Conor Feehly
Conor Feehly is a New Zealand-based science writer. He has earned a master's in science communication from the University of Otago, Dunedin. His writing has appeared in Cosmos Magazine, Discover Magazine and ScienceAlert. His writing largely covers topics relating to neuroscience and psychology, although he also enjoys writing about a number of scientific subjects ranging from astrophysics to archaeology.
Latest articles by Conor Feehly
![graphic illustration of several alien worlds without a host star.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SHpQpYAnYrYqCzY4FTrgfm-320-80.jpg)
What are rogue planets?
By Conor Feehly published
Reference Discover the strange world of rogue planets left to wander the cosmos untethered to any star.
![three orange and blue clouds of gas in space reach upwards similar to architectural pillars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2GyiPRfmVR2Rhuwk5FwEF5-320-80.jpg)
Tour the famous 'Pillars of Creation' with gorgeous new 3D views from Hubble and JWST (video)
By Conor Feehly published
Data from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes combine to create an awe-inspiring visualization of the Pillars of Creation.
![a brown rocky planet floating in space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4bzYbKY3fxPRZhyqiUeDLY-320-80.jpg)
Do other planets have plate tectonics?
By Conor Feehly published
Space mysteries Earth's surface is broken up into large plates that rub against each other, causing earthquakes, volcanoes and large mountain ranges. But how unique is our planet's geology?
![illustration of a space telescope orbiting earth, with the sun in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uuM4dtfu8Npho38YrtFioV-320-80.png)
NASA funds tech development for life-hunting Habitable Worlds Observatory
By Conor Feehly published
NASA recently selected three proposals that will help develop the tech needed by its proposed life-hunting Habitable Worlds Observatory space telescope.
![A spacecraft seen over a red-streaked world. Jupiter, a striped and swirly looking world, is in the background, offscreen.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ecqPuDPV2CLrciVyPwrgV9-320-80.jpg)
Why NASA's Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's icy moon is such a big deal
By Conor Feehly published
How deep are Europa's ice sheets? Could the moon sustain life? The Europa Clipper Mission, which is due to launch in October, will help scientists answer these intriguing questions.
![red and blue lines arc out of the north pole of Earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kbnh4X3JYQ4eVaQzgkea7F-320-80.jpg)
Space mysteries: Do all planets have magnetic fields?
By Conor Feehly published
Space mysteries How do scientists know if a planet has a magnetic field?
![Gif animation showing the moon disappearing above Earth.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/porzHVC5ceaQaJMoD7zhbQ-320-80.gif)
What would happen if the moon disappeared?
By Conor Feehly published
Space mysteries What would happen if our closest neighbor, the moon, disappeared? Here we explore the possible effects it could have on the environment and life on Earth.
![Thousands of glowing white and blue stars with a denser cluster towards the center of the image.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T6jup68AS3UGqfEdHZjjCH-320-80.jpg)
What are globular clusters?
By Conor Feehly last updated
Reference Globular clusters are densely packed, spherical collections of ancient stars. Here we explore them in more detail.
![Earth in space with a two blue fields emanating from it indicating the planet's magnetic field](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nRxyGrDk93kNfgfsXJfm75-320-80.jpg)
Why do Earth's magnetic poles flip?
By Conor Feehly published
Space mysteries Every so often, Earth's magnetic poles completely flip. What causes this to happen? And how do these reversals affect life on Earth?
![universe dark ages video showing the universe through time, starting with lots of galaxies at present day and them dwindling to a single orange point.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tW9aCWquTLLfP3n5R9D73a-320-80.gif)
The cosmic dark ages: Everything you need to know
By Conor Feehly published
Reference During the cosmic dark ages, the early universe was shrouded in darkness. Learn more about why this was the case and how the universe eventually became transparent.
![various colored circles circled by dotted lines scattered about a black canvas](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kSENpdwCE58duLV5qBVTpP-320-80.jpg)
12 out-of-this-world exoplanet discoveries in 2023
By Conor Feehly published
From scorching hot Jupiters to worlds that seem to be a little like Earth, here are 2023's most exciting exoplanet finds.
![Artist’s illustration of a star found in the closest orbit known around a black hole in the globular cluster named 47 Tucanae.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LKo8s53SBxx8X6TfnK7mtg-320-80.jpg)
Can stars form around black holes?
By Conor Feehly published
Black holes create some of the most extreme environments in the cosmos — can stars form in such conditions?
