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Myanmar
Air Strike Kills Dozens
The military junta government of Myanmar confirmed it carried out an airstrike on the village of Pa Zi Gyi in the Sagaing region. The military reported the strike was targeting the opening of an office for an alleged opposition militia group, the People's Defense Forces (PDF). Witnesses report jet fighters dropped bombs on a community hall as women and schoolchildren performed dances, with attack helicopters that followed the jets gunning down survivors fleeing the initial strike. The number of fatalities remains unconfirmed, however some estimates place the number of dead at over 100 people. The attack has drawn international condemnation, including from UN secretary general António Guterres.

This map depicts the location of Pa Zi Gyi village in Myanmar, where a government air strike on an alleged militia office opening ceremony has killed dozens of civilians. Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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Russia
Volcanic Eruption and Earthquake
The Shiveluch Volcano, one of Russia's most active volcanos on the far-eastern Kamchatcka peninsula, began erupting on Tuesday. The eruption began just after midnight and its ash cloud covered an area of 41,700 sq miles (108,000 sq km). Lava flows from the volcano melted snow and prompted warnings of mudslides to nearby villages, which were carpeted in drifts of ash as deep as 3.5 inches (8.5 cm), the deepest in 60 years according to the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Geophysical Survey. Just 24 hours after initial eruption, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the peninsula’s coast - an aftershock from an April 3rd earthquake. There are no immediate reports of casualties, however scientists noted  the volcano was still erupting after 15 hours.

This map depicts the Shiveluch volcano in eastern Russia that began erupting in the early hours on Tuesday. Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source: DailyMail
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Space
Dark Matter Mapped
A new map created by researchers from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) collaboration shows the distribution of dark matter across 25% of the night sky, the most detailed form yet. The map confirms Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, showing how large structures grow and bend light in the universe. Dark matter is hypothesized to compose over 85% of all matter in the universe, but is completely invisible, making it difficult to detect because it does not interact with light or other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The scientists used a technique called gravitational lensing, in which they measured the amount of light warped by gravity throughout the universe in order to map the distribution of dark matter. This new map means researchers can calculate how this distribution might change in the future. Although ACT was decommissioned in September of 2022, a new and more advanced telescope is scheduled to begin conducting observations in 2024.

This map depicts the distribution of dark matter in the sky. Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source: Phys.org
Yesterday's Answer
Q: Bordering the Gobi Desert in China, where can you find a crescent-shaped lake surrounded by "singing" sand dunes?

A: Dunhuang, China
The Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Nature Park is located in Dunhuang, in northwestern China. In ancient times, Dunhuang was also known as "Shazhou" or "Town of Sand." Mingsha Mountain or "Echo Sand Mountain" refers to the sand mountain range stretching more than 25 miles (40 km), with some reaching heights of more than 800 feet (250 m). One of the most notable features is the music that comes from the sand dunes when winds are blowing. The moving sands sound like roaring in stronger winds and sound like gentle orchestra music in lighter winds. The echoing sounds of the sand is considered to be a geographic phenomenon. In some deserts or sand dunes, due to specific climate and geography, tiny sand particles (mainly quartz grains) vibrate as they rotate and move in the airflow, creating many cavities that form the echoing sound when wind blows through. The Crescent Lake, famous for its shape, is an oasis located within the desert. The lake stretches about 330 ft (100 m) long and 80 ft (25 m) wide. It was extremely popular during the Han Dynasty and during the Tang Dynasty, with large towers and halls being built along the side of the lake. Today, some of the Tang-style architecture remains. 

Source 
Today's Question
Q: Their origins still considered a mystery, where will you find the world's largest collection of enormous petroglyphs - ancient line art that can only be truly seen from hundreds of feet above the earth? 
 
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in tomorrow's DailyGeo.

 
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