• Ash plume from Popocatepetl volcano, Mexico

    Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano became increasingly restless in May, 2012, expelling large plumes of gas and ash, as well as ejecting incandescent fragments from the crater.According to Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED), on that same day

  • SOHO fully operational again on May 11, 2012

    SOHO is back up and running after what officials call “a technical glitch” temporarily sidelined the observatory for just over a week.The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), which is jointly managed by NASA and the European Space Agency continued sending

  • The end of the Envisat mission declared

    The European Space Agency (ESA) on Wednesday declared the official end of Envisat, the Earth-monitoring satellite that went silent last month after operating for twice its predicted lifespan. A team of engineers has spent the last month attempting to regain control of

  • Hubble will use Moon as the mirror to watch Venus transit

    Scientists plan to use the moon as a mirror to watch this year’s June 5-6 transit of Venus with the Hubble Space Telescope. That’s because Hubble can’t look at the sun directly – the bright light could damage the telescope’s super-sensitive instruments.This

  • Tornado in northern Italy

    An unusual funnel cloud was spotted on the plains of northern Italy recently. Videos posted online early this week clearly showed a funnel cloud dipping from heavy dark clouds.Close-up detail showed well the anti-clockwise twisting of the narrow funnel, which seemed

  • Ice melting on Lake Baikal

    For several months each year, Russia’s Lake Baikal is covered by a thick layer of ice. Formation begins in late-December, and by mid-January the entire lake is usually blanketed. Come spring, the lake begins its long, slow melt. Patches of open water usually appear