Science @ NASA
The Science and Technology Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center sponsors the Science@NASA web sites. The mission of Science@NASA is to help the public understand how exciting NASA research is and to help NASA scientists fulfill their outreach responsibilities.
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The agency best known for exploring the vast reaches of space has been exploring some of the vast beaches of Earth — and the results may help protect them.
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Astronomers are celebrating 10 years of discovery by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Today's story highlights some of Chandra's most surprising, violent and beautiful images of the high-energy Universe.
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Next year, a powerful cosmic ray detector will be installed on the International Space Station. Its mission: to search for antimatter galaxies and other exotic phenomena in the Universe.
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Like bugs streaking down the side window of a moving car, colorful Perseid Earthgrazers could put on a pleasing show after sunset on Tuesday, August 11th.
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Barely two weeks after it was installed by the crew of space shuttle Endeavour, the Japanese-built platform is already bustling with experiments in astronomy and space physics--and that's just for starters.
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NASA's new planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has detected the changing phases and atmosphere of a planet a thousand light years away.
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Two weeks after something slammed into Jupiter, creating a cloud of debris that is still easy to see through backyard telescopes, researchers are wondering ... what was the impactor?
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Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, setting the stage for the 2009 Perseid meteor shower.
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The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century takes place this Wednesday, July 22nd. The path of totality crosses many major cities, setting the stage for possibly the best-observed eclipse in human history.
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NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned its first imagery of Apollo landing sites. The pictures show lunar module descent stages, scientific instruments and even 40-year-old foot trails made by astronauts walking across the dusty lunar surface.
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Forty years ago, Apollo astronauts set out on a daring adventure to explore the Moon. They ended up discovering their own planet.
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Why couldn't Neil Armstrong fall asleep on the Moon? The answer is revealed in today's suspenseful story from Science@NASA.
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When astronauts travel through space, the human heart loses something it needs: the Earthly pull of gravity. Is this a problem? NASA is launching a new study to find out.
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Amateur astronomers have photographed NASA's LCROSS spacecraft en route to an October crash landing on the Moon. Observers say the spacecraft is surprisingly easy to photograph, and NASA hopes more amateurs will give it a try.
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The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times a day for many days in a row.
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Astronauts are looking forward to an unprecedented view of the cosmos when the largest window ever built for space is installed on the International Space Station.
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Satellites Guide Relief to Earthquake Victims[Duration 05:29, 2.2 MB]Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST
In the aftermath of a recent, deadly earthquake, the NASA-led SERVIR program orchestrated use of satellite data to show Honduran disaster officials where help was needed most.
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Where have all the sunspots gone? Scientists studying a jet stream deep inside the sun may have found the answer.
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With NASA poised to launch the world's most famous treadmill (COLBERT) to the International Space Station, an astronaut describes what it's like to run in space where sweat floats and there is no gravity to hold your feet to the ground.
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Just when you thought it was safe to check your email, the Mars Hoax is back!
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Fake Astronaut Gets Hit by Artificial Solar Flare[Duration 06:09, 2.5 MB]Wed, 3 Jun 2009 00:00:00 CST
Researchers are about to subject a fake astronaut complete with blood cells and simulated human tissue to an artificial solar flare. How the unlucky volunteer emerges from the radiation storm will reveal for the first time how much of a threat severe solar flares pose to astronauts en route to the Moon and Mars.
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An international panel of experts has issued a new prediction for the solar cycle which takes into account the surprisingly deep solar minimum of 2008-2009. Read today's story to find out when they think solar maximum will return.
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NASA's Aqua satellite has detected a red glow coming from phytoplankton in Earth's oceans. This unique signal allows researchers to monitor the health of ocean plants in a new and telling way.
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The Phantom Torso is back on Earth and he has quite a story to tell about the perils of space radiation.
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Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches on Final Mission to Hubble[Duration 03:06, 1.2 MB]Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 CST
Space shuttle Atlantis with its seven-member crew launched at 2:01 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 11th, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.
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Salmonella Spills its Secrets on the Space Shuttle[Duration 04:31, 1.8 MB]Wed, 6 May 2009 00:00:00 CST
NASA-supported researchers have figured out why Salmonella bacteria become more virulent when they travel on board spaceships. They've also learned how to calm the bacteria down again--a trick that could come in handy for fighting diseases here on Earth.
