HELSINKI, Finland — In the annals of astronomy, few events have captured the imagination quite like the Carrington Event of 1859. Named after the amateur astronomer Richard Carrington who first observed it, this solar superstorm sent shockwaves through the scientific community and left a lasting impact on our understanding of…
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Rare quadruple solar flare event captured by NASA
Earlier this week, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) recorded a rarely seen event—four nearly-simultaneous flare eruptions involving three separate sunspots, as well as the magnetic filament between them. But as impressive as it is, the event could soon pose problems for some satellites and spacecraft orbiting Earth, as well as…
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NASA will unfurl a 860-square-foot solar sail from within a microwave-sized cube
NASA hitched a ride aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron Launcher in New Zealand yesterday evening, and is preparing to test a new, highly advanced solar sail design. Now in a sun-synchronous orbit roughly 600-miles above Earth, the agency’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) will in the coming weeks deploy and…
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Citizen scientists can join a ‘Ring of Fire’ eclipse radio experiment
Every year or two, the solar system lines up just right, with the moon casting a shadow over part of Earth’s surface and blocking out the sun—a solar eclipse. In 2017, people across the United States flocked to see the “Great American Total Eclipse”, which was the first one visible…
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Internet use dipped in the eclipse’s path of totality
New data indicates a once-in-a-generation eclipse is a pretty surefire way to convince people to finally log off the internet—at least for a few minutes. According to estimates from cloud-computing provider Cloudflare, yesterday’s online traffic dropped between 40-60 percent week-to-week within the April 8 eclipse’s path of totality. In aggregate…
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This is the most cosmically perfect time in history
What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to PopSci’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every-other Wednesday morning. It’s your…
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Samsung Galaxy S24 tops Apple iPhone in customer satisfaction for first time
NEW YORK — Move over iPhone, there’s a new No. 1 in town. For the first time ever, the Apple iPhone didn’t take the top spot in customer satisfaction, bowing to Samsung’s latest Galaxy S24. This analysis from PerfectRec, focusing on the base model Galaxy S24 and the S24 Ultra, shows…
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Why do solar eclipses happen?
This article was originally featured on The Conversation. On April 8, 2024, millions across the U.S. will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to view a total solar eclipse. Cities including Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Cleveland, Ohio, will have a direct view of this rare cosmic event that lasts for just a…
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Delta’s solar eclipse flight sold out, but your best bet to see it is still down here
Earlier this week, Delta Air Lines announced an extra flight for its April 8 schedule, timed specifically to provide passengers an aerial view of the total solar eclipse. But if you were still hoping to snag a ticket for the afternoon jaunt alongside the path of totality, you’re already out…
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See hot plasma bubble on the sun’s surface in powerful closeup images
Just in time for the light-filled days before the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) has released some stellar new images of the sun. Observations from the biggest and most powerful solar telescope on Earth show the movement of plasma…
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