March 2017 Science Images
Biggest Wave Spotted; Walking Heel-to-Toe; Newborn Exoplanets
New Record for Biggest Wave Measured by Buoy The UN’s World Meteorological Society says the biggest wave ever to be measured by a buoy was identified at 0600 universal time on February 4, 2013. The colossal 19-meter swell was spotted in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the UK. The previous highest wave recorded […]
Spring at the South Pole
It is springtime at the South Pole. The sun sits low on the horizon and bathes the landscape in rich hues of yellow and orange. Light bounces off each imperfection in the Polar Plateau, each wrinkle of snow and pinnacle of ice is set aglow. It transforms the ice cap from frozen desert to an […]
Black Hole Back Doors?; Io’s Atmosphere; No New Stars in Galaxy Center
Do Black Holes Have Back Doors? Most people describe a black hole as a cosmic object with gravity so strong that it sucks in any kind of material that comes close to it. What happens to stuff that is pulled into a black hole? Some scientists think that matter that enters a black hole gets […]
Space Snow Spotted; Frankenstein Galaxy; Fewer Allergies for Thumb Suckers
Astronomers Spot Snow Circling New Star For the first time, astronomers have been able to get a glimpse of a water “snowline” in a protoplanetary disk, which is the material surrounding a new star that may later form into planets. This water “snowline” marks the point within these left overs of star formation where the temperature […]
Antarctic Glacier Melt Could Raise Global Sea Level by Nearly 3 Meters
An international group of scientists say if climate change continues at its current rate, Antarctica’s Totten Glacier might become so unstable that it could eventually release enough water to produce an almost 3 meter rise in the global sea-level sometime in the next several hundred years. A year ago, this same group of scientists from […]
South Polies Tackle Last-Minute Preps to Survive Brutal Winter
The last plane left two weeks ago and everyone is settling into their wintertime roles. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. Read his earlier posts here. Station population sits at 50 and most departments are only a fraction of the size they once were. Although the summer crew left […]
Stranded Until Spring: Last Flight Leaves South Pole Before Winter Hits
It’s the season of long shadows. The ice cap is a maze of dark and light. The smallest protrusions of snow create as much shade as a beach umbrella at high noon. As I walk to work, I’m accompanied by a 20-foot projection of myself. It marches silently through a windswept landscape, numb to the […]
South Pole Diary: In Giant Parkas, Rank Is Less Apparent
Supporting world-class, meaningful scientific research in a unique landscape makes working at the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) one of the most enjoyable positions I’ve held in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. You can read his earlier posts here. The data collected by […]
Hidden Galaxies Found, Long-Term Impact of CO2 Emissions, Meditation/Exercise Cuts Depression
Astronomers Spot Never Before Seen Galaxies behind Milky Way An international team of scientists was able to find hundreds of nearby galaxies that had been hidden by the dust and stars of the Milky Way galaxy and were able to gain new insight into a mysterious astronomical anomaly some 150 million light years away. Writing […]