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A NASA spacecraft gliding over the surface of Mercury has revealed that the planet's atmosphere, magnetosphere, and its geological past display greater levels of activity than scientists first suspected.
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New Gamma-Ray Burst Smashes Cosmic Distance Record[Duration 03:29, 1.4 MB]Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CST
A gamma-ray burst detected by NASA's Swift satellite has smashed the previous distance record for the most powerful explosions in the Universe. Researchers are calling it 'an incredible find' and a 'true blast from the past.'
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On Sunday, April 26th, the crescent Moon, Mercury and the Pleiades star cluster will line up in the western sky for a beautiful sunset conjunction.
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All research and no application makes data a dull toy. NASA's SPoRT program brings data to life by putting it in the hands of people who can use it best--the National Weather Service forecasters who send us scurrying for cover when severe weather looms.
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A meteor shower. A crescent Moon. A disappearing planet. These three things will be on display next Wednesday, April 22nd, when the Moon occults Venus during the annual Lyrid meteor shower.
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For the first time, NASA spacecraft have traced the 3D shape of solar storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). It turns out the most ferocious storms resemble something from a French bakery.
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NASA researchers are about to climb the slopes of Earth's tallest mountain to test exploration technologies they'll need on the Moon and Mars.
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STEREO Hunts for Remains of an Ancient Planet near Earth[Duration 05:18, 2.1 MB]Thu, 9 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CST
NASA's twin STEREO probes are entering a mysterious region of space to look for remains of an ancient planet which once orbited the Sun not far from Earth. If they find anything, it could solve a major puzzle--the origin of the Moon.
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1960s technology worked for the Apollo program, but next-generation lunar explorers are going to need an upgrade. NASA's Exploration Technology Development Program is working on new and improved tools for NASA's return to the Moon.
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Mt. Redoubt Gives Alaskans a Taste of the Moon[Duration 06:00, 2.4 MB]Fri, 3 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CST
By coating the countryside with gritty, abrasive, electrostatically-charged volcanic ash, Mt. Redoubt is giving Alaskans an unexpected taste of what it's like to live on the Moon.
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How low can it go? The Sun is plunging into the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century.
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Spacewalkers Test Planetary Protection Concept[Duration 04:22, 1.8 MB]Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 CST
On March 19th, astronauts onboard the International Space Station checked themselves for microbes before stepping outside on a space walk. It was a first-ever test of planetary protection technology that, one day, could keep humans from contaminating the sands of Mars.
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Space Station Construction Visible Through Backyard Telescopes[Duration 03:17, 1.3 MB]Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 CST
Space shuttle Discovery launched Sunday, March 15th, on a construction mission to the International Space Station. Perfect timing for sky watchers! The mission coincides with a series of ISS flybys over North American towns and cities. People who go outside after sunset can see the shuttle-station combo with their naked eyes and view the changing outlines of the ISS through backyard telescopes.
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NASA and U.S. Air Force test pilots have just dropped a 50,000-pound "dummy" rocket booster on the Arizona desert--and stopped it before it crashed. It's all part of NASA's plan to return to the Moon.
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Kepler Mission Rockets to Space in Search of Other Earths[Duration 03:12, 1.3 MB]Fri, 6 Mar 2009 00:00:00 CST
In a night launch of stunning beauty, NASA's Kepler spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Friday night, March 6th, on a mission to find Earth-like planets circling other stars.
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The crescent Moon and Venus are converging for a conjunction of rare beauty on Friday evening, Feb. 27th.
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For the first time, a spacecraft from Earth has captured hi-resolution video of a solar eclipse while orbiting another world.
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Kepler Mission to Hunt for Earth-like Planets[Duration 03:44, 1.5 MB]Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST
Are there other worlds like ours? Are we alone? NASA's Kepler spacecraft is about to begin an unprecedented journey that could answer these ancient questions.
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NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has detected a record-setting gamma-ray burst with the greatest total energy and fastest motions ever seen.
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Something is about to happen on Saturn that is so pretty, even Hubble will pause to take a look. Backyard astronomers can see it, too. Four of Saturn's moons will transit Saturn and cast their shadows on the planet's cloudtops at the same time.
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NASA spacecraft are monitoring blasts of gamma-ray energy from a star 30,000 light years away. Some of the flares have packed more total energy than the sun puts out in 20 years.
