A female tiger at Kanha National Park, India. Tigers in India, scientists recently announced, have increased 2-fold since 2010. India now has 75% of the world’s tiger population. Image via Charles J. Sharp/ Wikimedia Commons. (CC BY-SA 4.0) Bringing back tigers in India Tigers once roamed widely across Asia. However, by the early 2000s, they … Read more
EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd interviewed asteroid expert Dr. Richard Binzel of MIT – inventor of the Torino Scale – about asteroid 2024 YR4. Increasing odds of impact Asteroid 2024 YR4 still sits at a 3 on the Torino scale, but its odds of hitting Earth have inched up. Keep in mind that those odds are still … Read more
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Tawnya Silloway in Colorado submitted this imgae on January 23, 2025, and wrote: “I was able to photograph many fluffy snowflakes yesterday, but this one stood out because she brought a daisy.” Thank you, Tawnya! Exquisite crystalline snowflakes capture the imagination. But what is the science behind their formation, … Read more
For centuries, humanity has dreamed of exploring distant planets. With the upcoming Artemis 2 mission taking astronauts around the moon, NASA is taking its first steps toward future crewed missions to Mars in the 2030s and 2040s. But you don’t need to leave Earth to experience landscapes that feel out of this world. From volcanic … Read more
View larger. | Here’s a practice image to start! Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of a glowing city on April 8, 2015. Can you identify which of the world’s cities this is? … If you guessed the City of Lights – Paris – you’re right! The Seine flows through the city, … Read more
Polar bears have unique ice-repelling fur If you worry about polar bears staying warm in the frozen Arctic, don’t. These animals not only survive cold temperatures, but they need them to thrive. Polar bears have the necessary adaptations to live comfortably in frigid environments. How do they do this? The University of Dublin said on … Read more
The U.S. military took this image on January 2, 2005, of the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami at a village near Sumatra. The deadly tsunami struck after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake on December 26, 2004. Image via Philip A. McDaniel/ United States Navy/ Wikimedia Commons (public domain). 20-year anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami It … Read more
Bonobos (along with chimpanzees) are the closest surviving relatives to humans. They live solely in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Bonobos are listed as endangered due to habitat loss and poaching for meat and pets. Unfortunately, poaching has left many bonobos orphans. On December 18, 2024, Durham University in the U.K. … Read more
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Rob Ratkowski took this all-sky view from Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii in 2023. It shows the path of the sun across the sky at the solstices (top and bottom) and at the equinoxes (center). Thanks, Rob! Find more personal solstices below! Read December solstice 2024 all you need to … Read more
I’m at a loss for words. These poor people in Mayotte had so little to begin with, and Cyclone Chido has left them with almost nothing. It’s now a race against time to find casualties/victims…#CycloneChido #Mayotte pic.twitter.com/BldcoVqIDx — Volcaholic ? (@volcaholic1) December 16, 2024 Cyclone Chido devastated the French island of Mayotte, between Madagascar and … Read more