Air

Alex reveals the staggering power of air, and learns how it creates strange weather, from tornadoes spinning on the spot to Biblical-scale dust storms, mirages, double rainbows and dust devils (columns of dust spinning over the surface). Air can also be deadly. Just over 60 years ago, really strange weather gripped London. Alex investigates how a freak set of conditions conspired to create deadly smog and London's worst pollution disaster. It was an event that killed thousands and led to new legislation to protect air quality. Our atmosphere also conjures up beautiful and spectacular phenomena: angels cavorting in the mist, double rainbows and even double sunsets. But there's a flipside of even the most stunning events. The northern lights, the auroras, are the frontline in a battle between our atmosphere and a deadly stream of radiation blasted out of the sun called the solar wind.