An international team of scientists discovered that solar storms can be much more powerful and devastating than we know. By analyzing traces of solar storms in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, researchers concluded that Earth was hit by two extreme solar storms over a thousand years ago. 

Solar storms are eruptions on the Sun which cause the emission of a huge amount of particles. If the emitted particles hit the Earth they engage in interaction with our planet's magnetic field. This interaction causes the particles to gather around Earth's poles therefore causing the northern or southern polar lights, the so-called auroras

Apart from this amazing and visually appealing phenomena, solar storms can also cause major power outages, and can lead to satellites and communication systems break downs. Several extreme solar storms have been observed in the last 40 years, which have led to power outages across major inhabited areas of the planet. One event of such strength was documented in March 1989 in Canada and in October 2003 in Sweden.

A group of researchers have found that comet Lovejoy is emitting ethyl alcohol and sugar as it traverses through space. Their discovery adds evidence to the theory that comets may have "seeded" Earth with complex organic molecules which led to the emergence of life. 

"We found that comet Lovejoy was releasing as much alcohol as in at least 500 bottles of wine every second during its peak activity ," said Nicolas Biver of the Paris Observatory in France, lead author of the new research paper published in the journal Science Advances on October 23, 2015. The researchers also found that in addition to ethyl alcohol and glycolaldehyde (a simple sugar) the comet was releasing material that contained 21 different types of simple organic molecules including ethylene glycol, methyl formate and formamide among others.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is scheduled to perform the deepest-ever dive through the icy plume of Saturn's moon Enceladus on October 28, 2015. The scientists involved in the project are hoping this dive will provide new insights into the moon's ocean environment, its chemistry, composition and hydrothermal activity.

Cassini spacecraft was launched way back in 1997, and entered Saturn's orbit by 2004. Ever since, it has been gathering data about Saturn's unique ring features, composition and magnetic field. Not long after it settled in Saturn's orbit, the spacecraft discovered Enceladus has a global ocean and that, most likely, hydrothermal activity is lurking underneath its surface.

The spacecraft also discovered other geologic activity unfolding over the icy moon, such as its vivid plume, most likely originating from the ocean below, as well as the water vapor and organic molecules over its south pole.