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Even in space, someone has to clean the bathroom. ISS astronauts are using a tricorder-like device to help them 'swab the decks.'
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Comet Lulin is approaching Earth for a 38-million-mile close encounter later this month. The green double-tailed comet is putting on a fine show for backyard telescopes and could soon become visible to the unaided eye.
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Mars Technology Helps Create Inauguration Mega-Picture[Duration 04:47, 1.9 MB]Mon, 2 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST
A private photographer has used NASA's Mars technology to create a 1,474 megapixel panoramic photo of President Obama's inauguration. The interactive mega-snapshot has become an international sensation, viewed by more than two million people in 186 countries.
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Today, NASA researchers announced an event that will transform our view of the Sun and super-charge the field of solar physics for many years to come.
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Severe Space Weather--Social and Economic Impacts[Duration 05:48, 2.3 MB]Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 CST
A new NASA-funded study details what might happen to our modern, high-tech society in the event of a 'super solar flare' followed by an extreme geomagnetic storm. Some of the conclusions might surprise you.
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A team of NASA and university scientists has discovered substantial plumes of methane floating through the atmosphere of Mars. The find indicates Mars is either biologically or geologically active.
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The last place you'd expect to find icicles is around the rim of a scalding hot and thundering rocket engine. Yet an engine being used by NASA to develop technologies for next-generation lunar landers has been caught producing icicles of unlikely beauty.
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NASA's next great Moon rocket promises to do more than land astronauts on the Moon. In its spare time, it could revolutionize the science of astronomy.
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The biggest full Moon of 2009 is coming this weekend. It's a perigee Moon as much as 30% brighter than lesser moons we'll see in the months ahead. Get ready for moonlight!
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Sledgehammer-toting scientists are "bustin' rocks" to make the finest possible simulated lunar regolith (a.k.a. fake moondust) in support of NASA's return to the Moon.
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True story: NASA technology saves Claus from a disaster at sea! Christmas (and the sport of fishing) may never be the same.
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The planet Saturn is doing something rare and beautiful this holiday season. Find out what in today's story from Science@NASA.
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Giant Breach in Earth's Magnetic Field Discovered[Duration 05:12, 2.1 MB]Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 CST
NASA's five THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a breach in Earth's magnetic field ten times larger than anything previously thought to exist. The size of the opening and the strange way it forms could overturn long-held ideas of space physics.
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Solar flares are supposed to obliterate everything in their vicinity, yet one of the most powerful flares of the past 30 years has done just the opposite, emitting a beam of pure and unbroken hydrogen atoms. Researchers think this strange event could yield vital clues to the inner workings of solar flares.
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From humble beginnings in a Utah beryllium mine to the most advanced laboratories in the world, the mirrors of NASA's next great observatory are taking an incredible journey to space.
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This Friday's full Moon is the biggest full Moon of the year. It is a 'perigee Moon' as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2008.
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Astronomers from NASA and Caltech are predicting a near-storm of Leonids in 2009 based on a surprising outburst of meteors just two weeks ago.
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Venus and Jupiter are converging for a spectacular three-way conjunction with the crescent Moon--a rare gathering some are calling 'the sky show of the year.' Today's story tells when and where to look.
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The solar wind appears to be ripping big chunks of air from the atmosphere of Mars. This could help solve a longstanding mystery about the Red Planet.
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Discovered: Cosmic Rays from a Mysterious, Nearby Object[Duration 06:37, 2.7 MB]Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST
An international team of researchers has discovered a puzzling surplus of high-energy electrons bombarding Earth from space. The source of these cosmic rays is unknown, but it must be close to the solar system and it could be made of dark matter.
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Hubble Directly Observes a Planet Orbiting Another Star[Duration 03:58, 1.6 MB]Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken the first visible-light snapshot of a planet circling another star. The planet, called 'Fomalhaut b', orbits the bright southern star Fomalhaut, located 25 light-years from Earth.
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NASA astronomers have set up a monitoring station to scan the night sky for unknown or unexpected meteor showers--and they're finding more than they bargained for.
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Solar Cycle Update: The Sun Shows Signs of Life[Duration 03:42, 1.5 MB]Fri, 7 Nov 2008 00:00:00 CST
A surge of new-cycle sunspots in October may signal the beginning of the end of the ongoing solar minimum.
