#let's learn about

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about exoplanets

Exoplanets are planets outside of our solar system. Scientists are finding out more about them than ever before.

Most of us probably aren’t going far away for a vacation this year. But we can still daydream. How about a rock-climbing trip on Proxima b? Watching the lightning crash on HAT-P-11b? Maybe go to see the double sunrise on Kepler-453b? If you haven’t heard of these vacation destinations, that’s because no one has been to them — yet. They are all exoplanets.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

A planet is an object in space that orbits a star. In order to count as a planet, it has to be big enough that gravity has pulled it into a roundish shape. It also has to have enough gravity to clear other objects out of its path around its star. A planet is one of these objects that orbits our particular star — the sun. When a planet orbits another star, it’s called an exoplanet.

Exoplanets have all sorts of fascinating properties. Some have two suns. Exoplanets could have atmospheres filled with hydrogen. Some have lightning storms more intense than anything the Earth has ever seen. And a few might be places where scientists could look for life. They are in the Goldilocks zone — an area at just the right distance from a star to allow liquid water to flow on the surface of the planet. They might even get rain.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Distant planet may boast the longest year: This ‘year’ is 163,000 Earth years long (6/2/2014) Readability: 7.8

Planets with hydrogen skies could harbor life: Earth microbes survived atmospheres hosting only the most abundant element in our universe (6/2/2020) Readability: 7.5

This planet’s lightning storms are like nothing on Earth: HAT-P-11b has some truly intense electric weather (6/3/2016) Readability: 7.0

Explore more

Scientists Say: Exoplanet

Explainer: What is a planet?

Like Tatooine in ‘Star Wars,’ this planet has two suns

Profile: Looking for life beyond the solar system

Small, distant worlds are either big Earths or little Neptunes

R.I.P. Kepler, the planet-hunting telescope

Scientists consider how to visit the closest exoplanet

Word find

Want to visit an exoplanet? Pack your bags! NASA has an Exoplanet Travel Bureau where you can learn about different exoplanets and take a virtual tour of what they might look like.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about bias | Science News for Students

People can be biased, even if they don’t think they are. Luckily, there are ways to fight our biases.

Many people would like to believe that they treat all people equally. But often that simply isn’t true. People can be biased — preferring one group of individuals over another. Many times, that bias is implicit — meaning the people who are biased don’t know they are.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

Sometimes a bias can be innocent. Maybe you prefer the color blue over the color red. That’s okay. Even bedbugs have favorite colors.

When bias is in favor of one group of people over another, though, it can lead to great harm. Some biases, such as racism and sexism, can even impact someone’s physical health and increase signs of depression. Many of these biases arise out of stereotypes — simplified beliefs that may not be true. But biases can be changed, with learning and understanding and listening.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Think you’re not biased? Think again: Everyone has unconscious biases about certain social groups — but there are ways to limit them (6/22/2017) Readability: 7.8

Racism hurts: Science probes racism and what people can do to fight it (12/6/2016) Readability: 6.9

Game may help rid people of biases they didn’t know they had: A teen designed a game to help people see different points of view (5/15/2019) Readability: 6.8

Explore more:

Scientists Say: Stereotype

Explainer: Five things you can do about racism

Fact checking: How to think like a journalist

Calling scientists of all colors

Heartbeat can affect racial perception of threat

Racial discrimination may aggravate asthma, study finds

Word Find

Think you’re not biased? Everyone has biases. You can find out about some of yours by taking an implicit bias test from Harvard University.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about exoplanets

Exoplanets are planets outside of our solar system. Scientists are finding out more about them than ever before.

Most of us probably aren’t going far away for a vacation this year. But we can still daydream. How about a rock-climbing trip on Proxima b? Watching the lightning crash on HAT-P-11b? Maybe go to see the double sunrise on Kepler-453b? If you haven’t heard of these vacation destinations, that’s because no one has been to them — yet. They are all exoplanets.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

A planet is an object in space that orbits a star. In order to count as a planet, it has to be big enough that gravity has pulled it into a roundish shape. It also has to have enough gravity to clear other objects out of its path around its star. A planet is one of these objects that orbits our particular star — the sun. When a planet orbits another star, it’s called an exoplanet.

Exoplanets have all sorts of fascinating properties. Some have two suns. Exoplanets could have atmospheres filled with hydrogen. Some have lightning storms more intense than anything the Earth has ever seen. And a few might be places where scientists could look for life. They are in the Goldilocks zone — an area at just the right distance from a star to allow liquid water to flow on the surface of the planet. They might even get rain.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Distant planet may boast the longest year: This ‘year’ is 163,000 Earth years long (6/2/2014) Readability: 7.8

Planets with hydrogen skies could harbor life: Earth microbes survived atmospheres hosting only the most abundant element in our universe (6/2/2020) Readability: 7.5

This planet’s lightning storms are like nothing on Earth: HAT-P-11b has some truly intense electric weather (6/3/2016) Readability: 7.0

Explore more

Scientists Say: Exoplanet

Explainer: What is a planet?

