Amazing happenings-Undersea eruptions near Tonga

Scientists sailed out to have a closer look at the eruptions of an undersea volcano off the coast of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean today.

Tonga's head geologist, Kelepi Mafi, said there was no apparent danger to residents of Nuku'alofa and others living on the main island of Tongatapu.

Officials also said it may be related to a quake with a magnitude of 4.4 which struck last March 13 around 35 kilometers from the capital at a depth of nearly 150 kilometres.



An undersea volcano erupts off the coast of Tonga, sending plumes of steam, ash and smoke up to 100 meters into the air, on March 18, 2009, off the coast of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga.


(Dana Stephenson/Getty Images)
An undersea volcano erupts about 10 kilometers off the Tongatapu coast of Tonga sending plumes of steam and smoke hundreds of meters into the air. (LOTHAR SLABON/AFP/Getty Images)

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Strange happenings-Longest eyelashes in the world

An eyelash is one of the hairs that grow at the edge of the eyelid. Eyelashes protect the eye from debris and perform some of the same function as whiskers do on a cat or a mouse in the sense that they are sensitive to being touched, thus providing a warning that an object (such as an insect or dust mite) is near the eye (which is then closed reflexively).
Wonder how she is going to see this beautiful world with that long eyelashes.

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Amazing weather phenomena

Fire Rainbow - A fire rainbow is an extremely rare phenomenon that occurs only when the sun is high allowing its light to pass through high-altitude cirrus clouds with a high content of ice crystals.

Green Ray - Also known as the Green Flash. This occurs very briefly before total sunset and after sunrise. It appears as a green flash above the sun that lasts very briefly, generally only a few moments. It is caused by refraction of light in the atmosphere.

Haloes - Like rainbows, haloes are formed around the Sun due to moisture (in this case ice crystals) being refracted from the Sun’s rays in the upper atmosphere. Sometimes two or more areas of the circle or arcs surrounding the Sun will be brighter, forming what are called Sun Dogs. Haloes can also form around the Moon, and occasionally around the brighter stars and planets like Venus.

Mammatus Clouds - These odd-shaped clouds are often associated with a storm front, especially one involving a thunderstorm. It's not completely understood how they form.

Mirages - Mirages occur when light is refracted to produce an image of an object or the sky where it is not. It is most commonly seen on hot surfaces, such as the pavement or a desert.

Pyrocumulus Clouds - Another heat related phenomenon, pyrocumulus clouds form from the fast and intense heating of an area to create convecture, which in turn creates a cumulous cloud. Volcanoes, forest fires, and nuclear explosion (in the form of a mushroom cloud) are all prime causes of pyrocumulus clouds.

Moon Bows - A rainbow is caused by the Sun shining on moisture droplets, most commonly in a post-rain atmosphere. A moon bow is much rarer, only seen at night when the moon is low and full to almost full. One popular place to see moon bows is at Cumberland Falls in Kentucky.

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Strange happenings-Fatal Black Sea storm

An environmental disaster began to unfold in southern Russia on Monday as tens of thousands of oil-slicked seabirds and globules of heavy oil dotted the shoreline, a day after at least 11 ships, including a small oil tanker, sank or broke apart in a fierce storm

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expensive sheep sold

A six-month-old sheep need never worry again about being turned into lamb chops after being sold for a record-breaking £231,000.The Texel tup called Deveronvale Perfection became the most expensive sheep in the world after it was auctioned at a livestock market in Lanark.The pedigree ram was bred by Graham Morrison, of Banff, and bought by Fraserburgh farmer Jimmy Douglas.

Experts said that although the "staggering" sale price would take some by surprise, the purchase was likely to be an excellent investment.

John Yates, chief executive of the Texel Sheep Society, said the ram is expected to father pedigree lambs worth millions of pounds for his new owner. He said: "High prices are of no surprise at a prestigious event like this, but the staggering amount that Deveronvale Perfection did go for surprised a lot of people.

"But the Texel breed is a great investment and these breeders, when they see an animal of Deveronvale's stature, they see the added value for future returns.

"A lot of people see these animals as lamb chops, but a lot of effort and dedication goes into developing these flocks, which are at the top of the genetic pile.

"This was the elite animal which stood out, and I have no doubt, given the genetic superiority of the animal, that he will give Mr Douglas a good return."

Mr Yates said the previous UK record holder, Tophill Joe - another Texel - earned his owner £1m after being bought for £128,000 in 2004.The previous world record price for a sheep was set in Australia in 1989 when £205,000 was paid for a Merino tup.

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