Thursday, May 16, 2024

Space & Physics: Bigger solar storms are on the way

May 16–If, like many, you were awestruck by last weekend's auroras, our lead story explains how these dazzling displays were the least of our worries from a solar storm, the strongest to hit Earth in 20 years. That and more below!

--Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space and Physics


The Strongest Solar Storm in 20 Years Did Little Damage, but Worse Space Weather Is Coming

Years of careful planning helped safeguard against last weekend's severe space weather, but we still don't know how we'd cope with a monster event

Giant Sunspot Cluster Could Pelt Earth with a Cannibal Coronal Mass Ejection

A giant sunspot cluster rivaling the one that caused the Carrington Event in 1859 could trigger a cannibal coronal mass ejection. But this is unlikely to cause major problems

Sun Erupts with Largest Flare of This Solar Cycle, but Auroras Unlikely to Follow

The same massive sunspot cluster that gave Earth multiple nights of stunning aurora displays has now produced the largest flare of the current solar cycle

Has Quantum Physics Determined Your Future?

Everything in the universe may be preordained, according to physics

Don Pettit, NASA's Oldest Active Astronaut, Is Going Back to Space

Veteran spacefarer Don Pettit is set to launch this summer on a half-year mission to the International Space Station to perform novel science experiments, snap unique orbital photos, and much more

A Brand-New Spacecraft Will Visit the International Space Station Soon

Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is set to make its inaugural trip to orbit to deliver supplies to the International Space Station

Superheavy Elements Are Breaking the Periodic Table

Extreme atoms are pushing the bounds of physics and chemistry

Don't Panic—At Least, Not about a Nearby Supernova

An exploding star is a catastrophe on a cosmic scale, but here on Earth we're safe from such astral disasters—for now

Scientist Pankaj

Today in Science: Humans think unbelievably slowly

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