Tropical Cyclone Quang formed quickly after organizing from a low-pressure area in the Southern Indian Ocean. NASA's Aqua satellite data revealed strong thunderstorms and high cloud top temperatures indicative of potential heavy rainfall.
The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission successfully launched a unique formation of four identical spacecraft to study magnetic reconnection, driving space weather events that disrupt Earth's orbit. The Goddard-developed Navigator GPS receiver enabled precise navigation and tracking in weak signal areas.
Researchers present strong evidence for the coronal heating theory, suggesting that tiny explosive bursts of heat called nanoflares are responsible for heating the sun's atmosphere. The new findings come from NASA's EUNIS sounding rocket mission and NuSTAR X-ray observations, providing insight into the solar corona.
Severe thunderstorms swept through central Texas on April 26, 2015, generating heavy rainfall and large hail. The GPM Core Observatory satellite captured a 3D view of the storms, revealing some reaching altitudes above 7.7 miles.
NASA engineers test the ATLAS instrument's thermal performance in a vacuum chamber, simulating extreme temperatures and conditions. The successful test ensures that the laser altimeter system functions as expected, measuring the height of Earth's surface below.
The GPM satellite captured the effects of wind shear on Tropical Cyclone Joalane as it weakened in the Southern Indian Ocean. Cloud tops were tilted southward, indicating strong vertical shear affecting the storm.
The MESSENGER spacecraft is using its altimeter instrument to help with navigation during close approaches to Mercury's surface. The team is using the altimeter's precise measurements of distance from the spacecraft to the surface to assess the accuracy of their orbit predictions.
Tropical Cyclone Solo weakened under strong vertical wind shear, passing by New Caledonia on April 11 before being downgraded to a remnant low-pressure area. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of the remnants on April 13, revealing an elongated system with dissipated clouds.
Tropical Cyclone Joalane is a tightly wound tropical cyclone with hurricane-strength winds, generating rough seas and heavy rainfall. NASA's satellite image captures the storm's eye and surrounding thunderstorms, revealing high cloud top temperatures that indicate heavy rainfall potential.
Tropical Cyclone Solo, forming in the Coral Sea, is triggering watches in Solomon Islands due to its powerful thunderstorms and expected high winds. The storm's cloud top temperatures are as cold as 210 kelvin, potentially generating heavy rainfall.
In April 2015, NASA's MODIS instrument detected areas of high temperature indicative of bushfires in Western Australia. The fires were up to 24 hours old and occurred during the region's long dry summer, highlighting the region's fire-prone landscape.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has ended its 17-year mission, providing critical rainfall data for tropical cyclone monitoring, flood detection, drought monitoring, and disease monitoring. TRMM's legacy lives on through the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, which succeeds and improves upon the TRMM project.
NASA's RapidScat instrument provided data on Tropical Cyclone Joalane's surface winds, revealing that the strongest sustained winds consolidated over a 24-hour period. The cyclone intensified, developing an eye with maximum sustained winds of 92 mph/148.2 kph.
The Milky Way's star formation rate peaked 10 billion years ago, but our sun formed about 5 billion years ago. This may have fostered the growth of our solar system's planets by enriching the galaxy with heavier elements.
A NASA study found that small solar eruptions, like a slow-moving CME, can cause significant atmospheric loss in planets without magnetic shields. This research has implications for understanding habitability and the potential effects of solar storms on other planets.
Tropical Cyclone Ikola's winds decreased to 35 knots after being affected by strong northwesterly vertical wind shear. The storm's dissipation was predicted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, with its maximum sustained winds weakening rapidly.
Tropical Cyclone Joalane's clouds were analyzed by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency using the Global Precipitation Measurement satellite. The study found intense convective thunderstorms dropping rain at a rate of over 63 mm per hour, with storm tops reaching altitudes of up to 17.4 km.
Scientists have discovered a nearly-annual cycle of solar activity that can drive space weather events, including solar storms at Earth. This discovery could improve forecasts of space weather by understanding the interaction between magnetic field bands on the sun.
Tropical Cyclone 22S, a tropical storm developing in the Southern Indian Ocean, showed organized clouds and a band of thunderstorms on April 6, 2015. The storm was centered near 14.9 south latitude and 61.4 east longitude, with maximum sustained winds of 45 knots (51.7 mph/83.3 kph) at that time.
Cyclone Ikola formed quickly and strengthened to hurricane-force in the Southern Indian Ocean. NASA's MODIS instrument captured an image showing an eye with thunderstorms wrapping into the center, indicating high, strong storms with potential for heavy rainfall.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Haishen over the Fananu and Federated States of Micronesia. The storm weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds near 25 knots, moving northwest at 7 knots.
Tropical Cyclone 05W formed in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean on April 3, with NASA's GPM satellite analyzing rainfall rates and creating a 3-D image of high thunderstorms. The storm was moving west-northwest through Micronesia at 11 knots per hour.
Typhoon Maysak is weakening due to vertical wind shear as it approaches landfall in Luzon on April 4. The storm had peak intensity of over 130 knots but has weakened to about 115 knots, with heavy rain detected in its northwestern side.
Astronomers have determined the pre-explosion mass of a white dwarf star that blew up thousands of years ago using archival data from the Japan-led Suzaku X-ray satellite. The study suggests that only a single white dwarf was involved in the explosion, contradicting a well-established alternative scenario.
The TRMM satellite provided a remarkable image of Super Typhoon Maysak, revealing an eye wall replacement cycle in progress. The storm's intensity is characterized by near-perfect symmetry around the center, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 knots.
