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Latest News About Earth

The asteroid 2024 YR4 are dim in visible light, but the infrared light it gives off means the JWST will be a powerful tool to study it

Asteroid 2024 YR4’s odds of hitting Earth just got a lot smaller

February 20, 2025

New data dramatically shrank the odds that this asteroid will hit Earth, but astronomers will continue to study it Read more

Scientists accidentally discover Earth's inner core is less solid than expected

February 17, 2025

The new research could help us better understand our planet's thermal and magnetic fields Read more

A coronal mass ejection from August, 2012

Solar flares in May 2024 revealed Earth’s vulnerability to space weather

February 12, 2025

"The CMEs merged, amplifying one another, to create a major event" Read more

Researchers open a canister containing fragments of the asteroid Bennu in a super-clean laboratory under inert gas to prevent contamination

Asteroid fragments upend theory of how life on Earth bloomed

January 29, 2025

Samples from Bennu contain the chemical building blocks of life — but with a twist Read more

An illustration shows a small asteroid racing past Earth

SEE FEB 20 ARTICLE FOR UPDATE: Astronomers discover 196-foot asteroid with 1-in-83 chance of hitting Earth

January 28, 2025

It will most likely be a close approaching rock that misses us. Read more

Cracked mud and salt on the valley floor in Death Valley National Park in California can become a reflective pool after rains

NASA scientists find new human-caused shifts in global water cycle

January 16, 2025

These shifts could have impacts on ecosystems and water management Read more

NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image on April 21, 2023

Saltwater to widely taint coastal groundwater by 2100

December 11, 2024

Intrusion of saltwater into coastal groundwater can make water there unusable, damage ecosystems, and corrode infrastructure Read more

This visualization shows average precipitation for the entire globe based on more than 20 years of data from 2000 to 2023

Crops, forests responding to changing rainfall patterns

December 11, 2024

Earth’s rainy days are changing: They’re becoming less frequent, but more intense Read more

Geomagnetic storms cause “mass migrations” of satellites

December 11, 2024

Geomagnetic storms that create auroral displays can also affect satellite orbits and collision avoidance efforts Read more

Tiny asteroid detected hours before hitting Earth to become 4th 'imminent impactor' of 2024

December 3, 2024

The asteroid should create a harmless fireball over Siberia Read more

Plate tectonics may have played a larger role in the evolution of life on Earth than we previously thought

Did plate tectonics give rise to life?

November 8, 2024

Emerging evidence suggests that plate tectonics may have begun much earlier than previously thought Read more

An illustration of a comet blazing through Earth’s skies

'Crumb trails' of meteoroids could reveal potential 'planet-killer' comets years before they reach Earth

November 7, 2024

Comets that rarely swing past the sun could ram into our planet, but we could spot them using their "crumbs" Read more

An illustration of a massive asteroid headed toward Earth

'God of chaos' asteroid may be transformed by tremors and landslides during 2029 flyby of Earth

November 3, 2024

Our planet's gravity may trigger tremors and landslides that totally change the asteroid's surface Read more

An illustration of a meteor striking Earth

A meteorite 100 times bigger than the dinosaur-killing space rock may have nourished early microbial life

November 2, 2024

On a young Earth, giant meteors might have been a harbinger of life, not death Read more

An illustration of the world when it was covered in a single vast continent known as Pangaea

Earth's mantle is split into two halves thanks to supercontinent Pangaea

October 26, 2024

The mantle is split up into two domains that emerged when supercontinent Pangaea broke apart Read more

Injecting 5 million tons of diamond dust into the stratosphere each year could cool the planet by 1.6ºC

Are diamonds Earth’s best friend? Gem dust could cool the planet

October 17, 2024

Idea would cost trillions, but could avoid issues with other “geoengineering” schemes Read more

Seven Earth-like planets orbit the Trappist-1 star, but could any of them host life as we know it?

Mass extinctions on Earth can help us find alien life in the cosmos. Here's how

October 3, 2024

These events can either be a catastrophe or the best thing that has happened to our planet. Read more

Lake Tuz in Türkiye's Konya Basin as seen from space.

Strange discovery finds Earth's crust 'dripping' into the planet's belly

September 28, 2024

It's called lithospheric dripping and geologists are still figuring out the different ways it manifests. Read more

Brown University's Harriet Lau explains how they are different to the ocean.

