Atmospheric turbulence may promote cloud droplet formation

Clouds form when water vapor in moist packets of air condenses onto atmospheric aerosols, such as particles of dust. The transition from dry particle to liquid water droplet is known as activation. The threshold for activation ...

Antarctic sea ice is key to triggering ice ages, study finds

We've known for years that Earth's climate is like a giant Rube Goldberg machine: Pull one lever, and a massive chain of events starts into motion. Yet many of the steps that drive these changes have remained shrouded in ...

Earth's atmosphere stretches out to the moon – and beyond

The gaseous layer that wraps around Earth reaches up to 630,000 kilometers away, or 50 times the diameter of our planet, according to a new study based on observations by the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, SOHO, ...

Squeezed quantum communication

New prospects for secure data traffic: Flashes of light in particularly sensitive quantum states can be transmitted through the atmosphere.

Famous paintings help study the Earth's past atmosphere

A team of Greek and German researchers has shown that the colours of sunsets painted by famous artists can be used to estimate pollution levels in the Earth's past atmosphere. In particular, the paintings reveal that ash ...

Solar tsunami used to measure Sun's magnetic field

(Phys.org) —A solar tsunami observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Japanese Hinode spacecraft has been used to provide the first accurate estimates of the Sun's magnetic field.

Noctilucent clouds get an early start

Every summer, something strange and wonderful happens high above the north pole. Ice crystals begin to cling to the smoky remains of meteors, forming electric-blue clouds with tendrils that ripple hypnotically against the ...

Dense hydrogen in a new light

(Phys.org) —Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. The way it responds under extreme pressures and temperatures is crucial to our understanding of matter and the nature of hydrogen-rich planets.

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