Brandon Specktor
Brandon has been a senior writer at Live Science since 2017, and was formerly a staff writer and editor at Reader's Digest magazine. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. He enjoys writing most about space, geoscience and the mysteries of the universe.
Latest articles by Brandon Specktor
'Cosmic' and 'phantom' UFOs are all over Ukraine's skies, government report claims
By Brandon Specktor published
Dozens of 'phantom' and 'cosmic' UFOs have been detected in the skies over Ukraine, a new government report claims.
Could a solar storm ever destroy Earth?
By Brandon Specktor published
Could a solar storm ever destroy Earth? According to scientists, there's no evidence that any solar weather has ever harmed a human.
Enormous sinkhole wide enough to swallow the White House opens in Chile
By Brandon Specktor published
A massive sinkhole measuring more than 100 feet across has opened on mining land in Chile, according to the government's geology mining service.
'Gigantic jet' that shot into space may be the most powerful lightning bolt ever detected
By Brandon Specktor published
Scientists detected the most powerful gigantic jet lightning bolt — a lightning bolt that shoots up out of a cloud into the ionosphere — ever.
'STEVE' descends on North America after surprise solar storm
By Brandon Specktor published
A surprise solar storm bashed Earth on Aug. 7 and 8, triggering an appearance of the mysterious glowing phenomenon called STEVE.
Surprise! Asteroid wider than 2 football fields barrels past Earth
By Brandon Specktor published
NASA astronomers discovered that a large asteroid would zoom past Earth on Aug. 4, missing our planet by millions of miles.
Two skyscraper-size asteroids are barreling toward Earth this weekend
By Brandon Specktor published
Two asteroids, 2016 CZ31 and 2013 CU83, are headed toward Earth for back-to-back flybys this weekend.
James Webb Space Telescope's 'jewel-filled' photo is stunning. But what are we even looking at here?
By Brandon Specktor published
On July 12, NASA revealed the deepest image of the universe ever taken, courtesy of the James Webb Space Telescope. But what's really happening in this historic image?
The oldest, brightest black holes in the universe were born from violent gas attacks, new study suggests
By Brandon Specktor published
Researchers found that streams of cold gas could create 'seeds' of quasars — ultraluminous supermassive black holes — in the early universe, solving a decades-old mystery.
Earth's Magnetic Field Can Reverse Poles Ridiculously Quickly, Study Suggests
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Earth's magnetic field is far less stable than scientists thought.
Bizarre 'polygons' are cracking through the surface of Mars
By Brandon Specktor published
A new image from NASA's HIRISE camera reveals strange 'polygons' cracking open the surface of Mars. It's just a typical sign of spring, scientists say.
Blood-red aurora transforms into 'STEVE' before stargazer's eyes
By Brandon Specktor published
New footage shows the mysterious auroral phenomenon called STEVE emerging from a blood-red arc of light in New Zealand in 2015.
Bizarre spiral object found swirling around Milky Way's center
By Brandon Specktor published
Astronomers have peered into the center of the Milky Way and discovered what appears to be a miniature spiral galaxy, swirling around a single large star.
An 'Internet apocalypse' could ride to Earth with the next solar storm, new research warns
By Brandon Specktor last updated
A catastrophic solar storm could take huge sections of the Earth offline for weeks or months, a new research paper warns.
There's a Violent Battle Between Solar Wind and Cosmic Rays, and Voyager 2 Just Passed Through it
By Brandon Specktor last updated
At the edge of our solar system, a fierce battle rages between solar wind and interstellar rays. NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft has now passed through the frontlines.
Earth's Magnetic Field is A Ruthless, Solar-Wind-Shredding Machine
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Once again, we have Earth's magnetic field to thank for protecting us from our fire-breathing sun.
No life will survive the death of the sun — but new life could be born after, new research suggests
By Brandon Specktor last updated
When Earth's sun grows into a red giant 5 billion years from now, solar wind will shred our planet's magnetic field to bits.
'Factorian Deep,' the new deepest point in Antarctica's Southern Ocean, mapped for the first time
By Brandon Specktor published
Researchers have published the most detailed map of Antarctica's frigid Southern Ocean to date, including the ocean's new deepest point, the "Factorian Deep."
Blue-whale-size asteroid to screech past Earth in close encounter on June 6
By Brandon Specktor published
An asteroid up to three times the size of a blue whale will sail past Earth on June 6, 2022.
4 hostile alien civilizations may lurk in the Milky Way, a new study suggests
By Brandon Specktor published
New research calculates the odds that humans will contact a 'malicious' alien civilization that wants to invade our planet. Don't worry, the chances are incredibly small.
2 geomagnetic storms will lash Earth, but don't worry (too much)
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Two mild geomagnetic storms are expected to hit Earth on March 14 and 15 after a large coronal outburst, NOAA warns.
Asteroid four times the size of the Empire State Building barreling toward Earth on May 27
By Brandon Specktor last updated
The near-Earth asteroid 7335 (1989 JA) will make a close approach to our planet on May 27, 2022, flying within about 2.5 million miles of Earth.
The black hole at the center of the galaxy is forging a strange new kind of star
By Brandon Specktor last updated
The black hole at the center of our galaxy is warping and combining stars into a strange new kind of object, astronomers say.