Like Tatooine in ‘Star Wars,’ this planet has two suns

Profile: Looking for life beyond the solar system

Small, distant worlds are either big Earths or little Neptunes

R.I.P. Kepler, the planet-hunting telescope

Scientists consider how to visit the closest exoplanet

Word find

Want to visit an exoplanet? Pack your bags! NASA has an Exoplanet Travel Bureau where you can learn about different exoplanets and take a virtual tour of what they might look like.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about hurricanes

Hurricanes are huge, terrifying storms that form over warm ocean waters — and waters are getting warming.

Summer in North America means the arrival of warm weather, family vacations, ice cream and hurricane season. Every year, these huge storms form over the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Many fade out at sea. A few head for the coasts of North or South America.

Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all tropical cyclones. What a storm is called depends on where it forms. If it forms in the Indian Ocean, it’s a cyclone. If it’s in the Western Pacific, it’s a typhoon. If the storm is in the Atlantic Ocean or the Eastern Pacific, it’s a hurricane.

These are all rotating storms with heavy rain that form over warm ocean water. As the climate changes, oceans are getting warmer. That warmer water can create bigger storms that cause more damage.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

The strength of a tropical cyclone is defined by its wind speeds. A storm doesn’t qualify as a tropical cyclone unless it has a sustained wind speed of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes are then split up into five categories based on wind speed. Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes are considered “major” storms. If such storms make landfall, they can be devastating. (Learn how to prepare for a hurricane at ready.gov.)

Earth isn’t the only planet where powerful rotating winds can occur. And in space, the wind can get much, much faster. A hurricane around the center of a galaxy called J0230 has winds that howl at one-fifth of the speed of light.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Climate change intensified Hurricane Florence, study finds: The study concluded that the storm’s size and fury would have been much smaller without global warming (9/14/2018) Readability: 7.9

Scientists at last link some extreme weather to human activities: Researchers ruled out 2016’s deadly heat and ocean-warming events as simply being due to chance (1/17/2018) Readability: 8.5

Hurricane at this galaxy’s center is wicked fast: Winds circling one black hole whip by at almost one-fifth the speed of light (4/24/2016) Readability: 6.6

Explore more

Scientists Say: Hurricane or typhoon?

Explainer: Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons

Analyze This: Seasonal hurricane costs have been rising sharply

Explainer: The furious eye(wall) of a hurricane or typhoon

Pacific hurricanes to strengthen as Earth warms

Hurricane Harvey proved to be a tornado master

Picture This: Biggest hurricane in the West

Word find

Drag the hurricane in this interactive from the University of Wisconsin Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences to see how ocean temperature affects storm size and strength.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about hurricanes

Hurricanes are huge, terrifying storms that form over warm ocean waters — and waters are getting warming.

Summer in North America means the arrival of warm weather, family vacations, ice cream and hurricane season. Every year, these huge storms form over the Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Many fade out at sea. A few head for the coasts of North or South America.

Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all tropical cyclones. What a storm is called depends on where it forms. If it forms in the Indian Ocean, it’s a cyclone. If it’s in the Western Pacific, it’s a typhoon. If the storm is in the Atlantic Ocean or the Eastern Pacific, it’s a hurricane.

These are all rotating storms with heavy rain that form over warm ocean water. As the climate changes, oceans are getting warmer. That warmer water can create bigger storms that cause more damage.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

The strength of a tropical cyclone is defined by its wind speeds. A storm doesn’t qualify as a tropical cyclone unless it has a sustained wind speed of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes are then split up into five categories based on wind speed. Category 3, 4 and 5 hurricanes are considered “major” storms. If such storms make landfall, they can be devastating. (Learn how to prepare for a hurricane at ready.gov.)

Earth isn’t the only planet where powerful rotating winds can occur. And in space, the wind can get much, much faster. A hurricane around the center of a galaxy called J0230 has winds that howl at one-fifth of the speed of light.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Climate change intensified Hurricane Florence, study finds: The study concluded that the storm’s size and fury would have been much smaller without global warming (9/14/2018) Readability: 7.9

Scientists at last link some extreme weather to human activities: Researchers ruled out 2016’s deadly heat and ocean-warming events as simply being due to chance (1/17/2018) Readability: 8.5

Hurricane at this galaxy’s center is wicked fast: Winds circling one black hole whip by at almost one-fifth the speed of light (4/24/2016) Readability: 6.6

Explore more

Scientists Say: Hurricane or typhoon?

Explainer: Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons

Analyze This: Seasonal hurricane costs have been rising sharply

Explainer: The furious eye(wall) of a hurricane or typhoon

Pacific hurricanes to strengthen as Earth warms

Hurricane Harvey proved to be a tornado master

Picture This: Biggest hurricane in the West

Word find

Drag the hurricane in this interactive from the University of Wisconsin Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences to see how ocean temperature affects storm size and strength.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about the sun | Science News for Students

The sun is our own personal star and the reason life exists on Earth.

