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Posts by
Deborah Byrd
In infrared, Io appears alive with volcanos
The Juno spacecraft, now orbiting Jupiter, acquired this infrared image of the giant planet's moon Io. Each fiery dot is an active volcano.
April 13, 2018
IAU approves names for Pluto’s moon Charon
NASA held a public naming contest in 2015, just before New Horizons' sweep past Pluto and Charon. The spacecraft mission team has used many of the Charon feature names since. Now the IAU gives the names the nod.
April 12, 2018
Cosmic gorilla effect could blind detection of aliens
Could it be that the more rational and methodical searches for extraterrestrial intelligence are overlooking "the gorilla in the room?" A new study suggests it's possible.
April 11, 2018
Aurora dolphin
Seeing animal shapes in clouds - or the northern lights - is what's called pareidolia.
April 10, 2018
Giant sun tornadoes aren’t spinning
Two-dimensional images of these solar prominences make them look as if they're spinning, and astronomers have long assumed they were. But new research says no.
April 9, 2018
Little cloud making whoopee
To make whoopee can mean "to engage in uproarious merrymaking." Linda Holtby said she caught this shot from 38,900 feet (11,860 meters) up.
April 9, 2018
Astronomers find 72 bright and fast explosions
There and gone in a cosmological flash. Astronomers report on 72 bright, quick events found in a recent survey. They're like supernovae, but flash into view, then disappear again much faster.
April 7, 2018
Hand of the Desert at night
Artist Mario Irarrázabal created the Hand of the Desert after the city of Antofagasta, Chile, asked him for something notable, to fill the empty space of the Atacama Desert. Astrophotographer Yuri Beletsky captured it at night.
April 5, 2018
See it! Moon sweeps past Jupiter
Have you been watching the moon's sweep past Jupiter this week? From the time they rise in mid- to late evening until dawn, they're still the brightest things up there.
April 5, 2018
Antarctic ice grounding lines are shifting
Europe's CryoSat satellite was used - over 7 years - to track 10,000 miles (16,000 km) of Antarctic coastline. It can be seen warm ocean water is eating away at Antarctica's floating margins.
April 4, 2018
