Atmospheric phenomena are observable physical processes and manifestations occurring within a planetary atmosphere, arising from interactions among radiation, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and atmospheric composition. They encompass events and structures such as clouds, precipitation, optical effects (e.g., halos, rainbows), turbulence, waves, convection, boundary-layer processes, and large-scale circulation patterns. These phenomena are governed by fundamental equations of motion (Navier–Stokes), radiative transfer, phase changes of water and other condensables, and chemical reactions. In research, atmospheric phenomena are quantitatively characterized using in situ and remote sensing observations, numerical models, and theoretical frameworks to understand energy and mass transport, climate variability, and weather systems.
A rocky lava planet once thought to be too extreme to have an atmosphere appears to be wrapped in one with a reflective layer of vaporized silicate mineral clouds, the same family of compounds that make up quartz and sand.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 26, 2026
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324
Until now, the alien white-hot worlds of exoplanets have been depicted as circular, but new research has revealed the true shape of their atmospheres to be a deformed sphere rather than a perfect circle.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 14, 2026
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77
In 2010, scientists waiting to use the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands captured a brief 36 minutes of images of Venus. They were waiting for the sun to set so they could look at distant stars and dust disks ...
Landslides in Alaska. Air quality in Atlanta. Fire clouds out West. From the Arctic fringes to farm country, NASA's newest class of suborbital Earth Venture missions is gearing up to deliver science that will benefit communities ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 21, 2026
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10
A new study by a doctoral researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, suggests global dust storms on Mars may organize the Martian atmosphere into regions favorable ...
Space Exploration
Jul 1, 2026
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29
A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem challenges a long-held assumption in climate science by showing that aerosols—tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere—can either warm or cool the climate, depending on ...
Environment
Jun 8, 2026
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21
The astronauts circling Earth on the Artemis mission sent back beautiful clear photos of the continents, clouds, and oceans. But we might be the exception. Many planets in the universe may be hazed in clouds of soot, according ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 2, 2026
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23
The mysterious origin of an impressive cloud disturbance on Venus has now been revealed by a team including the University of Tokyo. Researchers used numerical models to show that an enormous 6,000-kilometer-wide atmospheric ...
Planetary Sciences
May 8, 2026
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73
Reading the "Mars Trilogy" by Kim Stanley Robinson brings the benefits and pitfalls of efforts to terraform the red planet into sharp relief. Since the 1970s, when Carl Sagan first suggested the possibility that we could ...
Space Exploration
Apr 9, 2026
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105
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have teamed up to capture new views of Saturn, revealing the planet in strikingly different ways. Observing in complementary wavelengths of light, the two space ...
Astronomy
Mar 25, 2026
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67
