Smithsonian Magazine

NASA Report Reveals the Failures That Left Two Astronauts ‘Stranded’ on the International Space Station

As such, Starliner’s homecoming that September was in autonomous mode and the astronauts remained on the ISS. It wasn’t until ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Vincent van Gogh Adored the Color Yellow. A New Exhibition in Amsterdam Wants You to Fall In Love With the Hue, Too

“Exhibition Yellow: Beyond van Gogh’s Color,” on view now through mid-May, begins with a stunner: Sunflowers (1889). This ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Readers Respond to the January/February 2026 Issue

Your feedback on preparations for the Artemis 2 mission and unearthing the site of an early George Washington battle ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Mark Your Calendar: March Happenings at the National Museum of American History

MALL ENTRANCE CLOSURE: Note: The museum’s Mall Entrance at Madison Drive, between 12th and 14th Streets, will remain closed ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The Sahara Desert Hasn’t Always Been a Dry, Desolate Landscape. Some Scientists See Signs It May Be Greening Again

Petroglyphs on sandstone at a national park in Chad bear witness to wildlife that once roamed the area before the continent’s ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Eating Challenges Are All the Rage. But When Was the Last Time You Saw Someone Eat a Mutton Shoulder Bone?

Even before the internet, overindulgence was something of a spectator sport for those who reveled in gastronomic glory ...
Smithsonian Magazine

These 12 Popular Dog Breeds Are at Risk of Breathing Problems Related to Their Short Snouts, a New Study Suggests

Past research on brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome—a chronic, hereditary disease associated with flat faces—has ...
Smithsonian Magazine

You Can Buy One of History’s Rarest Baseball Cards—if You Have Several Million Dollars to Spare

The newly graded T206 Honus Wagner card has been in the same family for 116 years. It wasn't on experts' radar until last ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Giant Carnivore Ran on Hooves. Scientists Are Investigating Its Massive Skull and Crushing Teeth to Decipher the Beast’s True Nature

For more than a century, paleontologists have been piecing together how the mysterious predator Andrewsarchus is related to ...
Smithsonian Magazine

What is Artemis II?

Soon, four astronauts will launch on a mission to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. The mission, called Artemis II, is the second mission — and first crewed mission — of ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Investigators Unravel $12 Million Ticket Fraud Scheme at the Louvre

Police have arrested nine individuals in connection with the crime, though they have not revealed their identities ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Scientists Still Have So Much to Learn About Archaeopteryx, the Dinosaur That May Have Flown Like a Bird

A new study suggests features in the prehistoric creature's mouth helped it eat more efficiently, giving the species the energy needed to go airborne ...