Posts by

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Do magnetic tornadoes drive dark ovals on Jupiter?

Scientists have analyzed dark ovals that appear near the poles on Jupiter. They believe magnetic tornadoes higher in the atmosphere could stir up the haze.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

December 1, 2024

The Sombrero Galaxy as you’ve never seen it before

The Webb Space Telescope has delivered a stunning view of the Sombrero galaxy, M104, in infrared. See it here and read more about it.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 26, 2024

Europa Clipper en route and all systems go

Europa Clipper is on its way to explore Europa, the icy ocean moon of Jupiter. Deployment and testing of its instruments is underway and going smoothly.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 26, 2024

Bellatrix is Orion’s 3rd-brightest star

Orion's shoulder star Bellatrix has a name that means "female warrior." Bellatrix is one of the hottest stars you can see without optical aid.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 24, 2024

Star outside the Milky Way seen about to blow in closeup image

Astronomers have taken the first closeup image of a star outside the Milky Way. This star - WOH G64 - appears to be getting ready to go supernova.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 22, 2024

Could the space station leak lead to ‘catastrophic failure’?

In 2019, the space station acquired a leak in a transfer tunnel. NASA said the space station leak could lead to a "catastrophic failure."

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 21, 2024

Red monsters were massive galaxies in the early universe

Red monsters were massive galaxies in the early universe. Astronomers aren't yet sure how these galaxies became so massive so soon after the Big Bang.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 19, 2024

Citizen scientists study Jupiter’s storms using Juno images

Citizen scientists helped classify Jupiter's storms to get a better understanding of how such vortices change over time. See images here.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 8, 2024

Black hole went on a feeding frenzy in the early universe

A supermassive black hole in the early universe went on a feeding frenzy, consuming 40 times more material than astronomers thought was possible.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 7, 2024

Hera spots Earth and the moon from space. See it here!

The Hera mission is on its way to the asteroid Dimorphos. But first it looked back to catch a view of Earth and the moon from space.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

November 6, 2024

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.