The Bright Saturn Identification

As the moon goes on revolving around the Earth, at one of its positions the Earth lies in between the Sun and the Moon. At night, in this position we see from earth our moon fully – a round Full moon. Similarly, the planet Saturn revolving around the Sun was seen as a round and bright - ‘Full Saturn’ on 24^th February 2008 (Earth was in between the Sun and the Saturn). It is said that this full and the brightest Saturn can be seen next only in 2015. But we can still now identify the planet easily but with lesser brightness. It is seen at night in the constellation of Virgo in the eastern skies or just above your head. It makes a triangle with two bright stars of the constellation each one of them positioning in the corners of that triangle – which can be imagined by connecting these corner points (objects) with imaginary lines. This triangle has its apex in the North and the base towards the South. Of the base-forming celestial objects, that one on the eastern corner is our Saturn! The planet will be visible so up to July this year in the night skies.

The Water Bird and its Brood

One fine morning after a shower of rain the rain water was flowing down the storm water drain. I saw a dark bird of a chicken size swimming against its flow. Now two tiny softies glided down the slope of the bund and hopped on to the water one after the other, and swam after the bird! They were the chicks of that bird! I wondered about the abilities of these softies to swim soon after hatching out. The bird is a ‘White-breasted Waterhen’. Both the male and female of this species of bird accompany each other in catching flies under the cover of bushes, along the sides of waterways. Their calls can be heard both in the mornings and evenings as rumbling sounds. The calls are like this: 'kooodoorrrrdoo.kuraaughkkuraaughk' - this is repeated rhythmically. When they are unaware, one can watch them walk along wagging the tails from side to side and turning their heads this and that side often. On giving a slight sound or movement, they run and fly away into the bushes just like pea-fowls do. They withstand urbanization and are specially adapted when provided with bush cover and waterways to thrive on. It is a wonder bird to look out in our neighborhood.

A Wonder Word Definition Searcher

As computer technology is fast developing, the web-users have to update their knowledge about using the new technologies. What is it? Why should it be used? And when should it be used? These are the questions that tease the minds of web-users, especially those of non-technological people. One wonderful website comes to the rescue of web-users. Yes, it is http://www.webopedia.com. Simply type the technological word in its box of SEARCH and click Go! button. You get the narrative definition and details of it. No need to waste time in finding it in the search results of any search engine: you get it in a single pick! Webopedia is a word specific 'Wonder engine' indeed!

The Mighty Drizzling Rain

Each rainy season I see that a continuous sharp drizzling is mightier than a heavy downpour! Yes, after such a drizzling the blue metaled-roads in the city have pits - due to its bombarding action on the sand content of the roads. It levers out the sand particles and loosen the gravels. The heavy vehicles that ply on the road do the rest of the job - a pit is formed on the disintegrated road.

Swimming and Sleeping Snakes

In the recent rains invariably snakes were seen swimming on or swept along the flowing water of storm drains. They are washed away from their cryptic crevices by the flood water and transmigrated to a new habitat; they visit thus near human dwellings in rainy season.
In Winter snakes (like The Little Indian Snake) sleep under small rocks. It seems they don't want to get out in cold climate - indicating that they are cold-blooded. At early mornings, as the day warms up, they get out and go on hunting to appease their hunger. You could hear the preyed upon frog or rat squeak on being devoured by them! (Here a better example could be the Rat snake).
At full moon days, it is said that the snakes become romantic! And so both male and females can be seen at night-time of these days, increasing the probability of seeing a snake (or a pair).

The Weird Rainy Season of South India

In India the North East monsoon rains end usually in the first week of January itself, each year. But this year it appears to continue further after two months gap - in this March. Generally the weather in South India, from January to April, will be dry, and chill to warm. Due to the rains the March is wet and cold now unusually! Yesterday night (21st March, a full moon day) it rained when there was moonlight!
As the previous monsoon brought inadequate rains, is it now a deferred compensatory raining? Or is it due to the newly started Solar cycle? Why does this happen? I wonder so about the Nature's weird ways of influencing the weather of the Earth!

The Wonder in Golden Shower Tree Sapling

I transplanted a six months old sapling of Golden shower tree. But its tap root tip had been 'left out' in the earth when it was dug out. It shriveled up in two days.
I persevered with transplanting: another sapling was transplanted (with the tap root intact) on the same spot again. The leaves of this sapling also dried down as happened before and fell off leaving a stick-like stem. But I didn't lose hope. I watered it on and on though I didn't see any change in it. Later I came to a conclusion that this too has become a failure. But I still watered it. On one day I saw the 'stick' to bear tiny greenish buds of tender leaves - after a month! I wondered about the Nature's in-built avidity to survive in this tree.

The customs of the West and the East

In the month of April a religious festival is being conducted yearly in Tamil Nadu state of India. It is called 'Mariamman Panguni Pongal.' During this festival the Goddess, Sri Muthumariamman (of Aruppukottai) is worshipped with much devotion and fervor. Children too exhibit their devotion towards the Goddess: they smear their body and face in black and white spots of soot and lime. Then they go in groups to all the houses in their town reciting a song that overwhelms the occupants with devotion to the Goddess. They end the song with a request to give coins to buy materials and propitiate the Goddess at Her temple. If they are not 'treated' with the coins, they go on repeating the song refusing to move away - the 'trick' to get their 'treat'! Yes, it is akin to the 'Trick- or- Treat' played by the children in USA during the fun festival, Halloween Day!
Here in Tamil Nadu, a newly built house has always a white pumpkin painted with a face of a demon and hung in its portico - to ward off the 'evil spirits' and the 'evil eye', that too reminds the Halloween Day!
These customs still linger on, though modified in form and content, carried over from continent to continent for ages!

Nature's selection of Plants and Animals in a Year

Pictures of Plants and Animals






NATURE selects and promotes only a certain type of plants or animals in a year. This phenomenon depends upon environmental conditions, such as local rainfall, weather, climate and the fertility of both the soil and the living things. In the past five years period it has been found in my South Indian backyard that in a given year only a type of wild flowering plant grows more in abundance dominating on other plants. But this dominating nature didn’t continue so in the next following year: another plant dominated! Likewise in animals, for example, the frogs, different varieties of them were promoted in a year like one of our common frog or tiger frog or tree frog. Similarly, within arthropods, spiders or scorpions (arachnids) and butterflies or bugs (insects) dominated. Another aspect was also noticed: in reptiles, one of these like either lizards or snakes was promoted to breed profusely in a year. The next year another CLASS of animal kingdom among Classes of animals or within their Families or Species dominated. Even disease producing bacteria or viruses are promoted in a similar manner. So, it can be deduced here that diseases affecting man are also ‘preferred and promoted’ by Nature each year! The best example was seen here in the year 2006, when Chikungunya disease affected many people. It was due to the promotion of an Arbo virus (alpha type 1) (and also its virus carrying mosquito, Aedes egyptii naturally)!