The Watchers team and our contributors bring the latest on extreme weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, space weather, and all things science. We're all about making sense of the natural world and keeping you informed on what’s happening. Got a tip or a question? Hit us up using the form at newstips!

  • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s view of Tycho Central Peak

    Today, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) celebrates its fifth anniversary in space. LRO launched from Florida on June 18, 2009 and after a four-day journey, it successfully entered lunar orbit on June 23. In the succeeding five years, LRO has continued to shap

  • Supercritical solar – new frontier for power generation

    CSIRO has used solar energy to generate hot and pressurised ‘supercritical’ steam, at the highest temperatures ever achieved in the world outside of fossil fuel sources.Supercritical steam is a breakthrough for solar energy and means that one day the sun cou

  • Solar photons drive water off the moon

    Research provides measurements for scientists searching for water in solar systemWater is thought to be embedded in the moon’s rocks or, if cold enough, “stuck” on their surfaces. It’s predominantly found at the poles. But scientists probably

  • “The Sun Watchers” – A look inside the Big Bear Solar Observatory

    The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) is a solar observatory located on the north side of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of southwestern San Bernardino County, California (USA), approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of downtown Los Angeles.The tele

  • Cracks in Pluto’s moon could indicate it once had an underground ocean

    If the icy surface of Pluto's giant moon Charon is cracked, analysis of the fractures could reveal if its interior was warm, perhaps warm enough to have maintained a subterranean ocean of liquid water, according to a new NASA-funded study.Pluto is an extremely dista

  • New evidence for oceans of water deep in the Earth

    Researchers from Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico report evidence for potentially oceans worth of water deep beneath the United States. Though not in the familiar liquid form — the ingredients for water are bound up in rock deep in the Earth&rsq

  • New computer program aims to teach itself everything about anything

    In today’s digitally driven world, access to information appears limitless. But when you have something specific in mind that you don’t know, like the name of that niche kitchen tool you saw at a friend’s house, it can be surprisingly hard to sift

  • Millions of fish around the world are mysteriously dying… but why?

    Millions upon millions of fish and sea creatures are dying around the world, but it's all very mysterious, as there does not appear to be much explanation for it, logical or otherwise.When more than six tons of fish died recently in Marina del Ray, it made headlines