NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an image of a mid-class solar flare on September 28, 2015, which peaked at M7.6 intensity. The event is expected to disturb the atmosphere in layers where GPS and communications signals travel.
Tropical Storm Niala formed after experiencing wind shear, according to NASA's Aqua satellite data. The storm moved through warm waters and intensified into a tropical depression before strengthening into a tropical storm.
Typhoon Dujuan's large eye was visible from space after strengthening into a typhoon. The storm's eye is about 25 nautical miles wide and is expected to track just north of Ishigakijima Island, Japan on September 27.
GPM measured rainfall rates at 122 mm/h, revealing intense rain showers and storm tops reaching 15 km. The tropical depression turned northwest late on September 25, with expected weakening over the next two days.
Tropical Storm Ida is a somewhat shapeless system with wind shear affecting its structure. The storm is moving eastward and expected to turn northward by tonight, followed by northwestward motion.
The Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled a small section of the expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago. The Veil Nebula, covering six full moons on the sky, is composed of wisps of gas that were once a star 20 times more massive than our sun.
NASA's RapidScat instrument identified Tropical Storm Dujuan's strongest side as the southeastern quadrant. The storm's maximum sustained winds were measured at 30m/s, equivalent to 67mph/108kph.
Tropical Storm Ida's wind shear is pushing clouds and strongest storms to the east and northeast of its center, with coldest cloud tops reaching -63 degrees Fahrenheit. The storm remains over open ocean, with forecasters predicting a slow eastward motion followed by a turn towards the north later on September 24.
The Suomi NPP satellite observed a large and elongated circulation of Tropical Storm Dujuan, with cloud top temperatures as cold as -63F/-53C indicating strong storms. The storm is expected to intensify and reach peak winds of 110 knots on September 27-28.
A NASA study found a significant decline in microscopic plant-life, including diatoms, in the world's oceans over the past 15 years. The reduction may impact the ocean's ability to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it for long-term, leading to climate change.
The NASA Operation IceBridge campaign is conducting overlapping flights in Antarctica and the Arctic to track changes in polar ice conditions. The team aims to compare measurements taken during spring and summer campaigns, providing insight into ice thickness variations within the year.
The remnants of Tropical Depression 16E have moved over the U.S. Southwest, bringing light to moderate rain and flash flood watches in Arizona and New Mexico.
Tropical Storm Malia was on a northwesterly track, moving away from the Hawaiian Islands on Sept. 22. Satellite imagery showed a span of 250 nautical miles between the storm's center and strongest thunderstorms.
Tropical Storm Ida was observed by NASA's Terra satellite as it meandered in the Central Atlantic Ocean due to wind shear. The storm's movement is expected to change after a couple of days, with wind shear decreasing and Ida moving slowly to the north-northwest.
Tropical Depression 21W has formed in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, with cold cloud top temperatures indicating heavy rainfall potential. The depression is currently moving northwest at 11 knots and is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm by September 24.
Tropical Depression 16E made landfall in northwestern Mexico on September 21, bringing heavy rainfall and threatening life-threatening flash floods. The depression is expected to produce 3-5 inches of rain across the northern Baja California peninsula and Sonora, with isolated amounts of up to 12 inches possible.
The GPM mission satellite detected extremely high-altitude thunderstorms and heavy rainfall within Tropical Storm Ida. The storm's powerful convective storms reached altitudes above 17 km, indicating potential intensification.
Typhoon Krovanh's strongest winds were found tightly wrapped around its center, reaching 67 mph/108 kph at 20-30 miles from the center. The storm was weakening and moving north at 13.8 mph/22.2 kph, with winds expected to curve northeast over the next few days
Tropical Depression 9 is battling strong vertical wind shear and dry air, leading to its weakening. The depression is expected to degenerate into a remnant low pressure area in 24 hours or less due to persistent environmental conditions.
NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Typhoon Krovanh on September 17, 2015, showing the storm's southeastern quadrant with the Marianas Islands resembling five o'clock in the sky. The typhoon had intensified into a powerful storm with maximum sustained winds near 95 knots.
The Global Precipitation Measurement mission core satellite collected data on TD9's rainfall, revealing intense rain rates of 58.2 mm/hour and towering thunderstorms up to 14.9 km high. Tropical Depression Nine is expected to degenerate into a remnant low pressure area by Saturday, September 19.
Tropical Storm Vamco brought extreme rainfall to central Vietnam and Laos, resulting in flash floods and landslides. The NASA GPM mission measured over 220 mm of rainfall along the storm's path, highlighting the importance of monitoring heavy precipitation events.
Tropical Storm Krovanh has a 'comma shape' with thunderstorms stretching over the northern Marianas Islands. Maximum sustained winds near 55 knots are expected to reach 115 knots on Sept 18 before turning northeast, becoming extra-tropical.
Tropical Depression 9 developed in the central Atlantic on September 16, 2015, with tropical-storm-force winds detected by NASA's RapidScat instrument. The depression was already affected by wind shear, according to infrared data from NASA's Aqua satellite.
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has discovered its 3,000th comet, thanks to a volunteer astronomer in Thailand. This milestone marks a significant achievement for SOHO's comet project, with over 200 comets found annually by citizen scientists.
