Light colors? For summer? Groundbreaking. Many of us pick out an outfit based on the day’s weather – sunnier days may call for lighter colors and fabrics to stay cool. The reason behind this is that visible light reflects off light colors and is absorbed by darker colors. The reflectivity, called albedo, is a key way the Earth regulates its temperature. But this is not always the case for all solar energy wavelengths. In the near-infrared part of the spectrum, surfaces like ice and snow are not reflective – in fact, they absorb near-infrared light in much the same way a dark T-shirt absorbs visible light. “People think snow is reflective. It’s so shiny,” said Gavin Schmidt, director of NASAGoddard Institute for Space Studies and acting NASA senior climate adviser. “But it turns out in the near-infrared part of the spectrum, it’s almost black.” Using the vantage point of the International Space Station (ISS), climate scientists are learning more about how solar energy interact with...