Katrina Miller

2 months ago | lasvegassun.com | Katrina Miller |Roni Rabin

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is an independent, 162-year-old nongovernmental agency tasked with investigating and reporting on a wide range of subjects. In recent years, diversity, equity and inclusion — collectively known as DEI — have been central to its agenda. But the Academies’ priorities changed abruptly Jan. 31.

Jan 13, 2025 | seattletimes.com | Katrina Miller

The first full moon of the year will glide through the sky Monday night. For lucky stargazers in some parts of the world, it will also pass in front of the more-brilliantly-red-than-usual Mars in an event known as a lunar occultation. But that’s not all January’s sky has to offer. A new comet, expected to be the brightest of the year, is nearing its closest approach to the sun Monday — though spotting it, at least in northern skies, will be tricky.

Jan 8, 2025 | sanjuandailystar.com | Michael Roston |Katrina Miller

By Michael Roston and Katrina MillerOur species called this latest 366-day journey around the sun “2024” and packed into it a ton of astronomical and spaceflight excitement. A solar eclipse crossed North America. Two robotic landers reached the lunar surface, largely intact. The most powerful rocket booster ever built was caught by a pair of mechanical arms nicknamed “chopsticks.” A journey began to Jupiter’s icy ocean moon Europa. And private astronauts conducted a daring spacewalk.

Jan 2, 2025 | nytimes.com | Katrina Miller

There is a chance you might see a meteor on any given night, but you are most likely to catch one during a shower. Meteor showers are caused by Earth passing through the rubble trailing a comet or an asteroid as it swings around the sun. This debris, which can be as small as a grain of sand, leaves behind a glowing stream of light as it burns up in Earth's atmosphere. Meteor showers occur around the same time every year and can last for days or weeks.

Dec 26, 2024 | nytimes.com | Katrina Miller

The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, one of the deadliest events in recorded history, was an enigma to many survivors. Some experts were surprised to learn that a significant number of the people in the path of those lethal waves had never heard of such a destructive phenomenon until it came their way.