Month: August 2021

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. As such, it circles the sun faster than all the other planets, which is why the Romans named it after their swift-footed messenger god. The Sumerians also knew of Mercury since at least 5,000 years ago. It was often associated with Nabu, the god of writing, according to a site connected to NASA’s MESSENGER mission. Mercury was also given separate names for its appearance as both a morning star and as an evening star. Greek astronomers knew, however, that the two names…

A deer wanders through heavy smoke in front of a row of burned cars during the Dixie fire in Greenville, California on Aug. 6. The enormous wildfire has been burning since mid-July and is the largest in the state’s history. (Image credit: Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images) Record-setting wildfires, historic floods, baking droughts and punishing heat waves have dominated headlines in recent months, and if you’re wondering if these extreme events are linked to climate change — and if humans are responsible — a new report by hundreds…

One of the most crucial ocean current systems for regulating the Northern Hemisphere’s climate could be on the verge of total collapse due to climate change, a new study has revealed. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which includes the Gulf Stream and is responsible for moderating large parts of the world’s climate, has undergone “an almost complete loss of stability over the last century”, according to a new analysis. The currents work like a conveyor belt to transport warm, salty water northward from the tropics and cold water back…

Venus is about to get double the extra attention. NASA’s Solar Orbiter, in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), will hone in on Venus on Aug. 9, but it won’t be alone for long. Another ESA spacecraft, BepiColombo (a partnership with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA) will fly by the planet just one day later.  The spacecraft are both headed toward the inner solar system. Solar Orbiter launched in 2020 with a mission to study the sun, while BepiColombo launched in 2018 and has been en route to…

With an out-of-this-world resume that includes the novels “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13,” which was adapted into director Ron Howard’s 1995 film “Apollo 13,” and the 2017 film “Apollo 8,” Time magazine senior writer and best-selling author Jeffrey Kluger has naturally gravitated back into outer space with his latest thriller, “Holdout” (Dutton, 2021).  Recently released to stellar reviews, “Holdout” tells the riveting tale of Walli Beckwith, a model astronaut who makes a seemingly reckless decision to seek justice from the confines of the International Space Station as…