The Dome of the Rock, on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. An ancient road leading to the site was likely built by Pontius Pilate. (Credit: FrancisOD/Shutterstock)
An archaeological excavation begun 125 years ago has wrapped up with a fascinating discovery: A Roman-era street connecting two religious destinations in Jerusalem was likely built by Pontius Pilate.
Researchers were able to date the 720 feet of uncovered road to about A.D. 30, thanks to coins found along the pavement. That lines up w ...read more
A large storm on Saturn, commonly referred to as a Great White Spot. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI)
As serene as it appears in photographs, the gas giant Saturn is not a peaceful place. Its golden gases whiz around the planet at up to 1,000 mph. At times, massive storms thousands of miles wide break out in its upper atmosphere.
In 2018, astronomers spotted a new kind of storm on Saturn. Four large tempests formed one after another, passing by each other and further disturbing the atmosphe ...read more
Since its inception more than four decades ago, Astronomy magazine — the sister magazine of Discover — has offered readers a ticket to travel into the cosmos. Now, we’re taking the next step by launching the Space & Beyond subscription box.
Starting today, you can order subscriptions for yourself and your loved ones on our website, www.spaceandbeyondbox.com.
Each box has a unique theme and is curated by the editors of our magazine to expand your understanding of the c ...read more
An ice core from Antarctica showing a thick layer of volcanic ash (grey). Oregon State University
The Earth's ice caps, in Greenland and Antarctica, are an invaluable record of climate over the past hundreds of thousands years. As each annual layer of snow falls, gets buried and eventually becomes glacial ice, it traps with it particles and gases from the time it fell. We use that record to examine how the atmosphere has changed.
This turns out to be one of the most important pieces of e ...read more
The nest of a female bagworm. (Credits: Will478/Shutterstock)
Is that a cluster of miniature Lincoln Logs hanging off a branch? Not quite — what may look like a meticulous assortment of twigs is actually the home of a bagworm moth. These bug architects spend most of their short lives weaving homes out of plant debris.
As larvae, the silky worms find a place to settle down and feed, such as a leaf or the branch of a tree. Then, they crawl around and collect materials like twigs, dirt ...read more
