atmosphere
Surprise – Mars Has Auroras Too!
Just a day after skywatchers at mid- to upper-latitudes around the world were treated to a particularly energetic display of auroras…
Why Is Venus So Horrible?
Venus really sucks. It's as hot as an oven with a dense, poisonous atmosphere. But how did it get that…
MAVEN Spacecraft’s First Look at Mars Hints at Promising Results
It’s been less than a month since NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft slipped into orbit. But it’s…
MAVEN Arrives at Mars! Parks Safely in Orbit
138 million miles and 10 months journey from planet Earth, MAVEN moved into its new home around the planet Mars this evening. Flight…
Timelapse: Sprites, Gravity Waves and Airglow
Look! Fast! Sprite lightning occurs only at high altitudes above thunderstorms, only last for a thousandth of a second and…
Timelapse: Watch Noctilucent Clouds Cover the Entire Sky
This year, the noctilucent cloud season has been especially eventful, and this new timelapse from Swedish astrophotographer Göran Strand shows…
Cool Infographic Compares the Chemistry of Planetary Atmospheres
Here on Earth we enjoy the nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere we've all come to know and love with each of the approximately 24,000…
Heavy-Lift Rocket Launch Seen from Space
We all know what a big rocket launch looks like from the ground, but this is what it looks like…
Kepler Finds an Earth-Sized “Gas Giant”
Gas planets aren't always bloated, monstrous worlds the size of Jupiter or Saturn (or larger) they can also apparently be…
Titan Has a Fancy Collar
As high summer slowly but steadily approaches on Saturn, Cassini is opening a window to the seasonal changes that occur…