This image is from June 2021. It shows barren hillsides and dry trees in a national forest, during the California drought. Click in for a comparison image from 2020.
Researchers used the Large Hadron Collider to investigate the 1st matter formed in the 1st microsecond of Big Bang. They said it had liquid-like properties.
Astronomers with the Dark Energy Survey have created the largest-ever map of dark matter, using artificial intelligence. It covers 100 million galaxies.
Space officials called it a "lucky strike" when space debris smacked into the skinny robotic arm on the space station, creating a hole now seen in images.
What a catch! This EarthSky community member caught the International Space Station (ISS) slicing across the night sky on May 17, 2021, passing Polaris, the North Star.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.