A new platypus mystery … hollow hairs like bird feathers!

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A new platypus mystery … hollow hairs like bird feathers!

The platypus keeps amazing scientists: even its hair hides a strange secret that, until now, only birds were known to have.

Cristina Ortiz

April 2, 2026

Watch for the daytime moon after sunrise this week

Watch for the beautiful daytime moon this week, a pale orb floating against a blue sky in the morning hours. Look west! You'll see it!

Editors of EarthSky

April 2, 2026

Sun activity archive for April 2026

Sun activity archive for April 2026. A daily record of flaring, big filaments and prominences, and other sorts of activity, on our local star.

April 1, 2026

Comet Hale-Bopp closest to the sun 29 years ago today

Comet Hale-Bopp was at its closest point to the sun 29 years ago today. It was widely seen from the Northern Hemisphere. When will we see it again?

Editors of EarthSky

April 1, 2026

The April birthstone is the diamond, the hardest known gem

Happy birthday, April babies! The April birthstone, the diamond, is the hardest of the known gems. And it's a popular choice for engagement rings.

Editors of EarthSky

April 1, 2026

Starlink satellite breaks up, scatters debris

A SpaceX Starlink satellite unexpectedly broke up in low-Earth orbit on March 29, 2026. Will the debris impact Artemis 2 or the International Space Station?

Kelly Kizer Whitt

March 31, 2026

Lightning on Jupiter is 100 times more powerful than Earth’s

Researchers using data from the Juno spacecraft have found that lightning on Jupiter can be 100 times more powerful than on Earth, and maybe even much more.

Paul Scott Anderson

March 31, 2026

Feel awe over these national park timelapse videos

Enjoy 4 national park timelapse videos from Gavin Heffernan. The views include starscapes and landscapes of Yosemite, Zion, Joshua Tree and Channel Islands.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

March 31, 2026