Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Where are the water worlds? New tool to find out

Where are the water worlds? Since water means life (as we know it), scientists studying exoplanets want to know. A new tool might help find them.

Paul Scott Anderson

Deborah Byrd

October 6, 2021

Super-Earth, mini-Neptune or sub-Neptune?

The exoplanet community hasn't yet converged on the best name for exoplanets that are 1.7 - 3.5 Earth-radii. Super-Earth, mini-Neptune, sub-Neptune?

Deborah Byrd

Paul Scott Anderson

October 6, 2021

Mushballs explain missing ammonia on ice giants

Giant slushy hailstones called mushballs explain missing ammonia in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune. They carry the gas down far too deep to be detected.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 29, 2021

Mars’ small size limited its habitability

Mars was once a wet and habitable world, so what happened to change that? According to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis, Mars' small size is likely to blame for why it lost most of its water and atmosphere.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 27, 2021

Martian super volcanoes lasted millions of years

NASA scientists say that there were once thousands of volcanic eruptions on Mars. These explosive blasts, in the northern Arabia Terra region, were "super eruptions," the largest and most powerful kind known. The intense activity continued for about 500 million years, about four billion years ago.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 24, 2021

Futuristic space concrete uses astronauts’ blood

Scientists in the U.K. have developed a kind of "space concrete" using dust and human blood that could be used for future human habitats on Mars or the moon.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 23, 2021

Planets are born in cosmic organic soups

Astronomers have found that planets form in cosmic soups of organic molecules. These soups have different ingredients, leading to a wide diversity of planets.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 18, 2021

Missing impact debris mystery solved?

Where is the missing impact debris from the early solar system? A new study says it was probably vaporized into gas that subsequently escaped the solar system.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 14, 2021

Blue and Gold orbiters bound for Mars in 2024

NASA's 2 Blue and Gold orbiters are part of the coming Mars ESCAPADE mission, which has now passed its final review. It'll launch to Mars in October 2024.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 8, 2021

Success! 1st Martian rock cored by Perseverance

NASA's Perseverance rover has successfully cored its first rock on Mars. The good news comes after an earlier attempt failed in early August. The core sample will be stored onboard the rover for later return to Earth by a future mission.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 6, 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.