![a large, partially shadowed earth-like planet hangs in space. a yellow star is seen in the distance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/w9o5cE3Sts4zTWawuEucB9-320-80.jpg)
NASA identifies 17 exoplanets with possible subsurface oceans
By Conor Feehly published
Internal heating may be able to keep water in liquid form within these exoplanets.
![This illustration depicts asteroid Phaethon being heated by the Sun. The asteroid’s surface gets so hot that sodium inside Phaethon’s rock likely vaporizes and vents into space, causing it to brighten like a comet and form a tail.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dBK2DvaMhFMgcMj3Z73y37-320-80.jpg)
Asteroid Phaethon's mysterious tail may finally have an explanation
By Conor Feehly published
Spectral analysis of the mystery asteroid Phaethon reveals its composition at last.
![two planets, one blue (farther), one tannish/green (foreground) float in space. a yellow star hangs in the black distance.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/impsFKK3H838QF26hE3H8k-320-80.jpg)
Exoplanet 'haze' makes it harder to identify water on alien worlds. Scientists may have a solution
By Conor Feehly published
Planetary scientists simulate how haze might be obstructing our view of exoplanet's atmospheres, and potentially alien water.
![international space station seen through a spacecraft window](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mq5aFjwceN47ZXYir2JAX5-320-80.jpg)
As the ISS turns 25, a look back at the space laboratory's legacy
By Conor Feehly published
Over 25 years, the ISS has taught us what it means to live and work in space.
![An aerial view of a sandy-colored area. A dark purple splotch represents the methane plume source EMIT detected.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UWpHeMfTMmzyPsdwaHdvzS-320-80.png)
NASA instrument on ISS identifies more than 750 greenhouse gas sources
By Conor Feehly published
NASA's EMIT instrument is turning into an important tool in combating climate change.
![An image with many, many galaxies](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BymPihkWzKdsjV2mmLTSYk-320-80.jpg)
Distant 'teenage galaxies' surprise astronomers with unexpected heavy elements
By Conor Feehly published
Significant amounts of nickel observed in galaxies only two-to-three billion years after the Big Bang.
![41 Cassini observations were combined to create this image of Saturn's rings.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nfnwkMpeCeWvysjXL84HiG-320-80.jpg)
Solar eclipses seen by long-dead Cassini spacecraft shed new light on Saturn's rings
By Conor Feehly published
Data from the deceased Cassini spacecraft offers astronomers an unconventional way to measure the optical depth of Saturn's rings.
![illustration of an orangey and large star with a planet in the front. steam appears to emanate from the planet, indicating how close it is to the sun. the planet's atmosphere is sandy](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hdiu8EnkEjrFoUWRi5XaXj-320-80.jpg)
James Webb Space Telescope reveals sandy surprise in distant planet
By Conor Feehly published
Fresh James Webb Space Telescope observations of exoplanet WASP-107b revealed sandy clouds high in its atmosphere.
![spot-lit satellite dishes on an arid landscape point skyward ere the backdrop of a starry night](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PfrBvsp449iwH6YNbYyRQb-320-80.jpg)
SETI Institute gets $200 million to seek out evidence of alien life
By Conor Feehly published
Researchers are taking seriously the idea that our first evidence of life elsewhere in the cosmos may come in the form of alien technology.
![This image of the Venus southern hemisphere illustrates the terminator – the transitional region between the dayside (left) and nightside of the planet (right).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kv7vtywRhYW22KPBwN2QKb-320-80.jpg)
Between Venus' atmospheric currents, a layer of reactive oxygen
By Conor Feehly published
Scientists found atomic oxygen buried between two dominant currents in the hellish planet's atmosphere.
![Color illustration of a rocky planet on the left and a portion of a much-larger star on the right. About three-quarters of the lit side of the planet is visible; the other quarter is in shadow. The surface of the planet has gray, orange, and yellow mottling. Most of the orange and yellow is in the region that is facing the star directly. The grayer portions are toward the poles and shadowed side of the planet. The edge of the disc of the planet appears to be glowing, suggesting a thin atmosphere. The star is bright orange-yellow, with a turbulent appearance similar to the Sun.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N4fsr4U8WWXQzfsDDVg9bQ-320-80.jpg)
NASA's exoplanet-hunting telescope spies 8 'super-Earths'
By Conor Feehly published
Astronomers using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) have identified eight new super-Earths that orbit close to their host stars.