Upbright Academy - Learning Centre

🥵❄️ An Unprecedented Winter Heatwave in Antarctica!
We all know that a catastrophic 'Super El Niño' is expected this year. Meteorological departments of many countries have already confirmed the rise in temperature across the Pacific Ocean. This means the onset of this disaster has begun, and it is expected to reach its peak around October–November. Its severe impacts are already becoming visible in various places.
It is currently a bone-chilling winter in the Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Yet, earlier this month, temperatures across parts of Antarctica surged to nearly 20°C (36°F) above normal! Such an unusual warming event during the winter on this frozen continent is truly rare in history.
For instance, at Argentina's Esperanza Base, a temperature of 15.4°C (59.7°F) was recorded on June 6th. This not only shattered all previous records for June but was also more than 2°C higher than the previous maximum temperature!
Due to this intense warmth, heavy rain poured down on the glaciers, and ice all around began to melt rapidly. Normally, this time of the year there should only be extreme cold and heavy snowfall!
Researchers say that a single heatwave may not completely collapse Antarctica's vast ice sheets. However, as the climate continues to change, events like this are now happening frequently. To estimate how much sea levels could rise in the future, scientists are now keeping a close eye on vulnerable regions like the 'Thwaites Glacier'.
It is hard to believe that even the Earth's coldest continent is now showing us this terrifying side of climate change! Asian countries like our India and Bangladesh, along with Australia, and South American nations like Argentina, Peru, and Chile, will also have to face this extreme disaster very soon. In fact, a 64% rainfall deficit has already been recorded in India.
I feel that these incidents are actually the heart-wrenching cries of our Mother Earth! These are protests against the constant atrocities we commit against nature. Sometimes, it seems, even the Earth needs to vent its inner rage and pain like this.

🪐🌚 Mars May One Day Have Rings Around It

Mars’s largest and closest moon, Phobos, is not destined to survive forever in our universe—at least not on cosmic timescales. Astronomers have known for a long time that Phobos is gradually moving closer to Mars, and the ultimate outcome of this journey is quite dramatic.

As Phobos continues approaching Mars, the planet’s powerful gravitational pull will eventually become too strong for the moon to remain intact. It will be torn apart into countless fragments. In fact, Phobos is not a solid rock but rather resembles a loosely bound pile of rubble. As a result, Mars’s gravity will break it into smaller rocks, dust, and debris that will continue orbiting the planet. This material could form a spectacular ring around Mars, much like the beautiful rings we see around Saturn.

Scientists estimate that this event may occur anywhere between 25 million and 75 million years from now. However, recent discoveries suggest that, given Phobos’s internal structure, the process of destruction could begin even sooner than previously thought. Any fragments that fail to contribute to the ring system will eventually crash onto the Martian surface, creating enormous new impact craters through powerful collisions.

Perhaps the most surprising fact is that the breakup of Phobos may have already begun. Images sent by spacecraft such as the Viking Orbiter and other satellites reveal numerous cracks and grooves across the moon’s surface.

How Does This Happen?

Just as Earth’s Moon causes tides in our oceans and even slight movements in Earth’s crust, Phobos creates a small tidal bulge on Mars. As Phobos orbits the planet, this bulge moves around Mars as well.

But there is a twist: Phobos orbits Mars much faster than Mars rotates on its own axis. Because of this, the tidal bulge lags slightly behind Phobos. This lagging bulge exerts a backward pull on the moon, slowing it down. As a result, Phobos is gradually spiraling inward toward Mars at a rate of about 0.79 inches (2 centimeters) per year.

As Phobos gets closer, the gravitational stress acting on it will continue to increase. The moon’s internal strength is currently resisting these forces, but eventually it will lose the battle. When Phobos reaches a critical distance known as the **Roche limit**, Mars’s tidal forces will overwhelm the moon completely, tearing it apart.

Current scientific research indicates that within the next 25 to 75 million years, Phobos’s inward plunge will ultimately lead to its destruction. According to the laws of celestial mechanics, there is no known way to stop this process.

Note: The image has been generated using AI.

Study the picture and tell me what are the reasons behind the change of seasons?

The atmosphere is a blanket of gases around our Earth. But it can be classified into layers based on its composition and characteristics.

🌏🌍Today’s Borders on an Ancient Map

Have you ever wondered where your country would be if we rolled back the clock 300 million years? A fascinating map brings modern borders and ancient history together, showing exactly how today's nations would fit into Earth's original supercontinent: Pangea.

Long before humans created countries, Earth had no separate continents. Everything was merged into one giant landmass called Pangea, surrounded by a single, massive ocean named Panthalassa. You could have walked from South America to Africa, or from North America to India, without crossing a single sea! Animals roamed freely across a third of the planet. But If you lived in the dead center of Pangea, life would be tough. The heart of the supercontinent was a brutal, bone-dry desert with extreme temperatures, which is why scientists find very few fossils from that zone.

About 200 million years ago, powerful volcanic eruptions and shifting tectonic plates underneath the crust literally tore Pangea apart. The pieces slowly drifted away like giant rafts, eventually forming the seven continents we study in school today. The story didn't end there. The same geological forces shaping our world back then are active right under our feet today. Look at a world map—notice how South America and Africa fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces? Plus, the Himalayas are still growing taller every year because of these shifting plates.

Scientists predict that in another 300 million years, the continents will smash back together to form a brand-new supercontinent called Pangea Proxima. It will feature one massive inland sea and one global ocean. But we are not sure if human footprints will fall on that continent or not.

Ultimately, our current world map isn't permanent—it is just a temporary snapshot in Earth's long, restless history!

(Source: Desjardins, J. (2021). Incredible Map of Pangea With Modern-Day Borders. Visual Capitalist.)

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Happiness is ...when your students score well...!!
Congratulations to all the students who have passed XII with flying colours!!