Quiet Sun bombards earth with fierce solar streamsSeptember 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that Earth was bombarded last year with high levels of solar energy at a time when the Sun was in an unusually quiet phase and sunspots had virtually disappeared. The study was led by scientists at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in cooperation with scientists at NOAA and NASA.
Ganymede's magnetosphere cause auroral bright spots on JupiterSeptember 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have found that auroral bright spots on the planet Jupiter are caused by the magnetosphere of its innermost moon - Ganymede. As Ganymede and Io orbit Jupiter, they interact with regions of plasma and generate electromagnetic waves that are projected along Jupiter's magnetic field lines towards Jupiter's poles where they cause auroral bright spots.
New transient radiation belt discovered at SaturnSeptember 14th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists, using the Cassini spacecraft's Magnetospheric Imaging instrument (MIMI), have detected a new, temporary radiation belt at Saturn, located around the orbit of its moon Dione at about 377,000 km from the centre of the planet. Radiation belts, like Earth's Van Allen belts, have been discovered at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
'Sailing spacecraft' may be used to keep watch on Earth's polar regionsSeptember 10th, 2009 LONDON - If engineers have their way, Earth's polar regions would soon have watchmen, in the form of 'sailing' spacecrafts poised above the planet, relaying vital data on polar climate change or solar storms. "Solar sailing" has long been a dream for space engineers, who have envisaged craft exploring the depths of the solar system, propelled only by light.
US using more renewable energySeptember 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Americans used more solar, nuclear, biomass and wind energy in 2008 than they did the year before, according to latest energy flow charts released by Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL). The US used less coal and oil during the same time frame and only slightly increased its natural gas consumption.
Signs of ideal 'surfing' conditions spotted in turbulent ocean of solar windSeptember 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of Warwick, UK, have found what could be the signal of ideal wave "surfing" conditions for individual particles within the massive turbulent ocean of the solar wind. The discovery could give a new insight into just how energy is dissipated in solar system sized plasmas such as the solar wind and could provide significant clues to scientists developing fusion power that relies on plasmas.
US to loan over $30 billion for renewable energyJuly 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US will loan up to $37.5 billion to fund renewable energy projects around the country, the Energy Department said Wednesday. The new loans are part of an effort to stimulate the US economy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
Scientists make first direct measurement of lunar backscatter from solar windJuly 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of scientists has for the first time observed energetic neutral atoms scattered off the Moon from the incoming solar wind ion beam. When the solar wind, made up mostly of ionized hydrogen, hits the Moon, most of it is absorbed, but some is reemitted as energetic neutral atoms.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in safe mode; space disturbance likely caused computer rebootJune 5th, 2009 Mars orbiter enters safe mode after disturbancePASADENA, Calif. — NASA says its powerful Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is in safe mode after being hit by a cosmic ray or solar particle.
New radar mode to create clearer picture of devastating space weatherJune 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of Leicester, UK, have developed a new radar mode that allow observations of space weather, which can have devastating impacts for technologies on earth. The researchers have implemented a "double pulse" radar-operating mode on two radars, which form part of a global network of ground based coherent scatter radars called SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network).
Sun using Earth's solar defense to steal its atmosphereMay 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has suggested that the Sun is slowly stealing Earth's atmosphere, with our planet's main solar defense acting as a double agent, aiding and abetting the thievery. According to a report in National Geographic News, typically hailed as a protective buffer from the sun's brute power, Earth's magnetosphere is actually helping the sun's energized particles strip away a tiny fraction of Earth's atmosphere.
Mercury is more dynamic than scientists first suspectedMay 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A NASA spacecraft gliding over the surface of Mercury has revealed that the planet's atmosphere, the interaction of its surrounding magnetic field with the solar wind, and its geological past display greater levels of activity than scientists first suspected. The probe also discovered a previously unknown large impact basin about 430 miles in diameter - equal to the distance between Washington and Boston.
New electrical device can turn CO2 into biofuelApril 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers in the US have made a new electrical device that could improve fuel cell technology by turning carbon dioxide (CO2) into methane, a potential biofuel. According to a report in ABC News, the technique won't combat global warming directly, since both CO2 and methane are potent greenhouse gases, but it could help store alternative energies such as wind and solar more efficiently.
Microbes can produce abundant source of methane as fuelMarch 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A tiny microbe that converts carbon dioxide and water to methane with a bit of solar or wind power, can be a new energy source, according to a team of Penn State engineers. Methane is preferred over hydrogen because a large portion of the US infrastructure is already set up to easily transport and deliver methane.
Indian scientists develop solar water heating system that pays for itself five times overMarch 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Indian scientists have developed a solar water heating system that will effectively pay for itself five times over, with an estimated working life of about twenty years. The solar hot water system used in the study is installed at the Jijau hostel, part of the Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University campus, in Akola, Maharashtra state, India.
Loading ...