Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen. But scientists aren't sure just how much there actually is in the Sun's atmosphere, where it is hard to measure. Knowing the amount of helium in the ...
Astronomy
Aug 7, 2020
55
163
SRON-astronomers have found the signature for aluminum oxide (AlO) in the spectrum of exoplanet WASP-43b. This came as a surprise because AlO is expected to stay hidden in the lower atmospheric layers. It is only the second ...
Astronomy
Jul 1, 2020
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4086
Five years after NASA's MAVEN spacecraft entered into orbit around Mars, data from the mission has led to the creation of a map of electric current systems in the Martian atmosphere.
Astronomy
May 26, 2020
36
437
The role that atmospheric water vapor plays in weather is complex and not clearly understood. However, University of Arizona researchers have started to tease out the relationship between morning soil moisture and afternoon ...
Earth Sciences
May 6, 2020
0
185
Polynyas—areas of open water with reduced ice cover that persists—in the Antarctic play an important role in regional atmosphere-ice-ocean interactions and are considered to help generate the global deep ocean conveyer ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 20, 2020
0
3
On April 8, 2020, the Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission achieved an important milestone, passing NASA's critical System Requirements Review/Mission Definition Review (SRR/MDR). Southwest Research ...
Space Exploration
Apr 13, 2020
0
20
Severe weather conditions such as low air temperatures and strong winds often bring difficulties to scientific expeditions in Antarctica. Thus, monitoring and forecasting the weather is critical. Soundings constitute one ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 13, 2020
0
7
Beyond Earth's atmosphere are swirling clouds of energized particles—ions and electrons—that emanate from the sun. This "solar wind" buffets the magnetosphere, the magnetic force field that surrounds Earth.
General Physics
Jan 14, 2020
17
777
Leafcutter ants such as Atta sexdens or Acromyrmex lobicornis face two major challenges when they leave the safety of the nest to forage: choosing the best plants from which to collect leaves and avoiding being surprised ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 17, 2019
0
11
A type of Martian aurora first identified by NASA's MAVEN spacecraft in 2016 is actually the most common form of aurora occurring on the Red Planet, according to new results from the mission. The aurora is known as a proton ...
Space Exploration
Dec 13, 2019
49
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