Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Giant black hole rips out insides of massive star

Scientists have completed a detailed "forensic study" of a massive star destroyed by a giant black hole. The black hole ripped out the insides of the star.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 29, 2023

Mars brain terrain resembles a human brain

So-called 'brain terrain' is one of the most unusual geological formations found on Mars, reminiscent of the surface of a human brain. What causes it?

Paul Scott Anderson

August 29, 2023

NASA is ‘all eyes’ on the ice giants … and you can help!

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope will turn their eyes to the ice giants - Uranus and Neptune - in September. And NASA wants your help!

Paul Scott Anderson

August 22, 2023

Are the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets habitable, or not?

In a new study, astronomers say that at least some of the 7 Earth-sized TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets could be habitable now, even if they didn't start out that way.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 21, 2023

Surf’s up! Waves on heartbeat star are as tall as 3 suns

Giant waves on heartbeat star MACHO 80.7443.1718 are as tall as 3 suns, astronomers say. They give a new meaning to the phrase "surf's up!"

Paul Scott Anderson

August 18, 2023

Ancient ‘honeycomb’ mud on Mars boosts chances for life

NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered ancient honeycomb-patterned mud on Mars. The now bone-dry mud is evidence of cyclic wet-dry periods in Mars' past.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 16, 2023

The centuries-long effects of Saturn storms

A team of researchers has found that huge Saturn storms - megastorms much larger than hurricanes on Earth - can last for hundreds of years at a time.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 13, 2023

Powerful winds from cool stars can threaten exoplanets

A new study from researchers in Germany shows that stellar winds from cool stars with strong magnetic fields can be more powerful than ones from hotter stars.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 10, 2023

Webb telescope provides unique view of 2 Jupiter moons

NASA's Webb telescope has captured spectroscopic and infrared views of 2 of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede and Io, providing new insights into these distant worlds.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 8, 2023

Was Mars’ Olympus Mons volcano once an island?

Scientists in France have found new evidence that the largest volcano on Mars, Olympus Mons, was once a volcanic island surrounded by an ancient northern ocean.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 2, 2023

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.