A lot has happened in the world over the past week. Let’s catch up on the major news headlines:
Meteor shower launches fireballs across the night sky
This past Monday night into Tuesday morning The Southern Taurids were visible from nearly everywhere in the world. The Southern Taurids is a meteor shower that has been happening outside of Earth’s atmosphere since late September.
However, they were at their peak on Monday, paired with the moon only being 11% visible, making for great viewing conditions. According to the American Meteor Society, the meteor shower produces meteors that are brighter than the planet Venus, leading many to call them “fireballs.”
Fireballs are caused by meteors more than three feet long, making them burn brighter than other meteors. These particular fireballs consist of debris from Comet Encke and will be visible until Dec. 8.
Harper Collins announces word of 2024
With the release of Charli XCX’s ever-popular “brat” album, came the excessive use of the word this past summer. The word has gotten so popular that the Harper Collins English dictionary declared it the word of the year.
However, the dictionary doesn’t define “brat” in the traditional sense. Instead of being defined as someone who is poorly behaved, the dictionary leans into the aesthetic of the album and defines the term as “a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.”
The dictionary notes that “brat” became one of the most talked about words in 2024 and states that it is “more than a hugely successful album, ‘brat’ is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life.”
New old frescoes uncovered in Pompeii
A tiny home was uncovered from the Pompeii archaeological site that gives archaeologists a better insight into ancient trends and how Romans decorated their homes. The house is smaller than usual and situated at the center of the city featuring unusual architecture designs like the absence of an internal courtyard.
The house also features beautiful frescoes decorating the walls. Frescoes are a mural painting technique that mixes paint with wet plaster, making the art a part of the home. The painting depicted mythical scenes and other ornate paintings.
Pompeii and its inhabitants were covered in ash and destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The tiny home also had the last ritual offerings of its inhabitants left on the household shrine.
Severe storms strike Oklahoma
This Monday severe storms struck the central and southern United States including eastern Oklahoma, northern Texas and southeastern Kansas. More states are facing threats of severe thunderstorms and many are still struggling to recover from the tornados that have been terrorizing the region.
A level 2 of 5 threat of severe thunderstorms has been issued for the area. Additionally, two tornadoes occurred in parts of Oklahoma Monday afternoon, according to warnings from the National Weather Service.
This past weekend, approximately five tornados passed through Oklahoma, as well as intense flooding. Near Oklahoma City, about 40 structures were destroyed, 43 sustained major damage and 54 had minor damage.
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @aaronjenkin, Instagram.
