Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Wow! Whirlpool galaxy in stunning new Webb images

The James Webb Space Telescope just obtained incredible new infrared images of the famous Whirlpool galaxy, 31 million light-years from Earth.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 31, 2023

Wait. How can this brown dwarf be hotter than our sun?

Astronomers have discovered a brown dwarf that is similar to a hot Jupiter exoplanet. It is hotter than any hot Jupiter seen before, even hotter than our sun.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 31, 2023

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

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.