Astronomers have gotten better at tracking the motions of stars just beyond the solar system. But that’s made it harder to predict Earth’s future and reconstruct its past.
Tag: Earth
Dante Lauretta on Life After Asteroid Bennu and OSIRIS-REx
Dante Lauretta, the planetary scientist who led the OSIRIS-REx mission to retrieve a handful of space dust, discusses his next final frontier.
Geologists Make It Official: We’re Not in an ‘Anthropocene’ Epoch
The field’s governing body ratified a vote by scientists on the contentious issue, ending a long effort to update the timeline of Earth’s history.
It’s Not Officially the Anthropocene but Humans Have Changed the Planet
Many of our imprints on nature will be preserved in the rocks, scientists say, even if this time isn’t yet recognized as a new geologic epoch.
U.S. Warns Allies Russia Could Put a Nuclear Weapon Into Orbit This Year
The American assessments are divided, however, and President Vladimir Putin denied having such an intention, saying that Russia was “categorically against” it.
The Doomsday Clock Keeps Ticking
Are humans the only beings in the universe confronting global self-destruction? Or just the last ones standing?
Heat Records Broken Across Earth
From north to south, temperatures are surging as greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and combine with effects from El Niño.
Pumping Groundwater Has Changed Earth’s Spin, Study Finds
Scientists knew the planet’s centerline could move. But it took a sharp turn sometime around the start of the 2000s.
Get Ready to See More of the Northern Lights
Over the past few months, viewings of the lights have increased in areas farther south than usual. That’s going to continue into 2025.
Northern Lights Seen Across the U.K. in Rare Show
The sight, which usually involves a trip to a snowy outpost, could be seen in the south of England.