For the first time, scientists have redirected lightning using a laser beam. And that’s just the start of what’s possible.
light
Posted inEditors' Highlights
What Electrons Can Tell Us About the Speed of Sand
A new sediment tracer uses the interactions between radiation, charge, and the Sun to uncover the hidden transport histories of sand grains.
Posted inNews
Starry Nights Are Disappearing
Stars dim as the sky gets brighter, a result of expanding cities and bright LEDs. Simple low-tech changes can help preserve dark night skies.
Posted inNews
Peeking at Peatlands: Satellite Data Fuel New Findings
Researchers are combining hard-to-get field measurements with satellite imagery to gain new insight into where peatlands are and how they work.
Posted inNews
Coronal Dimmings Shine Light on Stellar CMEs
Coronal mass ejections from stars have eluded easy observation, so scientists are looking at what’s left behind.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
When Less is More—The Moon Sheds Light on Clouds at Night
Shining light into the dark reveals the unseen, but in some cases, it changes our perception of reality. Through moonlight we learn how the environment tricks our ways of finding nocturnal clouds.
Posted inFeatures
A Bright, LED-Lit Future for Ocean Sciences
LEDs have taken over the global lighting market. Now it’s time for this versatile, low-cost, and energy-efficient technology to illuminate oceanic processes.
Posted inNews
Bright Lights, Big Cities Attract Migratory Birds
The first stopover site map for U.S. migratory birds reveals the attraction of urban light pollution.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Newly Improved Solar Spectral Irradiance Composite Record
A new study accurately captures solar irradiance, which is crucial to understand the energetics and radiation balance of Earth and its influences on the cryosphere, atmosphere, and ocean currents.
Posted inNews
Laser Flashes Shed Light on a Changing Arctic
An ongoing project in northern Alaska is using pulses of laser light to monitor anthropogenic activity, ice quakes, and marine wildlife.