solar wind
Uranus is Getting Colder and Now We Know Why
Uranus is an oddball among the Solar System's planets. While most planets' axis of rotation is perpendicular to their orbital…
Did Some of Earth’s Water Come from the Solar Wind?
The source of Earth's water is an enduring mystery that extends to exoplanets and the notion of habitability. In broad…
How Bad Can Solar Storms Get? Ask the Trees
One of the many threats facing space travellers and indeed our own planet is that of Solar Storms. At their…
What Happens to the Climate When Earth Passes Through Interstellar Clouds?
Noctilucent clouds were once thought to be a fairly modern phenomenon. A team of researcher have recently calculated that Earth…
High-Resolution Images of the Sun Show How Flares Impact the Solar Atmosphere
Solar flares are a fascinating thing and have a profound effect on what astronomers refer to as "space weather." These…
Groundbreaking New Maps of the Sun’s Coronal Magnetic Fields
If you enjoyed this summer's display of aurora borealis, thank the Sun's corona. The corona is the Sun's outer layer…
NASA’s Putting its Solar Sail Through its Paces
Those of you following the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System may have heard that its booms and sail are now…
Why is the Sun’s Corona So Hot? One Hypothesis Down, Many to Go
The temperature of the Sun’s corona is a minimum of 100 times hotter than the Sun’s surface, despite the corona…
An Astronaut Might Need Kidney Dialysis on the Way Home from Mars
Long term space exploration comes with many challenges. Not least is how much toilet paper to take but more worryingly…
Black Holes Can Halt Star Formation in Massive Galaxies
It’s difficult to actually visualise a universe that is changing. Things tend to happen at snails pace albeit with the…