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Researchers have discovered 'magnetic portals' forming high above Earth that can briefly connect our planet to the Sun. Not only are the portals common, one space physicist contends they form twice as often as anyone had previously imagined.
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The planets are gathering for spooky sunset sky show on Oct. 31st. Read today's story to find out where to look.
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Gamma-ray bursts are by far the brightest and most powerful explosions in the Universe, second only to the Big Bang itself. So it might seem a bit surprising that a group of them has gone missing.
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Cosmic explosions known as gamma-ray bursts are curiously picky about where they explode. Shunning spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, gamma-ray bursts prefer to 'go off' in oddball star systems that astronomers are just beginning to understand.
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Brief Mystery: What are Short Gamma-ray Bursts?[Duration 04:57, 2.0 MB]Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 CST
A curiously short-lived type of gamma-ray burst has astronomers puzzled. Leading experts discuss the clues at today's Gamma-ray Burst Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.
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NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered a new kind of pulsar that hints at a previously unsuspected population of stars waiting to be found in the Milky Way.
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More than four decades after they were discovered, gamma-ray bursts continue to mystify astrophysicists. Next week, experts from 25 countries will converge on Huntsville, Alabama, to discuss and debate clues to the biggest explosions since the Big Bang itself.
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Last month when scientists switched on the Large Hadron Collider, the world did not come to an end. In today's story, a particle physicist explains why not--and why Earth is safe from black holes when the collider is reactivated in the months ahead.
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A team of internationally renowned astronomers and opticians may have found a way to make 'unbelievably large' telescopes on the Moon.
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NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft flew past Mercury on Oct. 6th capturing amazing new images of never-before-seen terrain.
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Scientists using NASA's RHESSI spacecraft have measured the roundness of the sun with unprecedented precision, and they find that it is not a perfect sphere. During years of high solar activity the sun develops a thin "cantaloupe skin" that significantly increases its apparent oblateness.
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NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is returning to Mercury. On Monday, Oct. 6, 2008, the probe will conduct the second of three planned flybys and photograph most of Mercury's remaining unseen surface.
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Astronomers who count sunspots have announced that 2008 has become the "blankest year" of the Space Age. Sunspot counts are at a 50-year low, signifying a deep minimum in the 11-year cycle of solar activity.
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In a briefing today at NASA headquarters, solar physicists announced that the solar wind is losing power. This development has repercussions across the solar system.
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NASA is teaming up with public health organizations to create a pollen alert system that could help people with maladies ranging from common hay fever to serious heart and lung diseases.
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Japan's Hinode spacecraft is beaming back must-see movies of a spectacular solar phenomenon known as 'polar crown prominences.'
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To improve hurricane forecasting, NASA engineers are spending time in a spooky room where 'no one can hear you scream.'
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Naked-Eye Gamma-ray Burst Aimed Directly at Earth[Duration 03:51, 1.5 MB]Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CST
Scientists are beginning to unravel the mystery of an extraordinary gamma-ray burst on March 19, 2008, which was visible to the naked eye. It turns out the explosion was aimed directly at Earth.
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NASA to Explore a "Secret Layer" of the Sun[Duration 04:41, 1.9 MB]Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:00:00 CST
NASA researchers are preparing to launch an experimental telescope that can see a layer of the sun thought to be the "birthplace of space weather."
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Backyard astronomers watching the Perseid meteor shower last month saw meteoroids hitting not only Earth but also the Moon. They recorded the impacts using backyard telescopes and off-the-shelf cameras, showing that "lunar meteors" are easy targets for amateur observatories and that amateur astronomers can contribute to NASA's lunar research.
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Today, NASA revealed first light images and announced a new name for its latest space telescope.
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Astronauts on board the International Space Station have recently photographed strange electric-blue clouds hovering at the edge of space.
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What if you woke up one morning and found your whole planet had been swallowed by the atmosphere of a star? Don't laugh, it could happen to you, and NASA has a special program to deal with it.
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The Realm of Earthworms: NASA Gets Down to the Nitty-Gritty[Duration 04:19, 1.7 MB]Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 CST
NASA scientists are preparing to launch a "flying tractor" with microwave sensors to explore the nitty-gritty realm beneath your feet.
