Doris Elin Urrutia

Doris Elin Urrutia

Doris is a science journalist and Space.com contributor. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Communications at Fordham University in New York City. Her first work was published in collaboration with London Mining Network, where her love of science writing was born. Her passion for astronomy started as a kid when she helped her sister build a model solar system in the Bronx. She got her first shot at astronomy writing as a Space.com editorial intern and continues to write about all things cosmic for the website. Doris has also written about microscopic plant life for Scientific American’s website and about whale calls for their print magazine. She has also written about ancient humans for Inverse, with stories ranging from how to recreate Pompeii’s cuisine to how to map the Polynesian expansion through genomics. She currently shares her home with two rabbits. Follow her on twitter at @salazar_elin.

Articles by: Doris Elin Urrutia

Movement specialist Drew Dollaz performs a choreographed dance in sync with a graphic of ripples moving through a mesh that represents the fabric of space-time. This scene was featured in the 2019 production of "Light Falls: Space, Time, and an Obsession of Einstein" in New York City on May 22.

'An Obsession of Einstein' Dances Through Space-Time on Stage at the World Science Festival: Watch on PBS Tonight

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

A dancer gliding across a stage was so well synced with the projection around him that the performer appeared to trigger ripples coursing through the fabric of space-time.

Amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley captured this view of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot on May 19, 2019, from the town of Rubyvale in Queensland, Australia.

Amateur Astronomers See 'Blades' on Jupiter's Great Red Spot

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

What's in a name? Well, for the amateur astronomers and scientists fixated on Jupiter, there's been a recent need to describe its iconic storm as more than just a great red spot.

Theoretical physicist and science popularizer Brian Greene presenting at the World Science Festival.

Science As a Full Body Experience: Brian Greene On 2019 World Science Festival

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

The 2019 World Science Festival kicks off this week in New York City! Hear from its founder, Brian Greene.

An illustration of a hypersonic aircraft, published by Hermeus Corp.

Startup Hermeus Wants to Build a Hypersonic Jet That Flies at 5 Times the Speed of Sound

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

A U.S. venture-capital firm recently led a round of seed investment for Hermeus Corp., a new startup looking to develop a hypersonic aircraft.

This animation shows a proposed route for NASA's Curiosity rover, which is climbing Mount Sharp on Mars.

Oh the Places (on Mars) You'll Go! Here's Where NASA's Curiosity Rover Is Headed

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Curiosity will be coming 'round the Martian mountain when it comes — and a colorful new animation highlights where exactly the mission is headed.

The Chang'e-4 lander as seen by the Yutu-2 rover.

Goodnight, Chang'e-4! China's Probe on Moon's Far Side Naps for Lunar Night

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

A whole day on the moon lasts 28 Earth days.

This illustration shows a ring of dust particles and debris orbiting the burnt-out stellar core called a white dwarf.

Solid, Low-Mass Planets Have Best Chance to Survive Parent Star's Death

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

When stars about the sun's size swell into red giants and finally dwindle into white dwarfs, their planets may be kicked out of the system or consumed.

This artist's illustration shows what one of the very first galaxies in the universe might have looked like. The galaxy is largely opaque and without a clear structure, because high levels of violent star formation and star death illuminate the gas filling the space between stars.

These Ancient Galaxies Are Far Brighter Than Expected. Does That Signal a Cosmic Turning Point?

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

By staring at the sky for over 200 hours, the Spitzer Space Telescope collected light that finally reached Earth after a 13-billion-year voyage through space.

Fourteen Arecibo radar images of the near-Earth asteroid 65803 Didymos and its moonlet, taken on Nov. 23, 24 and 26, 2003.

NASA Will Aim a DART at Target Asteroid in Upcoming Deflection Test

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Telescopes and spacecraft are already watching the skies for potentially hazardous asteroids, but what could be done to actually deflect a dangerous object heading toward Earth?

In space, the Event Horizon Imager (currently at concept stage) could have a resolution more than five times that of the Event Horizon Telescope on Earth, which took the first-ever picture of a black hole. Left: Model of supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at an observation frequency of 230 GHz. Right: A simulation of what type of image EHT could produce of Sagittarius A*.

Black Hole Photos Could Get Even Clearer with Space-Based Telescopes

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

The first-ever photo of a black hole amazed people across the world. Now, astronomers are aiming to take even sharper pictures of these enigmatic structures by sending radio telescopes into space.

A still image from a NASA Scientific Visualization Studio video, where each Apollo-era landing site is marked on the lunar face.

Awesome NASA Time-Lapse Video Shows the Moon's Phases During Apollo Lunar Landings

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

This image of the asteroid Ryugu was taken by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe on June 26, 2018, just one day before the spacecraft's arrival at the big rock.

