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2020 Arctic sea ice minimum 2nd lowest on record

Posted by in Earth | 15 hours ago
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On September 15, 2020, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent, the 2nd-lowest on record. The Arctic region in general is warming 3 times faster than the rest of the planet.

Advice from an astronaut

Posted by in Human World | 6 days ago
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For anyone who wants to grow up and be an astronaut …. here’s a lovely video with advice from ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano.
Two hemispheres, one on left with yellow patches and arc-shaped splashes, one on right very plain.

Solar Cycle 25 Is here

Posted by in Space | 7 days ago
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The sun has passed from one of its 11-year activity cycles into another. Scientists predict the new cycle – Solar Cycle 25 – will be about as calm as the previous one.

Amazon River from space

Posted by in Today's Image | 1 week ago
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Video tour – via satellite – of the Amazon River meandering through the Amazon rainforest in South America.
Comet in the sky above a lake, also reflecting in the lake.

What are comets?

Posted by in Astronomy Essentials | Space | 1 week ago
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Comets are loosely packed balls of ice and dust orbiting our sun, that sometimes become visible in Earth’s skies. A comet’s tail may stretch across millions of miles of space.
Artwork showing Earth from space, the Gaia spacecraft, and a radio telescope listening for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.

A breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

Posted by in Human World | Space | 3 weeks ago
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The researchers called their new analytical technique “a milestone in SETI.” One researcher commented: “We now know that fewer than one in 1,600 stars closer than about 330 light years host transmitters just a few times more powerful than the strongest radar we have here on Earth.”

NASA’s guide to near light speed space travel

Posted by in Human World | Space | 1 month ago
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Take a couple of minutes and have a little fun with this new video from NASA

Researchers track slowly splitting ‘dent’ in Earth’s magnetic field

Posted by in Earth | 1 month ago
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A small but evolving dent in Earth’s magnetic field can cause big headaches for satellites.
Round segmented shape with starry band inside it, on black background.

Exoplanet-hunter TESS completes its primary mission

Posted by in Space | 1 month ago
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NASA’s 2nd planet-hunter, TESS, has spent 2 years surveying the sky for exoplanets orbiting distant stars. It has found over 2,000 exoplanets so far. TESS now moves into its extended mission phase.

Astronomers spy a Milky Way look-alike 12 billion light-years away

Posted by in Space | 1 month ago
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This distant galaxy – SPT0418-47 – surprised astronomers by being organized enough to have a spinning disk and a galactic bulge, early in the history of our universe.
A shiny green ball on a black background.

Images show Martian night sky pulsing with ultraviolet light

Posted by in Space | 1 month ago
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Vast areas of Mars’ nightside atmosphere glow and pulsate with ultraviolet light, according to images from NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft.

Perseverance rover parachute test, seen from below.

Mars landings: ‘7 minutes of terror’

Posted by in Human World | Space | 2 months ago
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To celebrate the 8-year anniversary of Curiosity rover’s arrival on Mars, here’s a video on the final 7 minutes of its chilling descent on August 5-6, 2012.

Successful splashdown for SpaceX Crew Dragon in Gulf of Mexico

Posted by in Human World | Space | 2 months ago
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The SpaceX Crew Dragon splashdown into the Gulf of Mexico today was the first splashdown in 45 years.

Human-linked Earth vibrations dropped 50% during Covid-19 lockdown

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 2 months ago
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Between March and May 2020, many people across Earth went into lockdown. During those months, seismographs recorded a drop in human-linked vibrations in the solid Earth, by an average of 50%.
Artist's depiction of a yellow sun in the center, with circular green lines representing the 2 giant exoplanets' orbits.

1st direct image of 2 giant exoplanets orbiting a sunlike star

Posted by in Space | 2 months ago
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For the 1st time ever, astronomers have photographed more than one giant exoplanet orbiting a sunlike star. The planetary system is similar to our solar system, but younger.
Telescope floating in space.

James Webb Space Telescope launch date delayed

Posted by in Human World | Space | 2 months ago
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NASA is delaying the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope for another 7 months, from March 2021 to October 31, 2021, due to, among other factors, work stoppages during the coronavirus pandemic.
Four-paned view of space, with a bright light from the sun on one side, and a tiny dot (Mercury).

Solar Orbiter’s 1st views of the sun

Posted by in Space | 2 months ago
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Solar Orbiter’s new views are the closest images of the sun taken so far.

‘Astonishing discovery’ of massive prehistoric circle near Stonehenge

Posted by in Human World | 3 months ago
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An ancient circle of deep trenches has been found near Stonehenge. Scientists say the newly discovery site offers insights into the lives of people who lived in the area 4,500 years ago.

10 years of the sun in 1 hour

Posted by in Space | 3 months ago
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A new timelapse from NASA’s SDO Observatory condenses an entire solar cycle into 1 hour.

Check out this sloth robot

Posted by in Earth | Human World | 3 months ago
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SlothBot is a slow-moving and energy-efficient robot that can linger in the trees to monitor animals, plants, and the environment below.