Things are looking up as millions of North Americans prepare to be dazzled by a celestial spectacle.
Space & Planets
The End of the Eclipse
Scientists are studying how the Earth–Moon distance has changed over time, and what effect that change might have had on our planet. Future changes will extinguish total solar eclipses entirely.
Exploring Alfvén Waves Across Space—and Disciplines
A new book presents an interdisciplinary review of Alfvén wave research, sharing the latest insights from the solar, planetary, and terrestrial sciences.
Mars as a Driver of Deep-Sea Erosion
An analysis of breaks in deep-sea sediment links the geological record to a 2.4-million-year cycle that heats Earth and ventilates our oceans.
Passing Stars Shorten Earth’s Time Horizon
Stars in the solar neighborhood could jostle planetary orbits, making it harder to turn back the clock and examine Earth’s orbital or climate history.
Giant Impacts Might Have Triggered Snowball Earth Events
Running into the right space rock at the right time may have been enough to tip Earth into a runaway cold spell.
Hiroshima Fallout May Offer a Glimpse of the Early Solar System
Bits of glass called Hiroshimaites may have formed by processes similar to those that formed the Sun and the planets.
La música de las esferas del siglo XXI
Científicos y artistas están dando voz a todo, desde planetas hasta agujeros negros, enriqueciendo la experiencia de la investigación y acercando las maravillas del universo a nuevas audiencias.
Preparing to Meet a Metal-Rich Asteroid
The recently launched ‘Psyche’ mission will explore the eponymous asteroid and determine whether it is a fragment of a planetary core or a primordial, metal-rich body.
Ionospheric Fireworks Illuminate Auroral Science
A sounding rocket experiment set off a spectacular nighttime light show over Scandinavia as it produced new insights into ionospheric behavior near an aurora.