Leaf tips glow blue in thunderstorms - Popular Science

Showcasing the beauty of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related sciences. These rigid rod-shaped crystals, measuring about 0.5 mm in width and a few millimeters long, have an outsize glow thanks to the arrangement of the molecules within. Their vibrant fluorescence under ultraviolet light was captured on a phone camera by Bidyut Das, a postdoctoral research associate in Samir Kumar Sarkar’s laboratory at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. The lab’s research focuses on creating luminescent organic materials. These particular crystals are made from a compound that has an electron-accepting segment flanked by two electron-donating segments. The molecules pack in such a way that they restrict each other’s movement within the crystal lattice. This confinement keeps the molecules from releasing energy through nonluminescent means and leads to much brighter fluorescence, a useful trait for applications such as organic light-emitting diodes.

More than 99% of the US population lives under light-polluted skies, according to a 2016 study published in Science Advances. With streetlights, brightly lit parking lots, arenas, and passing headlights brightening the night, it can be easy to forget how dark the sky actually is and how many stars appear when you get away from populated areas. Seeing that many stars for the first time can make you pause and remember where you truly are. You are on a rock spinning through space, surrounded by a universe filled with stars, planets, and galaxies larger than anything you can imagine. A remote mountain excursion can combine a dark sky encounter with a day of hiking and sightseeing. After sunset, bright stars emerge above the slopes and ridgelines. These American mountains lie within officially designated dark sky locations that protect natural darkness and the views of the universe it reveals. In northeastern New Mexico, Capulin Volcano sits among volcanic cones, mesas, and buttes in one of the darker areas of the lower 48 states. These landforms help shield the night sky from distant lights, while the rugged terrain has discouraged development in the area.

Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of October 18-24, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess, except for pro forma sessions, until after the midterm elections. This week has two especially interesting events — the launch of JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission tomorrow (Monday) afternoon EDT, and a NASA update on the Artemis program on Friday — plus many others. We’re also keeping track of the discussions on social media about the very close approach of Russia’s Kosmos 2612 to the U. S.-registered ICEYE X36 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite.