Search Results for: Atmosphere

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10,000+ results
  1. A flooded street with stormy skies overhead
    Climate

    By flying over atmospheric rivers, scientists aim to improve forecasts

    Drenching atmospheric rivers are slamming the U.S. West Coast, bringing needed water but dangerous flooding. Here’s how scientists study these storms.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  2. An ultraviolet composite image of Saturn. The planet is seen in shades of blue with a white band towards the center at at the top.
    Planetary Science

    Saturn’s icy rings are probably heating its atmosphere, giving it an ultraviolet glow

    Detecting similar emission from a distant world could help astronomers find other planets that boast bright and beautiful rings.

    By Ken Croswell
  3. An illustration of an orange planet with dark orange and red spots scattered across its surface.
    Astronomy

    The biggest planet orbiting TRAPPIST-1 doesn’t appear to have an atmosphere

    TRAPPIST-1b is hotter than astronomers expected, suggesting there’s no atmosphere to transport heat around the planet.

    By Sid Perkins
  4. A photo of three cows standing in a grassy field behind a small body of water where their reflections are seen.
    Climate

    Methane may not warm the Earth quite as much as previously thought

    Methane absorbs both longwave and shortwave radiation, with competing effects on climate, a study finds. The gas remains a potent warmer of the planet.

    By Douglas Fox
  5. A satellite image of Hurricane Ian with its eye just west of Florida
    Climate

    Why the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season is especially hard to predict

    It’s hard to know how busy this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will be, thanks to a rarely observed combination of ocean and climate conditions.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  6. a huge column of smoke reaching into the stratosphere over Australia
    Climate

    How wildfires deplete the Earth’s ozone layer

    Scientists detail the chain of chemical reactions that occur when wildfire smoke enters the stratosphere.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  7. A photo of white opaque balloon with a wire and small contraption just below rising into a blue sky.
    Tech

    50 years ago, a balloon circumnavigated the world for science

    A 1973 high-altitude flight kicked off an era of useful stratospheric balloon science. Some scientists worry that heightened concerns over alleged spy balloons might hamper that.

    By Carolyn Gramling
  8. A lightning bolt piercing smoke and lava from a volcanic eruption
    Life

    Ancient giant eruptions may have seeded nitrogen needed for life

    A new study bolsters the idea that on the young Earth volcanic lightning may have provided some materials that made it possible for life to emerge.

    By Bas den Hond
  9. A dark planet in space with no star nearby, with a galaxy distantly cutting through the background
    Planetary Science

    Planets without stars might have moons suitable for life

    Thanks to gravitational squeezing by their host planets, some moons of rogue planets could stay warm for over a billion years, simulations suggest.

    By Bas den Hond
  10. A photo of a black rock being held in a person's hand.
    Planetary Science

    Why you shouldn’t use magnets when looking for meteorites

    A popular tool for identifying meteorites can overwrite records of magnetic fields stored within the space rocks.

    By Katherine Kornei
  11. An illustration of blue-gray clouds with bright blue and orange dots of light scattered throughout the image.
    Planetary Science

    Jupiter’s lightning bolts contort the same way as Earth’s

    Jovian lightning extends in jagged steps as it does on Earth, data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft suggest. The finding might aid the search for life.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  12. Robin Wordsworth stands in front of a martian meteorite exhibit wearing a gray sweater and glasses
    Planetary Science

    Robin Wordsworth re-creates the atmosphere of ancient Mars

    Robin Wordsworth studies the climates of Mars and other alien worlds to find out whether they could support life.

    By Nikk Ogasa