Solar eclipses are a truly awesome phenomenon. The most recent eclipse visible from the US was in October 2023 but don’t worry if you missed it – the next one is in April of 2024.
Continue ReadingYou may have heard the phrases “Hot Jupiter” or “Super Earth” used to describe planets discovered in other solar systems, but what exactly do those terms mean?
Continue ReadingYou’ve probably seen one of the stunning first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, and maybe even heard that the images are “false color”. In this post I’ll talk first about why the false coloring is necessary in the first place, and then guide you through the steps to download the raw images from NASA and then combine them into your own colorful masterpiece.
Continue ReadingAs of February 18, 2022 the Mars Perseverance Rover has spent exactly one Earth year on Mars (although it’ll be another 322 days before it’s been a full Martian year). So what has “Percy” been up to this year?
Continue ReadingThe first exoplanet was discovered by Michael Mayor and Didier Queloz in 1998. So why then did I come across an essay written in 1946 claiming that one was found in 1942?
Continue ReadingNew discoveries in astronomy often make the news. But extracting meaningful information using only light from distant stars can be very difficult, and astronomers do occasionally get it wrong. What…
Continue ReadingNew science on Venus’s atmosphere may inspire new missions to explore “Earth’s Sister”, but did you know that probes landed on Venus’s surface in the 1970’s?
Continue ReadingCitizen science enables non-scientists to get involved in the scientific process. Keep reading to find out how you could contribute to a research project!
Continue ReadingScientists observed a green aurora on Mars, which is the first time a green aurora has been seen on a planet other than Earth.
Continue ReadingHumanity has long been faced with the question of the existence of extraterrestrial life. Could there be life elsewhere in the universe, and if there is, could it be anything…
Continue ReadingThe discovery of an exoplanet that rains molten iron captivates the world and captures the promise of combining a telescope with a spectrograph.
Continue ReadingFinding an exoplanet using one of the most common methods is pretty easy in theory. But be warned, it’s much harder in practice than it sounds.
Continue ReadingLike the Sun and the Earth, stars have magnetic fields. These magnetic fields are powerful, yet little is known about them.
Continue ReadingHave you ever wondered what it would be like to see the surface of another planet up close? Well, NASA researchers in Cleveland are making this possible right here on…
Continue ReadingIn the past, the largest obstacle that separated humans was distance. In the first half of the 20th century, we built machines that made it possible to drive non-stop from…
Continue ReadingWinter is officially still three weeks away, although the alternating 30° F nights and 75° F days makes that difficult to remember. The arrival of winter means that it is…
Continue ReadingThe Perseids are here! This annual meteor shower is one of the best and brightest, but this year it’s predicted to be even more spectacular. So, if you’re in a…
Continue ReadingRecently, NASA’s JUNO spacecraft slowed down by 1,212 miles per hour in a carefully coordinated 35 minute maneuver. This slowdown is similar to you slamming on the brakes to stop…
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