Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Pandora exoplanet telescope to launch in late 2025

The spacecraft bus for the Pandora exoplanet telescope has been complete. Pandora will analyze atmospheres of at least 20 exoplanets after its 2025 launch.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 22, 2025

Wow! Binary star’s dusty rings shine in new Webb images

NASA's Webb Space Telescope has taken stunning new images of a binary star's dusty rings. The rings of Wolf-Rayet 140 are expanding at 1% the speed of light.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 19, 2025

Wham! Hear a meteorite hit the ground for the 1st time

See and hear a meteorite for the first time as it hits the ground outside a home on Prince Edward Island in Canada. Watch and listen here!

Paul Scott Anderson

January 17, 2025

Why are these black hole X-ray flashes accelerating?

Astronomers at MIT have observed unusual black hole X-ray flashes that are accelerating in frequency. A white dwarf star near the black hole might be the cause.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 15, 2025

Citizen scientists provide insights to Jupiter’s clouds in new study

Scientists thought Jupiter's clouds were made of ammonia. But now, in a new study, citizen scientists provide insights showing that's not the case.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 12, 2025

Are methane-belching microbes on Mars hiding underground?

A new study suggests microbes on Mars might exist deep below the surface, and in one region in particular. They might even explain Martian mysterious methane.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 8, 2025

Blame asteroid for demise of dinosaurs, not volcanoes

Did an asteroid cause the demise of dinosaurs? Or was it volcanoes, or both? A new study said the huge Chicxulub asteroid impact is still to blame.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 6, 2025

Mystery dark spot on Enceladus intrigues scientists

Scientists found an unusual dark spot on Enceladus while looking at old images sent back by Cassini. The odd reddish-brown patch faded away over 3 years.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 2, 2025

Are there liquid water brines on Mars? New study casts doubt

Scientists have hypothesized how liquid water brines on Mars could occur. A new study, however, suggested it's more unlikely than previously thought.

Paul Scott Anderson

December 29, 2024

Io’s raging volcanoes are self-powered

Does Jupiter's moon Io have a global subsurface magma ocean? A new study said no, and that Io's raging volcanoes are self-powered with their own magma pools.

Paul Scott Anderson

December 26, 2024

Paul Scott Anderson

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.