Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Could a melting exomoon explain Tabby’s Star?

This star undergoes a long-term dimming that's so mysterious it was, at one time, proposed as possible evidence of an alien culture. Now, scientists say, a disk of debris - torn from a melting exomoon - might explain Tabby's Star.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 23, 2019

Did an asteroid collision cause an ice age on Earth?

Could a collision between 2 asteroids millions of miles away cause an ice age on Earth, some 460 million years ago? A new study of earthly rocks and sediments - plus micrometeorites that fell in Antarctica - suggest it's possible.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 19, 2019

Mystery green blob appears and disappears in distant galaxy

What is ULX-4 - a mystery green blob of X-ray light that appeared in the Fireworks Galaxy - and then soon disappeared again? A black hole or neutron star are 2 possibilities.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 16, 2019

Is K2-18b really a habitable super-Earth?

It was exciting last week when scientists announced water vapor in a super-Earth's atmosphere. But, even as the announcement came, other scientists were cautioning that the planet - K2-18b - is probably less like a super-Earth and more like a mini-Neptune.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 15, 2019

Scientists find water vapor in a super-Earth’s atmosphere

It's a first-ever detection of water vapor in a super-Earth's atmosphere, orbiting in the habitable zone of its star, 110 light-years away. The discovery supports the possibility that our galaxy contains many such habitable worlds.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 11, 2019

What has China’s rover found on the moon’s far side?

Chinese media have reported that the Yutu-2 rover has discovered a "gel-like" substance in a crater on the far side of the moon. It sounds intriguing, but details are still scarce.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 10, 2019

Have astronomers found a hyper-volcanic exomoon?

Astronomers have found evidence for a possible exomoon orbiting a gas giant planet 550 light-years away. If they're interpreting the evidence correctly, this moon would be a place of destruction, even more volcanically active than Jupiter's famous volcanic moon, Io.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 6, 2019

Could microbes be affecting Venus’ climate?

Unusual dark patches in Venus' atmosphere - called "unknown absorbers" - play a key role in the planet's climate and albedo, according to a new study. But what are they? That's still a mystery.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 3, 2019

Will the Webb telescope be able to detect life signs at nearby exoplanets?

The Webb Telescope is Hubble's successor, due to launch in 2021. A new study says it'll be powerful enough to search for life signatures in the atmospheres of the 7 Earth-sized planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, just 39 light-years away.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 2, 2019

Why does Mars’ methane vary across a single Martian day?

Previous studies showed that methane in Mars' atmosphere varies across the Martian seasons. New research shows daily fluctuations. It's fascinating because, on Earth, methane gas is tied to microbial life.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 31, 2019

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.