Articles with 200-400 Words

On May 15, 2026 — nearly three years after its launch in October 2023 — NASA's Psyche space probe used Mars' gravity to slingshot itself toward its final destination. Traveling at over 12,300 mph, the spacecraft flew just 2,864 miles above the surface of Mars. The planet's gravity helped it change direction and speed up without using extra fuel. This flyby was a key step in the probe's 2.2-billion-mile (3.5-billion-km) journey to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. There, it will study a unique, metal-rich asteroid named 16 Psyche....

Those celebrating Father’s Day on June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere will get more than gifts and celebrations this year. They will enjoy extra daylight, too. That is because June 21, 2026, also happens to be the June solstice, the first day of summer. For places north of the equator, it is the longest day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, June 21 will mark the start of winter. It will be the shortest day of the year....

An international team of scientists has successfully retrieved the longest sediment core from beneath an Antarctic ice sheet. The 748-foot-long (228 m) sample of rock and mud offers a geological record spanning roughly 23 million years. Researchers hope these ancient layers will reveal how the region responded to past warming periods. This data could help improve predictions about future climate change....

Since late March 2026, millions of bright blue creatures have been washing ashore on the US West Coast, from California to Washington. While they look like jellyfish, these organisms are a type of zooplankton called Velella velella. The word comes from the Latin vēlum, meaning "sail."...