Lingling, a tropical cyclone affecting the central and southern Philippines, has finally wound down after bringing heavy rainfall. The storm's maximum sustained winds were down to 25 knots/28.7 mph/46.3 kph on January 20.
NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites continue to monitor the movement of System 94S, a stubborn tropical low pressure area affecting Western Australia. The system is expected to bring heavy rainfall, including flash flooding, to parts of the region.
NASA's Terra satellite tracked System 94S, a tropical low, moving inland from the Northern Territory into Western Australia. The system brought heavy rainfall to the region, exceeding 50mm at Sturt Creek in the Interior Region.
A wildfire broke out in the foothills of Angeles National Forest, spreading quickly and prompting air quality concerns. Nearly 500 firefighters battled the blaze, which destroyed over 1,700 acres and at least two homes due to gusty winds and low humidity.
Tropical Cyclone Deliwe forms in the Mozambique Channel and Southern Indian Ocean after a tropical depression developed on January 16. Forecasters predict it will move southwest and then curve northwest due to high pressure system changes.
Tropical Cyclone June formed in the Southern Pacific Ocean, with NASA's Aqua satellite capturing infrared data on the storm. The cyclone has high cloud top temperatures indicating powerful thunderstorms dropping heavy rainfall over open waters.
The TRMM satellite has provided critical data on the devastating floods and landslides triggered by System 91W in the Philippines. The analysis revealed extremely high rainfall totals of over 1,168mm near northeastern Mindanao, causing 34 reported deaths.
System 94S continues to track over Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with NASA's Aqua satellite detecting powerful thunderstorms northwest of the low-pressure center. Heavy rainfall warnings have been issued for the region, with some storms potentially producing heavy rain rates.
Severe bushfires swept across South Australia, driven by record-breaking heat and strong winds. Firefighters struggled to control complex fires in rural areas, aided by additional water bombers from Queensland and Victoria.
NASA's Aqua satellite detected powerful thunderstorms and cloud top temperatures exceeding -63F/-52C, indicating strong uplift in the low pressure area. The storm consolidated and organized into Tropical Cyclone 09S, expected to strengthen and bring gusty winds and rainfall to Mozambique.
System 91W continues to bring floods and heavy rainfall to the central and southern Philippines, causing 31 deaths and 36 injuries. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center predicts a high chance of System 91W becoming a tropical depression within 24 hours.
Tropical Cyclone Colin is becoming an extra-tropical system in the Southern Pacific Ocean, with NASA's Aqua satellite capturing an image of the transitioning storm. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 35 knots/40 mph/62 kph and was weakening.
System 94S continues to develop over the Northern Territory of Australia, with strong central convection and spiral bands of thunderstorms pushed west by moderate to strong vertical wind shear. The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Weather Warning for heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the affected areas.
The TRMM satellite provided detailed time series data on Tropical Cyclone Ian, capturing its intense rainfall rates of over 169 mm/hour around the eye. The satellite's data revealed a well-defined eye wall with powerful thunderstorms reaching heights of up to 15 km.
Tropical Cyclone Colin is losing organization and strength due to cooler sea surface temperatures and increased vertical wind shear, with most precipitation occurring on its southern side. The storm is expected to weaken into a cold-core low pressure area in the next couple of days.
NASA's TRMM satellite measured heavy rainfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour in the northeastern Van Dieman Gulf and northwestern Arnhem Region. The system is affecting parts of Northern Territory with damaging winds and heavy rainfall warnings issued.
Cyclone Ian has been battered by strong wind shear, causing its bulk of precipitation to shift east and southeast. The storm's temperature varied greatly, with coldest cloud tops near -63F/-52C in some areas.
Tropical Cyclone Colin is experiencing heavy rainfall, with TRMM satellite data showing rates of up to 2 inches per hour. The storm is moving south-southeast towards cooler sea surface temperatures, which will cause it to weaken.
Astronomers are studying the newly formed stars in M83 using citizen science project STAR DATE: M83. The project aims to estimate ages for approximately 3000 star clusters. Citizen scientists analyze the image to identify objects such as supernova remnants and foreground stars, shedding light on stellar birth and death.
The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a glittering treasure trove of more than 800,000 stars and protostars embedded inside the Tarantula Nebula. The observations were obtained as part of the Hubble Tarantula Treasury Program, which will produce a large catalog of stellar properties.
Scientists observe enormous sunspot AR1944, two Earths wide, moving toward the sun's center. The sunspot is part of active regions that can cause space weather events, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
AAS meeting highlights four unusually bright galaxies, a galaxy cluster image, and sampling of galaxies thought to be responsible for most stars in the universe. These ultra-bright, young galaxies are forming stars approximately 50 times faster than our Milky Way galaxy.
The team detected a series of bright gamma-ray flares from a source known as B0218+357, located in a gravitational lens system. The gamma-ray delay is about a day longer than radio observations report for this system, and the region emitting gamma rays is very small compared to those emitting at lower energies.
A new Tropical Depression is forming near Australia's Kimberly coast, with System 98S expected to develop into Cyclone 05S on Saturday. Heavy rainfall and gusty winds are forecast for coastal areas, including gusts up to 100 km/h and heavy rain from Port Hedland to Mardie and Karratha.
Tropical Cyclone Bruce is experiencing strong effects of wind shear and cooling ocean waters, leading to its rapid weakening. The NASA Aqua satellite captured images of the storm on December 24, showing a low-level center exposed to outside winds and rapidly decaying.
