NASA
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The 20 best names of rocks on Mars
Guys, did you know that rocks on Mars have amazing names? (I found out through a link in this story.) You might think this is not really related to sustainable living on Earth, but a) shut up and b) if we totally bone the planet, we’re going to have to move SOMEWHERE. Mars is one […]
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Breathtaking video of Earth seen from space
[vimeo 44801709] It’s worth cleaning off your monitor before you watch this extraordinary video — full-screen, of course — so there’s no dust or smudges interfering with your sense that you’re hovering over the glowing planet as it turns beneath you.
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This image of the Colorado wildfire scar will blow your mind
This image from NASA (click to embiggen) shows the scar from the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado. It’s a false-color image — the fields aren’t actually running red with blood out there, yet — but the size of that burned patch is no illusion. Compare it to the city of Colorado Springs in the lower […]
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Look at this picture of the Arctic now, because it’s probably your last chance
This image (click to embiggen, click here to embiggen A LOT) was stitched together from photos taken by NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite. It shows the Arctic in all its glory — or anyway, all its remaining glory. The ice cover there has been decreasing fast enough that within 20 years, a photo of the Arctic […]
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The coolest photos of Earth from space we’ve ever seen, hands down
NASA astronaut Don Pettit takes pictures from the International Space Station, and they are mind-boggling. In the long-exposure photos, cities appear as streaks of light as the ISS orbits Earth at Ludicrous Speed. And those blotches? Those are lightning. Holy shit.
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The coolest images and video of the transit of Venus
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured terrific footage of Venus' path across the sun.
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Today in astronomical weirdness: This is your last chance to see the transit of Venus
Manhattanhenge is cool, but it happens twice a year. Ditto Supermoons. Solar eclipses are less common, but nothing like today’s astronomical weirdness. This afternoon and evening, Venus will pass in front of the sun, for the last time in your lifetime unless you are a robot or a Time Lord. Here’s why you should try […]
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Galaxy, right ahead! The Milky Way’s on course for a head-on collision
One day, this is what the night sky will look like. Yup, that’s a galaxy (Andromeda, to be specific) headed straight for … our galaxy! Andromeda’s rushing towards us at the crazy fast speed of 250,000 miles per hour. Luckily, it is a galaxy far, far away, and so it will take 3.75 billion years […]
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Moscow looks awesome from space
NASA’s image of the day today is a night shot of Moscow, seen framed by the Aurora Borealis and the solar panels of the International Space Station.