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There are places on the Moon where the sun hasn't shined for millions of years, inky-dark places that may harbor a treasure of great value. NASA's is about to light one of them up.
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Have you ever stared up at the night sky, felt a gentle breeze, and wished you could set sail for the stars? Get in line. Many great thinkers from history have had the same idea. This long-held fancy could soon become reality with one solar sail mission on the drawing board and another already on the launching pad, slated to blast off this summer.
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This Friday, August 1st, millions of people in China will witness a well-publicized total eclipse of the sun. Less widely reported is the partial eclipse, which *billions* of people across a quarter of the globe can observe and enjoy.
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Researchers have discovered what powers brilliant outbursts of Northern Lights: gigantic plasma bullets launched toward Earth by explosions 1/3rd of the way to the Moon.
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The 2008 Perseid meteor shower peaks during the dark hours before dawn on Tuesday, August 12th, and forecasters say it should be a good show.
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NASA Works to Improve Short-term Weather Forecasts[Duration 04:13, 1.7 MB]Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 CST
NASA scientists are using an infra-red sounder in space to improve short-term weather forecasting.
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The sun is entering its 3rd year of eerie calm. Sunspots are rare and solar flares simply aren't happening. Is this "solar minimum" lasting longer than it should? A NASA scientist has examined centuries of sunspot data to find the answer.
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Mix moondust with epoxy, add a dash of carbon nanotubes, and spin. The result? A parabolic mirror perfectly suited for a lunar observatory. A NASA scientist has discovered this new recipe for making telescopes out of moondust, and to prove it works he has spun a "moondust mirror" here on Earth.
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Mercury's magnetic field is "alive." Volcanic vents ring the planet's giant Caloris basin while the planet itself is surrounded by a plasma nebula of unexpected complexity.
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Look beyond the fireworks on 4th of July weekend. A trio of worlds is converging for a pretty sunset sky show.
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One hundred years after the Tunguska event in Siberia, scientists review what they've learned about the mysterious blast from the heavens.
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NASA to Attempt Historic Solar Sail Deployment[Duration 05:53, 2.4 MB]Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 CST
This summer, NASA engineers will try to realize a dream older than the Space Age itself: the deployment of a working solar sail in Earth orbit. The name of the device is NanoSail-D and it is scheduled for launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket as early as July 29, 2008.
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In 1967, Surveyor 3 landed on the Moon. Two years later, Apollo astronauts visited the little unmanned spacecraft and brought pieces of it home to Earth. Now, a portion of Surveyor's robotic arm, the scoop it used to sample moondust, is teaching researchers some long-lost secrets.
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Sometimes you just can't believe your eyes. This week is one of those times. Check out the full Moon on June 18th and prepare to be deceived!
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NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope left Earth today onboard a Delta II rocket. "The entire GLAST Team is elated," reports program manager Kevin Grady of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "The observatory is now on-orbit and all systems continue to operate as planned."
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NASA has a daring new mission on the drawing board: Solar Probe Plus, a spacecraft tough enough to visit the sun itself.
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NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a bizarre ring of material around the magnetic remains of a star that blasted itself to smithereens. Although rings and spheres of material are common in the universe, this one is not like any ring astronomers have ever seen before.
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Imagine a billion-ton cloud of gas launching itself off the surface of the sun and then ... doing a cartwheel. That's exactly what happened on April 9, 2008, when a coronal mass ejection or "CME" pirouetted over the sun's limb in full view of an international fleet of spacecraft.
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NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed in the northern polar region of Mars Sunday to begin three months of examining a site chosen for its likelihood of having frozen water within reach of the lander's robotic arm.
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Gravitationally speaking, the moon is a strange place. Satellites in lunar orbit feel odd, sideways tugs and end up nose down in the moondust. Astronauts standing in the middle of lunar lava seas weigh more than they do standing on the shore. A new NASA mission named GRAIL aims to map the moon's quirky gravity field and thus pave the way for future exploration.
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In 2005, NASA astronomers began watching the Moon to see how often meteoroids crashed into the lunar surface. They've just video-taped their 100th explosion.
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At long last, astronomers have found one of the Milky Way's mysteriously missing supernovas.
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NASA's Phoenix lander is getting ready to touch down on Mars and begin an unprecedented investigation of the Red Planet's arctic realm.
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Astronauts are using a Star Trek tricorder-like device to keep track of microscopic life forms onboard the International Space Station.
