Shutterstock
Technology can only go so far in making sense of our vast and intricate atmosphere.
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A gardening expert reveals the simple things you can do to protect your garden during a heatwave.
A coronal mass ejection erupts from the sun in 2012.
NASA
The wired Earth of the 21st century is at the mercy of the volatile nature of the sun.
NASA
Cosmic radiation is much higher today than it was during the Apollo era.
The time of moonrise and moonset and the shape of the Moon change throughout the month.
Marcella Cheng/The Conversation
When and where you see the Moon in the daytime depends on what phase it is in.
Sunscreen protects from skin cancer, burning and from the sun’s ageing effects.
PRONicki Dugan Pogue/Flickr
Whenever summer rolls around, it’s easy to forget the basics of sunscreen. How long should I wait after applying it to go in the sun, and how long can I stay in the sun with it on?
Sunrise over Brisbane.
Flickr/Sam Petherbridge
A solar day is a measure of how long it takes the Earth to rotate from one noon to the next, and today’s summer solstice also happens to be the longest solar day of the year.
A huge solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun on Sept. 6, 2017. A separate image of the Earth provides scale.
NASA/GSFC/SDO
At a time in the sun’s cycle when space weather experts expect less solar activity, our star is going bonkers with solar flares and coronal mass ejections. What effects will Earth feel?
Two spacecraft concepts for the Plato mission.
ESA
While we on Earth are familiar with our own star, the Sun, the European Space Agency’s PLATO mission will explore solar systems similar to ours as well as those that are more exotic.
A total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of the United States Aug. 21, treating amateur and professional astronomers alike to sights similar to this NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory ultraviolet image of the moon eclipsing the sun on Jan. 31, 2014.
(NASA)
If you’ve ever wondered why you can look at a solar eclipse and why it can harm your eyes, the answer is in the sun’s rays.
While Mercury is indeed very hot, it is not hot enough to melt.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
The planets closer to the Sun are indeed hotter than the Earth is. But they are still not hot enough to melt the rocks they are made from.
Have telescopes, will travel: English astronomers await an 1871 eclipse in India.
The Illustrated London News, 1872
For centuries, scientists have known when and where eclipses will be visible. They pack their bags, head for the line of totality and hope for the best – which doesn’t always happen.
The sun by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.
NASA/SDO (AIA)
Gravity waves recorded in the sun for the first time reveal some interesting facts.
A solar eclipse observed over Grand Canyon National Park in May 2012.
Grand Canyon National Park
More than 2,000 years ago, the Babylonians understood the cycle of eclipses. They also regarded them as signs that could foretell the death of a king.
Composite image of moments before, during and after totality.
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
An astronomer explains how. why and when eclipses happen, what scientists can learn from them, and what they would look like if you were standing on the Moon.
The Sun is currently middle-aged, having celebrated its 4,568,000,000th birthday at some point in the last million years.
Flickr/ChopWood CarryWater
In five or seven billion years time, the Sun’s life will come to an end. And it will be really spectacular - if you’re watching from far enough away.
Earth, shot from space, as it absorbs and reflects rays of light coming from the Sun - the same white-looking rays that give our sky its colour.
NASA
Some people think the sky is blue because of sunlight reflected off the ocean and back into the sky. But that’s not the real reason.
Magnificent coronal mass ejection at the sun in 2012.
NASA
The Parker probe will go closer to the sun than any other spacecraft has dared go before – literally touching it.
Don’t skimp on the SPF.
Sabphoto via Shutterstock.com
Energy from the sun’s rays can cause skin damage and cancers. Sunscreens can absorb or reflect the dangerous UV light. Here’s how it works.
Sometimes only a water fountain will do.
Dan Peled/AAP
Schools need to have a formal policy in place for how to deal with heatwaves effectively and keep children cool and well.