Items tagged with Earth
A NASA-funded team has created a new model that explains the scarcity of planets with masses between super-Earths and mini-Neptunes. The new model aims to explain two puzzling observations that continually appear among the more than 3,800 planetary systems cataloged to date.
As scientists and astronomers...
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A G1-class geomagnetic storm on November 3rd ripped a hole in Earth's magnetic field, resulting in an extremely-rare explosion of pink and purple auroras. The magnificent event was captured by Markus Varik of Tromso, Norway.
Seeing stunning aurora lights after a geomagnetic storm is not anything unusual. Especially...
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The Moon will be entering the Earth's shadow this month, creating a spectacular total lunar eclipse, called a "Blood Moon." If you miss catching this event while it's happening live, it will be another three years before another total lunar eclipse will occur.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon...
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Astronomers have discovered the closest-known black hole to Earth, at just 1600 light-years away. It is also the first clear detection of a dormant stellar-mass black hole in the Milky Way.
Stellar-mass black holes typically weigh in at approximately five to 100 times the mass of our Sun. These types of black holes...
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An international team used the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) to discover three new near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) hiding behind the glare of the Sun. One of the asteroids discovered is the largest near-Earth asteroid spotted in the last 8 years.
It seems like new near-Earth asteroids are being discovered every other day...
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A newly discovered asteroid, roughly the size of the world's tallest building, will make a near-Earth pass on November 1, 2022. The mammoth asteroid, called 2022 RM4, was discovered on September 12, 2022, by the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope in Hawaii.
NASA recently flew a spacecraft into asteroid Dimorphos, in order to...
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An astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) took an incredible of image of a lightning strike while over Southeast Asia, and the Moon took the opportunity to photo bomb the picture. The image was captured last year by an unnamed member of the Expedition 66 crew.
Astronauts aboard the ISS no doubt see...
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A new study indicates that a giant tsunami caused by an asteroid impact played a large role in the extinction of many of the dinosaurs. The miles-wide asteroid that impacted Earth an estimated 66 million years ago took out nearly all the dinosaurs and about three-quarters of the planet's plant and animal species...
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9/26/2022 Update
As a reminder, Jupiter's closest pass to Earth is tonight, so don't miss the opportunity to see it! It is a busy night for space as the NASA DART mission is reaching its conclusion this evening as well. Original story below...
Jupiter will be in opposition to the Sun later this month, presenting an...
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NASA's DART mission is nearing its final destination later today, as the spacecraft will slam into asteroid Dimorphos in hopes of changing its speed and path. You will be able to follow along tonight as the space agency will be sharing a live feed from the spacecraft, as well as a post-impact press briefing.
DART...
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A new study by researchers at UC Riverside created detailed models on data from the solar system as it appears in modern day, as well alternatives to the solar system with a slightly different orbital path. One alternative solar system appeared to be effective in making Earth more habitable, by simply making Jupiter's...
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An international team of researchers have discovered two super-Earth exoplanets, and one of them may be habitable. One of the planets is located at a distance from its star which potentially means it could hold liquid water on its surface.
The vast majority of exoplanets discovered so far have not proven to be good...
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"Diamond Rain" could be more prevalent on ice giants throughout the universe than previously thought. The new research has provided scientists with a more complete picture of how diamond rain forms on other planets. It could introduce a new way of fabricating nanodiamonds here on Earth.
In a previous experiment...
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The Earth just completed a full rotation in a little over a thousandth of a second shorter than its normal 24-hour rate. The record full spin occurred on June 29, 2022, and has some scientists concerned.
Our planet has been spinning faster recently. Back in 2020, Earth saw its shortest month ever measured since the...
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Data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and computer modeling show shaded pits on the Moon always hover around 63 F (about 17 C). The pits and caves could provide a stable environment for lunar exploration when the surface could reach extreme temperatures.
NASA's Artemis program is slated to put the...
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A Chinese core rocket stage will be performing an uncontrolled reentry into Earth's atmosphere soon. The left over piece is from a Long March 5B rocket that launched this past Sunday.
China launched a Long March 5B rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan on June 24, 2022. The rocket carried the Wentien...
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Photos from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft show two ruptures in the surface of Mars that dwarf that of the Grand Canyon here on Earth. Valles Marineris is almost ten times longer, twenty times wider, and five times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
The images from the James Webb Space...
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Comet C/2017 K2 will be at its closest orbital point to Earth later today, and you can watch the cosmic flyby live. The comet was first spotted by astronomers in 2017 and should be visible via a small telescope throughout the summer.
When Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) was first located, it was 1.49 billion miles (2.4...
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An asteroid the size of a bus made a nearby pass of Earth yesterday. Asteroid 2022 NF's flyby was broadcast live by The Virtual Telescope Project, and you can watch the replay below.
Asteroid Day is in remembrance of the anniversary of the June 30, 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia, which resulted in seismic...
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NASA has plans to retrieve samples the Perseverance rover has collected from the surface of Mars and bring them back to Earth to be studied. These unsterilized samples have some pandemic weary people worried, however, about exactly what might be brought back.
The Perseverance rover has been busy since landing on...
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A gigantic sunspot that doubled in size in just 24 hours, is now facing Earth with the possibility of emitting a solar flare that could knock out communications on our humble rock.
Sunspots are darkened patches on the Sun caused by its magnetic field, according to NASA. These spots are often precursors to solar...
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A new study suggests that it may be possible to use free-floating planets to travel to distant galaxies. Irina Romanovskaya, a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Houston Community College, believes that extraterrestrial civilizations may already use these rogue planets as a means of travel to explore and colonize...
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