planet earth

Space is an interesting place, but it can be hard to wrap your head around some of those out-of-this-world concepts. So what better way to learn facts about space than with GIFs? Here are six interesting and educational GIFs made from videos by Dr James O'Donoghue, a planetary scientist based at the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Enjoy learning, space cadets. Want to learn more? Check out this article about how the new Mac Pro isn't good at grating cheese. 

A group of international researchers and scientists have shed light on one of the central mysteries of solar physics: how energy and heat from the Sun is transferred to the Sun's upper atmosphere, heating it to more than 1 million degrees Farenheit - temperatures that are hotter than the Sun's surface. 

With new images taken in granular detail by the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), the researchers discovered that jets of magnetized plasma (spicules) spurt like geysers from the sun's upper atmosphere into the corona (the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere). These spicules are between 125 and 310 miles wide and erupt continuously across the Sun's surface. Images of the jets also shows how they are made and the paths they travel (at 62 miles per second).

The corona is invisible to the human eye and the source of the mechanisms has been a confounding mystery for astrophysicists - until now. The GIFs below show granular details of the new images taken by the Big Bear Solar Observatory. 

There are animals who are so small that we can hardly find them in the wild, let alone understand how they survive from day to day. The Business Insider gives us all a peak into the smallest animals in the world. 

Bees are seen as one of humanity's biggest enemies, and yet they help to keep us alive. Bees are pollinators, and without them, we wouldn't be alive. They are actually responsible for feeding 90% of the world's population. The host of "Planet Earth" has a small tip for all of us that can save them and save humanity.   Via: Shared.com

These photos represent just a fraction of Earth's incredible beauty. Hopefully we are all doing our part to take care of our amazing planet. 

A little bird has collected lots of trinkets and toys to impress female birds, but he gets bamboozled. 

A little bird has collected lots of trinkets and toys to impress female birds, but he gets bamboozled. 

Planet Earth 2 continues to deliver gems like this every single week.

SPOILER ALERT: The buffalo gets away in the end, so if you're a winner, you're obvi #TeamBuffalo.

SPOILER ALERT: The buffalo gets away in the end, so if you're a winner, you're obvi #TeamBuffalo.

Planet Earth 2 continues to deliver gems like this every single week.

SPOILER ALERT: The buffalo gets away in the end, so if you're a winner, you're obvi #TeamBuffalo.