Environment & Science

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched on Christmas 2021, orbits the Sun about a million miles outside Earth’s orbit. It is the most powerful, largest, and most complex telescope ever made.

This New Year’s Day, tens of thousands of people across the country, including dozens in the Valley, will take a guided hike through a state park to mark the beginning of 2024.

December 2023 is now the wettest December on record in the Lehigh Valley, with a total of 8.17 inches of rainfall recorded as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. The high water mark was set during a day of record rain for Dec. 27.

The ski slopes just southeast of Lehigh County announced it would shut down at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, awaiting colder weather to make snow

With a forecast projecting 1 to 1.5 inches of rain possible this week, the Lehigh Valley will move closer to its wettest December ever.

Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.

Look for the full moon on Wednesday, Dec. 27

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

On Dec. 21 at approximately 10:27 p.m. EST, we’ll begin the winter solstice north of the equator. Will the change of season finally bring snow?

It might seem counterintuitive, but harvesting holiday trees year after year is better for the environment than using an artificial one, experts said, especially amid the proliferation of plastic piling up in landfills.

In a program of PennDOT and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, participants get training about litter prevention, waste management, civic engagement and more.

The Allentown area recorded 1.88 inches of rain on Thursday, the weather service said, besting the old record of 1.86 inches from Sept. 4, 1988.

Members discussed ways the council could help advance priorities in the city’s Climate Action Plan. With dozens of goals and tasks to tackle, members voted to prioritize those that aligned with existing committees or garnered volunteer interest.

Scannell Properties engaged in a rebuttal to address questions about the Easton Commerce Park project from Easton's Planning Commission Wednesday,

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center on Tuesday released its new report, “Solar Schools for Pennsylvania: Repowering Education with Clean Energy."

The council on Tuesday heard from officials and experts about Pittsburgh's dark sky efforts, aimed at tamping down on light pollution and saving money.

Penn State Extension this summer published "The Bees of Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Genera,” outlining the commonwealth’s more than 440 species of bees, organized by genus.

Senate Bill 980, introduced Wednesday, would phase out the manufacture, sale and use of firefighting foams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, beginning in 2026.

This week the question is: Are eclipses of the sun and moon common, or rare? The answer is … both!

For more than three decades, Hunters Sharing the Harvest has facilitated a venison donation program throughout Pennsylvania, creating a network of deer processors and hunger relief agencies. Find out how much was donated and where last season.

The National Weather Service said Friday that much of the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area has experienced its coldest August in about 10 years.

The 2025 autumn migration count has begun at Hawk Mountain. It's the longest running raptor migration count in the world.