudes.

Misty Rainbow

Hazy Rainbow is another one optical phenomenon in the atmosphere, similar to the well-known rainbow. The phenomenon appears as a wide, shiny white arc. However, this type of rainbow is neutral in color and can be seen not during rain, but during fog.


For a fog rainbow to occur, strict conditions are required. The water droplets from which the fog is formed must have a certain size - about 0.02 mm. However, due to diffraction of light, the split spectrum is mixed and a uniform white color is obtained.

Due to edge effects, the inner radius of the rainbow may be purple, while the outer radius may be orange.

Catatumbo Lightning

Lightning is a natural phenomenon that occurs in northwestern Venezuela, where the river of the same name flows into Lake Maracaibo. There is regular thunderstorm activity above the confluence: there is lightning in the clouds almost 200 days a year, continuous thunderstorm sessions last about 10 hours.


It is here that warm and humid air masses with Caribbean Sea meet the cold air that descends from the Andes, resulting in the formation of vortices. The decaying organic matter of numerous swamps releases methane gas into the atmosphere. It improves electrical conductivity in the cloud, resulting in lightning.

For a long time, this place served as a landmark for sailors - it can be seen from a distance of more than 400 km. The Venezuelan government wants to make a unique location a monument world heritage UNESCO. It is believed to be the largest natural ozone generator.

Moon Rainbow

This phenomenon is much easier to see in a fantasy quest than in reality. Many factors are required: the full Moon must be low, the sky must be dark, and there must be a powerful waterfall opposite the luminary or it must be raining.


And still you will see a lunar rainbow completely white. The fact is that even under the best conditions its brightness is extremely low and human physiology allows you to see only a white rainbow.

This is where a modern camera that shoots at long exposures can come to the rescue. An exposure of 15-30 seconds will allow the sensor to collect enough light, and the rainbow can be seen in color, but only in the photograph.

Gloria is another phenomenon associated with the diffraction of light in cloud or fog droplets. This weather phenomenon can only be detected when the light source is behind you and the light reflected from the cloud returns directly to the observer. Gloria can be seen in the mountains as her own silhouette or during a flight as the shadow of an airplane on a cloud.


The rainbow halo around one's own shadow was interpreted by Buddhists as the degree of human enlightenment. The seemingly huge and living shadow disturbed the Germans who climbed the mountains.


Coastal cappuccino

The sea can turn to foam in any part of the planet, but it most often occurs in the southern hemisphere. In a few minutes, the entire coastline, houses and sun loungers disappear into suddenly appearing foam, which slowly dissolves on the sand.


For foam to appear in seawater there must be a large accumulation of algae, salt and some waste. These components act as surfactants (like shampoo in your bathroom) and reduce surface tension at the interface between water and air. well and strong currents and it costs nothing for the wind to whip all the ingredients into a rich foam and carry it out to the stunned swimmers.

So far, foaming occurs only occasionally. But with further ocean pollution it may become permanent.

Sprites, elves and blue jets

In addition to the lightning that we see from the Earth, above storm clouds There are powerful flares directed into space. They are divided into red sprites, blue sprites and elves. The shape and color of the flashes depend on the altitude at which they occur.


Unlike lightning, these flashes are characterized by a distinct blue or red color and cover distances of up to 100 km in length and diameter. This makes them an element of space weather, since northern lights are born in these areas and meteors fly.


This phenomenon has been poorly studied for one reason: flares can be observed from Earth only at low altitudes. They are currently being studied from the ISS. According to some reports, strong surges of electricity can “drive” ozone out of the protective layer.

Waterspout

Waterspouts look like small tornadoes of water and typically occur under a cloud above the water's surface. Although from the outside it may appear that liquid is literally being sucked out of the water, the tornado is located above the surface and consists of water droplets formed by condensation.


Strong waterspouts occasionally occur, but most are weak and caused by the collision of atmospheric dynamics that form a vortex.

Fire tornado


This natural phenomenon appears extremely rarely and under certain environmental conditions (temperature, air flows). It occurs when a column of hot, rising air interacts with or causes a fire on the ground. It is a vertical whirlpool of fire in the air.

Morning Glory

Morning glory is a rare meteorological phenomenon, a “thunderstorm collar” that forms at the border of an advancing cold front. The downdraft causes the warm, moist air to rise and cool - causing it to cool below its dew point and become a cloud.


This happens along the entire length of the front: the cloud is up to 1000 km long and also rotates around the longitudinal axis. The cloud's rolling speed can reach 60 km/h, which portends heavy winds and bad weather in the direction of movement of the “collar”.


By the nature of its origin, morning gloria can be considered a tornado that lies on its side. It regularly appears in autumn in northern Australia, occasionally in other parts of the world.

Volcanic lightning

Volcanic activity provides a very fertile environment for spectacular discharges, in several ways. The incredible amount of volcanic dust and gas emitted creates a dense stream of charged particles.


This causes electrostatic ionization and, as a result, very powerful and very frequent lightning, which tries to neutralize the charge. Two types of such lightning are observed: 1) striking from the crater and associated with electrical processes in the magma, 2) occurring in the clouds and associated with the friction of volcanic ash.


However, the processes of thunderstorm formation at volcanoes are very complex and depend on many factors: temperature, eruption height, dust dispersion and its composition. Due to the large number of particulate volcanic ash particles, such thunderstorms are also called dirty thunderstorms.