Anemometer

weather · wind · meteorology · invention

Measures wind speed. An anemometer spins faster when the wind blows harder, letting meteorologists know exactly how strong the wind is at any moment.

Shows wind direction too. Many anemometers also point toward where the wind is coming from, so weather scientists can track wind patterns across the sky.

Found in weather stations. These instruments sit on top of weather stations all around the world, constantly collecting data to help predict storms and forecast the weather.

Invented by an architect. A man named Leon Battista Alberti, who lived in Italy around 1450, came up with the first known anemometer design.

Spins with the breeze. The most common type has three or four cups on arms that catch the wind and spin around a pole, and the faster it spins, the faster the wind is blowing.