Posts by

Paul Scott Anderson

Report calls for direct images of Earth-like exoplanets

A congressionally-mandated report recommends that NASA lead efforts to directly image possibly Earth-like exoplanets, using upcoming technologies. A major goal is finding habitable - maybe even inhabited - worlds.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 16, 2018

What is the Hypatia Catalog?

The Hypatia Catalog uses "big data" - extremely large data sets - hopefully to reveal patterns, trends, and associations that might lead to finding distant worlds harboring life.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 11, 2018

How black holes bring white dwarfs back to life

White dwarfs are the dead remnants of larger, once-active stars like our sun. But black holes can reignite them.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 8, 2018

Asteroid Itokawa gives up its secrets

Itokawa is the 1st asteroid from which samples were obtained and returned to Earth. From these samples, scientists have figured out Itokawa's true age and geologic history.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 8, 2018

Jupiter’s growing pains, explained

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system, but had delayed growth early on. Scientists weren't sure why, but now might have an answer.

Paul Scott Anderson

September 3, 2018

How Gaia could help find Dyson spheres

Dyson spheres are hypothetical megastructures built by extraterrestrials for the purpose of harvesting all of a star's energy. Here's how the European Space Agency's Gaia mission might help find one.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 30, 2018

Could ETs use star mergers to communicate?

When 2 extremely dense neutron stars orbit each other closely, they spiral inward over time and eventually merge. Such mergers are powerful. Could advanced civilizations be using them to signal across the cosmos?

Paul Scott Anderson

August 29, 2018

We’ve got a landing site on asteroid Ryugu

The lander for Hayabusa2 mission at asteroid Ryugu is due to touch down on October 3. Now the site has been chosen! This Japanese mission will collect samples from the asteroid and bring them back to Earth.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 27, 2018

Astronomers see a baby planet growing

They've confirmed for the 1st time that this newly formed planet - labeled PDS 70b - is still gathering material from the dust and gas around its star. They're literally watching this new world develop and grow.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 24, 2018

Water worlds are likely common

Earth is a water world, and a new study suggests there may be many more water worlds out there, including some larger and wetter than our planet.

Paul Scott Anderson

August 23, 2018

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.