Why Are Mars’ Sunsets Blue?
Earth and Mars are a bit like mirror worlds. Mars is the Red Planet. Earth is the pale blue dot. Mars is a frigid desert. Earth is full of water and life. But there’s another curious difference. The sky on … Read More
Did our Solar System Form in Bubbles Around Massive Star?
Our solar system was formed about 5 billion years ago from material left over from previous generations of stars, according to astronomers. Beyond that, however, things get a little murky. According to popular belief, a nearby supernova explosion compressed a … Read More
Animation: Visualizing the Speed of Light (Fast, but Slow)
Your room can be instantly flooded with light with the flip of a switch. In fact, there’s no perceivable lag at all. Because emitted photons travel at a speed of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second, light only takes 1/500,000th … Read More
See The Best Jupiter Pictures from NASA’s Juno Mission
Jupiter is a secretive swirl of coffee and cream. We’re only beginning to understand the stories that lie beneath its undulating cloud bands. Juno, NASA’s spacecraft, has played a crucial role in solving these mysteries. The probe’s JunoCam has been … Read More
See the Most Detailed Picture of the Sun’s Surface Ever Taken
A new solar telescope in Hawaii has taken its first photo and video of the Sun. The images are the highest-resolution views of our star ever taken, revealing details on the Sun’s surface as small as 18 miles across. The … Read More
The Only Total Lunar Eclipse of 2021 Is Coming Tomorrow, And It’s a Really Special One
The first and only total lunar eclipse of 2021 will occur in the early morning hours of May 26. However, because it will be a supermoon, a lunar eclipse, and a red blood moon all at once, this is going … Read More