Nothing seems more familiar than the sun in the sky. But mysterious swirls, jets, and flashes of powerful light that scientists cannot explain occur in the sun's outer atmosphere all the time. Now, researchers at the U.S. ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 8, 2021
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The sun emitted a significant solar flare peaking at 10:29 a.m. EDT on July 3, 2021. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event.
Space Exploration
Jul 6, 2021
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Atmospheric carbon dioxide measured at NOAA's Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked for 2021 in May at a monthly average of 419 parts per million (ppm), the highest level since accurate measurements began 63 years ...
Environment
Jun 10, 2021
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Although Earth and Venus are similar in size and location, they are very different worlds today. While Earth has oceans of water and abundant life, Venus is dry and fiercely inhospitable. Although it's somewhat closer to ...
Space Exploration
Jun 3, 2021
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The visible surface of the sun, or the photosphere, is around 6,000°C. But a few thousand kilometers above it—a small distance when we consider the size of the sun—the solar atmosphere, also called the corona, is hundreds ...
Astronomy
May 25, 2021
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Large decks of closely spaced stratocumulus clouds hover over the ocean and cover vast areas—literally thousands of miles of the subtropical oceans—and linger for weeks to months.
Earth Sciences
May 25, 2021
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Solar panels against an alien landscape, ramps and rods pointing at the Martian horizon—China's first probe on the Red Planet has beamed back its first "selfies" after its history-making landing last week.
Space Exploration
May 19, 2021
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A new study by a Belgian team using data from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) has shown that iron and nickel exist in the atmospheres of comets throughout our Solar System, even those ...
Astronomy
May 19, 2021
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After glimpsing faint but widespread super-heated material in the Sun's outer atmosphere, a NASA sounding rocket is going back for more. This time, they're carrying a new instrument optimized to see it across a wider region ...
Astronomy
May 18, 2021
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During a brief swing by Venus, NASA's Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal that revealed the spacecraft had flown through the planet's upper atmosphere. This was the first direct measurement of the Venusian ...
Space Exploration
May 4, 2021
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