The Philae probe, dropped onto a comet by the Rosetta spacecraft, has made contact with a surface thought too hard to be on a comet and has detected a few organic molecules new to comet exploration.
JoAnna Wendel
JoAnna Wendel is a freelance science writer and cartoonist. She covers topics ranging from the geology of faraway moons to the behavior of animals in our oceans. She served as a staff writer for Eos from 2014 to 2018, then worked in communications in NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. JoAnna is now freelancing full time as a writer and artist.
Posted inNews
Pluto's Moons Nix and Hydra Show Their Faces
When the New Horizons spacecraft photographed Pluto last week, it snapped the most revealing images yet of two little-known moons of the dwarf planet.
Posted inNews
New Pluto Image Reveals Young Icy Plain
The mottled plain offers additional evidence that Pluto's surface is geologically young—and possibly still active.
Posted inNews
Connecticut-Sized Dead Zone Expected in Gulf of Mexico
An ensemble of four computer models evaluated river runoff, wind patterns, and other factors affecting the extent of oxygen-poor waters near the Mississippi River's mouth.
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Philae Scientists Make Plans for Revived Mission
With their robotic explorer awake again, Philae's handlers get ready to give Comet 67P-Churyumov-Gerasimenko renewed scrutiny and to get a better bead on where the lander clings to the spinning orb of rock and ice.
Posted inNews
Global Warming "Hiatus" Never Happened, Study Says
After digging into existing measurements of Earth surface temperatures, a team of scientists finds there was no "hiatus" in temperature rise, which was thought to have started in 1998.
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Musical Composition Conveys Climate Change Data
A student at the University of Minnesota communicates climate change science in an innovative way.
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Protecting Earth from Solar Storms
A task force on space weather recently released a national strategy to reduce damage resulting from solar storms. The plan is now open for public comment.
Posted inNews
Warmer Climate Could Aid Quebec's Wine Industry
By 2050, climate change may make regions of northeastern Canada suitable for growing new varieties of wine grapes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Causes Sunspot Pairs?
Analysis of magnetic fields on the Sun's surface offers a new clue on why sunspots appear.