Our Planet

The first photograph of Earth from the Moon’s orbit [August 23, 1966]

The first photograph of Earth from the Moon orbit

On August 23, 1966, NASA’s Lunar Orbiter 1 robotic spacecraft took the first photograph of Earth from the Moon’s orbit.

21 Unique and Amazing Dog and Canines (Canids) Facts

Everyone knows at least a little about dogs, or they at least know they love them. But there’s probably a lot you don’t know about man’s best friend, including where that phrase comes from!

Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977

On August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 was launched from Cape Canaveral on top of a Titan IIIE-Centaur rocket. It launched before Voyager 1, which was sent into space on September 5, 1977.

First animals and plants returned alive from space on August 20, 1960

On August 20, 1960, the first animals and plants returned alive from space. Launched on August 19, Soviet Union’s Korabl-Sputnik 2 (also known as the Sputnik 5) was the first spaceflight to send animals and plants into orbit and return them safely back to Earth. it paved the way for the first human orbital flight, Yuri Gagarin’s Vostok 1, which was launched on April 12, 1961.

Top 20 Countries with most UNESCO World Heritage Sites (2022 Update)

There are a total of 1154 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world (as of August 20, 2022: 897 Cultural, 218 Natural, and 39 Mixed) in 167 countries. Here are the top 20 countries having the most number of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Electric Vehicles Include More Than Just Cars

Vehicles powered by electricity are steadily taking over the world and becoming more popular. As more people push to fight climate change, electric vehicles (EVs) should be seen on the road more and more. EVs are a net win for the planet, helping people adapt to machinery-heavy commuting and work needs with far less reliance on fossil fuels.

However, the electrification of the automobile industry encompasses more than cars for individual consumers. The extent of the push for electrified vehicles reaches into the construction industry, warehousing, and bicycle commuting, too. Learn more about the extent of electric vehicles in the market today.

The largest Kodiak Bear ever recorded [and 16 Amazing Kodiak Bear Facts]

Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi) is a subspecies of brown bears (Ursus arctos). They inhabit the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska. They look like grizzly bears, however, they are significantly larger. Here are 15 amazing Kodiak bear facts.

Miracle Drug or Snake Oil? How Consumers Can Tell the Difference

Humans have been searching for the fountain of youth for centuries. We have overturned virtually every rock, we have looked under every leaf, and we have plumbed nature’s bounty in order to unlock the secret to eternal life and endless good health.

Along the way, con artists, charlatans, and even well-meaning dupes have introduced an array of “miracle cures” that have proven to be, at best, useless and, at worst, dangerous. Unfortunately, such quackery is by no means consigned to the trash heap of human history.

Here’s why Betelgeuse dimmed in 2019

In 2019, red supergiant star Betelgeuse suddenly dimmed. In fact, the star has a 5.9-year light-cycle minimum period. But, this time, it dramatically to an all-time low.

Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the Earth’s sky and easily can be found on the right shoulder of the constellation Orion. So the dimming, which began in late 2019 and lasted for a few months, was easily noticeable even by backyard observers watching the star change brightness.

This weird, unexpected dimming weird sparked rumors that its death is imminent and it was going to be a supernova.

In fact, Betelguese is really nearing the end of its life. Because of its enormous size, it burns its fuel very rapidly. Red supergiant stars don’t last long, typically only a few hundred thousand years, maybe up to a million. This is actually very short for astronomical timescales. But very long for the human lifespan.

Why does heavy rainfall after a drought cause flood? [Amazing illustration by a Meteorologist]

Dr. Rob Thompson, a meteorologist from the University of Reading shows just how long it takes water to soak into the parched ground, illustrating why heavy rainfall after a drought can be dangerous and might lead to flash floods.

The video is filmed in the Harris Garden of the University of Reading.