Valene M., journalist

On Nov. 4, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened to determine the nation’s scientific priorities in astronomy and astrophysics and set the course for their development over the next decade. Truly a community effort at heart, this decision is the culmination of 867 extensive research papers on various disciplines in the field, many public meetings and discussions, and several smaller panels . In accordance with tradition, the finalized objectives were to be detailed in the 7th Decadal Survey for Astronomy and Astrophysics, which arrived this year in the form of a 614-page report titled “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s” and nicknamed “Astro 2020” . Starting in 2023, the report calls for emphasis on three specific areas of astronomy, changes in the process through which major projects are mapped out and pursued, an expansion of mid-scale programs that draw on the community, and strengthening astronomy’s foundations through a unique focus on the people that support it.