Earth

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

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

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a spacecraft zooms towards Earth

No, the OSIRIS-REx probe will not bring back asteroid space 'germs'

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

Space germs will not piggyback on bits of Bennu that NASA's OSIRIS-REx delivers to Earth this Sunday. Here's why.

a hurricane seen from space, with a space station vehicle hanging in frame.

Astronauts on ISS gaze into the eye of Hurricane Nigel (photos)

By Samantha Mathewson published

Astronauts and satellites tracked Hurricane Nigel from space as the storm made its way across the Atlantic Ocean.

a trail of smoke wisps far away in the sky, tracing upward to a rocket. it is nighttime

US Space Force launch may have accidentally punched a hole in the upper atmosphere

By Harry Baker published

A rocket carrying a Space Force surveillance satellite may have created a hole in the ionosphere as it shot into space. The launch was carried out with just 27 hours' notice, which is a new record.

a map showing warm water off california's coast

Satellite spots marine heat wave off the California coast (image)

By Stefanie Waldek published

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite recorded higher sea levels off California, indicating a marine heat wave.

The forces of light and dark are basically equal at this moment on Earth.

Autumnal equinox 2023 brings fall to the Northern Hemisphere today (Sept. 23)

By Joe Rao last updated

On Saturday (Sept. 23) at 2:50 a.m. EDT (0650 GMT), autumn begins astronomically in the Northern Hemisphere, and spring starts in the South.

Baijifeng Mountain in China, a forested mountain range of green.

World's 1st mountaintop impact crater discovered in northeastern China

By Stephanie Pappas published

A two-peaked mountain in northeastern China is the site of the world's first confirmed mountaintop crater.

A view of the spectrometer being slid into a vacuum test chamber. The view is from within the chamber.

NASA's new greenhouse gas detector will help track down 'super-emitters' from space

By Rahul Rao published

As global warming continues to be exacerbated by human activity, scientists are setting out to map the distribution of Earth's greenhouse gas emissions.

two images, showing a dark, star-studded sky on the left and a light-polluted city sky on the right.

The loss of dark skies is so painful, astronomers coined a new term for it

By Paul Sutter published

Humanity is slowly losing access to the night sky, and astronomers have invented a new term to describe the pain associated with this loss: 'noctalgia,' meaning 'sky grief.'

A map with shades of red, yellow and orange depicting global temperature anomalies for meteorological summer in 2023 compared to a baseline average from 1951 to 1980.

NASA confirms summer 2023 was Earth's hottest on record

By Sharmila Kuthunur published

2023 summer was Earth's hottest since global record-keeping of temperatures began in 1880, NASA announced Thursday (Sept. 14).

a large white cloud in the shape of a spiral looms off the east coast of the united states

Satellites watch as Hurricane Lee swirls towards Canada (video)

By Tereza Pultarova published

Satellites observe Hurricane Lee swirl above the Atlantic Ocean as it makes its way toward the Canadian coast for a Saturday landfall.

An interferogram based on radar measurements by the European Earth-observing satellite Sentinel-1 showing ground-movement caused by the earthquake of September 2023 in Morocco.

Satellites reveal how deadly Morocco earthquake moved ground (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

Satellite measurements have revealed the extent of ground movement caused by the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco last week, killing nearly 3,000 people.

The Libyan city of Darna devastated by floods unleashed by Medicane Daniel.

Devastation wrought by Medicane Daniel revealed in satellite photos

By Tereza Pultarova published

Satellite images reveal the scale of destruction wrought by medicane Daniel on Libya, where temporary lakes and river systems sprang up across the desert landscape.

a white-clouded hurricane swirls above the reddish-brown sahara desert and blue mediterranean sea in a satellite photo

Satellites watch rare, destructive Mediterranean hurricane Daniel swirl above the Sahara (photos)

By Tereza Pultarova published

Satellites watched as a rare Mediterranean hurricane, or "medicane," named Daniel swirled above the Sahara Desert, bringing catastrophic flooding to Libya.

Disproportionate illustrations showing the sun, moon and Earth.

How does Earth's relationship with the sun affect our planet's climate?

By Paul Sutter published

According to the science, Earth should actually be experiencing a cooling period right now.

three astronauts - two men and a woman, stand in blue flight suits giving thumbs up

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara ready for Soyuz launch to relieve delayed crew in space

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara will launch no earlier than Sept. 15.

a dark thunderstorm lights up the night side of earth, as seen from the space station

Astronaut wields new space camera to see lightning strikes on Earth

By Elizabeth Howell published

It's a flashy follow-up to a 2015 lightning study.

a circle of clouds with a black hole in the center

Hurricane Lee looks absolutely terrifying in this footage from inside its eye (video)

By Brett Tingley published

Storm chasers with the Air Force Reserve's Hurricane Hunters caught terrifying footage from inside the eye of Hurricane Lee on Sept. 8, showing the storm brimming with lightning.

image of half full earth from space beside a picture of the moon taken at a distance, labeled with the word "moon"

India's Aditya-L1 solar probe takes an epic selfie with Earth and moon (photos, video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

Hello, spacecraft! Hello, Earth and moon!

Two hurricanes shown in images side by side.

Powerful Hurricane Jova spotted from space (video)

By Tereza Pultarova published

Watch ferocious hurricanes Jova and Lee spring up above the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean through the eyes of satellites.

A map showing the projected path of Tropical Storm Lee.

Tropical Storm Lee could become an 'extremely dangerous major hurricane' by this weekend

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Forecasters are keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Lee, which they predict could soon become a full-blown hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean.