On June 8, 2004, Venus crossed the Sun-s disk for about seven hours, an event not seen since 1882. The transit demonstrates a key technique being used to detect planets orbiting stars outside our Solar System. Just as Venus will temporarily dim the light of our star, the Sun, when it crosses in front of it, a distant planet may crossover and block the light of its parent star. Several planned missions ... Full description.

This website presents the story of Comet LINEAR, which broke apart in 2000, revealing what many scientists thought all along - water in Earth's oceans could have come from outer space. The article discusses findings from the breakup of Comet LINEAR and the possibility of water in its composition. Full description.

This site presents clues to suggest that liquid water once flowed on Mars - raising hopes that life could have arisen there - but the evidence remains inconclusive and sometimes contradictory. Full description.

The Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) instrument interactive illustrates how scientists learn about the composition of an asteroid by studying energy and neutrons that emanate from it. The Dawn spacecraft contains three instruments (GRaND, Visible Infrared Spectrometer, and the Framing Camera) that will provide new answers to questions about the formation and evolution of the early solar system. ... Full description.

This article presents information about the radiation hazards facing astronauts who travel to Mars. It covers the types of radiation including the most dangerous, galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), the damage it does to the body, and methods of shielding against it. One can also listen to this story via streaming audio or a downloadable file. Full description.

Users can subscribe to this free service, which will automatically send a new podcast each day. Topics include nanotechnology, astrophysics and space, observing Earth, and the human world. Full description.

This report discusses what is found when scientists send unmanned aircraft into electrical storms to learn more about their mysterious inner workings. A high altitude version of the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can measure the invisible electric and magnetic fields enveloping a storm. As the UAV flies over the storm clouds, it passes through these fields, sensing the strength and direction ... Full description.

This audio clip discusses recordings of radio frequency noises made by Jupiter during a radio storm. When converted to audio frequencies these noises sound like waves crashing on a beach (L-bursts), woodpeckers pecking, and whales calling plaintively across the sea (S-bursts). The article explains that these radio waves are caused by lasers that are produced by Jupiter and powered by its moon, Io. ... Full description.

This audio clip reports on a rare hurricane in the South Atlantic that crashed into the coast of Brazil. Weather satellites have been circling Earth for more than 40 years and during that time they have never before spotted hurricanes in the south Atlantic. It was thought that vertical wind shears in the South Atlantic are too strong for hurricanes. People in Brazil were not even sure that it was ... Full description.

This audio clip reports on the drought that has gripped some parts of the west for as many as seven consecutive years, causing one of the worst dry spells in decades, resulting in dry soils and low reservoirs. People want to know what causes such severe droughts and if they are predictable. Scientists are studying the current dry spell using data from Earth-orbiting satellites, which provide crucial ... Full description.