We recommend that Astronomy and Astrophysics programs either eliminate or limit the number of letters of recommendation as a general application requirement in graduate admissions. We suggest replacing them with a portfolio highlighting the student's past work.

Helmut Abt, former Editor in Chief of The Astrophysical Journal, died on Friday, November 22nd 2024. He played an important role in the astronomical community in the course of a long and eventful life and will be missed by his friends and colleagues.

Spectrum is an Access, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (AJEDI) grassroots organization committed to empowering equitable excellence through sustainable change.

This article identifies important science questions whose answers may be obscured by human activities on the Moon.

I provide a synopsis of many of the scientific advances made by Gaia, through to the end of 2023, by means of a hyperlinked index to weekly essays that I been writing since the start of 2021.