Tag Archives: Earth

Lockheed Martin has announced the details of a proposal to take over NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, tasked with retrieving the samples that the Perseverance rover on the red planet has already collected. These samples have great scientific value, including the possibility of the evidence of life. While originally conceived as an in-house …

Magnetic explosions known as Ellerman bombs surround a sunspot in this photo from astrophotographer Philippe Tosi (Earth added for scale). (Image credit: Philippe Tosi) A new sunspot emerging over the eastern limb of the sun is putting on an explosive show and it’s heading our way. Sunspot region 4136 was recently captured crackling with dozens of magnetic explosions known as …

Earth started out as a ball of liquid fire, its newborn surface closer to a lava lamp than the calm continents we know today. Those incandescent beginnings happened 4.5 billion years ago, yet the evidence is buried miles beneath our feet where direct sampling is impossible. A new computer model of the infant planet’s mantle says the rock we stand on …

Scientists have warned that this summer could include some of the shortest days of your entire life. On July 22 and August 5, experts predict the day will be 1.38 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than average, respectively.  This is because the planet’s rotation has entered an unexpected period of acceleration, shaving a millisecond or so off the length of a …

What two new market moves say about U.S. rare earth minerals  Axios The Pentagon is taking a big stake in a rare earth mining company, sending the stock up 60%  Business Insider Pentagon to become rare earth mining company’s largest stockholder  Washington Technology Australian rare earth stocks soar on MP Materials’ multi-billion US deal  Reuters Pentagon to Take Stake in Rare-Earth Company, Challenging China’s …

Earth may no longer be threatened by an impact from the asteroid 2024 YR4, but that doesn’t mean this 200-foot-wide space rock can’t still impact our lives. The asteroid, which at one point had a 1 in 43 chance of striking our planet, now has a 1 in 25 (4%) chance of hitting the moon in 2032. New research suggests …

Earth Is Spinning Faster and Days Are Getting Shorter, for Now  The New York Times For a few days this summer, your days will be just a smidge shorter  The Washington Post July 9 may be the shortest day ever in history, scientists say. How much time will we lose?  NOLA.com Did you feel it? Earth just had one of its shortest days …

Humanity’s future can look pretty gloomy. From asteroids the size of football stadiums to nuclear war and man-made pandemics, it can seem as if humankind is in constant danger of being wiped out – and, in many ways, it is. Over the past three years, I have interviewed hundreds of experts working to prevent Doomsday, from eminent scientists and engineers …