NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has released dramatic video of a "mid-level" solar flare from April 2. [youtube:http://youtu.be/_8yPQEE2Dnk] Flares are short, powerful bursts of radiation emitted from the sun's surface. NASA says the radiation cannot penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, but on rare…

Jul 12

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From a gigantic rainbow serpent fashioned out of recycled jerry cans to a painting of girls dancing against a Milky Way backdrop, the Smithsonian's "African Cosmos: Stellar Arts" exhibit examines how African artists through time have looked to the sky,…

Jun 06

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For those Earthlings lucky enough to be under cloudless skies during Tuesday's Venus transit, it took the form of a pea-sized dot gliding across the Sun's northern hemisphere. For more perspective, NASA has collected a stunning sampling of images both…

Apr 04

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Staring at the Sun

As the sun enters its stormy season, and as GPS systems and electricity networks become increasingly vulnerable to solar eruptions, NASA scientists are working to better understand the mysteries of space weather.