As planet-hunting scientists find more and more planets, they've encountered some puzzles. One of them concerns the lack of Neptune-size worlds orbiting close to their stars. Astronomers think that these planets aren't massive ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 27, 2023
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The Space Age is leaving fingerprints on one of the most remote parts of the planet—the stratosphere—which has potential implications for climate, the ozone layer and the continued habitability of Earth.
Space Exploration
Oct 16, 2023
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Researchers in Japan have confirmed microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that aren't yet fully understood.
Environment
Sep 30, 2023
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Plastic particles less than 5 mm in size are called "microplastics." These tiny bits of plastic are often found in industrial effluents or form from the degradation of bulkier plastic waste. Research shows that large amounts ...
Environment
Sep 27, 2023
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60
Near Earth's poles, observers of the night sky often behold aurorae, colorful light shows in the upper atmosphere caused by interactions between the solar wind and our planet's magnetosphere. A little closer to the equator, ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 11, 2023
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The first hours after a fireball sighting are like a detective mystery. Last night around midnight, people across Melbourne took to social media to report sightings of a bright light slowly streaking across the sky.
Planetary Sciences
Aug 8, 2023
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Nearly 2 million years ago a species of upright apes known as Homo erectus began to use fire. It was a gradual process, from opportunistic users of natural fires to masters able to craft flames from flint and tender. We are ...
Astrobiology
Aug 7, 2023
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This summer has seen a violent outbreak of forest fires across Canada and North America. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC), there were 911 active fires across the country on July 13, nearly ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 17, 2023
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Jet streams are relatively narrow bands of strong wind in the upper atmosphere, typically occurring around 30,000 feet, and blowing west to east. Their normal flows lead to week-to-week weather variations, modulated in the ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 17, 2023
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A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give skygazers in some states along the U.S.-Canada border a faint glimpse of the northern lights which—at their peak—produce a colorful sky show when solar wind hits ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 13, 2023
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