Exploding meteor startles Utah By Stephanie Pappas published 15 August 22 A loud explosion heard Saturday (Aug. 13) in Utah may have been an exploding Perseid meteor.
Why do stars twinkle? By Colin Stuart published 23 June 22 Stars appear to twinkle because the light from these distant objects passes through wobbly air in the atmosphere.
New, extremely reactive chemical discovered in the atmosphere By Tom Metcalfe published 1 June 22 Millions of tons of a type of extremely reactive chemical can form in the atmosphere each year, with implications for health and the global climate.
Earth nearly lost all its oxygen 2.3 billion years ago By Stephanie Pappas published 8 April 21 The permanent oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere took twice as long as previously believed and finally finished up to 100 million years later than expected.
Ozone Hole Over Antarctica Shrinks to Record-Small Size By Jeanna Bryner published 22 October 19 The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk to its smallest size yet. Here's why.
What is the ionosphere? (And who is Steve?) By Nicoletta Lanese published 15 July 19 A concentration of plasma in the Earth's atmosphere, called the ionosphere, interacts with solar winds, ultraviolet radiation and radio waves.
Mystery of Weird Sky-Glow Named 'STEVE' Finally Solved By Mindy Weisberger published 26 April 19 Enigmatic STEVE is somewhat like an aurora...and somewhat different.
WWII Bombs Had Rippling Effect on the Edge of Space By Megan Gannon published 26 September 18 The shock waves from Allied bombing raids during World War II briefly weakened the ionosphere.
A Solar Storm Is Coming Tonight — Here's Where You Might See the Aurora By Rafi Letzter published 11 September 18 An alert released yesterday (Sept. 10) warns of a moderate geomagnetic storm that will lash the planet tonight. It shouldn't be dangerous, but might bring auroras.
Eerie Sky Glow Called 'Steve' Isn't an Aurora, Is 'Completely Unknown' to Science By Brandon Specktor published 21 August 18 There is a beautiful mystery in the sky, and its name is Steve.
Ghostly 'Lightning' Waves Discovered Inside a Nuclear Reactor By Marcus Woo published 18 May 18 Whistler waves are normally produced in the atmosphere by lightning. They could help protect nuclear fusion reactors from runaway electrons.
These 'Dirty' Thunderstorms Fill the Sky with As Much Smoke As a Volcanic Eruption By Megan Gannon published 20 April 18 Wildfires can fuel "dirty" thunderstorms that fill the stratosphere with as much smoke as a volcanic eruption.
These Scientists Have a Wild Plan to Throw Salt into the Atmosphere. Here's Why. By Laura Geggel published 27 March 18 Sprinkling large amounts of salt into the atmosphere could stave off climate change, a group of researchers has proposed.
The Hole in Earth's Ozone Layer Is Healing By Calla Cofield published 8 January 18 Efforts to heal the hole in Earth's ozone layer over Antarctica appear to be paying off, according to a first-of-its-kind study that looked directly at ozone-destroying chemicals in the atmosphere.
NASA Goes for 'GOLD' to Scan the Border of Earth and Space By Sarah Lewin published 5 January 18 A new NASA mission, the first to hitch a ride on a commercial communications satellite, will examine Earth's upper atmosphere to see how the boundary between Earth and space changes over time.
Moon's Supersonic Shadow Created Waves During the Solar Eclipse By Laura Geggel published 26 December 17
July Fourth Comes Early: NASA Sounding Rocket Releases Colorful Morning Cloud Show (Photos, Video) By Doris Elin Salazar published 29 June 17 A NASA sounding rocket launched early this morning and lit up the skies over the U.S. East Coast with colorful clouds, ringing in an early July Fourth celebration.
Chicken Sandwich Takes One Giant Leap for Food-Kind By Calla Cofield published 29 June 17 In what appears to be a historic first, a chicken sandwich was successfully carried to the edge of space today aboard a high-altitude balloon.
NASA Rocket to Create Colorful Artificial Clouds Over US East Coast Tonight (Watch Live) By Mike Wall published 12 June 17
Ammonia Detected in Earth's Atmosphere for First Time By Laura Geggel published 22 December 16 In an unexpected first, researchers have discovered ammonia in the troposphere, Earth's lowest atmospheric layer, a new study finds.
