atmosphere
Did Pioneer See Phosphine in the Clouds of Venus Decades Ago?
The discovery of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere has generated a lot of interest. It has the potential to be a…
Maybe Volcanoes Could Explain the Phosphine in Venus’ Atmosphere
The detection of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere was one of those quintessential moments in space science. It was an unexpected…
Climate Change is Making the Atmosphere Worse for Astronomy
Modern astronomical telescopes are extraordinarly powerful. And we keep making them more powerful. With telescopes like the Extremely Large Telescope…
Astronomers Continue to Analyze Pluto’s Atmosphere
When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto, studying the atmosphere was a key scientific objective. Most of what we…
New Data Show How Phytoplankton Pumps Carbon Out of the Atmosphere at an Enormous Scale
One of the most fascinating things about planet Earth is the way that life shapes the Earth and the Earth…
Astronomers Can Actually See the Clouds and Weather on Brown Dwarf 6.5 Light-Years Away
Brown dwarfs are in a tough spot. Not quite a star, not quite a planet, they occupy a place between…
The Atmosphere On Venus Rotates Faster than the Planet, and Now Astronomers Think They Know Why
Venus is unique—almost—in our Solar System because it's what's known as a "super-rotator." That means that Venus' atmosphere rotates faster…
Astronomers Measure the Wind Speed on a Brown Dwarf for the First Time. Spoiler: Insanely Fast
In some ways, brown dwarfs are nature's stellar oddballs. A lot of stars exhibit strange behaviour at different times in…
Clouds On Jupiter Rising Up Above the Surrounding Atmosphere
Though it looks like it to us, Jupiter's clouds do no form a flat surface. Some of its clouds rise…
As Meteorites Slice Through the Atmosphere, They’re Sculpted Into Cones
A new study reveals why many meteors, when they enter Earth's atmosphere, become cone-shaped as they heat up.