Typhoon Maysak wrapped its strongest sustained winds tightly around the center, extending up to 30 m/s (67.1 mph/108 kph) in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The storm is expected to weaken and make landfall in the northern Philippines as a tropical depression.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured wispy, goblin-green objects outside quasar-host galaxies, revealing insights into galaxy behavior and energetic cores. These 'ghostly' structures are believed to have been illuminated by powerful ultraviolet radiation from supermassive black holes.
NASA's fleet of satellites captured stunning views of Super Typhoon Maysak's eye and powerful thunderstorms. The storm dropped rain at a rate of over 70 mm per hour northwest of its well-defined eye. Maysak was moving west-northwest towards the Philippines, where it is expected to make landfall on April 4.
Fire management teams set fires to reduce hazardous fuels and protect human communities. Planned burns also help remove unwanted species, promote habitat for threatened species, and recycle nutrients back to the soil.
Super Typhoon Maysak has reached Category 5 hurricane status with maximum sustained winds of near 140 knots (161.1 mph). The storm is generating heavy rainfall and high thunderstorms in the Pacific Ocean.
Typhoon Maysak strengthened with its strongest winds expanding and spreading from the northern quadrant to other quadrants. NASA's ISS-RapidScat instrument gathered surface wind data, revealing more uniform wind speeds around the entire center of circulation by March 29.
The Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Cyclone Nathan's remnants, showing the storm had unraveled and most clouds were southeast of the center. Two large rainfall totals were recorded in the 24 hours prior, with 10.2 inches at Fanny Creek and 8.1 inches at Snowdrop Creek.
Researchers connect a black hole's 'wind' to an outward torrent of cold gas in a galaxy, validating feedback mechanisms that influence galaxy evolution. The discovery resolves a long-standing puzzle and sheds light on the relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan's maximum sustained winds dropped to 30 knots (34.5 mph/55.5 kph) as it continued to move across land in the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory. The storm was weakening inland and had low potential for regeneration over the next few days.
Astronomers have discovered an outburst from a young protostar called HOPS 383, revealing a sudden accumulation of gas and dust. The eruption is thought to be caused by instabilities in the disk around the protostar, leading to an extreme hot spot that heats up the surrounding material.
Scientists have made significant discoveries about the Sun's behavior in soft X-rays, shedding light on heating mechanisms and coronal composition. The study found that nanoflares, tiny explosions on the Sun, could be responsible for increased soft X-ray emissions, which also affects space weather events near Earth.
Tropical Cyclone Reuben formed on March 21 and was at its peak when NASA's Aqua satellite captured its image on March 22. The storm quickly weakened due to vertical wind shear before dissipating by March 23.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan moved from Queensland to the Gulf Carpentaria and now crosses The Top End of Northern Territory. NASA's MODIS instrument captured images showing Nathan's western movement and second landfall near Arnheim Land.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan made landfall on March 19 at the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, with sustained winds reaching over 30 meters per second. NASA's RapidScat instrument revealed the strongest winds were south of the center before landfall, and the storm was moving west across the peninsula.
Cyclone Nathan strengthened to hurricane force as it approached landfall in Queensland's Cape York Peninsula, with sustained winds increasing to over 30 meters per second. The storm was moving west at 6 knots and generating rough seas, threatening coastal erosion upon landfall.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan strengthened with powerful thunderstorms known as 'hot towers', indicating a significant increase in intensity. The cyclone made landfall north of Cairns on March 19, bringing heavy rainfall and storm surges to the Cape York Peninsula.
Tropical Cyclone Bavi weakened to a depression, with NASA's RapidScat instrument measuring its waning surface winds. The storm's maximum sustained winds dropped to 28.7 mph/46.3 kph on March 18.
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite provided data on rain rates throughout Cyclone Pam, revealing a well-defined inner eyewall with intense precipitation features. The cyclone's maximum sustained winds were estimated at 135 knots (~155 mph), indicating a near category 4 storm.
Tropical Cyclone Bavi is losing steam due to moderate to strong southwesterly vertical wind shear, resulting in waning convection and developing thunderstorms. The storm is expected to dissipate in the next day or two as it tracks along the southern edge of a sub-tropical ridge.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan is expected to make landfall in Queensland, Australia on March 20, bringing heavy rainfall and strong thunderstorms. NASA's Aqua satellite captured data showing temperatures near -63F/-52C, indicating strong storms with potential for heavy rainfall.
Scientists have observed two large coronal holes on the sun, with one covering about 6-8% of the total solar surface and another 0.16%. These regions can emit fast solar winds that affect Earth. The unique magnetic fields in these areas extend far into space.
RapidScat instrument captures data on Ex-Tropical Cyclone Pam's winds, revealing sustained tropical-storm-force winds southeast of its center. Winds over 30 meters per second were still occurring east of the center, prompting a Storm Warning for the Chatham Islands.
NASA's Aqua satellite and ISS-RapidScat instrument monitored storm Pam's structure and wind speed. The storm transitioned to an extra-tropical cyclone, with maximum sustained winds near 56 mph/90 kph.
NASA's Aqua satellite tracked Tropical Cyclone Bavi as it moved westward through the Philippine Sea, revealing strong thunderstorms and cold cloud top temperatures. The storm is expected to continue on a westerly trek before weakening into a depression near the northern Philippines.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan is consolidating and organizing, with maximum sustained winds reaching 63.2 mph (102 kph). The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects the storm to strengthen to 70 knots (80.5 mph) in two days before weakening again.