Tropical Cyclone Nathan is moving east and will track over warm water, leading to intensification in the next two days. The cyclone has slowed down and continued hugging the eastern coast of Queensland's Cape York Peninsula.
The MMS mission will provide the first three-dimensional views of reconnection occurring in Earth's magnetosphere, releasing bursts of energy that can reach billions of megatons of TNT. Scientists expect the mission to help them better understand magnetic reconnection and its impact on modern technological systems.
Tropical Cyclone Olwyn made landfall near Cape Cuvier in Western Australia, with NASA's Terra satellite capturing an image of the storm shortly after landfall. The cyclone was located about 43.5 miles southeast of Denham, moving south-southeast at 16 mph.
NASA's Aqua satellite captures image of Tropical Storm Bavi showing strong thunderstorms and a thick band of storms north of the center. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts strengthening to hurricane-force on March 16 after passing over Guam.
Tropical Cyclone Pam is a powerful storm in the Southern Pacific Ocean, with hurricane-force winds affecting several provinces in Vanuatu. The storm's eye was captured by NASA's Aqua satellite, showing a 15 nautical mile wide eye just east of Vanuatu.
The southern Atlantic Ocean's sub-tropical storm 90Q has fizzled out, marking the third such storm in the region since 2004. The storm formed on March 11 and was captured by NASA's Aqua satellite on March 12, showing a lack of convection and fragmented thunderstorms.
The TRMM satellite found heavy rain falling at over 1.4 inches per hour near the center of Tropical Storm Bavi, with moderate rainfall observed in a wide band of thunderstorms west of the center. The storm is currently located about 229 nautical miles east-southeast of Ujelang and is moving to the west-northwest towards Guam.
Tropical Cyclone Olwyn is predicted to make landfall near Cape Cuvier, Western Australia, bringing sustained winds of 20-25 meters per second. The cyclone's maximum sustained winds were reported as 65 knots on March 12, making it a Category one hurricane.
Tropical Cyclone Pam is intensifying as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 155.4 mph and extended hurricane-force winds 30 nautical miles from its center. NASA's Terra satellite captured an image of the storm's cloud-filled eye on March 11, showing powerful thunderstorms wrapped around it.
Tropical Cyclone Nathan's sustained winds reached over 30 meters per second, making it a strong tropical storm. The cyclone's center was near the Lockhart River south to Cape Flattery in the Coral Sea.
Scientists confirm an underground saltwater ocean on Ganymede, estimated to be 60 miles thick and buried under a 95-mile crust of ice. This discovery could open up possibilities for life beyond Earth and is made possible by the unique capabilities of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
A rare subtropical storm, 90Q, has formed off the southeastern coast of Brazil. The system features fragmented banding and is moving south-southeast at 5 knots.
Tropical Cyclone Olwyn has formed in the Southern Indian Ocean and is forecast to make landfall near Cape Cuvier in Western Australia. The cyclone is intensifying and moving south-southwest at 12 knots, with maximum sustained winds of 55 knots.
NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Cyclone Nathan as it formed a cyclonic loop near the eastern coast of Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. The storm is expected to strengthen over the next day and a half due to decreasing vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures.
Tropical Depression 3W formed near Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, on March 11 with maximum sustained winds of 30 knots. The storm is forecast to move west-northwest toward Guam, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds.
Cyclone Pam is strengthening as it moves through the Solomon Islands, triggering warnings for Temotu, Malaita, and Makira provinces. The storm's maximum sustained winds are estimated at 80 knots (92 mph), with heavy rainfall rates of over 158 mm/hour reported near the Santa Cruz Islands.
A significant solar flare was emitted by the sun on March 11, 2015, peaking at 12:22 p.m. EDT. The X2.2-class flare may cause disturbances in the atmosphere where GPS and communications signals travel.
On March 9, 2015, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured images of two mid-level solar flares, classified as M5.8 and M5.1, from the same active region. The flares occurred after the region rotated over the left side of the sun on March 7, marking the second and third flares in this cycle.
Tropical Cyclone Pam strengthened to hurricane-force near Vanuatu, with sustained winds reaching up to 56 mph and heavy rainfall expected. NASA's satellite data showed the storm's powerful thunderstorms, which are driving its circulation and intensification.
Tropical Storm Haliba was sandwiched between La Reunion and Mauritius in NASA satellite imagery, with the bulk of its clouds pushed east by westerly vertical wind shear. The heaviest rainfall, exceeding 7.1 inches per hour, was detected northeast of Reunion Island.
Tropical Cyclone Pam formed over the Solomon Islands, with GPM satellite detecting heavy rainfall exceeding 1.4 inches per hour. The storm is forecast to intensify and move southeast towards Fiji and New Caledonia.
A mid-level solar flare occurred on March 7, 2015, peaking at 5:22 pm EST, as captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The event was classified as an M9.2-class flare, which is twice as intense as the next largest category, M8.
Tropical Cyclone Haliba forms in Madagascar's Southern Indian Ocean, affecting La Reunion and Mauritius islands with heavy rain and gusty winds. The storm is expected to move southeast over the next several days, intensifying before dissipating due to adverse environmental conditions.
Tropical Cyclone 15S is expected to make landfall in west central Madagascar's Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve. The storm is currently meandering in the Mozambique Channel, but forecasters predict a southwesterly direction and landfall by March 9.
Astronomers spotted a distant supernova split into four images due to the gravity of a massive elliptical galaxy embedded in a cluster. The unique observation will help refine dark matter estimates and study the mass of the lensing galaxy and cluster.
