Andrew's Fun Facts
Meteorologists will often talk about cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts and even sometimes occluded fronts. A front represents a line that separates two different air masses. Cold air masses generally have northwesterly winds and warm air masses generally have southerly winds. Warm and cold fronts separate these air masses like an army front separates two different militaries. The term front, in a meteorological sense, actually comes from the military fronts of World War I.
You will often hear meteorologists talk about averages. There are lots of things that can be averaged like temperatures, rainfall, snowfall, the list goes on. But where do those averages come from? Generally, weather data from the past 30 years is used to make up those averages. A time period of less than 30 years does not give an accurate enough description of what the “average” or “normal” weather has been. The 30 year period that is used must be updated as time goes by in order to keep the average current and accurate. This 30 year average is also used in determining the climate of a particular region of the world.
It was in 1965 when the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri was completed. The Arch is known as the “Gateway to the West” and was designed by Eero Saarinen and Hannskarl Bandel. The creators of the Arch used complex geometric equations to help draw up the blue prints. The Arch is made from stainless steel and reinforced concrete. It stands 630 feet tall and is 630 feet wide at its base. The Arch is hollow and contains a tram that runs up to the observation deck at the top. In the case of an emergency there are 2 stairwells that lead from the top of the Arch to the ground, each with 1,076 steps!
A supernova is when a star dies and explodes. Supernova 1987A occurred 168,000 light years away from the earth. Even though the supernova was first visible on earth in 1987, it actually occurred 168,000 years ago. When we look at the stars we are actually looking into the past. It takes time, sometimes a very long time, for light from different stars to reach the earth. In the case of the 1987 supernova it took 168,000 years for the light created by the supernova to reach the earth. Light from our sun by comparison takes about 8 minutes to reach the earth.
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Hey weather fans and science buffs! Do you like interesting science and weather facts? This is the place to find them! Check back every week for new info and cool facts. You can also check out the South Bend Tribune's weather section on Saturday and Sunday for my science facts too! If you have any weather/science questions you want answered send me an email at 
