Origin of High-Latitude Auroras Has Now Been Explained
Auroras are the most visible manifestation of the Sun’s effect on Earth, but many aspects of these spectacular displays are still poorly understood. Thanks to ESA’s…
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Methane Spike on Mars Verified by Curiosity
NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a…
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Interstellar ‘Tsunami Waves’ Buffet Voyager 1
Since 2012, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has experienced three ‘tsunami waves’ in interstellar space. The most recent, which reached the spacecraft earlier this year, is still…
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Rosetta Doesn’t Tell Us Where Earth’s Water Came From
Where did our planet get its oceans? Among planetary scientists, this is one of the most important and perplexing questions about the origins of Earth. One…
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Asteroid Bigger Than Apophis to Pass Near Earth Every 3 Years
Scientists have calculated that the 2014 UR116 asteroid will fly in dangerous proximity to Earth every three years. If it collides with the planet the energy…
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Space Station Viewed in a New Light
ESA’s fifth and last Automated Transfer Vehicle tested a new technique before docking with the International Space Station in August, at the same time revealing the…
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Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere as Seen by Cassini
This Cassini image shows Jupiter from an unusual perspective. If you were to float just beneath the giant planet and look directly up, you would be…
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Clues to How Water Helped Shape Martian Landscape
Observations by NASA’s Curiosity Rover indicate Mars’ Mount Sharp was built by sediments deposited in a large lake bed over tens of millions of years. This…
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New Horizons Comes Out of Hibernation for Pluto 2015 Encounter
After a voyage of nearly nine years and three billion miles —the farthest any space mission has ever traveled to reach its primary target – NASA’s…
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AAVSO Alert Notice 506: Alpha Com Eclipse Observing Campaign
AAVSO Alert Notice 506 Alpha Com eclipse observing campaign December 5, 2014 Drs. Matthew W. Muterspaugh and Gregory W. Henry (Tennessee State University) have requested AAVSO…
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