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NASA is reportedly working with Microsoft to ","_key":"14be5180b92b0","_type":"span","marks":[]},{"_key":"14be5180b92b1","_type":"span","marks":["8fc18e04ff6a"],"text":"develop"},{"_key":"14be5180b92b2","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" a tool powered by AI with the capabilities of answering just about any question imaginable on the topic of our home planet."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"36dfc7d729ec"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Getting to know Earth Copilot","_key":"ebb3ace2cd2f0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"2de8ce41cf74","markDefs":[]},{"children":[{"_key":"17d0ab0588c50","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"We don’t know exactly what this new chatbot’s capabilities will be or even when we’ll first have a chance to use it, but NASA’s motivation in creating it is becoming pretty clear."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"b3f9e6ae0fb9","markDefs":[]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"fd4220affdf10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"According to the agency, this tool — known as Earth Copilot — will make Earth’s most complex subjects "},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"easier for ordinary folks to understand","_key":"ecf4847d606b"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". All it will take is a simple question.","_key":"9fea346209b7"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"2af08b89941b"},{"style":"normal","_key":"48d7135b7ba8","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Essentially, Earth Copilot will be a powerful library of all the information in NASA’s extensive database. The chatbot will reportedly be designed to instantly access any relevant information and turn it into a clear and intelligible response.","_key":"eb55cb2dca5c0"}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"By releasing its trove of data to be cataloged by AI, NASA says Earth Copilot will “","_key":"b8e5b9afdd5b0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"democratize” access to the information","_key":"80282bc57d8d"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":".","_key":"287140b6e9a0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"5c541fc17009"},{"_key":"8615a6751f10","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For now, only a select few specialists at NASA are able to access the chatbot’s features. The agency has yet to announce when Earth Copilot will be rolled out on a larger scale, though reports indicate it is expected to be added to the agency’s Visualization, Exploration, and Data Analysis platform.","_key":"794cd3695fb50"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Microsoft has an important role","_key":"e76c1a1da3560"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"4b07890d3fb8"},{"_key":"9627d5787c4e","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"a32a1d11f0110","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The information might be coming from NASA’s database, but Microsoft’s tech is responsible for powering Earth Copilot."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Microsoft exec Tyler Bryson says the company strives to create an AI platform that can “streamline” the research process, “reducing time to gain insights from Earth’s data","_key":"e5f7f63a6e750"},{"_key":"83f26c17d65a","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" to a matter of seconds"},{"_key":"8a3900f76e19","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":".”"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"278e2d905e8b","markDefs":[]},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"e6627d3709b0","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Earth Copilot, he predicted, will automate “specialized skills that very few non-technical users possess.”","_key":"2395bf75485b0"}]}],"title":"Questions About The Earth? 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package doesn't come cheap, but it includes priceless views.","author":{"_ref":"phCNL32Gn","_type":"reference"},"id":"xwOFLBJJ","body":[{"_key":"4df4f187a8b8","markDefs":[{"_type":"link","href":"https://www.wired.com/story/northern-lights-wake-up-call-iceland-hotels/","_key":"89e66c020473"}],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Depending on where you live, your social media feed might have been overwhelmed by posts depicting the aurora borealis, which has been ","_key":"4b02de52714a0"},{"marks":["89e66c020473"],"text":"visible","_key":"4b02de52714a1","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" across more of the planet than usual this year. But no matter how great your Facebook friends’ photos were, a trip to Hotel Ranga could’ve made them better.","_key":"4b02de52714a2"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"style":"normal","_key":"0eff87e05845","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Aurora Wake-Up","_key":"399eb0e58f890"}],"_type":"block"},{"style":"normal","_key":"6efc9e447df0","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Iceland boasts unparalleled views of the northern lights due to its position on the globe, which means it","_key":"47fd38527ad90"},{"text":" tops the list of destinations","_key":"776621120c58","_type":"span","marks":["strong"]},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" for many aurora-seeking tourists. 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Although the lights were initially difficult to see with the naked eye, she said that pointing her phone to the clouds soon revealed","_key":"fb9b1ab614490","_type":"span"},{"marks":["strong"],"text":" a stunning display of colors","_key":"d7740c48c0ac","_type":"span"},{"_key":"bb74c4cf554f","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"72840687b832"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"After a short while, she said her eyes had adjusted to the backdrop and could see the lights clearly without using her phone.","_key":"10664a0538840","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"61b6acd36abc"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"40569c305100","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The experience helped foster a connection with some other Americans, a family visiting Iceland from Connecticut to view the auroras.","_key":"084ae3f847fb0"}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“The five of us spent the next couple of hours taking photos and waiting for the clouds to shift for even better viewing,” Greenberg recalled.","_key":"1119d301af060"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"a242beae94aa"},{"style":"normal","_key":"55e3012dc992","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Winter room rates ","_key":"f73ddc4d079a0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"exceed $400 per night ","_key":"d70adc0556b1"},{"_key":"b3d762e82230","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"with special aurora packages available for additional fees."}],"_type":"block"}],"_updatedAt":"2024-10-22T20:50:36Z"},{"_rev":"9JcuwFGHdcMgcuC9Yho6aG","image":{"asset":{"extension":"gif","uploadId":"t9VGv8ufIdmg9Dl9FmHcvlaiUiZgERse","_rev":"bxU3nL7UJ93Fm2MYpvje07","source":{"name":"Found Footage Video GIF by Eternal 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Pair Of Comets Will Soon Be Battling For Earth’s Attention","slug":"/story/2024/10/a-pair-of-comets-will-soon-be-battling-for-earths-attention","_id":"2162d7be-8762-4f0d-a7d2-8aaa13574183","category":"space","author":{"_type":"reference","_ref":"phCNL32Gn"},"_updatedAt":"2024-10-14T21:43:26Z","id":"noNWa7Pl","body":[{"markDefs":[{"_type":"link","href":"https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/10/two-comets-will-be-visible-in-the-night-skies-this-month/","_key":"c284ffe8e8c2"}],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Halloween will bring about plenty of treats and more than a few tricks — but if you really want a ","_key":"78a35cebe7180"},{"_type":"span","marks":["c284ffe8e8c2"],"text":"surprise","_key":"78a35cebe7181"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" this month, simply turn your eyes to the sky.","_key":"78a35cebe7182"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"8254ad8a9417"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Two notable space 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The latter will make its","_key":"e9e76b71c7df0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" closest pass by our planet ","_key":"64f7d6174007"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"on October 24 (though it could make a return visit days later) and should be visible just before sunrise in the eastern sky.","_key":"c03515bbfd00"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"8d0df98b4223","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Fortunately for all life on our planet, neither comet will get close enough to chart a potential collision course. At their closest, both of the rocks will be millions of miles away from Earth.","_key":"413bcf92af480"}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"48a21b7781960","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Where did they come from?"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"a04e758f42e2"},{"_key":"08d38247340f","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Comets can be found in all corners of our universe, but those nearest to our cosmic neighborhood are thought to have largely originated in a theoretical region known as the Oort Cloud. 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There’s still a lot of work to do, but","_key":"b8cdba9196250"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" we already know quite a bit","_key":"5d253ab58943"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" about it thanks to the work of Albert Einstein.","_key":"ba0e171cd74c"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"15b1d01fa979","markDefs":[]},{"style":"normal","_key":"da70fd3e17bc","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“Darn that Einstein guy,” said Planetary Society chief scientist Dr. Bruce Betts. “He came up with general relativity, and many strange things come out of it. 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