NEWS & FEATURES

Vadim Sadovski/Shutterstock

Earth’s inner core is growing lopsided

A geological mystery is unfolding far beneath our feet, and it may shed light on the life-sustaining magnetic field that extends far above our heads.

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Say Aloha to Hawaii with TravelQuest!

Our journey crisscrosses the Big Island of Hawaii, exploring the basalt-lava rock pools of Hilo, pristine beaches, waterfalls, lush rainforests, and Volcanoes National Park. Ascend to great heights with a visit to Mauna Kea Observatories, where our small group of intrepid sky watchers will discover what secrets the Hawaiian skies reveal!

NASA, CC BY-NC

Earth’s energy budget is out of balance

When heat in doesn’t equal heat out, Earth sees changes.

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Aaron Chen via Flickr

The perils of a trip to Mars: Low gravitation and high radiation

Sunscreen and calcium supplements aren't enough to protect Mars-bound space travelers from radiation and a lack of gravity in outer space.

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NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and B. Whitmore (STScI)

Throwback: Observing peculiar galaxies, 40 years ago

Discover some of the most peculiar galaxies in the cosmos in this story from the Astronomy archives.

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NASA, ESA, and J. Olmsted (STScI)

Ask Astro: Can planets be pear-shaped, or are they all spheres?

Could planets that orbit other stars be non-spherical shapes, such as ovals or pears, depending on composition?

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OBSERVING

Michel Arzoumanian (Flickr)

The sky this week

Your daily digest of celestial events coming soon to a sky near you.

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PICTURE OF THE DAY

Gary Opitz from Rochester, New York

A good heart

The Heart Nebula, also known as IC 1805, is a star-forming region in the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. It lies some 6,000 light-years away. Exposures for this image were taken through the same kinds of filters the Hubble Space Telescope uses.

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