Earth

Earth, our home planet, is the 3rd planet from the sun.

Related Topics: Mars, The Moon, Venus, We Don't Planet, Neptune 

Latest Updates

gullies on Mars

Extreme microbes in salty Arctic water could aid search for life on Mars

By Keith Cooper published

Never-before-seen microbes living deep beneath the permafrost at one of the coldest and saltiest water springs on Earth could provide a blueprint for life on Mars.

lightsail and africa

LightSail 2 celebrates 3rd space birthday as end of mission approaches

By Elizabeth Howell published

LightSail 2 is now marking three years of spaceflight, but is unlikely to celebrate a fourth anniversary.

Density of swine waste lagoons in North Carolina, as determined using data from the Landsat 5 satellite.

Harmful pig poop lagoons mapped from space (images)

By Jeff Spry published

North Carolina State University scientists are using satellite images to monitor the expansion of the state's swine waste lagoons.

People gather for sunrise at Stonehenge, on June 21, 2022 in Wiltshire, England.

Summer solstice 2022 celebrated on Earth and in space (photos)

By Elizabeth Howell published

People around the world celebrated the summer solstice today (June 21), as did some satellites in space.

large dish of silver liquid

World's largest liquid mirror telescope ready to observe

By Stefanie Waldek published

The 4-meter-wide International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) at Devasthal Observatory in the central Himalayas comes online.

A view of Kitt Peak National Observatory's southwest ridge burned by a wildfire.

Kitt Peak telescopes remain standing after Arizona wildfire claims at least 4 buildings on site

By Elizabeth Howell published

While astronomical facilities and instrumentation may still be intact, it's too unsafe to verify in person right now.

Sun shining brightly through Stonehenge's standing stones.

Summer solstice 2022 marks the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere

By Daisy Dobrijevic published

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere began today (June 21) as the summer solstice 2022 occurred at 5:14 a.m. EDT (0914 GMT), marking the longest day of the year.

Midnight sun in Finland on the night of the 2022 summer solstice.

June solstice 2022 around the world. Here is what to expect

By Joe Rao published

The June solstice 2022, which is recognized as the official start of the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, will occur on Tuesday, June 21, at precisely 5:14 a.m. EDT (09:14 GMT).

Kitt Peak's Very Long Baseline Array Dish seen in front of the Contreras Fire early on June 17, 2022.

Arizona wildfire reaches some of famed Kitt Peak's telescopes

By Meghan Bartels published

A large wildfire in Arizona is seriously threatening a key site for astronomy.

Smoke visible from the Contreras Fire as seen from Kitt Peak on June 16, 2022.

Fire shuts down Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona

By Elizabeth Howell published

A fast-burning wildfire shut down all operations at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, home to one of the largest collections of astronomical instruments in the United States.

A visualization of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

'Factorian Deep,' the new deepest point in Antarctica's Southern Ocean, mapped for the first time

By Brandon Specktor published

Researchers have published the most detailed map of Antarctica's frigid Southern Ocean to date, including the ocean's new deepest point, the "Factorian Deep."

Glaciers in Antarctica are melting because of climate change.

Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' is hemorrhaging ice faster than in the past 5,500 years

By Ben Turner published

Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier is losing ice at its fastest rate in 5,500 years, raising concerns about the ice sheet's future.

Scientists think that Milankovitch cycles cause periodic changes in Earth's climate.

Milankovitch cycles: What are they and how do they affect Earth?

By Tereza Pultarova published

Milankovitch cycles are periodic changes in the orbital characteristics of a planet that control how much sunlight it receives thus affecting its climate and habitability.

An image of Astra's LV0010 rocket launching the NASA TROPICS mission.

Astra rocket suffers major failure during launch, 2 NASA satellites lost

By Tariq Malik published

An Astra rocket carrying two small hurricane-tracking satellites for NASA failed to reach orbit Sunday (June 12) after a major malfunction.

Stage separation of the Astra LV0010 rocket with the Earth below.

Watch Astra launch 2 tiny hurricane-studying NASA satellites today

By Mike Wall published

Astra plans to launch two cubesats for NASA's TROPICS hurricane-studying mission Sunday (June 12) during a two-hour window that opens at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT).

An artist's depiction of Earth's magnetic field.

Earth's magnetic poles probably won't flip soon, after all

By Andrew Jones published

Earth's magnetic field may not be heading toward a dramatic flip anytime soon, according to scientists who analyzed anomalies in the planet's invisible shield against solar wind and other radiation.

An image of Finnish tundra.

Siberian tundra could vanish in less than 500 years

By Stephanie Pappas published

The Siberian tundra could disappear by the year 2500, unless greenhouse gas emissions are dramatically reduced.

An erupting volcano, part of Earth's tectonic cycle.

How plate tectonics, mountains and deep-sea sediments have maintained Earth's 'Goldilocks' climate

By Dietmar Müller, Adriana Dutkiewicz, Andrew Merdith, Ben Mather, Christopher Gonzalez, Sabin Zahirovic, Tobias Keller, Weronika Gorczyk published

For hundreds of millions of years, Earth’s climate has warmed and cooled with natural fluctuations in the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere.

An artist's impression of a potentially hazardous asteroid passing close to Earth.

Infamous asteroid Apophis 'rediscovered' as scientists test asteroid defense mechanisms

By Keith Cooper published

A test of whether asteroid surveys could spot a potentially hazardous asteroid successfully rediscovered Apophis and ruled out the possibility of it striking Earth for the next 100 years.

Strong geomagnetic aurora borealis (northern lights) north of Fairbanks in Alaska.

Do extraterrestrial auroras occur on other planets?

By Joanna Thompson published

Auroras don't just exist on Earth. Here's what we know about auroras on other planets in the solar system.