Methane
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UN Confirms 2015-2025 As Hottest Decade On Record
An increase in the concentrations of greenhouse gases "to their highest level in at least 800,000 years" has "upset this equilibrium," says the WMO.
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James Webb Telescope Maps Uranus in 3D for the First Time; Data Reveals Hidden Storms, Methane Clouds
The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the first 3D map of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, tracking temperatures and ion densities up to 5,000 kilometers above its clouds. The observations reveal bright auroras shaped by the planet’s tilted magnetic field and confirm that Uranus is still slowly cooling over long timescales.
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SPHEREx Captures Dramatic Outburst of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s SPHEREx telescope captured a dramatic outburst from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after its close solar flyby in October 2025. Infrared observations in December revealed water vapor, carbon dioxide, methanol, methane, and cyanide erupting from the comet’s nucleus. Scientists say the chemical makeup suggests formation in a relatively warm e...
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Study Finds Why Methane Mysteriously Spiked During Covid-19 Pandemic
The findings highlight the complex link between atmospheric chemistry, climate, and human activity.
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Study Reveals Jupiter's Moon Europa May Lack Conditions To Support Life Despite Its Vast Hidden Ocean
NASA launched the Europa Clipper spacecraft in 2024 with the goal of investigating whether conditions favorable for life exist on Europa.
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Scientists Discover A Hidden Deep-Sea World Beneath The Arctic Ocean
The organisms living here survive without sunlight and rely on chemical energy.
-
Private Satellites Pinpoint Methane Emissions from Oil, Gas, and Coal Facilities Worldwide
Private satellites tracked methane emissions from thousands of oil, gas, and coal facilities globally, revealing major hotspots and providing crucial data for targeted climate action.
-
TRAPPIST-1e Methane Signal Likely False, Webb Data Suggests Airless Planet
The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, located about 39 light-years from Earth, hosts seven rocky worlds orbiting a cool red dwarf star. While several of these Earth-sized planets lie in the star’s habitable zone, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest their atmospheres may be too thin to support life. Earlier hints of methane aro...
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Scientists Identify Microlightning as Source of Mysterious Blue Marsh Lights
For centuries, tales of mysterious blue lights above swamps fascinated people. Modern experiments now explain that microlightning sparks between charged methane bubbles from decomposing plants produce the eerie glow known as will-o’-the-wisps.
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Study Links Microbial Colonization to Ancient Meteorite Crater: What You Need to Know
A Swedish team has precisely dated microbial life in Finland’s Lappajärvi crater. Isotopic traces show bacteria colonized the hydrothermal system just a few million years after the meteorite impact, thriving for millions of years. The finding suggests impact craters on Earth and Mars may provide lasting habitats for life.
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NASA Data Shows Pluto’s Equator Is Lined with Towering Methane Ice Spires
New research based on New Horizons’ decade-old data has uncovered extensive bladed terrain made of methane ice on Pluto. These towering spires, arranged in spaced-out, parallel rows, are likely shaped by seasonal condensation and sublimation cycles. While the terrain spans over half the planet’s midsection, five times the width of continental U...
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Climate Satellite MethaneSAT Fails After Just One Year in Orbit
MethaneSAT, a climate-monitoring satellite backed by Google and the Bezos Earth Fund, has failed after just one year in orbit. Launched in March 2024 to track methane leaks, the $88 million satellite lost power in June 2025. Though unrecoverable, mission operators will continue analyzing the collected data to support climate action and emission tra...
-
JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red
Pluto's thin haze of organic particles, confirmed by JWST’s mid-infrared observations, plays a crucial role in both cooling its mesosphere and launching methane into space. This methane escapes Pluto’s gravity, landing on Charon’s poles where radiation transforms it into reddish tholins. The study highlights how Pluto’s haze shapes not only...
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Turkmenistan Says 'Gateway To Hell' Fire, Raging For Over 50 Years, Tamed
An enormous fire has been raging in Turkmenistan for more than 50 years and nobody has been able to tame it - yet. Known as the 'Gateway to Hell', the Darvaza Gas Crater is a massive gas well that got ignited back in 1971.
