Stories by Joshua Sokol

Joshua Sokol is an award-winning freelance science journalist whose work has appeared in Science, the Atlantic, the New York Times, and many other publications. He lives in Raleigh, N.C. His reporting on the environmental status of the night sky was supported by a 2021 fellowship from the Alicia Patterson Foundation. Credit: Nick Higgins

Pollution

The Sky Needs Its ‘Silent Spring’ Moment

A surge of new research underscores the growing global problem of light pollution—as well as the urgent need for public awareness and action

October 1, 2022 — Joshua Sokol

Space & Physics

Gravitational Waves Reveal the Hearts of Neutron Stars

Scientists are mapping the extreme interiors of exotic stars with unprecedented clarity, and setting new boundaries on the births of black holes

June 5, 2018 — Joshua Sokol

Space & Physics

Will Astronomers Be Ready for the Next ‘Oumuamua?

It may already have arrived. Here’s how scientists are preparing for the next close encounter

February 13, 2018 — Joshua Sokol

Public Health

The End of Night: Global Illumination Has Increased Worldwide

The spread of lit areas could threaten animal ecology and human health

January 1, 2018 — Joshua Sokol