Solar Minimum Doesn’t Mean a Calm Sun
Our star goes through an 11-year cycle of solar activity. At the recent height of the cycle, the Sun blasted…
More Sunlight is Hitting the Earth
The amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface has been on the rise for the past decade on average, potentially…
Artificial Gravity Will Help Astronauts Handle Spaceflight
Prolonged exposure to microgravity causes astronauts to lose bone and muscle, so they have to exercise for hours a day…
Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks on May 6
Skywatchers are in for a treat tonight as the eta Aquarid meteors will be putting on a show. Observers in…
High Resolution Global Map in Development
The European Space Agency's Envisat satellite is building up the highest resolution map ever created of the entire Earth. Once…
History of the Earth’s Atmosphere Written in Rocks
Geologists have built up a suite of tools and techniques that let them peer back in time to watch the…
Watching Gamma Rays from the Safety of Earth
Astronomers aren't stuck looking at plain old light any more. There's a whole electromagnetic spectrum out there, ready to be…
Did Life Arrive Before the Solar System Even Formed?
The theory of panspermia proposes that life really gets around, jumping fron planet to planet - or even from star…
The Earth Through Rosetta’s Eyes
The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft took this image of our home planet during its recent gravity assisting flyby. The…
Next Mars Mission Arrives at the Cape
The next mission to make the journey to the Red Planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, has arrived at Kennedy Space…