Posts by

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Another new Psyche mission flyby image of Mars

NASA released a composite image of Mars lit like a crescent as the Psyche mission flew by for a gravity assist. Watch a stunning time lapse of the whole flyby.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 22, 2026

10,000 black holes are missing, but we’ve finally found 1

Astronomers think the Omega Centauri globular cluster should be home to 10,000 black holes of a stellar-mass size. But they've never found one ... until now.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 17, 2026

Hidden planet found around nearby star Beta Pictoris

Astronomers have found a hidden planet orbiting the star Beta Pictoris. This previously unseen world is now the faintest planet ever imaged from Earth.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 16, 2026

Wildfire smoke is choking Canada, Great Lakes and Northeast

Wildfire smoke is pouring across Canada and into the US in the Great Lakes and Northeast. These areas will continue to see poor air quality into the weekend.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 16, 2026

Hercules the Strongman and a great globular cluster

Hercules the Strongman is a great constellation to view in Northern Hemisphere summer. With binoculars you can see Hercules' remarkable star cluster, M13.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 16, 2026

How the monsoon could impact wildfires in the American West

A monsoon could impact wildfires in the American West. Monsoonal rains can bring relief, but they can also bring gusty winds and lightning.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 15, 2026

Euclid finds the most ancient quasars in the universe so far

The Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 new quasars, including the 2 most distant and most ancient quasars yet known.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 9, 2026

2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images

Japanese and Chinese space agencies completed 2 asteroid flybys in early July. Read more about the asteroids and see the closeup images here!

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 7, 2026

See 6 major spaceport launch sites … from space!

These 6 major spaceport launch sites helped open the space age. Now, satellites orbiting Earth can look back at the very gateways that sent them there.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 7, 2026

Circinus the Drawing Compass, Alpha Centauri’s neighbor

Circinus the Drawing Compass is a dim constellation located next to the 3rd brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri. It looks like a pair of tweezers.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 7, 2026

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Kelly Kizer Whitt 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.