Space & Physics: Dazzling auroras seen from the ISS

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August 15—This week, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (including some still stuck there, for now) gaze down on dazzling auroral displays. Plus, hidden oceans on Mars and Saturn's moon Mimas, and the announcement of a historic space mission to send humans over Earth's poles. Enjoy! --Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space and Physics

Top Stories

Olympic Athletes Swim the Murky Seine, and Astronauts Are Stuck on the Space Station We cover the science stories of the Olympics, concerns about artificial sweeteners and a new theory of how the pyramids were built in this week's news roundup. Rachel Feltman; Fonda Mwangi; Kelso Harper

Stunning Space Station Video Shows Glimmering Northern Lights from Above Coronal mass ejections from the sun sparked dazzling auroras that were visible from the ground and from space Saima S. Iqbal, intern writer

Mars Hides Colossal Ocean Deep Below Its Surface An underground Martian ocean could hold enough liquid to cover the Red Planet with a mile of water Ben Turner; LiveScience

Meet Saturn's 'Death Star' Moon and the Intriguing Ocean It May Hide The possibility of liquid water beneath the surface of Saturn's moon Mimas may offer clues to how such seas form, and another spot to search for life Shannon Hall; Knowable Magazine

SpaceX Set to Launch First-Ever Crew over Earth's Poles Launching in late 2024, the Fram2 mission will be the first human spaceflight to explore the planet's polar regions Mike Wall; SPACE.com

A Close Encounter with SpaceX Debris Teaches an Astronomer about Space Junk The space junk polluting low-Earth orbit sometimes makes its way to Earth. Here's how one astronomer responded when SpaceX debris fell on a nearby farm. Rachel Feltman; Fonda Mwangi; Kelso Harper

No, You Can't See the Great Wall of China from Space Reports of Earth-orbiting astronauts glimpsing the Great Wall of China and many other artificial structures are wildly exaggerated, but humanity's planetary influence isn't entirely invisible from afar Phil Plait

Mystery Droplets Inside Cells May Play Vital Roles in Life The novel physics of biomolecular condensates could explain how these droplets help cells do their jobs Trevor GrandPre, expert writer

Three of the Strangest Paradoxes in Mathematics A barber shaves all men who don't shave themselves. Does he shave himself? Mathematics offers explanations for this and other curious contradictions Manon Bischoff

Perseid Meteor Shower Joins Stunning Mars and Jupiter Conjunction Early risers get a double sky treat: a Mars and Jupiter conjunction and the Perseid meteor shower will occur at once Phil Plait

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