Bright spots in the night sky have been captivating ever since people could look skyward. Our desire to discover what makes the stars shine and why some of the heavenly bodies move in strange ways has sparked centuries of conjecture, observation and exploration, from the simple telescope Galileo used to observe Mars in the early 17th century to the new James Webb Space. Telescope, a 14,300-pound behemoth with a mirror so big it had to be folded down to fit in the launch vehicle.
Tell us here at science news among those fascinated by space. We cover it from the 1920s, when astronomer Edwin Hubble began making his great discoveries, to the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, and the “space race” that landed people on the moon in 1969. Now, more and more Sophisticated robots are independently exploring other planets and even the sun, reporting back to us here on Earth.
This issue’s cover story celebrates the 25th anniversary of rovers on the surface of Mars, beginning with the arrival of little Sojourner on July 4, 1997. Currently, three rovers are hard at work. probing the surface and atmosphere of the red planet. Those machines — NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance, Mars Rover SUVs, and China’s smaller Zhurong — are greatly expanding Mars exploration, writes contributor Alexandra Witze. Perseverance is collecting rock samples that future missions can return to Earth. It even serves as a home base for the little helicopter called the Ingenuity that has flown dozens of times, outliving its intended lifespan and delighting its creators and audiences alike.
That’s not the only noteworthy space news. In July, NASA revealed the first images delivered by the James Webb Space Telescope, and they are mind-boggling. They look back in time more than 13 billion years to reveal swarms of galaxies never seen before. The idea of building a giant telescope and launching it into space was a bold one when it was conceived in the 1980s. And the project was plagued by years of delays and massive cost overruns. Even after its successful launch in December, scientists and engineers held their breath, fearing the spacecraft might not complete the complicated task of unfolding its mirror and five-layer sunshield. After all that, seeing these glowing images and knowing that there will be many more (and more new discoveries) on the way, it seems that the wait has been worth it.
And why stop there? This issue also covers how Months in space affect astronauts’ bone health, which is bad news for those of us who’d like to travel to Mars and also be on our feet afterwards. We report the results of the last efforts to find elusive dark matter. And we also convey how quantum messaging could help aliens communicate with us on earth. Here’s hoping they’re more like ET than the creature in the Alien films.
If there seems to be a lot of amazing stuff happening in astronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics these days, you’re right. To help you stay up to date, we have launched a space newsletter. Register and you’ll get our latest coverage delivered to your inbox every other Friday.