When the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcano blew its top in 2022, it wasn’t just one of the most powerful eruptions in modern history—it literally made waves in space. The explosion sent a towering plume of ash and gas over 31 miles (50 kilometers) into the atmosphere, punching far above where commercial jets cruise and most […]
First 3D Map of an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere Reveals Bizarre Weather
Astronomers have uncovered the secrets of an alien atmosphere on an exoplanet far beyond our Solar System, and it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. In a scientific first, an international team of astronomers has 3D mapped the atmosphere of planet WASP-121b, also known as Tylos. Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (yes, […]
Curiosity Rover Spots Surprisingly Colorful ‘Twilight Clouds’ on Mars
And now for something completely different: NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a feather-shaped cloud glowing in the Martian sky shortly after sunset on the Red Planet. It dates back to January 2023, but NASA recently featured the image in an agency spotlight highlighting the rover’s investigation of the planet’s skies conducted last month. In that investigation, […]