A full 20 years into the 21st century, the threat of overpopulation continues to make headlines across the globe. A recent United Nations study determined that the global population, currently sitting at 7.7 billion, will increase to about 9.7 billion by 2050. That equals a 28% population increase, or approximately 82 million additional people every year. Those swelling numbers are predicted to further deplete natural resources and have detrimental effects on our already fragile natural environment.
Continue reading “Investigating Overpopulation: The Causes and Effects”NASA’s TESS Space Telescope discovers its first Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone
Exciting news! NASA’s planet-hunter TESS Space Telescope (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) has discovered its first Earth-sized exoplanet in its star’s habitable zone. The discovery was announced by NASA on January 7, 2020. The planet is named “TOI 700 d”.
Using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers confirmed the discovery and have modeled the planet’s potential environments to help inform future observations.
Continue reading “NASA’s TESS Space Telescope discovers its first Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone”20 Amazing Leopard Facts
Leopard (scientific name: Panthera pardus) is one of the five big cat species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. The other members of the Panthera genus are Lion (Panthera leo), tiger (Panthera tigris), jaguar (Panthera onca), and snow leopard. Leopard is the fourth biggest cat in the world, after tiger, lion, and jaguar. Here are 20 amazing leopard facts.
Continue reading “20 Amazing Leopard Facts”Top 20 Exciting Advances in Space Science in the 2010s
Today is the last day of the 2010s – and what a decade it has been for space science and space exploration! Here is a timeline of the top 20 major (and exciting!) advances in space science in the 2010s.
Continue reading “Top 20 Exciting Advances in Space Science in the 2010s”Astronaut Christina Koch broke the “longest spaceflight by a woman” record
On December 28, 2019, NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Christina Koch broke the record for “longest spaceflight by a woman”.
Continue reading “Astronaut Christina Koch broke the “longest spaceflight by a woman” record”Planetary confusion: why astronomers keep changing what it means to be a planet
Christopher Palma, Pennsylvania State University
As an astronomer, the question I hear the most is why isn’t Pluto a planet anymore? More than 10 years ago, astronomers famously voted to change Pluto’s classification. But the question still comes up.
Continue reading “Planetary confusion: why astronomers keep changing what it means to be a planet”An Astronaut’s Christmas Carol – Jewel in the Night (New video by Chris Hadfield)
Retired astronaut (the first Canadian to walk in space), former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), musician, engineer, and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot Chris Hadfield published a new music video: “An Astronaut’s Christmas Carol – Jewel in the Night”.
Continue reading “An Astronaut’s Christmas Carol – Jewel in the Night (New video by Chris Hadfield)”Top 10 Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the International Space Station in 2019
Here are the top 10 most beautiful Earth photos taken by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the orbiting laboratory, in 2019. Which one is your favorite? Or if your favorite image was not listed here, please leave a comment below. To see all images taken from the International Space Station and published by NASA, visit Space Station Images webpage.
Continue reading “Top 10 Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the International Space Station in 2019”The Danger of Dams
The idea behind controlling waterways through dams isn’t new. The oldest dam in the world, the Kallanai Dam, began operation on the Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu, India in the 2nd century, and it’s still in use today.
Continue reading “The Danger of Dams”Scale and composition of Earth’s surface
In collaboration with Dr. Christine Houser (@seismodoc), a specially appointed assistant Professor of solid Earth geophysics at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Japan, NASA Goddard Planetary Scientist Dr. James O’Donoghue (@physicsJ) created another amazing animation titled “Scale & Composition of Earth’s surface: Major constituents of the crust, water, and atmosphere” and published on his YouTube channel.
Continue reading “Scale and composition of Earth’s surface”