Copernical Team
Algorithms inspired by social networks reveal lifecycle of substorms, a key element of space weather
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Space weather often manifests as substorms, where a beautiful auroral display such as the Northern Lights is accompanied by an electrical current in space which has effects at earth that can interfere with and damage power distribution and electrical systems. Now, the lifecycle of these auroral substorms has been revealed using social media-inspired mathematical tools to analyse space weather observations across the Earth's surface.
Analysis by researchers led by the University of Warwick has revealed that these substorms manifest as global-scale electrical current systems associated with the spectacular aurora, reaching across over a third of the globe at high latitudes.
New research which involves the University of Warwick, John Hopkins University—Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Bergen and Cranfield University, and published today in the journal Nature Communications processes data on disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field from over a hundred magnetometers in the Northern hemisphere using a new technique that enables them to find 'like-minded friends'.
Image: Mont Mercou on Mars
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Here are a few stunning views of the Curiosity Rover's current location, Mont Mercou in Gale Crater on Mars. This towering outcrop provides a great look at layered sedimentary rock structures. On Earth, it's common to find layered rock like the ones within this cliff face, especially where there were once lakes. The pancake-like layers of sediment are compressed and cemented to form a rock record of the planet's history.
This color image is from one of our favorite image editors, Kevin Gill. He assembled 202 raw images taken by MSL's MastCam between sols 3057 and 3061. You can see Kevin's full mosaic on Flickr.
Gale Crater was specifically chosen as the destination for the Curiosity rover from approximately original 60 candidate sites, because data from orbiting spacecraft determined that Mount Sharp—the big mountain in the middle of the crater—is created from dozens of layers of sedimentary rock, perhaps built over millions of years. These layers are telling the story of Mars' geological and climate history, and planetary geologists are having a field day with Mont Mercou.
And the cadre of image editing enthusiasts around the world have been taking advantage of this amazing rock formation, too.
Green cities use space to boost wellbeing
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Urban greenery can improve air quality and promote wellbeing. ESA is working with municipal authorities to identify how space can help to create sustainable cities in which people are healthier, happier and more productive.
Discover how space can help to boost the physical and mental health of city dwellers in an hour-long webinar to be held on 25 March.
Hubble Shows Torrential Outflows from Infant Stars May Not Stop Them from Growing
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Though our galaxy is an immense city of at least 200 billion stars, the details of how they formed remain largely cloaked in mystery.
Scientists know that stars form from the collapse of huge hydrogen clouds that are squeezed under gravity to the point where nuclear fusion ignites. But only about 30 percent of the cloud's initial mass winds up as a newborn star. Where does the rest of the Hubble Sees Changing Seasons on Saturn
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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is giving astronomers a view of changes in Saturn's vast and turbulent atmosphere as the planet's northern hemisphere summer transitions to fall as shown in this series of images taken in 2018, 2019, and 2020 (left to right).
"These small year-to-year changes in Saturn's color bands are fascinating," said Amy Simon, planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Astronomers see a 'space jellyfish'
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A radio telescope located in outback Western Australia has observed a cosmic phenomenon with a striking resemblance to a jellyfish.
Published in The Astrophysical Journal, an Australian-Italian team used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope to observe a cluster of galaxies known as Abell 2877.
Lead author and PhD candidate Torrance Hodgson, from the Curtin University node of NASA Joins White House National Climate Task Force
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As a leading agency observing and understanding environmental changes to Earth, NASA has joined the National Climate Task Force. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Jan. 27, which initially outlined details of the task force.
The administration's climate agenda outlines putting climate at the center of the country's foreign policy and national security and encourages a government Eutelsat selects Airbus for key orbital slot with EUTELSAT 36D satellite
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Airbus has been selected by Eutelsat, one of the world's leading satellites operators, to build EUTELSAT 36D, a new generation multi-mission geostationary telecommunications satellite.
The EUTELSAT 36D spacecraft will replace and enhance capacity at 36 East, a key orbital slot for Eutelsat for TV broadcasting (DTH) and government services over Africa, Russia, and Europe.
It will be t UK space sector gets funding boost to support international innovation
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Projects to remotely probe ice on Mars to help explorers find life below the surface, a system to warn of impacts of flood risks to infrastructure based on research in India and a scheme to design UK imaging technology for a space telescope are among the new international initiatives to receive backing from the UK Space Agency's National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP).
The funding will Soyuz launch campaign for 2 Galileo satellites postponed Until November
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The launch of a Russian Soyuz-ST carrier rocket with two Galileo satellites from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana has been put off from September until November, two space industry sources told Sputnik.
"The launch of the Soyuz-ST-B rocket with the Fregat-MT booster with two Galileo satellites from the Guiana space center has been postponed until November," one of the sources said. 
