Donald Gurnett, a pioneering space scientist whose career as a student, teacher, and researcher at the University of Iowa spanned more than 60 years, died on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. He was 81.

About 400,000 years after the universe was created began a period called “The Epoch of Reionization.” During this time, the once hotter universe began to cool and matter clumped together, forming the first stars and galaxies. As these stars and galaxies emerged, their energy heated the surrounding environment, reionizing some of the remaining hydrogen in the universe.

Philip Kaaret, professor and chair, and Caroline Roberts, Astronomy Laboratory coordinator and Van Allen Observatories manager, both from the University of Iowa, talk to George Shillcock about recent meteors captured on video.

On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer talks to University of Iowa astrophysicist Keri Hoadley about the James Webb Space Telescope that launched on Christmas Day. It will serve as NASA's premier space observatory for the next decade.