Comment

The testing of a direct-ascent anti-satellite weapon on 15 November 2021 has prompted renewed efforts in space arms control. A multilateral treaty banning all destructive anti-satellite weapon tests is urgently needed.

A recent survey suggests that reducing the number of meetings and conferences is a viable way to address concerns about the effectiveness of the modern scientific collaboration process, its effects on the environment and the well-being of the community.

The traditional conference format has been with us for more than a century, and yet the contemporary version remains similar in many ways. Can emerging technologies enable conferencing to evolve? The Future of Meetings community of practice present their findings from bringing virtual reality to three recent conferences.

The first planetarium projector was completed 100 years ago, providing the public with an unparalleled view of the night sky. The International Planetarium Society is marking this major anniversary with celebratory events across the globe.

JWST has revealed the most distant galaxies known, but photometric estimates of their redshifts are likely to be overly generous, owing to a statistical effect identified by Sir Arthur Eddington.

Efforts are afoot to create rules for activities on the Moon, but so far none prioritize protecting the unique opportunities for science that exist there. Now is the time to safeguard future scientific discovery on and from our natural satellite.

Dennis Sciama has argued that the existence of life depends on many quantities—the fundamental constants—so in a random universe life should be highly unlikely. However, without full knowledge of these constants, his argument implies a universe that could appear to be ‘intelligently designed’.

Common ground between human spaceflight and astrobiology can be used as the foundation for a new deal in the exploration of Mars that will allow stakeholders to reach critical astrobiological goals while supporting safer human exploration.

A change in policy that has allowed the public to use the Thiruvananthapuram Astronomical Observatory has brought about a consistent increase in visitors that is being spurred on by recent celestial events, such as the appearance of comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF).

The success of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is a giant leap for planetary defence. DART is an important milestone on the long road that still lies ahead for reducing the risk of a devastating natural object impact with Earth.

What is the link between the discovery of the relativistic expanding Universe and British imperialism? A public panel debate in the early days of relativistic cosmology shows how fundamental scientific research, whether there are obvious political stakeholders (like biosecurity and climate) or not, runs real-time risks of being repurposed for political ends.

Unfettered access to dark night skies is rapidly diminishing, due to light pollution and satellite constellation tracks. Scientists should do more to stand up to ‘big light’ and ‘big space’ and preserve this natural resource.

A vital part of future planetary science missions will be the development of more inclusive teams. As NASA’s InSight mission comes to its end on Mars, we share some strategies that have helped us to work toward this goal.

At a Lorentz Center workshop, Chiara Caprini, Antoine Petiteau and Elena Maria Rossi gave a series of presentations about the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, the instrument, and the associated science in cosmology and astrophysics.

The 2019 carbon footprint of the W. M. Keck Observatory is estimated at 3.0 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per science night and that figure will move towards net zero over the next decade or so by decarbonizing the Observatory’s vehicle fleet, aviation footprint reductions and other measures.

The development and use of research infrastructures accounts for more than 70% of the carbon footprint of the Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology. Our community needs to rethink this crucial facet of astronomical research to engage in effective and perennial reduction strategies.

In-person and online conferences each have their benefits, with hybrid conferences intended to blend the best of both worlds. But do hybrid conferences fulfil the promise? Fifteen attendees across three global conferences share their collective experiences.

Gamma-ray bursts are linked to the most distant objects in the Universe, but detecting them is a rare event. With a dedicated near-infrared telescope to observe in tandem with the optical Vera Rubin Observatory, ten or so high-redshift (z ≳ 6) gamma-ray bursts could potentially be detected every year.

The past three decades have seen the number of known exoplanets grow by over three orders of magnitude. To mark the milestone, the Lead Scientist of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, Jessie Christiansen, looks at the history, the contents and the future of this community resource.