Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Quantum computers and exoplanets: New view of distant worlds

Quantum computers and exoplanets: Distant planets around other stars are difficult to image. But quantum computers could help astronomers see them better.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 27, 2026

New evidence for ancient Mars ocean found in giant canyon

Evidence for an ancient Mars ocean keeps growing. Deltas in the Valles Marineris canyon along the former shoreline show that the ocean covered half the planet.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 27, 2026

Powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could boost chances of life

A new study said powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could help shield them from radiation from their stars, making them potentially more friendly to life.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 21, 2026

New survey of nearest stars reveals best spots for life

A new survey of nearest stars to the sun - more than 2,000 of them - is helping astronomers determine which ones are the most likely to have habitable planets.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 20, 2026

Do aliens and fireflies communicate similarly?

Advanced aliens and fireflies on Earth might communicate in similar ways, by using signals of flashing light, a new theoretical study suggests.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 16, 2026

Europa’s ocean ‘quiet and lifeless,’ new research suggests

Is Europa's ocean habitable? A new study suggests it might be 'quiet and lifeless', with little to no geologic activity on the seafloor.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 15, 2026

New research says icy lakes on Mars lasted for decades

The ancient lake in Gale crater - and other icy lakes on Mars - could have been liquid below the surface for decades thanks to seasonal surface ice.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 13, 2026

Saturn-mass rogue planet revealed in unique new observations

Astronomers have discovered a Saturn-mass rogue planet nearly 10,000 light-years away. It's the 1st one found using both observatories on Earth and in space.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 8, 2026

Atmosphere on lava planet is an exciting surprise

Astronomers have found evidence for a thick atmosphere on lava planet TOI-561 b. It's a broiling hot super-Earth world 560 light-years from Earth.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 2, 2026

Are Uranus and Neptune rock giants and not ice giants?

Are Uranus and Neptune really ice giants as scientists have long thought? A new study suggests they might be much more rocky instead of icy on the inside.

Paul Scott Anderson

January 1, 2026

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.