Hi, we're here from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes.

I'm Cody Gough. And I'm Ashley Hamer.

Today you learn about the difference between weather and climate, how astronomers actually

use PARSEX to measure distances and some

Scandinavian life philosophies that could make you happier.

But satisfy some curiosity on the award-winning

Curiosity Daily. Do you know the difference between the terms

weather and climate?

It's an important distinction if you follow science news, and we've gotten a lot of questions

about it lately.

So today, I've got you covered.

As reported by the conversation, weather basically refers to stuff happening right this second, like cloud cover and temperature.

You know, the day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere.

Climate is a more macro view.

It describes the average atmospheric conditions over many years. In fact, the

World Meteorological Organization says that figuring out a climate record takes a minimum of 30 years of data.

This includes things like average annual rainfall,

overall direction of the wind,

or what time of year you're most likely to see snow.

Here's an analogy that might help. It comes from Jennifer Fitchitt, who's a senior lecturer in physical geography at the University of the Whitewater Sund. The climate is like your wardrobe. You got a winter coat and scarf for when it's cold,

flip-flops and shorts for when it's warm, and everything in between. Weather is the

individual item of clothing you choose to wear. You change what you wear from day to day. If it's

...