You shouldn’t look directly at the sun, but it doesn’t take a close look to appreciate its power. Earth’s personal star, the sun supplies the light and heat that keeps everything alive.

Not just essential, the sun feels nice, too. Exposure to the sun’s rays actually produces a feel-good chemical in the brain. But too much can make our skin burn, and can even cause skin cancer later in life. Enjoy the sun, but make sure you use sunscreen.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

Standing outside in the summer, the sun’s rays feel hot. But the star itself is far hotter than any heat you’ve ever experienced. The interior of the sun is 15 million degrees Celsius (27 million degrees Fahrenheit). The outer surface, or corona, is a hundred times hotter. This hot, hot heat comes from the super-heated hydrogen and helium inside the sun. The gases get so hot that their atoms start to come apart, and plumes of the resulting plasma rise to the surface of the star. There, magnetic waves turn up the heat even more. Look closely with the right telescope, and the sun’s surface is revealed as beautiful boiling golden bubbles.

While our sun is called a yellow dwarf star, it’s not that small. It’s medium sized — about 1.4 million kilometers (864,000 miles) across, and about 109 times the size of Earth. And it’s actually white. Through our atmosphere, though, we perceive the sun as yellow.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

An active sun is a somewhat smaller sun: The sun shrinks and grows a tiny bit over cycles lasting about 11 years (7/9/2018) Readability: 7.5

See the sun in dazzling detail: Images from a newly opened telescope show boiling plasma on the star’s surface (2/21/2020) Readability: 6.8

How the outer sun gets so hot: Magnetic waves boost the corona to extreme temperatures (8/17/2011) Readability 8.9

Explore more:

Scientists Say: Yellow dwarf

Explainer: How heat moves

The Parker Solar Probe aims to touch the sun

NASA’s Parker probe spots rogue waves and magnetic islands on the sun

The sun’s giant heat elevators

Magnetic fields may supercharge the sun’s release of heat

Cool Jobs: Solar sleuthing

Word find

Harness the power of the sun with this solar oven project from NASA. Line an open box with aluminum foil, and use it to reflect sunlight into the box. The solar oven can heat s’mores, no fire needed.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Let’s learn about coral reefs

Coral reefs are home to many important species. But climate change is stressing corals to the max.

Coral reefs provide spots of brilliant color under the waves. These ecosystems are wildly diverse — home to everything from crabs to sea turtles. It’s all based on coral — small marine animals that build themselves stony skeletons, often on top of older corals.

But these busy underwater rainforests are in danger. Coral get their gorgeous color from zooxanthellae — single-celled, brightly colored algae that live with the coral. But when water around coral reefs gets too warm, corals get stressed. This makes them kick out their algal roommates. With the colorful algae gone, the corals appear ghostly white. That’s why these events are called coral bleaching. If the coral can’t attract another algae roommate in time, the coral itself will die. A bleached reef can spell trouble for the many species that call it home.

See all the entries from our Let’s Learn About series

Coral bleaching is happening more often and in more places lately. That’s because of climate change. As the Earth’s temperature rises, the oceans have taken in a lot of the heat. Warmer oceans results in more bleaching events. The oceans are also storing much of the carbon dioxide that people produce by burning fossil fuels. That extra carbon dioxide results in oceans that are more acidic, which makes it harder for corals to build their rocky homes. More than half of the world’s coral reefs are in danger of disappearing.

Scientists are working to figure out how to help bleached corals and plant new coral reefs. They’ve found that some corals bleach not white, but neon. The neon colors might lure algae back. They’ve also found that playing a soundtrack from a healthy reef can lure fish back to a sick one — making it easier for the sick reef to recover. They’re also planting tiny bits of coral in new places, trying to help new reefs get a good start.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Going bright may help corals recover from bleaching: Coral pigments act as a sunscreen and may make a friendlier home for returning algae (6/25/2020) Readability: 7.2

Healthy coral reef sounds attract fish searching for a home: Underwater speakers may prove useful in efforts to restore some reefs (1/28/2020) Readability: 6.2

Bird poop helps keep coral reefs healthy, but rats are interfering: Nitrogen from bird guano makes for more productive reef ecosystems, but snacking rats mean fewer birds (8/1/2018) Readability: 7.4

Explore more

Scientists Say: Zooxanthellae

Explainer: Ocean Acidification

Shell shocked: Emerging impacts of our acidifying seas

Catching ‘Dory’ fish can poison entire coral reef ecosystems

Crabs play defense, save corals

Current coral bleaching event is the longest known

Ocean heat waves are on the rise — and killing coral

Mystery disease is killing Caribbean corals

Creative ways to help coral reefs recover

Exploring the mysteries of Cuba’s coral reefs

Corals dine on microplastics

Word find

Dive in! The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Sanctuaries page offers virtual coral reef dives. Explore coral reef restoration, shipwrecks, sea turtles and more.