The Met said the computer will create a “digital twin” of our atmosphere with data like wind speeds, air temperatures and pressures, and more. It will create forecasts down to an area just 1,000 meters (.62 miles) across compared to 10 km (6.2 miles) currently. Around large airports, accuracy will focus down to just 300m, or about 1,000 feet. Once in service, it will not only generate better forecasts (including rainfall predictions), but help emergency workers deploy mobile flood barriers, balance the energy grid and more.

The Met also noted that it will also help services mitigate the effects of climate change, “and help support the transition to a low carbon economy across the UK,” said Endersby. The supercomputer will also be used by universities for drug design, AI, energy storage and other types of research.

The first stage installation will go into service in 2022 and be six times more capable than the current Cray XC40 (above). Five years later, it’ll get an upgrade that will bump performance by a further three times, making it nearly 20 times more powerful. The cited price includes not just the hardware, but the running cost over ten years. By contrast, the current model was acquired in 2014 and will be retired in 2022. The Met has yet to say which supercomputer it will be acquiring.

The investment is by far the largest in the Met’s history, but the department believes it will make a big difference, adding up to £19 ($23) in benefit for every pound spent. “We’ll be streets ahead of anybody else,” said the Met’s chief executive, Penny Andersby. “Ultimately it’ll make a difference to every individual, every government department, every industry as people see forecasts becoming steadily better.”

The starfighter aimed to scream “Porsche” while also being instantly recognizable as a Star Wars ship. “The basic shape of the cabin, which tapers towards the rear, and a highly distinctive topography from the cockpit flyline to the turbines establish visual parallels with the iconic design of the 911 and the Taycan,” said Porsche design VP Michael Mauer. “The front is reminiscent of the so-called “air curtains” (air inlets) that go together with the headlights to create a single formal entity in the Taycan.”

Porsche made a very elaborate “making of” video (above), which is longer than many of the documentaries on its actual cars. During the video, ILM designer Amy Beth Christianson said that Torra Doza’s Star Wars: Resistance “Blue Ace” spacecraft was actually based on Porsche’s 917 Gulf racer, right down to the paint scheme.

Considering that many of the starships from the Star Wars universe are borrowed from real cars, it seems only fair that Porsche would help design a new starfighter. If you squint you can see some Porsche design touches, like the four-point daytime running lights at the front and light bar in the rear. However, there’s no sign of any blasters or R2 unit on the Taycan. Considering the Taycan’s EPA range, S-91x pilots might need to have a Rhydonium fueling station or two along their route, too.

According to the researchers, monarch butterflies conduct one of the most dramatic migrations in the world. Each fall, the monarchs in New England turn south and begin a 3,000-mile journey to their overwintering grounds. But like all insects, monarchs are dwindling. The number that complete that long migration has fallen by 90 percent in the past two decades, the researchers say.

To better understand monarch migration patterns and ultimately protect those that remain, the researchers from the University of Maine have created a model to determine where the butterflies rest at night, or roost. Because the model covers such a large area — from Maine to Georgia and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains — it’s not feasible for the researchers to confirm their predictions on foot. That’s where the app comes in.

The researchers have created a Monarch Model Validator survey in the free Collector for ArcGIS app — available on Apple, Android and Windows 10. They’re asking users to take photos of roosting butterflies at predetermined high-priority sites (indicated by pins on a digital map) or at unmarked locations. Users are also asked to answer a short survey.

While this study is limited to the East Coast, researchers around the globe are studying butterflies and their population declines. According to some findings, the number of butterfly species on farmland in England dropped by 58 percent between 2000 and 2009. If scientists can determine where butterflies rest on their long migrations, they might be able to minimize the damage.