These elongated, thin blades of hardened snow or ice - closely spaced and pointing generally towards the sun - can be found high in the Chilean Andes. Researchers found patches of red ice on the sides of some of them: a unique snow algae. Read more. Image via Steven Schmidt/GlacierHub.
A dead zone of oxygen-depleted waters forms every summer in the Gulf of Mexico, due to nutrient runoff from the Mississippi River watershed. This year's dead zone is the 8th largest ever recorded. Read more.
On Earth, methane gas is often linked to microbial life. Scientists find methane in Mars' atmosphere, too. Could it be life-related? We still don't know, but a new study shows wind erosion is likely not the cause. Read more.
Before dawn Wednesday and Thursday mornings, let the moon guide you to the constellation Aries the Ram. When the moon moves away, try star-hopping to Uranus using guide stars within this constellation. Be sure to bring your binoculars. Good luck! Read more.
View larger. | European Southern Observatory Photo Ambassador Babak Tafreshi captured this image in northern Chile in 2014. It shows more of the ice structures pictured above, called nieves penitentes, Spanish for penitent-shaped snows. They got that name because they're said to resemble monks in white robes paying penance. The dark band near the horizon is Earth's shadow. Image via Babak Tafreshi/ESO.
