Space

Astronomy, planetary science, spacecraft, observatories, and the instruments extending our map of the universe.

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Analysis

A Weather Map for a Distant World Separates Cloud From Chemistry

Repeated infrared observations are helping astronomers distinguish moving cloud decks from the chemical signatures in an exoplanet atmosphere.

Mara Chen / July 27, 2026 / 7 min

Field Report

Prototype instruments are being designed to survive long lunar nights while recording the faint vibrations that reveal the Moon's interior.

Mara Chen / July 22, 2026 / 8 min

Discovery

Early survey fields from a space telescope show how weak gravitational lensing can make dark matter visible as a pattern rather than a picture.

Mara Chen / July 18, 2026 / 8 min

Discovery

Astronomers are testing whether precisely timed fast radio bursts can reveal otherwise invisible material along the line of sight.

Mara Chen / July 14, 2026 / 6 min

Life / Field Report

Divers and autonomous sensors are mapping small temperature refuges that broad ocean forecasts can miss.

Iris Novak / Jul 26, 2026 / 7 min

Earth / Field Report

A field team is recovering layered sediment that records how wind, meltwater, and microscopic life changed across thousands of seasons.

Leah Morgan / Jul 25, 2026 / 8 min

Health / Field Report

Public-health laboratories are testing how viral measurements in sewage can complement clinics without turning one noisy signal into a forecast.

Nico Reyes / Jul 24, 2026 / 7 min

Physics / Field Report

Instead of waiting for one detector to spike, physicists are comparing synchronized instruments for a pattern that crosses them in sequence.

Mara Chen / Jul 23, 2026 / 8 min