As Wildfires Get More Extreme, Observatories Are at Greater Risk
Climate change is making fire season worse. Now astronomers are feeling the heat.
NASA Delayed the Psyche Launch. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal
Heavenly bodies are always in motion: Pushing back the asteroid probe’s blastoff date could require a new trajectory, longer travel time, and much more power.
A Film Challenges the James Webb Telescope’s Controversial Name
The documentary scrutinizes the former NASA administrator’s role during an era of homophobic policies.
The JWST’s First Photos Show Its Extraordinary Power
The cosmic probe’s long-awaited images will kick off astronomers’ science programs.
How Landsat Chronicled 50 Years on a Changing, Fiery Planet
The pioneering satellite program has provided the longest continuous document of how fire, global warming, and humanity are remaking our world.
Secrets of the Moon’s Permanent Shadows Are Coming to Light
Robots will venture into the sunless depths of lunar craters to find ancient water ice, while studies find hints about how water arrives on rocky worlds.
Why the Search for Life on Mars Is Happening in Canada’s Arctic
Scientists show how microbes living in a salty spring near the North Pole might resemble those that could have survived on the Red Planet—or in ocean worlds.
Spotting Objects From Space Is Easy. This Challenge Is Harder
A battle royale called the Smart program has charged teams with a daunting first task: Identify construction sites on Earth using only data from orbiters.
Astronomers Radically Reimagine the Making of the Planets
Observations of faraway worlds have forced a near-total rewrite of the story of our solar system.