Current Events
- Irish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong corr...Read morexIrish Chronicles Document Links Between Volcanoes and Weather
A study of over 40,000 written entries in Irish Annals and ice core measurements shows a strong correlation between the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and extreme cold weather in Ireland over a 1200 year period. Data analyzed in this study cover the period from 431 to 1649, during which time up to 48 volcanic eruptions are identified in Greenland ice core records through deposition of volcanic sulfate in annual layers of ice. You can find the study (open access), published on 6 June 2013 in IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters, at http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/8/2/024035/article. Find out more about how volcanoes can influence climate. - EF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, acco...Read morexEF-5 Tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma Widest Ever Recorded in US
The EF-5 tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31st was the widest ever recorded in the US, according to the National Weather Service in Norman Oklahoma. The tornado, which remained on the ground for 40 minutes and reached 2.6 miles across (4.2 km), took the lives of 18 people including storm chasers Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras and Carl Young. For more information on the tornado, visit http://ow.ly/i/2hfDG. - Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read morexAtmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
Poles in Space
The areas around the North and South Poles of planets, moons, and even the Sun are often interesting and unusual places. We have discovered all sorts of unique behavior at these locations, while on some planets, the characteristics of the poles are similar to those of Earth. On some planets and moons, we still don't have observations from their poles so can only make educated guesses of what we expect to find there based on our scientific understanding of the celestial body. The links below provide an overview of what we know about the polar regions of many of the major bodies in the solar system. An important concept related to the poles of the planets is the amount of tilt of a planet's rotational axis relative to the plane of the ecliptic - the orbital plane in which the planets orbit the Sun. Planets with a large tilt have stronger seasonal behavior than planets without a tilt.
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Explore Poles in Space
The Sun's Poles
Like Earth, the Sun has a North Pole, a South Pole, and an equator. The poles of the Sun are ...Read more
Mercury's Poles
Some planets are tilted so their North and South Poles are not straight up and down. Earth ...Read more
The Poles of Venus
Venus is the hottest planet in our Solar System. On Earth, places near the equator are much ...Read more
Earth's Polar Regions
Do you wonder what Earth's Polar Regions are like? Where do polar bears live? Where do penguins ...Read more
The Polar Regions of Mars
The North and South Poles on Mars are a lot like the polar regions on Earth. They are the coldest ...Read more
The Poles of Jupiter and Its Moons
Jupiter has beautiful auroral light shows and other interesting features at its poles. Jupiter ...Read more
The Poles of Saturn and Its Moons
There's a lot of strange and interesting stuff going on at both the North and South Poles of ...Read more
The Poles of Uranus
Uranus is the tilted planet. The axis through its North and South Poles is tilted by 98°. In ...Read more
The Poles of Neptune and Its Moons
The South Pole of the planet Neptune is a bit strange. Triton, Neptune's largest moon, also ...Read more
The Poles of the Dwarf Planets
As of June 2009 there are officially five dwarf planets. They are Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea ...Read moreMore about Poles in Space
- Poles in Space Image Gallery
- Links to Other Polar Science Resources
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Historical Events
6/25 Hermann Oberth,a Romanian and German physicist, was born on this date in 1894 Details
6/28 Maria Mitchell, an American astronomer, died on this date in 1889 Details
6/29 George Hale, an American astronomer, was born on this date in 1869 Details
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Teacher Opportunities
7/20 Galileo Looks Beyond to Other Worlds
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Did you know?
Did you know that our Solar System has a new dwarf planet? Astronomers have officially categorized Haumea as a dwarf planet.Do you want to build your own custom comet?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?Mantle
xMantle : Part of the earth's interior between the metallic outer core and the crust.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
Deadly Tonga Earthquake Revealed as Three Big Quakes
Geologists have learned that a magnitude-8.1 earthquake and tsunami that killed 192 people on September 29, 2009 in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga was in fact a triple-whammy. The 8.1 "great earthquake"...Read more
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Arches National Park Geology Tour provides an extensive, visually rich description of the geology of Arches, by Deborah Ragland, Ph.D. See our DVD collection.
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