Boulders on Diamond-Shaped Asteroids Hint at Dusty Landslides

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Scientists looked at the boulders found on two diamond-shaped asteroids to glean information about the way asteroids morphed over time.

The black fragment of Almahata Sitta meteorite number 15 shows up black against the lighter colored rocks of the Nubian desert in northern Sudan.

The Hunt for Dangerous Asteroids: Here's How Scientists Do It

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

How do I spot thee, asteroid? Let me count the ways.

Astrophotographer Mike Taylor, who is based in central Maine, captured this photo of an Eta Aquarid meteor streaking through the sky on May 6, 2014.

Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight! Look Toward the 'Water Jar'

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Look toward the water jar of the constellation Aquarius after midnight this Sunday morning to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

The four members of the band OK Go performed choreography in the middle of several microgravity-inducing flights to produce the music video for their song ''Upside Down & Inside Out.''

Creativity and the Art in Space Contest: A Conversation with OK Go's Damian Kulash

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

The band OK Go is accepting submissions through May 6 for its Art in Space contest, inviting students to "dream up your own cool experiments to send into suborbital space."

Visualization of the Beresheet moon mission separating during launch.

National Geographic's 'Rookie Moonshot: Budget Mission To The Moon' Airs Tonight!

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

A new program from National Geographic delves into the Israeli Beresheet mission that attempted to land on the surface of the moon.

Mu Space CEO & Founder James Yenbamroong (left) and Relativity Space CEO & Founder Tim Ellis (right) stand in front of Relativity's Stargate, the world's largest metal 3D printer.

Relativity Space to Launch Thai Satellite on 3D-Printed Rocket

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

The 3D rocket-printing company Relativity announced its second partnership ever, this time with the Thai satellite company mu Space.

The Southern Crab Nebula: the Hubble Space Telescope's 29th anniversary image.

Cosmic Crustacean Makes Great Birthday Card for Hubble's 29th Year (Image)

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

On April 18, the European Space Agency released an image featuring the hourglass-shaped Southern Crab Nebula to celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope's birthday coming up next week.

A still from a clip explaining the technology of a solar sail that would propel the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout mission to its target.

'Speed' Docuseries Shows What Light-Powered Cubesat Might Look Like in Space (Video)

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

One future journey through the solar system might be possible, thanks to a sail powered by the sun.

Scientists used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to obtain data about the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87, an elliptical galaxy located 60 million light-years away from Earth, in the Virgo galaxy cluster.

See the X-ray Neighborhood of the First-Ever Black Hole Photo in This Space Telescope View

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

The orange speckles in a new image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory add another dimension to the first-ever image of a black hole.

A still from a CGI animation in the Science Channel program, "Black Holes: The First Image," premiering April 10 at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT.

'Monster Black Hole: The First Image' Premieres Tonight on Science Channel (Video)

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Learn how a scientific team used radio telescopes to peer past galactic clouds of dust and gas trying to take the first-ever photograph a black hole.

A still of a video simulation that shows what a black hole shadow might look like. The animation was featured in a short movie about the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) project, produced by Peter Galison and Chyld King. Watch a livestreamed announcement of the Event Horizon Telescope's first results on April 10, 2019 at 9 a.m. EDT here: Nsf.gov/blackholes

The Event Horizon Telescope Is Trying to Take the First-Ever Photo of a Black Hole

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Astronomers orchestrated radio dish telescopes across the world into an Earth-size virtual camera for a bold new experiment attempting to deliver the first-ever image of a black hole.

A still from a video animation showing what the anti-satellite weapon launched by India on March 27 may have looked like from space, just moments before the MICROSAT-R satellite struck the kinetic kill missile placed in its path.

These Simulations Reveal What Happened During India's Anti-Satellite Missile Test (Videos)

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

A U.S. space and defense software company created two new simulation videos, revealing how the anti-satellite weapon recently launched by India might have looked hitting a satellite in space.

A still from a video filmed in anticipation of Demo-1, the first test flight for the Crew Dragon capsule developed by SpaceX through a partnership with NASA. From left to right: Elon Musk, NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, NASA astronaut Victor Glover, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and NASA astronaut Bob Behnken.

Here's What Elon Musk Had to Say to NASA's Chief Before SpaceX's 1st Crew Dragon Test Flight (Video)

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

Hear from the future riders of Crew Dragon, the reusable vehicle developed by SpaceX through a partnership with NASA.

Press Information Bureau India tweeted this image of Wednesday's (March 27) "Mission Shakti," the country's first test-fire launch of an anti-satellite weapon.

India's Anti-Satellite Missile Test Is a Big Deal. Here's Why.

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

What type of technology launched in "Mission Shakti"?