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) has successfully transitioned to Phase B, paving the way for the deployment of a laser-based instrument on the International Space Station. This mission aims to provide high-resolution measurements of Earth's forest vertical structure, enabling scientists to better understand the globa...
Researchers using NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images discovered thousands of faults on the lunar surface influenced by Earth's gravity, reshaping them. The moon is shrinking due to cooling interior, but tidal forces from Earth also play a role in forming and realigning these faults.
NASA's Aqua satellite captures powerful thunderstorms and cloud top temperatures around -63F/-53C in Tropical Depression 20W, indicating potential for heavy rainfall. The storm is expected to strengthen and potentially affect the Northern Marianas Islands and Japan by September 19.
The 2015 Arctic sea ice minimum extent is the fourth lowest on record, with a minimum of 1.70 million square miles. The decline in sea ice cover has accelerated since the late 1970s and is attributed to warming temperatures.
Scientists at NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) have captured the rare alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth. During this event, a partial solar eclipse was visible from parts of Africa and Antarctica, providing a unique opportunity to study the effects of these celestial alignments.
Tropical Storm Vamco developed into a depression on September 13, with NASA's RapidScat instrument measuring its surface winds. The storm intensified rapidly and was located near Vietnam by September 14, before dissipating over rugged terrain.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Linda are spreading northward into northern Baja California and parts of the southwestern US, triggering shower and thunderstorm activity. Moisture from the remnant low is expected to bring increased risk of rip currents and dangerous high surf to Southern California coastline.
Tropical Storm Kilo was spotted brushing northern Japan's eastern side as it transitioned to an extra-tropical storm. Sea surface temperatures were dropping rapidly, helping the system lose its tropical characteristics.
Tropical Storm Henri has a lopsided structure, with almost all clouds and showers concentrated on the northeastern side of the storm. The southeasterly wind shear and dry air around the system inhibit thunderstorm development in other areas.
Twin tropical cyclones brought catastrophic rainfall to Japan, causing widespread flooding, landslides, and over one million evacuations. NASA's GPM Core satellite provided critical rainfall data, showing Honshu received over 100mm of rain, with extraordinary totals near the south-central coast.
RapidScat analyzed Tropical Storm Henri's surface winds on Sept. 8, revealing tropical-storm-force winds north and east of the center. The storm's wind speed is expected to increase as it moves over warm water, potentially strengthening before weakening.
Tropical Storm Jimena's remnants have been spotted by NASA's GOES-East and GOES-West satellites, located around 225 miles north of Lihue, Hawaii. The remnant low is moving west to west-southwest at 10 mph and is expected to be inhibited from redevelopment due to environmental conditions.
Tropical Storm Kilo is weakening due to strong vertical wind shear, which is pushing clouds and storms north and east of its center. The storm is expected to become extra-tropical on September 11 off Hokkaido, Japan.
Tropical Storm Linda is weakening due to a turn to the west-northwest and decreasing forward speed. The storm is expected to become a remnant low later on September 10, bringing swells that will generate life-threatening surf and riptide conditions along the Pacific coasts of Baja California.
New NASA research implies that oceans beneath the crusts of tidally stressed moons may be more common and last longer than expected. Fluid tides in a subterranean magma ocean on Io could produce surface heat patterns observed on the moon.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Depression 8, revealing coldest cloud top temperatures near -63F/-53C. The depression is expected to strengthen and become a tropical storm later on September 9.
The deployable tower assembly (DTA) is a crucial component of the James Webb Space Telescope, enabling its instruments to be separated from the spacecraft bus and sunshield after launch. This allows the sunshield to unfurl and shade the telescope and instruments from radiant heat and stray light.
Tropical Storm Etau drenched central Japan with intense rainfall, with GPM satellite measurements showing up to 88 mm/h rain rates. The storm's remnants are expected to transition northwestward off the Japanese coast.
NASA's RapidScat instrument captured the strongest sustained winds in Tropical Storm Jimena near 25 meters per second on its northern side. The storm is forecast to weaken and turn west by September 10, affecting the Hawaiian Islands with large swells and surf.
NASA's RapidScat observed hurricane-force winds extending about 30 miles from the center of Hurricane Linda. The storm is rapidly weakening due to decreasing central pressure and cloud top temperatures warming.
Typhoon Kilo is a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds near 75 mph, according to NASA's RapidScat data. The storm is moving northwest and is expected to transition to an extra-tropical storm as it moves into the Sea of Okhotsk.
NASA-NOAA satellites confirmed Tropical Storm Grace had weakened into an open wave of low pressure, with wind data from RapidScat confirming the degeneration. The remnants are moving westward near 18 mph and expected to produce gusty winds and showers over the Lesser Antilles.
Tropical Storm Fred formed in the Eastern Atlantic and was tracked by NASA's Global Hawk. The storm weakened quickly under adverse atmospheric conditions, eventually losing its tropical cyclone status.
Tropical Storm Etau formed near Iwo To, Japan on September 7 and was approaching Japan by September 8. The storm made landfall near Kyoto, Japan late on September 8/early September 9 and is forecast to dissipate due to land interaction.
Tropical storm Grace has weakened to a depression in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean after just three days of formation. NASA's GPM satellite found only scattered areas of light rain in the system.