Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Do the giant rings of exoplanet J1407b rotate backward?

Scientists think the giant exoplanet J1407b has a massive ring system much larger than Saturn's. A new study suggests the rings may orbit the planet backward.

Paul Scott Anderson

November 9, 2024

Giant craters on Venus ‘hiding in plain sight’

Where are the giant craters on Venus? Huge concentric rings in the Haasttse-baad Tessera region may be the result of two back-to-back asteroid impacts.

Paul Scott Anderson

November 6, 2024

Green spots in rocks on Mars intrigue rover scientists

NASA's Perseverance rover has found some intriguing green spots in rocks on Mars. The spots are dark in the middle with fuzzy, green rims. How did they form?

Paul Scott Anderson

November 6, 2024

Some TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets could have stable atmospheres

Some of the rocky TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets could still have atmospheres, a new study from the University of Washington suggests. Could they even be habitable?

Paul Scott Anderson

November 3, 2024

‘Time capsule’ moon samples reveal moon’s history

A new analysis of 'time capsule' moon samples brought back to Earth by Apollo 16 shows how the surface of the moon has changed over billions of years.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 28, 2024

How did this black hole in a triple star system form?

Physicists say they have discovered the 1st-known black hole in a triple system. Two stars orbit with the black hole, 1 very close and the other farther away.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 25, 2024

Are mysterious flows on airless worlds made by salty water?

A new study from researchers at SwRI and JPL suggests that briny water could explain unusual flows on airless worlds like Vesta, Ceres and Europa.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 23, 2024

Is there a volcanic exomoon orbiting this giant exoplanet?

Astronomers with NASA and Caltech have found that a volcanic exomoon may be producing a cloud of sodium gas near a giant exoplanet 635 light-years away.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 20, 2024

Could microbial life on Mars be hiding under ice?

A new NASA study said microbial life on Mars could exist in pools of liquid water beneath dusty ice deposits, with enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 20, 2024

A steam world exoplanet with an earthlike atmosphere?

Astronomers using the Webb space telescope say that the hot exoplanet GJ 9827 d has more water vapor than 1st thought. They call it a steam world exoplanet.

Paul Scott Anderson

October 16, 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.