Here’s why human hobbits became extinct 50,000 years ago

The Crab nebula is visible with binoculars or small telescopes. Scan near bright stars in Taurus to spot this expanding stellar remnant. The post Meet the Crab nebula, remnant of an exploding star first appeared on EarthSky.

A new survey of nearest stars to the sun - more than 2,000 of them - is helping astronomers determine which ones are the most likely to have habitable planets. The post New survey of nearest stars reveals best spots for life first appeared…

A powerful blast from the sun triggered a severe geomagnetic storm on the night of January 19, but the auroras weren't as dazzling as hoped. Here's why. The post Severe geomagnetic storm! What happened to the auroras? first appeared on…

The elephant shrew is a small but clever creature. It survives using speed, memory and keen senses in a world where predators lurk at every turn. The post The elephant shrew is a long-snouted speedster first appeared on EarthSky.

Beyond bolts, there are many lightning forms that you might see, including red sprites, blue jets and more. Read about them and see examples here. The post See lightning forms from the traditional to bizarre first appeared on EarthSky.

When astronomers say a distant world is 'habitable,' what do they mean? Do they mean humans could live there? Do they mean we've discovered alien life? The post Here’s what ‘habitable’ means to astronomers first appeared on EarthSky.

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Blue-white Rigel shines as the brightest star in the constellation Orion the Hunter. It's a hot massive star, that someday will explode as a supernova. The post Blue-white Rigel is Orion’s brightest star first appeared on EarthSky.