Helium is a very low-density gas.
Jimi Hendrix once said, “I have this one little saying, when things get too heavy just call me helium, the lightest known gas to man.” He was almost right. We know of helium, conventionally, as the lighter-than-air gas that we fill balloons, blimps and zeppelins with in order to quickly and easily “defy gravity” here on Earth. (Video)
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A new study may have found exoplanets that are warmer and waterier than Earth.
One thing we know for sure in the world is that our planet is the world – for creating life, for supporting life, for letting us humans and our fellow species become what we are. And so, as we take our first tentative steps from our world and look out into the universe as we set our sights toward the worlds that look like the one we know — toward planets that are, in their way, “Earth-like.”
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New research indicates that large wind farms can cause local temperature increases.
New research finds that wind farms actually warm up the surface of the land underneath them during the night, according to new research. It’s a phenomena that could put a damper on efforts to expand wind energy as a green energy solution.
Cloud-top height fell one percent on average between March 2000 and February 2010.
Call Chicken Little, the sky really is falling. NASA satellite data has shown that the Earth’s cloud tops have been lowering over the last 10 years.
Understanding the chemistry of phytoplankton is key to controlling Earth’s climate.
Tiny ‘phytoplankton’ in the oceans have a huge impact on Earth’s climate – and understanding them could be key to the planet’s future health.
An “intensitygram” from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the double-barreled sunspot active region 1416.
As solar activity builds toward an expected peak in 2013, a double-barreled sunspot has been doubling in size over the past couple of days and now has the potential to shoot significant eruptions in our direction. (video)
Leap seconds are necessary to prevent atomic clocks from speeding ahead of solar time.
Governments are headed for a showdown after ten years of talks as they vote this week on an issue that pits technological precision against nature’s whims. The United States, France and others are pushing for countries at a U.N. telecom meeting to abolish the leap second, which for 40 years has kept computers in sync with the Earth day.
Artist’s conception depicts the rover Curiosity.
A nuclear-powered rover as big as a compact car is set to begin a nine-month journey to Mars this weekend to learn if the planet is or ever was suitable for life.
Settlement on the Moon
It’s been a dream for a long time to have a human settlement on the Moon, but in this age of budget cuts and indecisive plans for NASA’s future, a Moon base may seem too costly and beyond our reach. But a noted lunar scientist, Dr. Paul Spudis from the Lunar and Planetary Institute and a colleague, Tony Lavoie from the Marshall Space Flight Center, have come up with a plan for building a lunar settlement that is not only affordable but sustainable. It creates a Moon base along with a type of ‘transcontinental railroad’ in space which opens up cislunar space – the area between Earth and the Moon – for development.
Global map showing major road and rail networks over land, along with transmission line and underwater cable data superimposed over satellite images of cities illuminated at night
The images show silvery threads stretching around the dark globe that create a dramatic spider’s web showing the patterns of our global sprawl. (Pics)
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