Using 16 years of data from NASA’s gamma-ray detecting Fermi spacecraft, astronomers have discovered that “microquasars,” systems in which a black hole is slowly devouring a star, may be small, but they pack one heck of a punch. Despite their diminutive nature, this research suggests even microquasars snacking on small stars can have an impressive … Read more
Extreme cold is hitting the U.S. Here’s a person bundled up against the cold. Image via Demeter Attila/ Pexels. Dangerous cold in mid-US on Wednesday As of late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Extreme Cold Warnings stretched over 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of the continental United States, from North Dakota, down through south Central … Read more
A new 3D computer model of the planet through time has helped answer a contentious question: How did the Earth’s ice caps form? “The study looked at the Earth’s long-term stable climate,” explains the University of Adelaide’s Andrew Merdith, lead author on the new study in Science Advances. “Over tens to hundreds of millions of … Read more
Scientists have named a new fish species for the character San (also called Princess Mononoke) in the animated movie Princess Mononoke, thanks to their similarly painted cheeks. Image via Pensoft/ Fish: Branchiostegus sanae. Huang et al (CC-BY 4.0). San: “Princess Mononoke” (1997)/ Hayao Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli. New fish species named for animated character On February … Read more
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Alexander Krivenyshev from Manhattan, New York, captured these spectacular lightning strikes on June 26, 2024. Thank you, Alexander! A new study says lightning strikes on Earth can trigger electron showers from beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The Van Allen radiation belts are donut shaped regions of high-energy particles that circle Earth. … Read more
View larger. | In this image from Voyager 1 – acquired on February 14, 1990, from a distance slightly past the orbit of Saturn – planet Earth appears as a pale blue dot within the sunbeam, just right of center. As you can see, the blue glow of Earth occupies less than a single pixel … Read more
An artist’s concept of Vegavis iaai, a loon-like waterfowl. Scientists think it was a diving bird, shown here chasing fish. Researchers discovered an almost complete Vegavis iaai skull in Antarctica and said it’s the oldest-known modern bird fossil. Its existence in Antarctica suggests this land was a refuge from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. … Read more
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lynzie Flynn of Fountain Valley, California, submitted this image on December 22, 2024, and wrote: “This is an adult male Vermilion Flycatcher. It was flying from tree to tree and posing for me. It’s such a colorful bird and one of the few colorful birds we see in my … Read more
Juvenile sea turtles are active swimmers! Video via EarthSky. Scientists have long thought that young sea turtles – after hatching on the shore and making their way into the ocean – drifted passively on currents. But the University of Florida said on February 6, 2025, that these juvenile sea turtles might be active swimmers. A … Read more
Whales – a mother and a calf – swim offshore of Maui, Hawaii. A new study said whale song – the sounds and vocalizations of whales – follows the same statistical properties as human language. Image via Guille Pozzi/ Unsplash. Whale song consists of the sounds and vocalizations that whales make. A new study found … Read more