sun

The Sun Used to Have Saturn-Like Rings That Stopped Earth From Being a ‘Super-Earth’

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Before Earth and the other planets in our Solar System existed, the Sun may have been surrounded by giant rings of dust similar to Saturn’s, according to a new study.   Those rings of dust may have prevented Earth from growing into a “super-Earth” – a type of planet that is about twice the size of Earth and … Read more

When Will the Sun Die?

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The sun gives energy to life on Earth, and without this star, we wouldn’t be here. But like most things in space, even stars have limited lifetimes, and someday our sun will die. You don’t need to worry about this solar death anytime soon, though. Inside the sun, a churning fusion engine fuels the star, … Read more

Look up to spot the tricky planet Mercury at its ‘greatest elongation’ from the sun tonight

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This sky map shows the view from New York City just after sunset on Jan. 7, 2022. (Image credit: SkySafari app) The flighty planet Mercury, typically a tricky observing challenge from planet Earth, will be at its greatest distance from the sun in our sky Friday (Jan. 7). While Mercury will be shining quite brightly … Read more

Gorgeous HD Footage Shows Humanity’s Final View of The James Webb Space Telescope

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We can all breathe a bit easier now. In spite of a launch bedeviled by problem after problem, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is finally in space, making its way to its new home.   And if you needed a little reassurance that this is the case (which is totally understandable), the European Space Agency … Read more

China’s ‘Artificial Sun’ Just Broke a Major World Record For Plasma Fusion

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Just seven months after it announced a milestone record for plasma fusion, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has absolutely smashed it. Their ‘artificial Sun’ tokomak reactor is has maintained a roiling loop of plasma superheated to 120 million degrees Celsius (216 million degrees Fahrenheit) for a gobsmacking 1,056 seconds, the Institute of Plasma Physics reports.   … Read more

Biological Activity on Earth Really Is Affected by The Gravity of The Sun And Moon

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Those two orbs we see in the sky during the day and night have even more of an influence on the animals and plants on Earth than you might think. The gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon really does appear to affect flora and fauna activity, although the exact mechanisms by which this happens … Read more

Happy perihelion! Earth reached its closest point to the sun today.

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The sun is just a little bit closer in Earth’s sky right now. Earth is at its closest to the sun Tuesday (Jan. 4) in its 365.25-day journey. This milestone, called perihelion, coincidentally happens near the start of the Gregorian calendar year observed by much of the world, including in North America. The exact moment … Read more

Watch ‘coronal streamers’ streak off the sun in close-up video from Parker Solar Probe

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A new video of solar streamers evokes the streaking stars seen during spacecraft hyperdrives in “Star Wars.” The new NASA video from the Parker Solar Probe shows these mysterious sun structures up close for the first time, flowing past the spacecraft like interstellar fireflies. Previously, we could only catch a glimpse of streamers during solar … Read more

Comet Leonard makes its closest approach to the sun today, one year after its discovery

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The brightest comet in the night sky right now makes its closest approach to the sun Monday (Jan. 3) and — even if it survives the journey — that will be the only time the comet sees our star close up. That icy wanderer is Comet Leonard, which got brighter unexpectedly in late December as … Read more

When will the sun explode?

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According to Beatles singer-songwriter George Harrison, all things must pass, and according to decades of mathematical and astronomical models, these things include the sun.  So, when is the sun expected to burn out? Though the ultimate death of our medium-size solar mass is trillions of years in the future, the sun’s “life” in its current … Read more