Scott Alan Johnston
What's the Earliest the Moon Could Have Formed?
Astronomers are pretty sure they know where the Moon came from. In the early Solar System, a Mars-sized object dubbed…
Astronomers Catch a Supernova Explode Almost in Realtime
Catching a supernova in action is tricky business. There is no way to predict them, and they don’t occur very…
Red Giants Offer a New Way to Measure Distance in the Universe
For nearly three decades now, it's been clear that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. Some unknown quantity,…
Ariane 6 is Coming Together
The European Space Agency (ESA)’s next generation heavy lift rocket is just months away from its first flight, and its…
If Hycean Worlds Really Exist, What are Their Oceans Like?
Astronomers have been on the hunt for a new kind of exoplanet in recent years – one especially suited for…
Solar Eclipses Provide a Rare Way to Study Cloud Formation
April 8’s North American solar eclipse is just around the corner, and it has astronomy fans and weather aficionados alike…
China's Chang'e-8 Mission Will Try to Make Bricks on the Moon
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has put out a call for international and industry partners to contribute science payloads…
Two Giant Structures Have Been Found Billions of Light-Years Away
The early universe, according to the Standard Model of Cosmology, ought to be a fairly homogenous place, with little structure…
Young Stars in the Outskirts of Galaxies Finally Have an Explanation
Star formation is well understood when it happens in the populous centers of galaxies. From our vantage point on Earth,…
Iron Snow Could Explain the Magnetic Fields at Worlds Like Ganymede
Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, features a surprisingly strong magnetic field for its size. Tidal effects from Jupiter continually stretch and…