Scott Alan Johnston
Life Might Have Gotten Started Just 300 Million Years After the Earth Formed
On an outcrop of exposed volcanic and sedimentary rock on the eastern shores of Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, researchers…
Astronauts are Practicing Landing at the Moon's South Pole
The European Space Agency (ESA) is learning how to touch down safely at the South Pole of the Moon, without…
According to Perseverance, Mars is Quiet… too Quiet
If you want to hear what Mars has to say, you're going to have to listen closely. Very closely. (more…)
An 1874 Citizen Science Project Studying the Aurora Borealis Helped Inspire Time Zones
For millennia, humans have gazed at the northern lights with wonder, pondering their nature and source. Even today, these once…
Comprehensive Sky Survey Finds Over a Million New Objects
In perfect viewing conditions, with good eyesight and clear, dark skies, the average person can see between 2,500 and 5,000…
James Webb Might be Able to Detect Other Civilizations by their Air Pollution
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched last December, has been slowly powering up its instruments and unfurling its sunshield,…
The Object About to Hit the Moon isn’t a SpaceX Booster After All
Last month, astronomers reported that a discarded upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, launched 7 years ago, was on…
Astronomers Finally Find a Second Asteroid in Earth’s Trojan Belt
Earth has a new companion. Asteroid 2020 XL5, a newly discovered kilometer-wide carbonaceous space rock, has been discovered at Earth’s…
With Webb Safely Launched, Focus Shifts to the Ariane 6
Last month, an Ariane 5 rocket carried the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) safely to space, the latest of 112…
Now we Know why Spaceflight Affects Your Eyes
70% of astronauts who spend time on the International Space Station (ISS) experience swelling at the back of their eyes,…