Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Ocean worlds around red dwarfs … common?

A new study says that the chances of ocean worlds - rocky planets with liquid water - orbiting red dwarf stars is much greater than previously thought.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 19, 2023

Ancient moon volcano revealed in far side hot spot

Scientists discovered an ancient moon volcano after detecting a hot spot - an underground mass of radioactive granite - on the far side.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 18, 2023

New detection of phosphine on Venus: Could it mean life?

Astrobiologist Jane Greaves and her team report that they have re-confirmed phosphine on Venus, deep in the atmosphere. The gas appears to have a steady source.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 13, 2023

‘Sandwich exoplanets’ shed light on planet formation

Scientists say they have discovered a new type of planetary formation called "sandwich exoplanets." This is where a small planet will form between 2 large ones.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 10, 2023

Gullies on Mars may be a result of melting ice

Were gullies on Mars formed by liquid water? A new study led by researchers at Brown University says that intermittent meltwater likely did indeed create them.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 9, 2023

Did we find life on Mars … and then wipe it out?

Did the Viking landers from a few decades ago find microbial life on Mars after all? Astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch makes the case in Big Think.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 6, 2023

Could there be a captured planet hiding in the Oort Cloud?

Is there a rogue captured planet way out in the Oort Cloud of our solar system? A team of researchers says there is indeed a slim possibility.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 2, 2023

Young Jupiter-like exoplanet revealed in new images

Astronomers using the Keck II telescope in Hawaii have obtained new direct images of a young exoplanet 3 times the mass of Jupiter and 87.5 light-years away.

Paul Scott Anderson

July 2, 2023

Milky Way shines in new ‘ghost particle’ neutrino image

Scientists released a new "ghost particle" image of the Milky Way. It is the 1st-ever image taken of our home galaxy using neutrinos instead of visible light.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 30, 2023

Is Europa’s habitability limited by slow evolution?

Researchers at ASU say that Europa may have formed slower than thought, with less interior heat. That could affect the habitability of Europa's ocean.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 27, 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.