Mysterious X-ray signals coming from the Helix Nebula most likely originate from the debris of a destroyed planet near a white dwarf star, a new study suggests.
New observations by Webb of rogue super-Jupiter SIMP 0136 show that its atmosphere is more complex than thought, explaining its variations in brightness.
Are we wrong about why Mars is red? An iron oxide called ferrihydrite might be responsible. If so, this also further supports ancient Mars being habitable.
Were there once sunny, sandy beaches on Mars? A new study of data from China's Zhurong rover says yes. They were the shorelines of a now long-lost ocean.
Was the rise of humanity simply a matter of luck? A new theory says no, that we - and perhaps other intelligent life - are the probable outcome of evolution.
Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
While interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.
He has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.