Eric Ralls

3 days ago | earth.com | Eric Ralls

A famous James Webb Space Telescope portrait has recently gained a fresh dimension. Scientists have transformed the “Cosmic Cliffs” image, first revealed in July 2022, into a sweeping three‑dimensional fly‑through that lets audiences dive into a glittering nursery of stars. The new visualization comes from NASA’s Universe of Learning program and premieres today during a centennial celebration of the first public planetarium, held by the International Planetarium Society in Munich.

3 days ago | earth.com | Eric Ralls

Sub-Neptunes may not orbit our Sun, but they are everywhere in our galaxy. These planets – bigger than Earth, smaller than Neptune – make up the most common type of exoplanet we’ve found so far. Despite their abundance, much about them remains a mystery. That’s especially true when it comes to their thick, cloudy atmospheres. But thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), that’s starting to change.

4 days ago | earth.com | Eric Ralls

Plastic production and advanced recycling continue to expand – and so does the resulting waste. At the same time, public scrutiny of plastic manufacturers is intensifying, pressuring them to tackle the growing issues of recycling and pollution that reach from local landfills to distant coastlines. Dr. Davis Allen, Senior Investigative Researcher at the Center for Climate Integrity, has drawn attention to how plastic producers are promoting a shiny new form of recycling.

4 days ago | earth.com | Eric Ralls

Scientists recently snapped pictures of single, “free range” atoms as they move around freely through space – an achievement that has been impossible until now. This remarkable feat might rewrite our understanding of how minuscule particles behave when they are left to roam without constraints. These images shed light on interactions that experts predicted but have never witnessed up close.

4 days ago | earth.com | Eric Ralls

For centuries, most scientists have shared the belief that light behaves as both a wave and a particle. This idea, then, became the central component to quantum theory, sprouting the field of science known as quantum mechanics. The double-slit experiment supported the idea, showing bright and dark bands that indicated wave-like interference. But now, a new study suggests that this experiment might not lock us into seeing light as a wave.