OCEANS
Why the sea rises and falls
The Moon sets a rhythm, the Sun changes its strength, and every coastline gives the tide a different response.
THE CURIOSITY JOURNALONE QUESTION. A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING.
SPACE · FEATURED STORY
Why the eclipsed Moon can turn red
Earth blocks the Sun, yet a little sunlight finds a curved, colourful route through our atmosphere.
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Bar chart comparing the fraction of red, green and blue light remaining in a simplified transmitted beam after the same illustrative air path: red 60%, green 37%, blue 11%.
FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
A little wonder.
A wider world.
Stories that connect everyday questions with the discoveries behind them. Read the story, then choose how much further to explore.
A little further
Browse all storiesSPACE
How the Moon can hide the Sun
A small world can conceal a star when distance supplies the right perspective—and the brief darkness can reveal what daylight hides.
WEATHER
Why thunder arrives after lightning
The pause is a travel time. The rolling sound is a clue to the shape of the flash and the atmosphere carrying its voice.
WEATHER
Before the flash: how a storm builds lightning
The bolt lasts an instant. Its preparation takes a cloud full of moving ice, separated charges and air pushed beyond its insulating limits.
OCEANS
Why seawater is salty—and rivers mostly are not
The sea keeps a chemical record of rain on rocks, water returning to the sky and reactions beneath the ocean floor.
TECHNOLOGY
The ocean beneath your screen
A message crosses the world in a moment. Its journey began with a ship, a copper wire, and an ocean of uncertainty.