Sydney, Australia: Three quarters of all matter in the universe consists of hydrogen. The early Earth was also rich in hydrogen, thanks to intense geological and volcanic activity. Just as stars burn hydrogen to produce heat and light through nuclear reactions, life emerged by extracting energy from this simple molecule through chemical reactions. Some of … Read more
The aurora – a beautiful spectacle of natural light – is usually only viewed from Earth. But lucky astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) got a unique view of the spectacle – with Earth in the background. Stunning video footage shows the brilliant green stream of wispy light spanning thousands of miles across our … Read more
A new image and incredible time-lapse shows an aurora filling the view as Boeing Starliner astronauts performed a crucial in-flight test in space on Saturday (June 15). Starliner is currently located on the International Space Station (ISS), and the crew was testing the capsule’s thrusters because problems had delayed docking procedures; The first time problems … Read more
A new image and incredible time-lapse shows an aurora filling the view as Boeing Starliner astronauts performed a crucial in-flight test in space on Saturday (June 15). Starliner is currently located on the International Space Station (ISS), and the crew was testing the capsule’s thrusters because problems had delayed docking procedures; The first time problems … Read more
NASA’s watchful eyes in the sky have detected an asteroid, designated 2024 LB4, that is expected to make a close approach to Earth. This asteroid, which is comparable in size to a commercial airliner and has a diameter of about 30 meters, is on a trajectory that will bring it within 3,000,000 kilometers of our … Read more
As organisms on planet Earth diversified, some branches of the tree of life became exceptionally diverse, others much less so. Still others became extinct. Why evolution favored certain groups over others is a long-standing question in evolutionary science. Beetles are the poster child for evolutionary success: around 400,000 known species – about a quarter of … Read more
Once every 24 hours, Soil completes one rotation on its axis and marks one day on our planet. This reliable period of rotation allowed humans to develop systems that tell the time and signal to people, animals and plants when it is time to rest. But Earth’s rotation hasn’t always been this consistent. In fact, … Read more
Scientists search the earth and sky for clues to the climate history of our planet. Powerful and persistent volcanic eruptions can change the climate over long periods of time, and the sun’s output can change Earth’s climate over millions of years. But what about interstellar hydrogen clouds? Could these gas and dust regions change Earth’s … Read more
Much has changed in the approximately 4.5 billion years since the solar system first emerged from a disk-shaped cloud of swirling dust and gas. The stuff from which everything is formed has undergone some serious changes: packed into planets, blown up by solar radiation and plasma, changed by interactions with other atoms. The basic components … Read more
In 2029, sky watchers may catch a glimpse of at least one human-made ‘star’ in the sky. Earlier this week, NASA announced plans to place a small satellite in orbit just over 35,400 kilometers above our planet’s surface – far enough so that the satellite can mimic a real star for telescopes at Soil. Scientists … Read more