leases a cloud of energetic particles into the Solar System. Were a very powerful cloud to impact the Earth’s magnetosphere, it could be dangerous to Earth-orbiting astronauts and satellites. Conversely, the impact of even a less energetic cloud might create picturesque aurora. Pictured above is the sunspot region as it appeared two days ago.
Astrophotographer Stéphane Guisard visited the Paranal Observatory in Chile with a Fisheye lens to shoot this stunning 360° x 200° view of the Milky Way galaxy rising over the horizon.
Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of nature, its invisible grip governing our planet – from the rocks inside to the seas on the surface. However, getting a grip on gravity on a global scale can only be done from space, and that’s something ESA’s GOCE satellite mission has been doing since 2009. One of the ultimate goals of GOCE is to improve our knowledge of the geoid, a kind of ‘gravity map’ of the planet, that is essential for oceanographers, surveyors, engineers and Earth-science researchers.
How come humans have gone to the Moon, but not to Mars? Jorge Vago (ESA) explains the factors that are currently preventing us from safely sending astronauts to the Red Planet, including funding and the dangers of such an expedition.
Science is still a very mysterious subject. Explore a variety of fascinating scientific facts that you probably are unaware of.
This image from NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows NGC 6744, one of the galaxies most similar to our Milky Way in the local universe. This ultraviolet view highlights the vast extent of the fluffy spiral arms, and demonstrates that star formation can occur in the outer regions of galaxies.