This volcanic island in the Indian Ocean had major eruptions on the 26th and 27th of August in 1883.  The pre-eruption started in May of 1883.  The final eruption occurred on August 27th at 10:02am. The explosion was so loud that it was heard more than 2,000 miles away. Just over 36 thousand people were killed because of the eruption.  Tsunamis caused massive destruction across the area and were felt as far away as Africa. Sea waves caused by the eruption were felt in the English Channel!  It is said that the famous Edvard Munch painting, The Scream, which shows an amazing red skyline was a depiction of how the eruption changed the weather and climate all over the world.

It was in late August of 1981 that Voyager II made its closest approach to Saturn. At that point Voyager II was 63,000 miles away from Saturn. Voyager II also visited Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune on its trip through the solar system. The spacecraft has taken many pictures and also discovered new moons. It was launched on August 20, 1977 and has had quite a journey so far. Now Voyager II is two times further away from the sun than Pluto is. Voyager II runs on nuclear power and continues to send back data to earth. It is expected to continue doing so through the 2020s.

Meteorologists use a variety of sources to make a forecast.  Tools like satellite data, surface observations, and radar are all important for forecasting.  Numerical weather models are also used in weather prediction.  Weather models use data received from weather balloons to make a 3D map of what is going on in the atmosphere.  Models generally have new runs every 6 or 12 hours. Some make forecasts for only a few hours into the future, while others forecast weeks into the future.  Meteorologists must combine skill, knowledge of weather patterns, available observations, and numerical model data to make an accurate forecast.

It was on August 19, 1960 when Sputnik 5 was launched. It carried into orbit 2 dogs, 40 mice, 2 rats and different kinds of plants. It returned to earth a day later making its “crew” of plants and animals the first living organisms to return to earth after being in space. Several years earlier Sputnik 2 was launched and it carried a Siberian husky named Laika into space. Laika was the first animal ever in space. Unfortunately Laika did not survive the trip and actually never had a chance because the Soviets never indented to bring Sputnik 2 back to earth.