Tropical Depression 21W made landfall in southern Philippines on Nov 26, with heavy rainfall warnings issued for several provinces. The storm is forecast to track westward along a high-pressure ridge before strengthening in the Sulu Sea.
The Van Allen radiation belts contain a nearly impenetrable barrier that prevents the fastest, most energetic electrons from reaching Earth. The discovery was made using NASA's Van Allen Probes, which study the region and provide accurate measurements of high-energy electrons for the first time.
The NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center uses satellite imagery to monitor weather patterns across the US. Heavy snow is expected in the central Appalachians and the Northeast, while the Western US can expect snow in the Northern Rocky Mountains.
Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center tested a 'tripod' supporting the James Webb Space Telescope's secondary mirror in a successful deployment. The system was designed to unfurl in space to 8 meters long and was tested using the Pathfinder backplane structure.
Tropical Storm Adjali formed on November 16, 2014, and started dissipating two days later. GPM data showed moderate rainfall rates near the storm center, with rain falling at over 69 mm/hour per hour. The storm dissipated in the Southern Indian Ocean by November 20.
Researchers analyzing decades of observations detect an unusual source of light in a galaxy, with properties suggesting it could be a supermassive black hole ejected from its home galaxy. Alternatively, the object might have been a rare type of star known as a Luminous Blue Variable that underwent prolonged eruptions.
Tropical Storm Adjali began curving to the southwest in the Southern Indian Ocean, with NASA's Aqua satellite capturing visible images of the storm. The storm is expected to weaken due to increased wind shear, cooler sea surface temperatures, and limited outflow.
Tropical Cyclone Adjali developed a distinctive 'tail' of thunderstorms extending south of its center, captured by NASA's MODIS instrument on November 18. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted weakening bands of storms spiraling into the low-level center.
The first tropical cyclone of the Southern Indian Ocean cyclone season has formed over 300 miles from Diego Garcia. The storm, named Adjali, is moving east-southeast at 3 knots and expected to intensify before weakening around La Reunion Island.
A mid-level solar flare was detected by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on Nov 16, 2014, emerging from an active region that previously rotated across the front of the sun in October. The M5.7-class flare is a tenth the size of X-class flares and may disturb GPS and communications signals.
A new ultra-high-resolution NASA computer model provides a stunning visual portrait of how carbon dioxide travels around the globe. The simulation, called GEOS-5, illustrates regional variations in carbon dioxide levels and differences between northern and southern hemispheres.
The Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray Irradiance Sensors (EXIS) Flight Model 2 instrument for NOAA's GOES-S satellite has successfully completed its Pre-Shipment Review. The instrument is now complete and will be placed into storage until spacecraft integration begins.
Tropical cyclone 05B's western edge spread over land on Nov. 9, but its circulation center remained over open waters of the Bay of Bengal. The storm weakened due to elongation of its rotation, reducing its chances for regeneration.
Tropical Cyclone 05B is forecast to make landfall in eastern India on November 9. The storm was tracked by NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite, which captured a visible image of the cyclone off India's coast.
NASA's ISS-RapidScat tracked the winds of post-tropical cyclone Nuri as it moved parallel to Japan. The storm is now expected to bring strong winds and rough seas to Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
Tropical Storm Nuri resembled a frontal system, stretching from northeast to southwest due to wind shear. NASA's Terra satellite captured an infrared image showing strong thunderstorms around its center.
The largest visible-light imaging survey of dusty debris disks has been conducted around stars as young as 10 million years old and as mature as over 1 billion years. The diversity of these systems suggests gravitational effects from unseen exoplanets or interactions with interstellar material.
Tropical Cyclone 5B forms in Bay of Bengal with strong thunderstorms and maximum sustained winds near 35 knots. The storm is expected to make landfall near Chennai on Nov. 9 and dissipate over land quickly.
The TRMM and GPM satellites provided critical data on Hurricane Vance before it made landfall in western Mexico. The analysis revealed a large area of heavy rainfall near the center of the hurricane, with some intense storms dropping rain at rates of over 50mm per hour.
Typhoon Nuri passed close to Japan's Iwo To island with maximum sustained winds at 92 mph. The storm is expected to continue weakening and transitioning into an extra-tropical storm over the next day or two.
Typhoon Nuri underwent eyewall replacement as high clouds moved over its eye on Nov. 4, with MODIS instrument capturing visible image of intense thunderstorms spiraling into the eye.
Hurricane Vance is forecast to make landfall in northwestern mainland Mexico on Nov. 5, bringing large amounts of rainfall, including totals of 4-8 inches with isolated areas potentially seeing up to 12 inches. The storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression over the next 24-36 hours before making landfall.
A mid-level solar flare was observed by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) on November 3, 2014, peaking at an M6.5 classification. This event is significant because it can disturb the atmosphere in layers where GPS and communications signals travel.
Hurricane Vance's tropical-storm force winds stretched over northwestern Mexico, producing rainfall totals of 4-8 inches with isolated amounts up to 12 inches. The storm is expected to rapidly weaken due to increasing vertical wind shear.
The ICESat-2 satellite will measure the elevation of Earth from space to track changes in ice-covered poles, forests and ocean surfaces. The Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) instrument will time how long light travels from the satellite's lasers to Earth's surface.
