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Irene Klotz

Latest Posts From Irene

Great American Eclipse Casts an Ethereal Eye From Coast to Coast

Great American Eclipse Casts an Ethereal Eye From Coast to Coast

A science writer reflects on the wonders of the August 21 eclipse and looks ahead to her next skygazing opportunity.

All Eyes on the Sun's Mysteriously Superhot Corona During Great American Eclipse

All Eyes on the Sun's Mysteriously Superhot Corona During Great American Eclipse

The total solar eclipse that will span the US on Aug. 21 will give scientists a clear look at the solar corona, an atmospheric halo of plasma that is 200 times hotter than the sun's surface.

The Great American Solar Eclipse: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

The Great American Solar Eclipse: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

A total solar eclipse will sweep across the continental United States on Aug. 21, providing a rare opportunity for much of the country to experience the celestial wonder.

Orphan Planet's Huge Disk Shows That Planets Are More Like Stars Than We Know

Orphan Planet's Huge Disk Shows That Planets Are More Like Stars Than We Know

The discovery of a vast star-like disk of gas and dust surrounding planet OTS44 challenges the notion of what differentiates a planet from a star, and of how their origins differ.

NASA’s $200M Spacesuit Problem Threatens Its Deep Space Exploration Plans

NASA’s $200M Spacesuit Problem Threatens Its Deep Space Exploration Plans

NASA is years away from having new spacesuits for its deep space astronauts despite spending nearly $200 million on three separate development efforts over the past decade.

Student's Genes in Space Test Looks at Effects of Microgravity on Chromosomes

Space & Innovation

Student's Genes in Space Test Looks at Effects of Microgravity on Chromosomes

The experiment, which arrives at the ISS on Saturday, will test a technique to reproduce and analyze telomeres, the DNA-protecting tips of chromosomes.

How Would NASA Search for Extraterrestrial Life on Enceladus?

Space & Innovation

How Would NASA Search for Extraterrestrial Life on Enceladus?

NASA hasn't planned any follow-on missions for Enceladus, but it could be selected for a current or future round of planetary missions.

Supermassive Black Hole Booted From Home by Einstein's Waves, Research Suggests

Supermassive Black Hole Booted From Home by Einstein's Waves, Research Suggests

Astronomers suspect that gravitational waves, first theorized by Albert Einstein, kicked the rogue black hole out of its galactic core after the collision of two galaxies.

Black Hole Found Clutching a White Dwarf in the Closest Such Orbit Ever Seen

Black Hole Found Clutching a White Dwarf in the Closest Such Orbit Ever Seen

Scientists don't know how the cosmic odd couple came to exist, or how long their intimate tango will last.

Saturn's Titan Moon May Offer a Glimpse of Life as We Don't Know It

Saturn's Titan Moon May Offer a Glimpse of Life as We Don't Know It

Conditions on Saturn's largest moon could make Titan the best place in our solar system for us to test ideas about the diversity of life in space.

SpaceX Quickens Launch Pace to Sharpen Competitive Edge

SpaceX Quickens Launch Pace to Sharpen Competitive Edge

Watch a live webcast of SpaceX's latest rocket launch, planned for early in the morning on Tuesday. Elon Musk is looking to remain aggressive as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's aerospace company Blue Origin starts signing up customers.

Mars May Have Once Had Rings — and Could Sport Them Again

Mars May Have Once Had Rings — and Could Sport Them Again

Mars' diminutive moon Phobos may be the latest in a series of increasingly smaller moons that formed from rings of debris that circled the Red Planet in its past, and likely will again in its future.