US: Nights of Thousand Candles Lights Up Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina

Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, is glowing with holiday magic during its annual Nights of a Thousand Candles event. On select evenings, thousands of hand-lit candles and sparkling lights illuminate the gardens, creating a festive and atmospheric nighttime experience. Visitors can stroll through the grounds, enjoy seasonal music, and take in the warm holiday ambiance.

China: Mysterious Blue Beam Lights Up Night Sky Over Ningbo Beach

On October 4, 2025, in Ningbo, Zhejiang, a video captured a rare phenomenon over Songlanshan Beach, where a bright blue beam stretched across the sky, glowing like a divine ray.

China: Lightning Strikes Through Rainbow as Sunset Paints Sky in Inner Mongolia

This is the stunning moment that a rare mix of lightning and rainbow lit up the sky, capturing a breathtaking scene that also featured sunset and colorful clouds. On May 11, 2025, in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, the video showed a rare atmospheric phenomenon where a bolt of lightning slashed through the sky as a vivid rainbow arched across the horizon. As the sun began to set, casting an orange hue over the clouds, onlookers were treated to a mesmerizing display where multiple natural elements, lightning, rainbow, sunset, and painted clouds, had converged in one frame. The lightning bolt flashed dramatically across the sky just beneath the arc of the rainbow, creating a moment of natural beauty that was rarely seen together. The video ended with the lightning fading into the distance as the rainbow slowly dissolved into the dusky sky.

China: Brief Appearance of Seven-Colored Cloud Amazes Locals in Hubei

This rare moment captures an iridescent cloud spotted in the sky, as a local resident managed to film the fleeting phenomenon before it vanished within minutes. Filmed on May 30, 2025, in Enshi, Hubei Province, China, the video shows a vibrant, seven-colored cloud glowing above the skyline. The shimmering formation, commonly known as a "rainbow auspicious cloud", was visible for only about two minutes before fading into the atmosphere.

US: Massive Shelf Cloud Looms Over Central Florida Skies

A massive, ominous shelf cloud was seen over eastern Central Florida, Florida on Thursday, May 29.

China: Dust Devil Spins Through Mount Wutai Scenic Area

On May 5, 2025, a dust devil rapidly formed and dissipated within seconds in the Mount Wutai scenic area of Shanxi. The swirling vortex moved swiftly across a path, creating a dramatic contrast against the otherwise calm, mountainous surroundings. According to local meteorological authorities, the dust devil was caused by intense localized surface heating, which triggered the rapid upward movement of warm air.

Germany: Burning Debris From SpaceX Falcon 9 Lights Up Skies

Burning debris from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lit up the skies over multiple cities in Germany early on Wednesday, February 19.

US: Snow Falls In Seattle As Winter Weather Sweeps Washington

Winter weather swept through Washington on Monday, February 3, bringing snow to the Seattle area as part of an atmospheric river event.

US: Tornado Sirens Blare In Iowa As Warning Issued For Much Of State

Tornadoes were confirmed in Iowa on Tuesday, April 16 as strong storms ripped through the Midwest, leaving significant damage in some places. The National Weather Service issued either a Tornado Warning or Tornado Watch for much of the state. This video shows tornado sirens blaring in Burlington.

California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide

STORY: California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide DATELINE: July 4, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:37 LOCATION: SAN PEDRO, U.S. CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of sea lions STORYLINE: Vacationers visiting beaches of U.S. state of California this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming sight: sick sea lions recovering on the sand. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called it a large-scale stranding event. Scientists suspected that it was caused by red tide, another name for an excessive bloom of certain phytoplankton -- tiny sea veggies that most fish and sea mammals feed on. They noted that with global warming heating up California's waters, red tide has become a reoccurring problem off the coast, posing health concerns for much marine life, including sea lions, seals, otters, dolphins, and even whales. The sick and dead wildlife started showing up in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties several weeks ago, and the numbers have since incr

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

(230703) -- SAN PEDRO (U.S.), July 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows a rescued sea lion at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, the United States. Vacationers visiting beaches of U.S. state of California this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming sight: sick sea lions recovering on the sand. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called it a large-scale stranding event. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Roundup: California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

(230703) -- SAN PEDRO (U.S.), July 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows rescued sea lions at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, the United States. Vacationers visiting beaches of U.S. state of California this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming sight: sick sea lions recovering on the sand. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called it a large-scale stranding event. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Roundup: California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

(230703) -- SAN PEDRO (U.S.), July 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows rescued sea lions at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, the United States. Vacationers visiting beaches of U.S. state of California this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming sight: sick sea lions recovering on the sand. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called it a large-scale stranding event. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Roundup: California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

(230703) -- SAN PEDRO (U.S.), July 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows rescued sea lions at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, the United States. Vacationers visiting beaches of U.S. state of California this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming sight: sick sea lions recovering on the sand. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called it a large-scale stranding event. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Roundup: California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

U.S.-CALIFORNIA-SAN PEDRO-RED TIDE-SEA MAMMAL VICTIMS-RESCUE

(230703) -- SAN PEDRO (U.S.), July 3, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on June 30, 2023 shows a rescued sea lion at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, the United States. Vacationers visiting beaches of U.S. state of California this July Fourth weekend are likely to encounter an alarming sight: sick sea lions recovering on the sand. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called it a large-scale stranding event. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua) TO GO WITH Roundup: California battles to save sea mammal victims of red tide

Vlog: Public science day at foot of Mt. Qomolangma

STORY: Vlog: Public science day at foot of Mt. Qomolangma DATELINE: May 16, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:05 LOCATION: LHASA, China CATEGORY: SCIENCE SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): ZHU CONG, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of the event 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): XI ZHENHUA, Observation supervisor at Qomolangma station 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): KELSANG NORGYEL, Headmaster of a local primary school 5. various of the event 6. aerial view of the Qomolangma station, CAS STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): ZHU CONG, Xinhua correspondent "Hello, this is Zhu Cong with Xinhua News Agency. I'm now in Pasum Village, at the foot of Mt. Qomolangma, in China's Tibet. And here is the Qomolangma Atmospheric and Environmental Observation and Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Today (May 15), the CAS, the country's highest natural sciences academic institution, holds its 19th Public Science Day. As part of the event, the Qomolangma station has invited a group of primary school students. Let's join them in a journey o

New nuclear test monitoring system

New nuclear test monitoring system

VIENNA, Austria - Lassina Zerbo (C), executive secretary of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, and Toshiro Ozawa (R), ambassador at Japan's permanent mission to the international organizations in Vienna, attend a tape-cutting ceremony during an event marking the launch of a new system to detect radioactive substances from nuclear tests in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 26, 2013. The new system for Atmospheric Transport Modeling has been installed at the headquarters of the preparatory commission through Japan's contribution of around $737,000, according to the commission.