On February 14, 1990, a spacecraft turned its camera back toward Earth from a distance of about 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun and captured the famous photograph known as the ‘Pale Blue Dot’. The image inspired the title of Carl Sagan’s book ‘Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space’, where he reflected on the fragility and unity of life on our planet.
Earth looks perfectly round from space, but due to its rotation and uneven mass distribution, its true shape slightly deviates from a sphere. Using data from ESA’s GOCE mission, scientists created the most detailed map of this ‘true’ shape, which represents Earth’s mean sea level affected by gravity and rotation.
The Moon is slowly drifting away from Earth at a rate of about 4 cm per year due to tidal forces. The Moon’s gravity pulls on Earth’s oceans, creating a bulge of water that, in turn, exerts a small gravitational pull on the Moon, causing it to move slightly farther away over time. This gradual drift also affects Earth’s rotation over millions of years.
In Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo — the second-largest canyon in the United States, often called the ‘Grand Canyon of Texas’ — there stands a famous rock pillar that resembles a lighthouse. Formed over millions of years by erosion from the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, it can be reached via the popular Lighthouse Trail. What is the name of this iconic natural rock formation?
Earth’s magnetic north pole isn’t fixed — it has sped up from drifting about 15 km per year to nearly 50–60 km per year, now moving toward Siberia. Data from ESA’s Swarm mission show this shift is caused by changes deep inside the planet.
Life on early Earth may not have been green, but possibly purple, according to Shil DasSarma, a microbial geneticist at the University of Maryland. He suggests that ancient microbes used a molecule other than chlorophyll to capture sunlight — one that gave them a violet hue. This molecule, still found in halobacteria today, absorbs green light and reflects red and violet light, giving a purple appearance.
This region, located in Turkey, is world-famous for its otherworldly landscape of tall, cone-shaped rock formations known as “fairy chimneys,’ formed by the erosion of soft volcanic rock over thousands of years. It is also known for its ancient cave dwellings and hot-air balloon rides over its surreal terrain.
Located in Tanzania, this massive volcanic crater was formed by the collapse of an ancient volcano about two to three million years ago. Now home to a rich diversity of wildlife, it is one of Africa’s most famous natural wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What is the name of this geological formation?
This boundary layer between the Earth’s crust and mantle was discovered by seismic studies showing a sudden increase in the velocity of earthquake waves. It marks the transition from lighter silicate rocks above to denser peridotite below. What is this boundary called?
This giant marine sinkhole, visible as a perfect blue circle from above, formed during past ice ages when sea levels were lower. It’s now one of the most famous diving sites in the world. Where is this geological wonder located?