Tropical Cyclone Bruce's eye showed distinct features on December 21, but became cloud-filled two days later. The cyclone weakened rapidly due to wind shear and was expected to turn extra-tropical by December 25.
Researchers mapped a large aquifer in southeast Greenland using Operation IceBridge radar data, covering an area larger than West Virginia, with the potential to raise sea levels by 0.016 inches per inch. The perennial aquifer is a heat reservoir for the ice sheet, and its filling and discharging mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
The LLCD mission demonstrated error-free communications during broad daylight, operating as well as any NASA radio system. It also showed that wind and atmospheric turbulence did not significantly impact the system, enabling reliable communications through thin clouds.
Tropical Cyclone Amara weakened significantly after encountering wind shear, dropping from Category four hurricane to a minimal tropical storm. The cyclone lost maximum sustained winds near 35 knots/40 mph/62 kph and is expected to dissipate into a remnant low-pressure area in the next day or two.
Tropical Cyclone Amara is affecting Rodrigues Island in the Southern Indian Ocean, bringing hurricane-force winds and heavy rains. NASA's Terra satellite captured an image showing the storm's eye was more cloudless than the day before.
Tropical Cyclone Bruce strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 143.8 mph, creating rough seas and waves up to 30 feet high. The cyclone is forecast to curve to the southeast after three days, eventually becoming extra-tropical.
Resident concerns rise as sugar cane fires get too close to homes despite controlled burns being conducted. The absence of a regulating agency is a major issue, leaving farmers and homeowners at risk.
The Van Allen Probes have provided high-resolution measurements that suggest local acceleration is at work in the Earth's radiation belts. This discovery resolves decades of uncertainty over the origin of ultra-relativistic electrons and has important implications for understanding planetary magnetospheres throughout the universe.
Tropical Cyclone Bruce maintained hurricane-force winds and a visible eye in the Southern Indian Ocean. The storm's convection strengthened around the eyewall, fueled by high clouds and thunderstorms.
Tropical Cyclone Amara is experiencing heavy rainfall, with scattered bands of moderate to heavy rain falling at rates over 76.9 mm/3 inches per hour. The storm is also producing hurricane-force winds and rough seas.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured Tropical Cyclone Bruce's developing eye in a visible image, showing a consolidating low-level circulation center and improved thunderstorm banding. The cyclone strengthened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 57.5 mph, expected to intensify over the next couple of days.
The final three of 18 primary mirrors for the James Webb Space Telescope have arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The mirrors, built by Ball Aerospace, will form a 6.5-meter-diameter primary mirror when integrated with a stable structure.
Tropical Cyclone Amara has an elongated eye visible on NASA satellite images, with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80 knots. The storm is in a region of low wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures, allowing it to intensify rapidly.
Tropical Cyclone Amara strengthened into a tropical storm after NASA's TRMM and Aqua satellites provided visible and rainfall data. The storm is expected to reach hurricane-strength by December 22 as it nears La Reunion Island, with forecasters closely monitoring its progress.
The Solar Ultra-Violet Imager (SUVI) is a new telescope that will observe the sun in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, identifying active regions, solar flares, and eruptions. This will improve space weather forecasting, enabling earlier warnings for potential impacts on Earth's power grids, communication systems, and orbiting satellites.
The Pfeiffer Fire, located in Monterey Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest, has destroyed at least 15 homes and caused many residential evacuations. The fire, which started on December 16, has already consumed over 500 acres and remains zero percent contained.
The Hubble Space Telescope observed a 'light echo' phenomenon as RS Puppis variable star pulsed, measuring its distance to 6,500 light-years with high accuracy. The star's fluctuations and reflected light allowed astronomers to narrow down the distance using light echoes.
Tropical Cyclone Madi made landfall in southeastern India as its strongest thunderstorms weakened after passing over NASA's Aqua satellite. The storm's interaction with dry air and increased wind shear led to its rapid weakening.
IceBridge collected data on many facets of Antarctic land and sea ice, including ice elevation and thickness. The mission also took measurements of sea ice in the Ross Sea, an area with comparatively little attention compared to other parts of the Southern Ocean.
The TRMM satellite spotted powerful storms in Tropical Cyclone Madi, with rain falling at a rate of over 81 mm/hour. The storm's maximum sustained winds dropped to 40 knots after the observation, and it is expected to weaken further as it approaches landfall in southeastern India.
New research by NASA scientists shows that signs of ozone hole recovery are not yet present, and temperature and winds continue to drive annual changes. The decline in chlorine levels has not yet led to a reduction in the size of the ozone hole.
Comet ISON successfully passed close to the sun, shedding light on its composition and behavior. Despite initial hopes for a bright display, the comet's nucleus likely broke apart due to intense heat, producing limited dust tail observations.
Juno's flyby provided an extraordinary view of Earth and the moon from a unique vantage point near the tip of one of the spacecraft's solar-array arms. The star tracker captured frames for the movie when the spacecraft was about 2.4 million miles from Earth, offering a front-row seat to the flyby.
Researchers analyzed 32 years' worth of data from satellite instruments to find temperatures plummeting to record lows dozens of times in clusters of pockets near a high ridge between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji on the East Antarctic Plateau. The new record of minus 136 F (-93.2 C) was set Aug. 10, 2010.
Tropical Cyclone Madi maintained its tropical storm-force strength as it approached the eastern coast of India. The storm's proximity to the coast was confirmed by NASA's Aqua satellite, which captured a visible image of the elongated system with no visible eye.