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James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
-
UN Confirms 2015-2025 As Hottest Decade On Record
An increase in the concentrations of greenhouse gases "to their highest level in at least 800,000 years" has "upset this equilibrium," says the WMO.
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Uranus in 3D for the First Time; Data Reveals Hidden Storms, Methane Clouds
The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the first 3D map of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, tracking temperatures and ion densities up to 5,000 kilometers above its clouds. The observations reveal bright auroras shaped by the planet’s tilted magnetic field and confirm that Uranus is still slowly cooling over long timescales.
-
SPHEREx Captures Dramatic Outburst of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s SPHEREx telescope captured a dramatic outburst from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after its close solar flyby in October 2025. Infrared observations in December revealed water vapor, carbon dioxide, methanol, methane, and cyanide erupting from the comet’s nucleus. Scientists say the chemical makeup suggests formation in a relatively warm e...
-
Study Finds Why Methane Mysteriously Spiked During Covid-19 Pandemic
The findings highlight the complex link between atmospheric chemistry, climate, and human activity.
-
Study Reveals Jupiter's Moon Europa May Lack Conditions To Support Life Despite Its Vast Hidden Ocean
NASA launched the Europa Clipper spacecraft in 2024 with the goal of investigating whether conditions favorable for life exist on Europa.
-
Scientists Discover A Hidden Deep-Sea World Beneath The Arctic Ocean
The organisms living here survive without sunlight and rely on chemical energy.
-
Private Satellites Pinpoint Methane Emissions from Oil, Gas, and Coal Facilities Worldwide
Private satellites tracked methane emissions from thousands of oil, gas, and coal facilities globally, revealing major hotspots and providing crucial data for targeted climate action.
-
TRAPPIST-1e Methane Signal Likely False, Webb Data Suggests Airless Planet
The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, located about 39 light-years from Earth, hosts seven rocky worlds orbiting a cool red dwarf star. While several of these Earth-sized planets lie in the star’s habitable zone, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest their atmospheres may be too thin to support life. Earlier hints of methane aro...
-
Scientists Identify Microlightning as Source of Mysterious Blue Marsh Lights
For centuries, tales of mysterious blue lights above swamps fascinated people. Modern experiments now explain that microlightning sparks between charged methane bubbles from decomposing plants produce the eerie glow known as will-o’-the-wisps.
-
Study Links Microbial Colonization to Ancient Meteorite Crater: What You Need to Know
A Swedish team has precisely dated microbial life in Finland’s Lappajärvi crater. Isotopic traces show bacteria colonized the hydrothermal system just a few million years after the meteorite impact, thriving for millions of years. The finding suggests impact craters on Earth and Mars may provide lasting habitats for life.
-
NASA Data Shows Pluto’s Equator Is Lined with Towering Methane Ice Spires
New research based on New Horizons’ decade-old data has uncovered extensive bladed terrain made of methane ice on Pluto. These towering spires, arranged in spaced-out, parallel rows, are likely shaped by seasonal condensation and sublimation cycles. While the terrain spans over half the planet’s midsection, five times the width of continental U...
-
Climate Satellite MethaneSAT Fails After Just One Year in Orbit
MethaneSAT, a climate-monitoring satellite backed by Google and the Bezos Earth Fund, has failed after just one year in orbit. Launched in March 2024 to track methane leaks, the $88 million satellite lost power in June 2025. Though unrecoverable, mission operators will continue analyzing the collected data to support climate action and emission tra...
-
JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red
Pluto's thin haze of organic particles, confirmed by JWST’s mid-infrared observations, plays a crucial role in both cooling its mesosphere and launching methane into space. This methane escapes Pluto’s gravity, landing on Charon’s poles where radiation transforms it into reddish tholins. The study highlights how Pluto’s haze shapes not only...
-
Turkmenistan Says 'Gateway To Hell' Fire, Raging For Over 50 Years, Tamed
An enormous fire has been raging in Turkmenistan for more than 50 years and nobody has been able to tame it - yet. Known as the 'Gateway to Hell', the Darvaza Gas Crater is a massive gas well that got ignited back in 1971.
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
