Marina Koren

Artificial Lights Tell the Story of the Pandemic

Satellite views of Earth at night reveal the distinct imprint of humankind’s response to a fast-spreading virus.

• Marina Koren
• July 8, 2020

Stars Aren’t Supposed to Go Out Like This

When a massive star went missing, astronomers expected to find a supernova in its place. But there wasn’t one.

• Marina Koren
• July 1, 2020

A Mysterious Rhythm Is Coming From Another Galaxy

Astronomers have been tracking fast radio bursts for years, but they’ve never caught one like this before.

• Marina Koren
• June 26, 2020

A Burst of Light Unlike Any Captured Before

Astronomers say they have captured an unexpected spark from a collision of two black holes.

• Marina Koren
• June 25, 2020

Elon Musk’s Lesson in How Not to Celebrate Diversity

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO proudly announced the recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday, with one big caveat.

• Marina Koren
• June 21, 2020

The False Hope of an American Rocket Launch

Even in the tumultuous Apollo era, the feats of the country’s space program were a momentary diversion, not a national salve.

• Marina Koren
• June 3, 2020

A Historic Docking, 250 Miles Above Earth

Two NASA astronauts just arrived at the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule.

• Marina Koren
• May 31, 2020

SpaceX Pulled It Off

Elon Musk’s aerospace company just launched two NASA astronauts into space for the first time.

• Marina Koren
• May 30, 2020

American Spaceflight Is Now in Elon Musk’s Hands

The most important NASA mission in decades is about to lift off on a billionaire’s private rocket.

• Marina Koren
• May 27, 2020

The Astronaut Wives Know Exactly What to Expect

These days, the women married to NASA’s space travelers are astronauts themselves.

• Marina Koren
• May 25, 2020

The Cult of Elon Is Cracking

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is starting to alienate his fans.

• Marina Koren
• May 20, 2020

Jupiter Looks, Um, Different

New images of the planet allow astronomers to peer deeper into its stormy atmosphere.

• Marina Koren
• May 14, 2020

A Black Hole Is ‘Almost on Our Doorstep’

The invisible point of darkness resides in a double-star system just 1,000 light-years away.

• Marina Koren
• May 6, 2020

The Thorniest Subject at NASA Right Now

The space agency is carefully following pandemic measures. Elon Musk thinks they’re overblown. But they’re going to the moon together.

• Marina Koren
• May 1, 2020

The Before Times of a Solar System

New observations of young stars capture the cosmic forces that can transform tiny particles into colossal worlds.

• Marina Koren
• May 1, 2020

One Thing Space Agencies Must Watch Out for Now: Cats

Operating a mission is a labyrinthian process from start to finish, with all kinds of checks and fail-safes along the way.

• Marina Koren
• April 23, 2020

The New Cringeworthy

The response to the pandemic has created a collective aversion to previously innocuous behaviors and settings.

• Marina Koren
• April 17, 2020

The Mission NASA Doesn’t Want to Postpone

So far, the pandemic isn’t stopping the space agency from moving forward with a historic SpaceX launch next month.

• Marina Koren
• April 13, 2020

We’re All Living in the ‘From Now On,’ Now

Watching Apollo 13 for the first time, I couldn’t help fixating on how much the world has changed—not in the past half century, but in the past few months.

• Marina Koren
• April 11, 2020

The Pandemic Is Turning the Natural World Upside Down

Widespread social-distancing measures have produced some jarring effects across land, air, and sea.

• Marina Koren
• April 2, 2020