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A NASA-funded survey set to begin in 2008 could dramatically increase the number of known planets outside our solar system.
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In September 1859, a solar flare erupted so intense that the explosion itself was visible to the human eye. A ferocious geomagnetic storm ensued in which Northern Lights descended as far south as Cuba, the Bahamas and Hawaii. Meanwhile, telegraph engineers disconnected their batteries and powered communications by electricity from the auroras! Could it happen again?
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Explore the Ionosphere (from the safety of your own home)[Duration 05:01, 2.0 MB]Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 CST
Today, NASA-funded researchers released to the general public a new "4D" live model of Earth's ionosphere. Without leaving home, anyone can now fly through the layer of ionized gas that encircles Earth at the edge of space itself.
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An experiment in space has shed new light on the puzzling physics of some everyday substances such as blood, ketchup, motor oil and whipped cream.
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Going to the Moon? Don't forget your duct tape. Thirty-six years ago when Apollo 17 astronauts found themselves a quarter million miles from home with a damaged moonbuggy, a roll of "good old fashioned American gray tape" saved the day.
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Earth's Magnetic Field Does Strange Things to the Moon[Duration 05:32, 2.2 MB]Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 CST
NASA-supported researchers have realized that strange things may be happening on the full Moon when it gets hit by Earth's magnetic tail.
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Unlike Earth, the firmament of the moon is directly exposed to charged particles from the sun. What happens to moondust under the onslaught of solar wind? Researchers in a NASA-supported lab are finding some surprising answers.
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Contestants in NASA's 15th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race have crossed the finish line. And the winner is.... Read today's story to find out who crashed and who triumphed in the adventurous competition.
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A crescent moon of perilous beauty is about to appear in the evening sky. The best night to look is Tuesday, April 8th, when the moon joins the Pleiades star cluster for a must-see conjunction.
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Three months ago, a new solar cycle began. This week, however, the sun surprised onlookers with three big sunspots from the previous solar cycle. Strangely enough, this is perfectly normal.
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NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will play some crafty tricks to find water on the moon, such as using starlight to see into deep, dark craters and checking the temperature with a scientific device known as "Diviner."
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Two nights ago, astronomers observed a cosmic explosion so intense it was visible to the naked eye from a distance of 7.5 billion light years.
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For reasons not fully understood by scientists, the weeks around the vernal equinox are prone to Northern Lights.
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New research by NASA-supported scientists shows how atmospheric gravity waves, the kind we often see rippling in clouds overhead, can hit a thunderstorm and turn it into a deadly tornado.
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Amateur astronomers around the world have noticed, something is happening to Saturn. The planet's rings are rapidly narrowing and, if this continues, before long they'll be just a wafer-thin line almost invisible to backyard telescopes.
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To celebrate Women's History Month, an all-female team of scientists and engineers has taken control of Mars rover Spirit.
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The surprises continue. Scientists studying the harvest of photos from MESSENGER's Jan. 14th flyby of Mercury have found several craters with strange dark halos and one crater with a spectacularly shiny bottom.
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Imagine living on a planet where Northern Lights fill the heavens at all hours of the day. Around the clock, even in broad daylight, luminous curtains shimmer and ripple across the sky. News flash: Astronomers have discovered such a planet. Its name is Earth.
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A NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planet's north pole.
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New high-resolution radar maps of the Moon's south pole reveal a fantastic land with peaks as high as Mt. McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon.
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Do you know who's orbiting the moon? The answer might surprise you. Find out in today's story from Science@NASA.
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On Wednesday evening, February 20th, the full Moon over the Americas will turn a delightful shade of red and possibly turquoise, too. It's a total lunar eclipse - the last one until Dec. 2010.
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NASA is inviting members of the general public from around the world to suggest a new name for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, otherwise known as GLAST, before it launches in mid-2008.
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A team of scientists has just set off to explore a strange lake in Antarctica, which may be home to exotic forms of microscopic life.
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NASA's Messenger spacecraft has beamed back some surprising new data from the planet Mercury. Highlights include a weird crater nicknamed "the Spider," a planetary tail of hydrogen atoms, and measurements that show giant Caloris basin is even bigger than researchers thought.
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The two brightest planets are converging for a beautiful close encounter on Friday morning, February 1st.