All Science
In Texas Hill Country, darkness enlightens and inspiresLight may be a symbol of progress, but these communities treasure the humbling wonders of the dark.
First Look鈥楾he planet we care about most鈥�: New satellite maps water on EarthThe United States and France have launched a satellite that will map bodies of water on the Earth鈥檚 surface. The satellite will complete its global journey every three weeks as it measures flow rate and tracks erosion and sea levels.
First LookFusion breakthrough: US achieves net energy gain for first timeScientists announced Tuesday that, for the first time, researchers were able to produce more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it. The breakthrough is significant, but producing power from fusion is still decades away.
First LookSplashdown: NASA鈥檚 Orion moon mission makes successful returnNASA鈥檚 lunar capsule Orion returned from the moon at 32 times the speed of sound, splashing down into the Pacific near Guadalupe Island Sunday. The successful mission was the first to visit the moon for 50 years, marking a new era of space exploration.聽
With Artemis, NASA envisions a multiplanetary future for humanityNASA鈥檚 Artemis launch Wednesday is a step toward humans returning to the lunar surface. The motivations go far beyond exploring the moon itself.
鈥楪ood Night Oppy鈥�: How a documentary captures the human-robot bondWhen director Ryan White talks about 鈥淕ood Night Oppy,鈥� which features Mars space rovers and their handlers, he describes the bonds of family 鈥� and the teamwork it took to exceed expectations.
A new space race? Britain enters the orbital launch business.For people accustomed to hearing about rocket launches from Florida or Russia, the name Spaceport Cornwall may sound like an oxymoron. But the United Kingdom is a builder of satellites 鈥� and now Europe鈥檚 first player in sending them into space.
鈥業t pulls us to be our best selves鈥�: Exploring space and diversity at JPLAs the first woman to lead NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,聽Laurie Leshin聽aims to include 鈥渁ll the brains鈥� in the search for answers to humanity鈥檚 biggest questions.
Return of Nutkin: Red squirrels鈥� comeback in UKEfforts in the United Kingdom to restore the red squirrel population range from secluded sanctuaries to the reintroduction of predators.
First LookNobel Prize in medicine recognizes innovation in ancient DNA studySwedish scientist聽Svante P盲盲bo聽won this year鈥檚 Nobel Prize in medicine for work in comparing the genome of modern humans and our closest extinct relatives. Through their work, Mr. P盲盲bo聽and his team have unlocked doors to the past.
First LookSuccess! NASA's first planetary defense test hits asteroid.NASA鈥檚 first planetary defense test, known as DART, sent a spacecraft crashing into an asteroid at 14,000 mph to knock it off course. In the coming weeks scientists will study the effectiveness of the impact and if it holds promise for future missions.
Target practice in space: NASA aims to knock an asteroid off courseIt鈥檚 innovation in the name of planetary defense:聽NASA鈥檚 DART mission aims to test the idea of colliding with an asteroid to deflect it from Earth.
First LookNo moon shot today: NASA's launch delayed by a leaky engineThe Space Launch System rocket set to lift off Monday from Florida with three test dummies aboard has been postponed. NASA hopes to send four astronauts around the moon in 2024 and land humans there as early as 2025.
Joy of discovery: How Webb telescope expands world鈥檚 sense of wonderBringing joy with their dazzling beauty, the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope also reflect ingenuity 鈥� revealing new layers of the cosmos.
First LookNASA photographs ancient space, gives brand new views to humanityNASA has released its first photos from its $10 billion聽James Webb telescope, showing the deepest and oldest view of space yet. In a time when life on earth feels particularly divisive, sky-watchers see these expansive images as a way to unify the world.
First LookGalactic picture day: See first photo of Milky Way black holeIt took eight radio telescopes all over Earth working in perfect harmony to do it, but scientists successfully snapped the first photo of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Black holes suck light into themselves, so taking their picture is incredibly difficult.
鈥楳artians鈥� walk the Utah desert, paving way for life on red planetAt 22 bases around the world, scientists have been volunteering to simulate life on Mars, learning lessons that may aid real-life exploration.
First LookUp and away: SpaceX blasts diverse crew to space stationSpaceX successfully launched four聽astronauts聽toward the聽International Space Station for NASA on Wednesday. The mission鈥檚 crew is comprised equally of men and women, including the first Black woman making a long-term spaceflight, Jessica Watkins.
Quest for nuclear fusion is advancing 鈥� powered by scientific gritRecent breakthroughs make energy from nuclear fusion look increasingly achievable. But it鈥檚 a tale of decadeslong persistence with hurdles still to come.
First Look鈥楽napshot in amber of the past鈥�: Astronomers spot farthest starAstronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope said Wednesday they have discovered the farthest star ever recorded. They聽magnified the minuscule starlight through聽gravitational lensing to allow the star formed nearly 13 billion years ago to be seen.聽