Earth tides: Why our planet's crust has tides too

September 27, 2024

Did you know that our planet’s crust has tides too? Read more

A sea turtle swims in a coral reef in Hawaii. Ocean acidification, found to be on the brink of crossing a boundary into higher-risk territory, can affect coral skeleton formation.

Earth Is on the Brink of Breaching a Seventh of Nine ‘Planetary Boundaries’ That Support Life

September 26, 2024

A new “health check” for our planet sounds an alarm bell on rising ocean acidification Read more

An artist’s concept of a rocky planet orbiting a white dwarf star.

The Sun Will Destroy the Earth One Day, Right? Maybe Not.

September 26, 2024

Astronomers spotted a potential Earth-size rocky world orbiting a white dwarf, suggesting a future in which our planet outlives its star. Read more

Earth's outer core is made up of liquid iron and nickel and surrounds the solid inner core. Its churning movements create Earth's magnetic field

Earth's outer core may hold a hidden 'doughnut'

September 19, 2024

A newly discovered "doughnut" in Earth's core could influence the planet's magnetic field. Read more

A person looks at cap carbonate rocks in South China in 2019.

Explaining dramatic planetwide changes after world's last 'Snowball Earth' event

September 19, 2024

A new study provides a new explanation for dramatic global environmental changes that led to their formation. Read more

Hypothetical Ring System around a modern Earth.

The Earth Might Have Been a Ringed Planet Long Ago

September 18, 2024

Almost half a billion years ago, our planet may have had a temporary ring, too. Read more

Fascinating Facts About Earth

If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel.
Earth completes an orbit of the Sun every 365.25 days; this is where the 366th day of the leap year comes from, and we add it to keep yearly calendars consistent with our orbit around the sun.
Earth is the only planet not named after a god or goddess.
Earth is different from the other rocky planets because 70 percent of its surface is covered in oceans. Although most of the Earth’s surface is covered in oceans, water only makes up 0.13% of the total volume of the planet. Hence, if Earth was the size of a basketball, all the water in the world would amount to two teaspoons.
Earth's atmosphere protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in our atmosphere before they can strike the surface as meteorites.
The first being to orbit the Earth was Laika the dog in 1957. A few years later, dogs Belka and Strelka became the first creatures to return from space alive.
Earth is the densest planet with a density of 5.52 grams per cubic centimeter. The density of water is 1 gram per cubic centimeter.

Missions

Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) (2018)
Mission to measure the height of a changing Earth

Soil Moisture Active Passive (2014)
Mission to provide soil moisture and freeze/thaw measurements

ISS-RapidScat (2014)
Mission to measure near-surface ocean wind speed and direction

Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) (2014)
Mission to study atmospheric carbon dioxide

Landsat 8 (2013)
Mission to monitor, understand and manage resources

Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) (2013)
Mission to study moisture and chemical composition of upper atmosphere

Van Allen Probes (2012)
Mission to study Van Allen Radiation Belts around Earth

Suomi NPP (2011)
Mission to acquire land, ocean and atmospheric measurements

Glory (2011)
Mission to understand climate system

DISCOVER-AQ (2011)
Mission to measure difference in air quality in upper atmosphere and near surface

Aquarius (2011)
Mission to measure sea surface salinity

IceBridge (2009)
Mission to produce three-dimensional view of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets

NOAA-N Prime (2009)
Mission to improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events

ARCTAS (2008)
Mission to study effect of air pollution in the Arctic

CloudSat (2006)
Mission to study role of clouds and atmospheric aerosols in climate, weather and air quality regulation

Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) (2006)
Mission to study role of clouds and atmospheric aerosols in climate, weather and air quality regulation

SERVIR (2005)
Mission to provide monitoring, imaging and mapping data and geospatial information

NOAA-N (2005)
Mission to collect information about the atmosphere and environment

Aura (2004)
Mission to study chemistry and dynamics of the atmosphere

Ice, Clouds, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) (2003)
Mission to understand effect of atmosphere and climate change on polar masses

Aqua (2002)
Mission to collect a variety of global data sets from six observation instruments

Jason (2001)
Mission to continue study of ocean surface topography

Terra (1999)
Mission to collect observational data of Earth

Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) (1997)
Mission to study rainfall for weather and climate research

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) (1991)
Mission to study role of upper atmosphere in varying climate

Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (1983)
Network of specialized communications satellites to provide communication services to NASA spacecraft

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) (1975)
Mission to help meteorologists predict local weather events

Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) (1960)
Mission to provide operational climate data

More Earth missions