January 27 - Glacier

Glacier - a large, slow-moving mass of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly flows in response to gravity and high pressure. The word glacier comes from Latin glacies meaning ice. Glacier ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, and second only to oceans as the largest reservoir of total water. Glaciers cover vast areas of polar regions, and are found in mountain ranges of every continent, and are restricted to the highest mountains in the tropics. Glaciers are sensitive monitors of climate conditions and are crucial to both world water resources and sea level variation.

Permafrost - soil that remains frozen all year and has been frozen for at least two consecutive years. About 20 percent of Earth's landmass is covered by permafrost, which is generally 2-12 feet thick.

January 10/11 - Bright Full Moon

Bright Full Moon - Tonight when the January full moon rises, it will be the biggest and brightest full moon of 2009.  Since it coincides with the second-closest perigee (the Moon's closest point to Earth in it's orbital path) of the year on January 10th.  According to NASA this full moon will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons of the year.

Wolf Moon - The January full moon is known as the Wolf moon, and will hit it's peak at 3:28am on Sunday, January 11.  

January 6 - Frozen Blanket

Frozen Blanket - Deciduous plants shed their leaves and allow their parts above the ground to go dormant during the winter, protecting against freezing and breakage. Their roots remain well insulated and protected by the very snow that their branches have gone dormant to protect against.

Sound Snatcher - Fresh, fluffy snow absorbs sound waves, thus creating an eerie winter silence. When snow hardens, however, it actually reflects sound waves, making the sounds of a nibbling hare or a creaking tree even clearer to the ear.