Scientists at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory monitor earthquakes and chart possible lava flows based on theoretical vent maps.
Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory monitor the daily activity of Kilauea and also managed to get a photo of the lightning, but Mikan's epic snaps take the cake.
In addition, snow at NOAA's Barrow Observatory (one of a network of observatories monitoring weather and climate in the Arctic) began melting on 13 May, which is 10 days earlier than the previous record in 2002.
Beginning in 1962, a series of eight Orbital Solar Observatories monitored the Sun for more than a complete sunspot cycle and had far clearer views of the Sun's corona than could be obtained from Earth-based observatories, because of the distortion of optical images by Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists at the program's five volcano observatories monitor and interpret seismic signals, ground deformation via satellite images, and gases emitted from volcanoes, predicting eruptions and impacts.
Several observatories monitored 2011 AG5 for nine months before it was too far and faint to be detected, NASA officials said.
Sources: Cabinet Office (2011); Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory Volcano Monitoring and Information Centre and Kagoshima Regional Meteorological Observatory (2011); Kagoshima Regional Meteorological Observatory (2011); Takaharu Town (2011a); Miyazaki Nichinichi Shimbun, 2 February 2011; Asahi Shimbun and Minaminippon Shimbun, 2 February 2011; Siebert and Simkin (2002–).
The Observatory, which monitors the conflict from the UK, also said jets from Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's air forcebombed the camp on Saturday.
Rami Abdurrahman, founder of the British-based Syrian Observatory, which monitors events in Syria, said the estimated 100 foreigners in YPG came from the UK, France, Spain, Austria, Australia, Denmark, America and Canada.