Tropical Cyclone 15S forms in Mozambique Channel, bringing heavy precipitation rates of over 30mm/hour. The storm is expected to meander and dissipate near Madagascar's coast.
Tropical Cyclone Glenda is being stretched out by wind shear over the Southern Indian Ocean, according to NASA's Terra satellite imagery. The storm's maximum sustained winds have dropped to near 45 knots as it moves south at 7 knots.
Tropical Cyclone Glenda is intensifying with powerful thunderstorms and a hint of an eye forming in its center. It is expected to strengthen and then transition into an extra-tropical storm due to favorable upper-level conditions.
The Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) instrument has provided a detailed profile of the atmosphere above Africa, revealing particles in the air at different heights. The data will help scientists model dust plumes and interactions with clouds and aerosols, improving our understanding of climate change.
Tropical Cyclone Glenda is intensifying in the Southern Indian Ocean, with NASA's Aqua satellite capturing visible evidence of a developing eye. The storm is expected to strengthen to near 95 knots before weakening and turning southeast.
Tropical Cyclone 14S formed on February 21 in the Southern Indian Ocean, slowly organizing and consolidating. The storm intensified to 35 knots with strong thunderstorms circling its center, forecasters predict it will intensify further over the next three days
Tropical Cyclone Marcia caused significant flooding and damage in eastern Queensland with rainfall totals reaching up to 300-350mm. The merged precipitation analysis from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center indicates heaviest rainfall areas were off-shore from Lismore, Byron Bay, and Mackay.
A NASA satellite has quantified in three dimensions how much dust makes its trans-Atlantic journey from the Sahara to the Amazon rain forest. An estimated 22,000 tons of phosphorus-rich Saharan dust are carried across the ocean each year, equivalent to about the same amount lost from rain and flooding.
A unique comet, not part of a known family, survives its trip to within 2.2 million miles of the sun's surface. This is one of the few instances where a comet has been observed and recorded by SOHO in recent years.
A recent study using NASA's Aqua satellite data shows that temperatures in the western third of the US have been warmer than normal over the past two months. The 'Ridiculously Resilient Ridge' pattern of the polar jet stream has led to this anomaly, with surface temperatures ranging from 62.3F to 80.3F.
Tropical Cyclone Lam brought heavy rain to the Northern Territory, causing flooding in low-lying areas and river rises over the central Top End. The cyclone made landfall as a Category Four storm, with sustained winds near 55 kph.
Astronomers have used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to capture the most detailed edge-on picture yet of a large disk of gas and dust encircling Beta Pictoris. The disk is distorted by the gravitational pull of an embedded giant planet, allowing scientists to study the effects of planetary formation on young star systems.
A severe cold snap hit the Eastern US, with temperatures plummeting to record lows. The NASA Terra satellite captured an image of snow-covered states that appeared like they were sitting in a freezer due to Arctic and Siberian air masses.
The TRMM Precipitation Radar observed Marcia's rapid intensification to category 5 before its expected landfall in Queensland, Australia. The satellite's data revealed a powerful hot tower at the storm's eyewall, which is associated with increased intensification.
Tropical Cyclone Marcia made landfall along Queensland's coast with intense storms dropping rain at 225 mm/hour. The TRMM satellite captured a 3-D view of the cyclone, showing thunderstorm tops reaching heights of over 15.2 km.
MAVEN spacecraft completed its first deep-dip campaign, gathering measurements closer to the lower end of the Martian upper atmosphere. The campaign allows scientists to study connections between the lower and upper atmospheres, shedding light on gas escape and climate history.
Tropical Cyclone Lam made landfall in Australia's Northern Territory, with NASA satellites and instruments gathering data on the storm's structure and behavior before and after landfall. The storm was characterized by sustained winds of up to 90 knots (103.6 mph) and heavy rainfall rates of almost 55 mm per hour.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured infrared data on Tropical Cyclone Lam, revealing a large area of strong thunderstorms circling the center of the storm. The system is expected to intensify to Category one hurricane status, bringing heavy rainfall and powerful winds to northern Australia.
Tropical cyclone Marcia has consolidated and organized within a day, intensifying to near 45 knots with sustained winds of 40 mph. The storm is forecast to make landfall in southern Queensland on Feb. 19, posing a threat to eastern coast regions.
Scientists observed multiple hot spots across Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast, indicating forest fires, which are associated with smoke containing carbon monoxide and particulate matter. The surrounding areas experienced heavy snowfall, covering parts of Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia.
A NASA team has developed a prototype end-to-end Ka-band space communications system, promising significantly higher data rates of up to 2.4 gigabits per second. The technology could overcome S-band limitations and support future Earth-observing missions with high data-rate requirements.
Tropical Cyclone Lam formed in the northern Gulf of Carpentaria on Feb. 17, with NASA satellites capturing its cloud extent and rainfall rates. The storm is expected to intensify and make landfall into Arnhem Land before weakening.
NASA's Aqua satellite revealed cloud top temperatures of -28C/-18F and -23C/-9F over the northeastern US, significantly colder than surface temperatures, which ranged from 4F/-16C to 23F/-5C in affected areas. The extreme cold was part of an Arctic air mass that brought wind chills below zero and single numbers across the region.
The Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Tropical Depression Higos being pushed eastward, leaving behind a thin band of clouds. The storm's wind shear is estimated to be between 20 and 30 knots, causing it to dissipate under hostile atmospheric conditions.
ORCA will study microscopic phytoplankton and their impact on the carbon cycle, measuring chlorophyll concentrations and distinguishing between types of phytoplankton. The instrument's hyperspectral capability offers a range of bands to refine ocean observations.