Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Huge and opaque ‘something’ dims a giant star

What do astronomers do when something dims a giant star, and they can't figure out what it is? A new study raises more questions than answers.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 23, 2021

Methane on Enceladus: A possible sign of life?

Something is producing a lot of methane in Enceladus' ocean. Could it be life? While not proven yet, a new study by a team of biologists seems to support that exciting possibility.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 18, 2021

Earth’s lopsided core? Strangeness in our planet’s interior

A new computer model suggests Earth's lopsided core growth. That is, the inner core grows faster on one side than the other. Faster cooling on one side of the core helps explain why.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 14, 2021

See 1st new images of Ganymede in over 20 years

NASA's Juno spacecraft has sent back the first new closeup images of Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede in over 20 years. They show the moon's craters, light and dark patches and tectonic faults in beautiful detail. See them here!

Paul Scott Anderson

June 11, 2021

NASA and UFOs: Space agency to take closer look

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wants the space agency to start taking a closer look at UFO reports like the ones coming from Navy pilots in recent years. He has directed NASA scientists to move forward with new ways of discussing the decades-old phenomenon.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 8, 2021

Scientists release best-ever dark matter map

Astronomers with the Dark Energy Survey have created the largest-ever map of dark matter, using artificial intelligence. It covers 100 million galaxies.

Paul Scott Anderson

Deborah Byrd

June 6, 2021

Are organic salts on Mars a clue to life?

NASA's Curiosity rover has found hints of organic salts on Mars. If confirmed, they could provide important clues about previous habitability and the potential for ancient microbial life.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 6, 2021

New water clues on Uranus and Neptune

The ice giant planets Uranus and Neptune are unlike any others in our solar system. New research from the U.S. and South Korea suggests that the deep interior water layers of the ice giant planets may be rich in magnesium.

Paul Scott Anderson

June 2, 2021

How shrinking planets might explain missing planets

There's a puzzling gap in exoplanets, orbiting distant stars. Where are the worlds between 1.5 and 2 times Earth's radius? Shrinking planets may be the answer.

Paul Scott Anderson

May 27, 2021

Wow! Stunning new images reveal Jupiter’s chaotic atmosphere

New images - visible light, infrared and ultraviolet - from the Gemini North telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope reveal Jupiter's atmosphere and storms in stunning detail.

Paul Scott Anderson

May 22, 2021

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.