Category: Science

A double rainbow | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement. Double rainbows are two arcs of colour decorating the sky – literally two for the price of one. The main rainbow is usually brighter and of the usual pattern (red on top, violet at the bottom), and the second rainbow — which is called the secondary arc…

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Ever heard of the movie ‘The Martian’, starring Matt Damon? The astronaut, Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and must use his skills of improvisation to survive. This example provides a sneak peek into terraforming. Space agencies and research groups have been working to turn the same planet into a habitable land where every human…

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Magnus effect diagram | Photo Credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Have you ever wondered the secret to Messi’s curved free kick? Or any of our spin bowlers with their masterly bowling? It may look like magic, but it’s actually something physics calls the Magnus effect. From cricket pitches to football stadiums, this phenomenon plays an important role…

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PHOTO: Getty Images/iStockphoto The chariot that started it all… Why are all athletes made to run in an anti-clockwise direction when they race? Every natural occurrence in the universe has a reason behind it. To understand that, we need to take a jump into the past in Rome. The truth behind the story that follows…

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PHOTO: adventtr/Getty Images What is it? What exactly is a Milankovitch Cycle? Let’s answer this question with another one. What causes climate change? Many known causes are man-made, like the excess burning of fossil fuels, which has led to the high generation of greenhouse gases, emissions made by vehicles and factories, deforestation, etc. Now, these…

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The planet’s skies and seas have seen much more than any of us combined, more than the average weather forecast can predict. These rare, questionable phenomena leave not just us baffled, but also meteorologists questioning what is real and what is magic. Let us explore just what more nature is capable of showing us. …

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