NASA's Aqua satellite observed Super Typhoon Nuri strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane over two days, with its eye developing on November 3. The storm's maximum sustained winds reached 155 knots, causing significant damage and disruption in the region.
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) will cease science operations in April 2015, ending 17 years of rainfall and storm monitoring. The satellite's instruments, including the Precipitation Radar, have provided critical insights into precipitation patterns and their impact on climate, weather, and natural disasters.
Tropical Cyclone Nilofar weakened and was pushed northeast by strong southwesterly wind shear, resulting in the demise of the storm. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image on October 31 showing the remnants of the cyclone's clouds and showers being pushed away from its center.
NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a ghostly-white image of Tropical Depression Nuri on October 31. The storm has high thunderstorms with cold cloud top temperatures and is expected to curve northwest before turning northeast over the next couple of days.
Tropical Storm Vance strengthened overnight and was named on Oct. 30, with its center exhibiting strong thunderstorms in a false-colored infrared image that resembles a pumpkin, NASA's Terra satellite captured the unusual sight. The storm is expected to strengthen gradually and potentially become a hurricane in 2 to 3 days.
The largest sunspot of the solar cycle, AR 12192, was tracked by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The active region produced six X-class flares and four strong M-class flares, with the largest flare reaching X3.1 intensity. Despite the intense activity, no coronal mass ejections were observed.
The 21st Eastern Pacific tropical depression, TD 21E, formed far south of Acapulco, Mexico. Maximum sustained winds near 35 mph are expected to slowly strengthen over the next 48 hours.
Cyclone Nilofar is exhibiting a comet-like tail and core due to wind shear. The storm has weakened significantly, expected to become a depression by November 1, bringing moderate to heavy rainfall to the region.
The Hubble Space Telescope has observed the faint glow of stars ejected from ancient galaxies torn apart within the Pandora's Cluster. The scattered stars are estimated to contribute approximately 10% of the cluster's brightness and are rich in heavier elements.
The Antarctic ozone hole reached its annual peak size on Sept. 11, with a maximum area of 24.1 million square kilometers, comparable to 2010, 2012, and 2013. Chlorine levels have declined by about 9 percent since 2000, contributing to the smaller ozone hole.
In eastern China, smoke from slash and burn agriculture exacerbates air quality problems. The region experiences worsening haze in fall and winter due to trapped pollutants near the surface.
Tropical Cyclone Nilofar is being affected by strong southwesterly wind shear, causing clouds to be pushed away from its center. The storm is currently moving through the Arabian Sea with maximum sustained winds near 90 knots.
Post-tropical cyclone Ana's remnant clouds are causing heavy rain and strong gusts in British Columbia, Canada. Environment Canada has issued wind warnings for several regions, with sustained winds near 21-29 mph (34-47 kph) reported at major airports.
Cyclone Nilofar developed a massive 14-mile-wide eye that stared at NASA's Terra satellite on Oct. 28. The storm is forecast to make landfall in northwestern India, bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has imaged the impact crater created by NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission. The crater is small, less than ten feet in diameter, due to the spacecraft's low mass and velocity.
Tropical Storm Hanna made landfall near Nicaragua and Honduras on Oct. 27, bringing strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to the region. The remnants of the storm continued to generate isolated thunderstorms over Honduras and northern Nicaragua until they dissipated by Oct. 28.
Tropical Storm Ana has moved west of the Hawaiian Islands and into the open waters of the Central Pacific Ocean, strengthening into a hurricane and weakening back to a tropical storm. The storm is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to British Columbia's central coast, with wind warnings posted along some coastal sections.
Tropical Depression 9 reformed into Tropical Storm Hanna, becoming a 'zombie' storm that brought strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to Nicaragua and Honduras. The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for the area, predicting life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
Tropical Cyclone Nilofar intensifies to hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 75 knots (86 mph/139 kph), centered near 15.2 north latitude and 62.2 east longitude.
A large active region on the sun erupted with an X-class flare on October 27, 2014, its fourth since October 24. The flare was part of a week-long series of substantial flares beginning on October 19.
Scientists have discovered an unexpected high-altitude methane ice cloud on Saturn's moon Titan, similar to those found near Earth's poles. The cloud formed in the stratosphere, well above cruising altitude, due to temperature differences between latitudes, allowing methane ice to condense and form.
Tropical Storm Ana was still generating moderate rainfall when NASA's TRMM satellite observed it on October 22. The storm moved northward with a gradual increase in speed, and is expected to be absorbed by an extra-tropical low pressure area near British Columbia, Canada.
The remnants of Tropical Depression 9 are lingering in the southeastern Yucatan Peninsula and northwestern Caribbean Sea, according to NOAA's GOES-East satellite. The National Hurricane Center predicts a low chance of re-development, with only a 10% probability over the next couple of days.
Tropical Storm Ana has re-organized due to abating southwesterly wind shear, allowing thunderstorms to circulate around its center. The storm is expected to continue strengthening through early Saturday, moving northward and potentially becoming a hurricane.
Scientists gathered crucial information on upper-level wind shear affecting Hurricane Edouard using NASA's HS3 mission Global Hawk. The hurricane strengthened during the sixth flight, with data showing a sea-level pressure of 969-970 millibars near the eye/eyewall border.