The Earth’s history, in rocks and processes
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, a 10-year program that will image the southern sky every few nights. The telescope has started regular operations from its Chilean mountaintop site and is already returning new detections, including thousands of asteroids and transient views such as Comet 3I/ATLAS.
Archaeologists have documented 18 new tombs along Egypt’s northwestern coast near Leukaspis, including rock-cut and surface burials. Gold tongues were found in several graves, and a granite coffin with a plaster sphinx remains was uncovered. The finds shed light on coastal culture and funeral practices from the Hellenistic to Roman eras, highlighting ongoing preservation challenges.