Astronomy, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2014

Solar Flares to Hit Earth in Rare One-Two Punch

The sun launched back-to-back solar flares directly at Earth this week, but the resulting geomagnetic storms pose little danger, officials said today (Sept. 11). A strong X1.6-class solar flare erupted Wednesday at 1:46 p.m. ET from a sunspot more than 10 times the size of Earth, jetting out billions of...

Apr 30, 2014

Solar Winds Linked to Increased Lightning Strikes

Solar winds hitting Earth may trigger an increase in lightning, a new study suggests. The research finds an increase in the number of lightning strikes after the streams of plasma and particles known as solar wind arrive on Earth from the sun. Exactly why this correlation exists is unclear, but...

Feb 28, 2014

Photographer Sees Stunning Auroras Over Swedish Mountains (Photos, Video)

The northern lights dance in a breathtaking display in these stunning images from an aurora video recently sent to Space.com. Night sky photographer Chad Blakley captured these intense auroras grooving over several Swedish Lapland locations, including a small hotel high in the Swedish mountains, on Feb. 21. The result: a...

Feb 28, 2014

NASA HD Moon Map Reveals Lunar North Pole Like Never Before (Photo)

A new high-resolution map of the moon's north pole shows a view of the surface that even the Apollo astronauts would envy. The new lunar mosaic — which was captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) — resolves features as small as 6.5 feet (2 meters), providing information that could...

Feb 28, 2014

Curious Clouds | Space Wallpaper

Astronomers at ESO have captured the best image so far of the curious clouds around the star cluster NGC 3572 as seen in this spectacular space wallpaper. This new image shows how these clouds of gas and dust have been sculpted into whimsical bubbles, arcs and the odd features known...

Feb 28, 2014

It's Time to Extend Routine Space Operations to the Moon (Op-Ed)

John Thornton is CEO of Astrobotic Technology. He contributed this article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. When the XPRIZE Foundation announced the Google Lunar XPRIZE in 2007, Astrobotic Technology chairman Red Whittaker declared his intention to compete on the first day. Since then, we have worked methodically on...

Dec 31, 2013

Thirty-year-old Data Offers New View Of Venus

(ISNS) -- In 2010, the European Space Agency’s Venus Express orbiter observed that twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms were escaping from Venus into space. This was the first evidence that Venus might once have harbored puddles, pools and even lakes of liquid water on its surface. Now,...

Sep 30, 2015

'Death Star' Vaporizes Its Own Planet: 1st Evidence

The planet-destroying Death Star from Star Wars may be fictional, but a star at the end of its life and only a bit bigger than Earth could be its real-world twin: The star is currently destroying and disintegrating an orbiting planet bit by bit. The ill-fated planetary body and its...

Aug 31, 2015

Tonight's Dazzling 'Supermoon' Lunar Eclipse: What You’ll See

If you pick just one night this year to go out and look up, make it tonight (Sept. 27). If skies are clear, expect a delightful treat as a total eclipse of the moon occurs in rare circumstances that will render the moon slightly bigger than normal, a so-called supermoon....

Jun 30, 2015

'Surfer's Waves' Found in Space

Surf's up — way, way up. Researchers have discovered a breaking-wave pattern over the magnetosphere, the magnetic field that surrounds Earth. As seen in a new NASA image, these waves look similar to the ocean waves that surfers crave. Their presence, though, might influence the space weather that causes auroras...

Jun 30, 2015

Here's What Pluto's Frozen 'Heart' Looks Like in False Color

The mysterious face of Pluto is beginning to yield some of its secrets in this stunning false-color image from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which scientists can use to detect subtle differences in the dwarf planet's surface, including its icy heart. The new image of Pluto, released on Thursday (July 23),...

Nov 30, 2016

Are Mars' Dark Streaks Really Evidence of Liquid Water?

SAN FRANCISCO — The intriguing story of Mars' mysterious dark streaks may have a new twist. The streaks, known as recurring slope lineae (RSL), occur seasonally on steep, relatively warm slopes at many locations on the Red Planet. They were discovered in 2011 by scientists studying images captured by NASA's...

Sep 30, 2016

European Mars Lander Separates From Mothership, Takes Aim at Red Planet

A European spacecraft destined to land on Mars detached from its mothership on Sunday (Oct. 16), setting the stage for a daring descent to the Red Planet's surface later this week. The European Space Agency's Mars-bound Schiaparelli module separated from its carrier craft — the Trace Gas Orbiter — at...

Sep 30, 2016

This Is the Best View Yet of Europe's Mars Lander Crash Site

Europe's ExoMars lander gauged out a crater 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) deep and nearly 8 feet (2.4 m) wide when it crashed into the Red Planet's surface last week, a new photo by a NASA Mars orbiter reveals. The lander, known as Schiaparelli, apparently deployed its parachute prematurely and didn't...

May 31, 2016

Take the Moon Home with Incredibly Detailed Lunar Globe

If you want a nice view of the moon, instead of squinting into the night sky or cursing tall buildings, you could soon gaze at an expertly crafted model of the stunning celestial object. And this version is small enough sit atop your coffee table. The lunar globe, dubbed MOON,...