February 15th, 2025
KILAUEA (VNUM #332010)
19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Activity Summary:
The summit eruption of Kīlauea remains paused in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Another episode is likely within the next 1-4 days.
The ninth episode of Kīlauea's ongoing eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) paused at 8:43 a.m. HST, February 12, after over 22 hours of lava fountains erupting from the north and south vents feeding lava flows onto the crater floor. This was the ninth episode of the eruption that began on December 23, 2024, with each episode characterized by lava fountaining separated by pauses in activity. All recent eruptive activity has occurred in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. No significant changes have been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
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19°25'16" N 155°17'13" W, Summit Elevation 4091 ft (1247 m)
Current Volcano Alert Level: WATCH
Current Aviation Color Code: ORANGE
Activity Summary:
The summit eruption of Kīlauea remains paused in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Another episode is likely within the next 1-4 days.
The ninth episode of Kīlauea's ongoing eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu crater within Kaluapele (the summit caldera) paused at 8:43 a.m. HST, February 12, after over 22 hours of lava fountains erupting from the north and south vents feeding lava flows onto the crater floor. This was the ninth episode of the eruption that began on December 23, 2024, with each episode characterized by lava fountaining separated by pauses in activity. All recent eruptive activity has occurred in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. No significant changes have been noted along Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.
more...
February 08th, 2025
What would happen if a 500-meter asteroid hit Earth? Scientists at the IBS Center for Climate Physics modeled the aftermath, revealing a dramatic plunge into an “impact winter” with temperatures dropping by 4°C, rainfall decreasing by 15%, and ozone depletion reaching 32%.
The result? A global food crisis as land-based photosynthesis declines by up to 30%. But the ocean tells a different story—plankton, fueled by iron-rich asteroid dust, could thrive, triggering massive algae blooms. This unexpected marine boom might provide a lifeline for the biosphere. Could past asteroid impacts have shaped human evolution? Future studies aim to explore how our ancestors might have endured such cataclysms.
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The result? A global food crisis as land-based photosynthesis declines by up to 30%. But the ocean tells a different story—plankton, fueled by iron-rich asteroid dust, could thrive, triggering massive algae blooms. This unexpected marine boom might provide a lifeline for the biosphere. Could past asteroid impacts have shaped human evolution? Future studies aim to explore how our ancestors might have endured such cataclysms.
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February 07th, 2025
NASA and its partners recently tested an aircraft guidance system that could help planes maintain a precise course even while flying at high speeds up to 500 mph. The instrument is Soxnav, the culmination of more than 30 years of development of aircraft navigation systems.
NASA’s G-IV aircraft flew its first mission to test this navigational system from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in December 2024. The team was composed of engineers from NASA Armstrong, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) in California’s Silicon Valley.
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NASA’s G-IV aircraft flew its first mission to test this navigational system from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in December 2024. The team was composed of engineers from NASA Armstrong, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) in California’s Silicon Valley.
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February 07th, 2025
Hubble captured this image of supernova SN 2022abvt (the pinkish-white dot at image center) about two months after it was discovered in 2022. ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. J. Foley (UC Santa Cruz) A supernova and its host galaxy are the subject of this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The galaxy in question is LEDA 132905 in the constellation Sculptor. Even at more than 400 million light-years away, LEDA 132905’s spiral structure is faintly visible, as are patches of bright blue stars.The bright pinkish-white dot in the center of the image, between the bright center of the galaxy and its faint left edge, is a supernova named SN 2022abvt. Discovered in late 2022, Hubble observed SN 2022abvt about two months later. This image uses data from a study of Type Ia supernovae, which occur when the exposed core of a dead star ignites in a sudden, destructive burst of nuclear fusion. Researchers are interested in this type of supernova because they can use them to measure precise distances to other galaxies.
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February 06th, 2025
The Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and appear to turn red on the night of March 13 or early in the morning of March 14, depending on time zone. Here’s what you need to know about the total lunar eclipse.
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon.
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What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon.
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February 06th, 2025
By Mara Johnson-Groh
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Key Points
The May 2024 solar storm created two new temporary belts of high-energy particles surrounding Earth.
Such belts have been seen before, but the new ones were particularly long lasting, especially the new proton belt.
The findings are particularly important for spacecraft launching into geostationary orbits, which can be damaged as they traverse the dangerous belts.
The largest solar storm in two decades hit Earth in May 2024. For several days, wave after wave of high-energy charged particles from the Sun rocked the planet. Brilliant auroras engulfed the skies, and some GPS communications were temporarily disrupted.
more...
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Key Points
The May 2024 solar storm created two new temporary belts of high-energy particles surrounding Earth.
Such belts have been seen before, but the new ones were particularly long lasting, especially the new proton belt.
The findings are particularly important for spacecraft launching into geostationary orbits, which can be damaged as they traverse the dangerous belts.
The largest solar storm in two decades hit Earth in May 2024. For several days, wave after wave of high-energy charged particles from the Sun rocked the planet. Brilliant auroras engulfed the skies, and some GPS communications were temporarily disrupted.
more...
