Strange lightning and “mushball” rain could rage in Jupiter storms

With storms constantly raging all over its surface and a Great Red Spot that’s been churning for centuries, Jupiter could be known as the storm capital of the solar system. Now NASA’s Juno mission has discovered two new quirks of these storms – shallow… Continue reading Strange lightning and “mushball” rain could rage in Jupiter storms

Moth eyes inspire anti-icing surface for aircraft, and maybe eyewear

The unique arrangement of nanoscale bumps coating a moth’s eye have inspired all kinds of interesting technological advances, owing to the incredible antireflective properties that allow the eye to absorb almost all the light that hits it. These range … Continue reading Moth eyes inspire anti-icing surface for aircraft, and maybe eyewear

Ancient Mars may not have been “warm and wet” but covered in ice

Modern Mars is a barren world, drier than any desert on Earth. But geological evidence shows that this wasn’t always the case – in the distant past the Red Planet had flowing water. It’s long been thought that ancient Mars was warm and wet, but a new s… Continue reading Ancient Mars may not have been “warm and wet” but covered in ice

Juno Jupiter probe finds glass-like ice on Ganymede’s north pole

NASA has released the first images taken by its Juno deep-space probe of the north pole of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede. Captured on December 26, 2019, the infrared images from the spacecraft’s Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument show… Continue reading Juno Jupiter probe finds glass-like ice on Ganymede’s north pole

Satellites show huge Antarctic iceberg drifted 1,000 km in three years

On 12 July, 2017, one of the biggest icebergs ever seen broke off from the Antarctic mainland. Now on the third anniversary of the event, satellite data has shown that the berg has traveled over 1,000 km (620 mi) and managed to stay relatively intact.C… Continue reading Satellites show huge Antarctic iceberg drifted 1,000 km in three years

Synthetic version of natural antifreeze used in longer-lasting concrete

As readers who live in cold climates will likely already know, winter is not kind to concrete. That could be about to change, though, thanks to a polymer additive that mimics natural antifreeze.Continue ReadingCategory: Materials, ScienceTags: Universi… Continue reading Synthetic version of natural antifreeze used in longer-lasting concrete

Why one part of the ocean bucked the trend and cooled last century

For the last century or more, much of Earth’s land and ocean surfaces have been steadily warming, which we now understand is a product of climate change. But in parts of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, sea surfaces cooled considerably since the e… Continue reading Why one part of the ocean bucked the trend and cooled last century

Study reveals massive yearly ice loss in the Antarctic and Greenland

A new paper has revealed that Greenland and the Antarctic have lost a staggering amount of mass from their ice sheets over the last 16 years thanks to climate change, and that the melting has contributed to sea level rise. The researchers drew on satel… Continue reading Study reveals massive yearly ice loss in the Antarctic and Greenland

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight to hunt for water in ancient Moon craters

NASA is planning to launch a tiny satellite aboard one of the most powerful rockets ever constructed, to hunt for ice hiding deep inside inky black impact craters on the Moon’s surface. The bottoms of these craters – which are located near the lunar po… Continue reading NASA’s Lunar Flashlight to hunt for water in ancient Moon craters

Weird weather pushes Greenland to worst ice loss on record

A new study has calculated that the Greenland ice sheet lost hundreds of billions of tons of ice last year, marking the biggest drop in its ice mass since records began in 1948. And warm weather alone wasn’t to blame – the team found that unusual press… Continue reading Weird weather pushes Greenland to worst ice loss on record