Atmosphere
Because of Coronavirus Lockdowns, Europe is Having the Same Drop in Pollution that we Saw in China
The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus is creating all kinds of chaos for human society. But for the dear…
When Martian Storms Really Get Going, they Create Towers of Dust 80 Kilometers High
When a huge dust storm on Mars—like the one in 2018—reaches its full power, it can turn into a globe-bestriding…
Molecular Oxygen on Mars is Behaving Unusually Through the Seasons. A Sign of Life?
An atmospheric drama has been playing out on Mars lately. Up until now, the main actor has been methane, and…
Screaming Sounds Sent to the Edge of Space, Confirming That… “In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream”
A unique, low-cost, and crowd-scream-sourced experiment has proven what all sci-fi movie fans know is true: In space, no one…
Mars’ North Pole is Doing the Dust Storms Thing Again
It's easy to take for granted the detailed, almost real-time knowledge of Mars that we have at our fingertips. After…
Eruption of the Raikoke Volcano, Seen From Space
The Raikoke Volcano, dormant for a very long time, has awoken from its slumber. The volcanic island is in the…
Habitability of Planets Will Depend on Their Interiors
A lot of the headlines and discussion around the habitability of exoplanets is focused on their proximity to their star…
Did You Know that the Earth Loses Several Hundred Tons of Atmosphere to Space Every Day?
Scientists have known for some time that Earth's atmosphere loses several hundred tons of oxygen each day. They understand how…
Noctilucent Clouds Perform Delicate Dance for NASA’s Balloon-Cam
Noctilucent clouds 50 miles above the Earth in the mesosphere. A NASA mission spent five days above the Arctic photographing…
Cassini Data Has Revealed a Towering Hexagonal Storm at Saturn’s Northern Pole
Data from the Cassini mission has revealed a massive hexagonal shaped storm high in the stratosphere of Saturn's north pole.