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NASA has released an ultra-high definition 4K video of the sun, titled "Thermonuclear Art". The footage, captured in 10 different wavelengths by the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft, is set to a soundtrack from Lars Leonhard. Credit to 'NASA Goddard'.

Science gets scaled up with the first 8K ultra high definition (UHD) video from the International Space Station. Get closer to the in-space experience and see how the international partnership-powered human spaceflight is improving lives on Earth, while enabling humanity to explore the universe. More: Special thanks to the European Space Agency, the ISS National Lab, and astronauts Alexander Gerst, Serena Auñón-Chancellor, Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel. Featured investigations and facilities: 0:01, 2:36 BEST seeks to advance use of sequencing DNA and RNA in space. 0:13 The Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) is a cold storage unit that maintains experiment samples at ultra-cold temperatures throughout a mission. 0:21 The Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), a recent addition to the space station, is the largest growth chamber aboard the orbiting laboratory. 0:33 Canadarm2 is part of Canada's contribution to the space station. This 17-metre-long robotic arm was extensively involved in the assembly of the orbiting laboratory. 0:41 Crew Earth Observations record how the planet is changing over time, from human-caused changes like urban growth and reservoir construction, to natural dynamic events such as hurricanes, floods and volcanic eruptions. 0:49 The Light Microscopy Module (LMM) is a modified commercial, highly flexible, state-of-the-art light imaging microscope facility that provides researchers with powerful diagnostic hardware and software onboard the space station. 0:53 ACE-T-2 looks at the assembly of complex structures from micron-scale colloidal particles interacting via tunable attractive interactions. 0:57 Plant Habitat-1 comprehensively compares differences in genetics, metabolism, photosynthesis, and gravity sensing between plants grown in space and on Earth. 1:05 The Cupola provides an observation and work area for the International Space Station crew that gives visibility to support the control of the station’s robotic arms, and a beautiful view of the Earth, celestial objects and visiting vehicles. 1:14 Atomization observes the disintegration processes of low-speed water jets under various conditions to improve spray combustion processes inside rocket and jet engines. 1:30 BCAT-CS focuses on the study of forces between particles that cluster together by studying sediments of quartz and clay particles. 1:38 Functional Immune analyzes blood and saliva samples to determine the changes taking place in crew members’ immune systems during flight. 2:03 Life Support Rack (LSR) is a technology demonstrator for closed loop air revitalization. 2:15 The Japanese Experiment Module Airlock is used to deliver science experiments to external platforms, and prepare small satellites for deployment from station. 2:23 SPHERES Tether Slosh combines fluid dynamics equipment with robotic capabilities aboard the space station to investigate automated strategies for steering passive cargo that contain fluids. Follow updates on the science conducted aboard the space station on Twitter: For more information on how you can conduct your research in microgravity.

Despite its name, Earth may be the only planet in our solar system that has oceans. It is the fifth-largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the only one that harbors life. The Earth's seas and oceans, which cover 70% of its surface, are home to a large amount of life. With an average depth of 4 km, they account for 97% of the water on the planet. In addition, they feature some impressive landforms: the most extensive mountain range, the Mid-Oceanic Ridge, is deep under the sea. Four times as long as the Andes, the Rocky Mountains, and the Himalayas arranged in a row, it stretches 65,000 km across the Arctic and the Atlantic. A study carried out jointly by the Universities of Münster, Cambridge, and the Zurich Technique showed that the age of the planet is between 4,400 million and 4,510 million years. So far, five mass extinctions have been recorded on the planet. The first occurred 440 million years ago and the last 65 million years ago. Michael Rampino, an Earth science expert at New York University, argues that it takes about 30 million years for the Solar System to cross the plane of the Milky Way. The presence of the system could be one of the reasons why comets' orbits are destabilized, launching them towards the planet. To this, he adds a possibility that is little studied today: dark matter. 8.7 million species, a single planet. The ecosystems that we depend on, as humans, to survive are made up of around 8.7 million plant and animal species. At least this is confirmed by a study by the University of Hawaii (United States) carried out in 2011, which is said to be the most accurate to date. Of these, we only know 1.3 million. Unfortunately, WWF warns with its Living Planet report that, since the 70s of the last century, only the world population of vertebrates has been reduced by 60% due to global warming, the destruction of ecosystems, and the crisis of biodiversity caused by human action. It is in our power to care for and protect (and even discover) all those species that make our planet an (almost) inexhaustible source of life.

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