College of Sciences

The Oort Cloud is a theoretical, massive spherical shell surrounding the Sun and planets. Though invisible due to its vast size and faint particles, astronomers infer its existence as it explains the appearance of long-period comets. In The Conversation, James Wray,  professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, discusses his research on the Oort Cloud, along with two comets—Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (Comet C/2023 A3) and C/2024 S1 (ATLAS)—which are expected to be visible this month. 

NASA images of Hurricane Milton, showing unusually high sea surface temperatures, highlight how climate conditions can accelerate hurricane intensification. The Gulf of Mexico’s waters, particularly those above 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit, played a key role in the rapid development of Milton into a Category 5 storm.

"Numerical models in the past five years or so have improved to resolve hurricanes and typhoons at global scales and they do agree that the intensification of hurricanes - more hurricanes of strength 4 or 5 - and typhoons, and a tendency for depression to turn more easily into hurricanes is the result of climate change," says Annalisa Bracco, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 

Related Coverage: Cross Country

Category 5 is currently the highest hurricane category, but many experts suggest that as hurricanes become more powerful due to climate change, a Category 6 may be needed. "There is strong agreement that the frequency and intensity of major tropical cyclones — Category 3 and above — are likely to increase as a result of climate change," says Ali Sarhadi, assistant professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. "This is driven by rising ocean temperatures, which provide more thermal energy to fuel tropical cyclones, and the increased capacity of a warmer atmosphere to hold moisture, leading to heavier rainfall during the landfall of these storms."