Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 13, 2023

'Ring of fire' solar eclipse 2023: How to watch in-person (and virtually)

A ring of fire, or annular solar eclipse, will be visible from eight US states on Oct. 14, 2023 — the first time such a celestial view will be available in North America. During the event, sky-watchers across North, Central and South America will see a partial solar eclipse lasting...

Aug 25, 2023

Solar Orbiter probes how the sun generates solar wind

Solar scientists have spotted small-scale, short-lived jets of energy emerging from dark holes in the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, for the first time. These so-called picojets could be supplying both energy and matter in the form of plasma to solar winds, high-speed outflows of hot gas from the sun...

Aug 30, 2023

'Mystery explosion' on sun launches coronal mass ejection at Mars

A mysterious explosion on the sun's far side has launched a blob of plasma and radiation that is forecast to slam into Mars. If the solar storm hits the Red Planet, it could trigger faint ultraviolet auroras and potentially erode part of the Martian atmosphere, according to experts. Earth-orbiting satellites...

Sep 20, 2023

'Ghost' particles from the sun could lead us straight to an invisible trove of dark matter

Elusive dark matter particles may lurk deep within the heart of the sun, and researchers have discovered that we can use a detector buried in the Antarctic ice sheet to find them. Dark matter is the inescapable conclusion from decades of cosmological observations. Everything from the rotation speed of stars...

Sep 20, 2023

Watch: NASA spacecraft flies through a violent solar explosion for 1st time ever — and survives unscathed

NASA's Parker Solar Probe has become the first spacecraft to fly through a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun, and it captured the whole event on camera. The stunning video shows the spacecraft passing right through the massive solar eruption on Sept. 5, 2022. The probe soared through the...

Sep 23, 2023

Space photo of the week: The sun's violent corona like it's never been seen before

What it is: The sun's outer atmosphere, as captured by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on Solar Orbiter, a European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft developed in collaboration with NASA. Where it was taken: Halfway to the sun Why it's so special: As this video shows, Solar Orbiter captured part of...

Oct 5, 2023

How to make a solar eclipse viewer to safely watch the 'ring of fire' eclipse on Oct. 14

On Oct. 14, a rare ring of fire solar eclipse will be visible across nearly all of North, Central, and South America for the first time in years. While nearly everyone will have a chance to see at least part of the eclipse, viewers in nine states (southern Oregon, northeastern...

Oct 6, 2023

Astronomers want you to watch the Oct. 14 'ring of fire' eclipse with a disco ball. No, seriously.

On Oct. 14, a partial ring of fire solar eclipse will be visible across most of the Americas for the first time since 2012, and a team of astronomers wants you to enjoy it as science intended: By busting out the old disco ball. Why? The foremost reason is to...

Oct 11, 2023

Exactly where and when to see the 'ring of fire' solar eclipse this weekend

A partial solar eclipse will be visible across most of the Americas on Saturday, Oct. 14, when the moon will block up to 90% of the sun, depending on the viewer's location. For some, the view will include a rare ring of fire annular solar eclipse. It will be the...

Oct 11, 2023

Ancient superpowered solar storm that hit Earth 14,000 years ago is the 'biggest ever identified'

Earth was bombarded with an enormous dose of cosmic radiation more than 14,000 years ago, newly discovered tree rings reveal — and researchers suspect it was caused by an enormous, superpowered solar storm, the likes of which we have never seen before. In a new study published Oct. 9 in...

Oct 13, 2023

10 weird things that happen during a solar eclipse

On Oct. 14, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in the skies above North, Central and South America, and parts of the Americas will see an annular solar eclipse. This ring of fire eclipse will not completely blot out the sun like the total solar eclipse in 2017. However,...

Oct 13, 2023

NASA will fire 3 rockets directly at the solar eclipse on Saturday. Here's why.

As millions of people across North, Central and South America tilt their heads skyward to watch the partial ring of fire solar eclipse tomorrow (Oct. 14), NASA engineers will celebrate the once-in-a-decade event in their own way: By firing rockets directly at the eclipse's shadow. Don't worry — the sun,...

Oct 16, 2023

See the entire 'ring of fire' eclipse in 4 seconds in stunning satellite videos

The annular eclipse that passed over the Americas on Saturday, Oct.14, was also seen from space by earth-observation satellites. The eclipse, during which the moon blocked out the center of the sun, causing it to appear as a glowing ring of fire in the sky over Earth, was seen by...

Oct 20, 2023

Strange anomaly in sun's solar cycle discovered in centuries-old texts from Korea

The sun's solar cycles were once around three years shorter than they are today, a new analysis of centuries-old Korean chronicles reveals. This previously unknown anomaly occurred during a mysterious solar epoch known as the Maunder Minimum, more than 300 years ago. The sun is constantly in a state of...

Oct 29, 2023

Historic space photo: A monstrous 'Halloween storm' explodes from the sun

What it is: A solar flare exploding on the sun's surface When it was taken: Oct. 28, 2003 Where it is: The sun, around 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from Earth Why it's so special: During the spooky season of 2003, the sun spit out an unusually powerful series...