People seeking creative Valentine’s Day gifts may want to try downloading a photo of the Rosette Nebula from the Central Weather Bureau Web site, the bureau said yesterday.
As Valentine’s Day this year coincides with the first day of the Lunar calendar, when most flower shops nationwide will be closed, the bureau said it would offer free downloads of the photo so that people who cannot get their hands on roses can still get their significant other something special.
The bureau said the nebula is 5,500 light years from the Earth and is a cluster of stars scattered on a large circular hydrogen cloud about 130km in diameter. The red color is clearly visible in the photo, the bureau said.
PHOTO: CNA
The bureau took the picture of the Nebula from a parking lot in Tatajia (塔塔加) along the New Central Cross-Island Highway. The bureau said the nebula cannot be seen from plains areas and is only visible from the top of a mountain on a clear night through large binoculars.
The photo is available for download on the bureau’s Web site, under the rubric “astronomy.”
COLD TRIO
Meanwhile, the bureau yesterday reported that three cold air masses were scheduled to hit the nation during the Lunar New Year holiday, with lows in the north potentially dropping to about 10˚C.
The first cold air mass arrived last night. Chances of showers in the northern, northeastern and eastern regions were high today and tomorrow because of the frontal system, it said, adding that mountains could also see snowfall.
“Residents in northern Taiwan will be acutely aware of the change in temperature because they have been having warm and sunny weather for days,” said Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典), director of the bureau’s weather forecast center.
“Highs on Wednesday topped 30˚C,” Cheng said.
“The cold air mass is expected to bring temperatures down to 19˚C. Highs in the central and southern regions will also drop by between 5˚C and 6˚C,” Cheng said.
Cheng said rainfall could ease on Sunday, with temperatures rising slightly.
The second cold air mass is expected to arrive on Sunday evening, with temperatures dropping on Monday.
The third cold air mass is expected to affect the nation between Tuesday and Thursday next week. Cheng said the third cold front would be stronger, with lows in the north at about 10˚C.
“These three cold air masses are solid structures and carry a lot of rain,” Cheng said, adding that temperatures may not rebound immediately after Thursday next week.
Cheng said thick fog was not expected on the West Coast and the outlying islands.
Thick fog disrupted air traffic between Taiwan proper and outlying islands on Wednesday, delaying flights and grounding thousands of passengers.
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