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How Jim Jordan tried to connect the dots on Biden’s $8 million book deal

Biden’s false claim that inflation was 9 percent when he took office

Did Obamacare ‘massively’ increase the cost of health care?

She finished chemo then got a medical degree: ‘The dream is real now’

Puppy abandoned with heart-rending note is adopted, named Minerva

Man, 91, shocks tiny firehouse with $500K gift: ‘Nobody knew how much I’d saved’

Blue Origin to fly again as space tourism struggles to get off the ground

Why this company’s biggest fans turned against it

Boeing delays spaceflight again as it continues to struggle with leak

The world’s coolest hotels want to tell you a story

Cruise ships to return to Baltimore two months after bridge collapse 

Some cruise prices are about to get a little more clear

Carolyn Hax: Is it weird to ask other people to care about you?

Ask Amy: Can’t a single woman eat alone without interruption?

Miss Manners: Miss Manners: Gag gift falls flat

At campus protests, ‘DO NOT TALK TO THE MEDIA’!

CNN gets a presidential debate — and a much-needed win

Netflix will air NFL’s Christmas games, a major step for streaming service

Book Tour: At home with Amor Towles

In photos: The scene in Houston after severe storms killed at least 7 people

Deadly storm blasts Houston

Joey Gallo returns, but Nats endure another quiet offensive night

Walter Johnson’s jersey from 1920 showdown with Babe Ruth sold at auction

Bryce Harper, Joey Gallo and a bond forged by baseball since they were kids

Russia shows resilience. There is more to do for Ukraine.

Trump promises tax cuts and fewer rules. CEOs shouldn’t fall for it.

Tariffs against China hamstring the transition to a clean energy future

Zelensky’s chief aide flexes power, irks critics — and makes no apologies

IDF recovers bodies of 3 Israelis killed on Oct. 7

With its energy network nearly destroyed, Ukraine already fears the winter

‘Never Trump?’ ‘Never Biden’ voters might loom larger.

Ukraine gamble pays off: Republicans face little backlash in primaries

Trump

Oct. 10, 2016

Sept. 8, 2016

May 9, 2016

April 17, 2016

Mars may have an ugly history – <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/19/mars-may-have-been-carved-up-by-ancient-tsunamis/">giant tsunamis</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/11/05/nasas-latest-findings-on-mars-solar-wind-stripped-away-atmosphere-and-water/">blistering solar wind</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/03/24/the-opportunity-rover-just-clocked-in-an-11-year-marathon-on-mars/">robot invasions</a> – but it's looking pretty good in this new photo from the Hubble. This month, the planet comes closer to our own than it has for over a decade, and on May 12 the Hubble took full advantage and captured a shot from just 50 million miles away.

The resulting image – shown in natural color – reveals details as small as 20 miles across.

It's not just the close proximity that makes this image so sharp. If you've ever tried your hand at photography, you know that the best way to light a photo is to stand with the Sun behind you. This month, Mars is approaching something called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_(planets)">opposition.</a>" When it reaches opposition on May 22, our planets will be perfectly aligned with the Sun, because their orbits will catch up with one another: The Sun and Mars will be on exact opposite sides of Earth. Since Hubble is <em>basically</em> on Earth, cosmically speaking (it's in a low orbit), that means our "photographer" is perfectly positioned with the Sun behind her and her subject (Mars) straight ahead. Everything is illuminated.

Space Science Institute

That giant orange splotch is called Arabia Terra, and it stretches over 2,800 miles of the planet. Scientists believe that it might be one of the oldest areas on the planet, because it's densely cratered. Geologic activity like volcanic explosions smooth out planetary surfaces, so an abundance of craters says as much about how "dead" a planet is as it does about the world's role as a cosmic punching bag. Dark features running along the planet's equator are colored by the bedrock and sand of ancient lava flows.


<i>
    [The Hubble captured rare images of a comet’s close encounter with Earth]
  </i>


To the far right, you can spot Syrtis Major – an ancient, inactive shield volcano – surrounded by clouds. Just south of that is an oval crater called the Hellas Planitia basin – the largest crater on the planet, more than 1,000 miles across – which was formed by an asteroid 3.5 billion years ago. The crater is nearly five miles deep.

My favorite thing about this photo is that we get to see some <a href="http://mars.nasa.gov/MPF/science/clouds.html">wispy Martian clouds</a>. You can also see the planet's northern ice cap, though it's very tiny – after all, <a href="http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/mars/mars-calendar.html">it's summer on Mars</a>.

Mars and Earth line up around the Sun this way as often as once every two years or so (every 780 days, to be precise). But because Mars has an elliptical orbit, not all of these oppositions are made equal. On May 30, eight days after its moment of perfect alignment, Mars will be just 46.8 million miles away from Earth – its closest approach in 11 years.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/19/mars-may-have-been-carved-up-by-ancient-tsunamis/">Mars may have been carved up by massive ancient tsunamis</a>

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/04/28/nasas-new-gold-covered-telescope-will-put-the-hubble-to-shame/"> NASA’s new gold-covered telescope will put the Hubble to shame</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/02/17/travel-the-galaxy-with-nasas-fantastic-space-tourism-posters/">Travel the galaxy with NASA’s fantastic space tourism posters</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/02/09/explore-mars-in-this-new-360-degree-video-from-nasa/">Explore Mars in this new 360-degree video from NASA</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/02/18/this-beautiful-new-map-of-mars-makes-it-look-like-a-great-place-for-hiking/">This beautiful new map of Mars makes it look like a great place for hiking</a>