The mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion that leveled 830 square miles of Siberian forest was almost certainly caused by a comet entering the Earth's atmosphere, says new Cornell University research. The conclusion is supported ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 24, 2009
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The sky isn't falling, but scientists have found that parts of the upper atmosphere are gradually contracting in response to rising human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
Earth Sciences
Jul 1, 2021
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On the cusp of our atmosphere live a thin group of seasonal electric blue clouds. Forming 50 miles above the poles in summer, these clouds are known as noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds—PMCs. A recent NASA ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 20, 2018
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201
Increased water vapor in Earth's atmosphere due to human activities is making shimmering high-altitude clouds more visible, a new study finds. The results suggest these strange but increasingly common clouds seen only on ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 2, 2018
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Data from NASA's AIM spacecraft show that noctilucent clouds are like a great "geophysical light bulb." They turn on every year in late spring, reaching almost full intensity over a period of no more than 5 to 10 days.
Space Exploration
Dec 24, 2013
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0
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 ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 10, 2013
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After 16 years studying Earth's highest clouds for the benefit of humanity—polar mesospheric clouds—from its orbit some 350 miles above the ground, NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, mission has come to ...
Space Exploration
Mar 1, 2024
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31
NASA will test a new capability for supporting science research in the mesosphere with the launch of two rockets from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia on Feb. 9, 2023. The two Improved-Orion suborbital sounding rockets ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 3, 2023
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4
Near Earth's north and south poles, wispy, iridescent clouds often shimmer high in the summertime sky around dusk and dawn. These night-shining, or noctilucent, clouds are sometimes spotted farther from the poles as well, ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 22, 2022
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Strange times meet strange clouds. Noctilucent or "night shining" clouds (NLC) were captured over Knowlton Church in Dorset, UK, by astrophotographer Ollie Taylor in the early hours of 22 June.
Earth Sciences
Jul 6, 2020
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