2000
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Solar Storm Warning!
June 7, 2000
An interplanetary shock wave from a solar coronal mass ejection is expected to pass our planet this Thursday. The disturbance could trigger aurora at middle-latitudes. This story includes animations of the CME and associated solar flares, as well as observing tips for aurora borealis.
The Ups and Downs of Ozone
June 26, 2000
Scientists are watching carefully as the ozone layer, which protects animal and plant life from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation, begins an uncertain recovery. Ozone destroying chemicals in the atmosphere are on the decline, but the timing and nature of the expected recovery -- and even whether a recovery is occurring at all -- are controversial topics.
A Monster in the Middle
Feb. 29, 2000
The Chandra X-ray Observatorymay have spied a supermassive black hole in the center of our Milky Way galaxy, but it's a fainter x-ray source than astronomers expected.
Hurricane Bonnie 3D Flyby
June 22, 2000
Not Just Another Old Flame
May 12, 2000
NASA scientists have discovered unexpected spiral-shaped flames on Earth. By studying these peculiar flames, researchers hope to mitigate fire hazards on spacecraft and gain new insights about complex systems in nature.
Trick or Treat: It's Toutatis!
Oct. 31, 2000
NASA scientists are monitoring a large near-Earth asteroid that tumbled past our planet on the morning of Halloween 2000. Amateur astronomers can spot it for themselves in telescopes later this month and through binoculars when it passes even closer to Earth in Sept. 2004.
Sunbathing at Solar Max
Sept. 5, 2000
NASA scientists say that Solar Maximum is now in full swing. Does that mean you're more likely to catch a sunburn at the beach? The answer is "no," and this story explains why.
Picture of the Early Universe
April 27, 2000
New images from an Antarctic balloon flight in 1998 have brought the cosmic microwave background into sharper focus. Detailed analysis of the images is shedding light on some of cosmology's outstanding mysteries -- the nature of the matter and energy that dominate intergalactic space and whether space is "curved" or "flat."
Geomagnetic Storm
April 7, 2000
A major geomagnetic storm hit our planet on Thursday after an interplanetary shock wave passed by Earth on April 6, 2000. Displays of the northern lights were spotted in Europe, Asia, Canada, Alaska and in the continental US as far south as North Carolina. The storm appears to be subsiding, but forecasters note that more Auroraemight be visible Friday night.
Planet Hunters on Safari
March 29, 2000
With the discovery of extrasolar planets smaller than Saturn astronomers are increasingly convinced that other stars harbor planetary systems like our own. Of the 30 extrasolar planets around Sun-like stars detected previously, all have been the size of Jupiteror larger.