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2024-06-20T111424Z_1554720808_MT1USATODAY23584546_RTRMADP_3_IT-WAS-NOT-YOUR-CALM-MEDITATIVE-SUNRISE-FOR-THE-SUMMER.JPG

National

Summer officially arrives with the earliest solstice in more than 2 centuries

10:19am June 20, 2024

by Rachel Treisman

Astronomical summer officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere — amidst a heat wave — at 4:51 p.m. ET. It's the earliest start to the season since 1796, thanks to quirks in the calendar.

An aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is seen in the sky in the early morning hours of Monday, April 24, 2023, near Washtucna, Wash.

Science

Stronger activity on the sun could bring more displays of the northern lights in 2024

5:00am November 09, 2023

by Ayana Archie

Scientists have updated their forecast for the current solar cycle, which usually lasts about 11 years. Solar activity is now expected to peak earlier and to be stronger than previously thought.

In this Sept. 15, 2017, photo provided by the U.S. Army Alaska, soldiers from Alpha Company, 70th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, conduct unscheduled field maintenance

Science

The Northern Lights may move farther south into the mainland U.S. this week

10:16am August 18, 2022

by Ayana Archie

The Northern Lights, known scientifically as auroras borealis, are triggered by geomagnetic activity from the sun. They typically occur closer to the North Pole, near Alaska and Canada.

Solar Orbiter, seen in this artistic rendering, is a collaboration between the European Space Agency and NASA to study the sun and what drives the solar wind that creates space weather that affects Earth.

Science

Polar Express: New Spacecraft Will Explore Elusive Parts Of The Sun

5:16pm February 07, 2020

by Merrit Kennedy

The Solar Orbiter, a new mission from the European Space Agency and NASA, was designed to give us our first look at the sun's poles and to gather data that might help predict space weather.

Science

WATCH: Building A Probe That Will Survive A Trip To The Sun

4:16pm July 31, 2018

The sun is responsible for all life on Earth, but we still have a lot to learn about it. So this summer, NASA is sending the Parker Solar Probe closer to the sun than we have ever been before.

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Science

What To Expect From The Solar Eclipse In The Triad

4:38pm August 15, 2017

by Eddie Garcia

The first total solar eclipse since 1918 is happening on Monday, August 21, and people across the country are gearing up to view the astronomical event.

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Proper eye protection is a must for anyone looking up at a solar eclipse. Eclipse glasses are far darker than regular sunglasses.

Planning To Watch The Eclipse? Here's What You Need To Protect Your Eyes

4:29pm August 01, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A total solar eclipse is one of the most magnificent sights you can ever see. But you need the right kind of eye protection, and some of what's being sold out there isn't safe.

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A child watches a solar eclipse on May 20, 2012, in Japan.

Science

Viewing The Great American Eclipse

1:12pm July 19, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

There's something deeply moving about watching the sun become progressively covered by the moon — and you have a rare chance to see this in the U.S. on Aug. 21, says astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser.

An artist's conception of the KELT-9 system, which has a host star (left) that's almost twice as hot as our sun. The hot star blasts its nearby planet KELT-9b, leading to a dayside surface temperature of around 7,800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Science

Scientists Discover A Scorched Planet With A Comet-Like Tail

5:43pm June 05, 2017

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The planet called KELT-9b is around three times more massive than Jupiter. It orbits a blue star about 650 light-years away from Earth that's nearly twice as hot as our own sun.

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An artist's rendering of the newly named Parker Solar Probe spacecraft approaching the sun.

NASA Plans To Launch A Probe Next Year To 'Touch The Sun'

4:41pm May 31, 2017

The small spacecraft is set to hurtle toward the sun at about 450,000 miles per hour. Scientists hope it will clear up some big mysteries, such as why the sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface.