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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., is a contributing writer for Space.com since 2012. As a proud Trekkie and Canadian, she tackles topics like spaceflight, diversity, science fiction, astronomy and gaming to help others explore the universe. Elizabeth's on-site reporting includes two human spaceflight launches from Kazakhstan, and embedded reporting from a simulated Mars mission in Utah. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, and a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University. Her latest book, NASA Leadership Moments, is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday.

Articles by: Elizabeth Howell

A partial lunar eclipse is seen over Melbourne, Australia, on May 26, 2021.

Beaver Moon lunar eclipse 2021: When, where and how to see it on Nov. 19

By Elizabeth Howell published

On Nov. 19, a partial lunar eclipse will reward patient sky observers with a view of a subtly changing moon and is a must-see event as it's the last lunar eclipse of the year.

Crew-3 Crew Dragon Falcon 9

The moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn photobombed SpaceX's Crew-3 rocket and it's just stunning

By Elizabeth Howell published

A SpaceX photo of its Crew-3 rocket and Dragon spaceship captures a stunning sight with the moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.

Alternative launch company SpinLaunch's spin chamber is seen at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The system flings rockets toward the sky with a spinning arm.

Startup SpinLaunch completes first test flight with wild rocket-flinging launch system

By Elizabeth Howell published

SpinLaunch performed the test flight of its novel kinetic-energy-based launch system in New Mexico on Oct. 22.

The crescent moon will shine near Saturn and Jupiter on Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 10-11).

You can see the moon near Saturn in the night sky tonight. Here's how.

By Elizabeth Howell published

The crescent moon will swing by Saturn on Wednesday before making a close approach to Jupiter in Thursday's evening sky.

An artist's depiction of the Ingenuity helicopter and Perseverance rover after the aircraft's deployment from the larger spacecraft's belly.

'Twins' of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover and Ingenuity helicopter are touring the US

By Elizabeth Howell published

Life-size replicas of NASA's Perseverance rover and Mars helicopter Ingenuity are touring the United States over the next year.

perseverance mars

Perseverance rover on Mars bites into layered rocks in hunt for clues of ancient water

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars has begun scraping away at an intriguing set of layered rocks that may have formed in liquid water.

This NASA supercomputer model shows how greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide fluctuate in Earth’s atmosphere throughout the year. Higher concentrations are shown in red.

Pandemic lockdowns reduced greenhouse gas levels in some areas, satellite views show

By Elizabeth Howell published

Satellite data shows small but highly specific decreases in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to pandemic-related lockdowns, a new study shows.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour is seen as it streaks across the night sky before splashdown to return four Crew-2 astronauts to Earth with a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on Nov. 8, 2021.

Stargazers spot SpaceX's Crew-2 Dragon streaking across the night sky in amazing photos

By Elizabeth Howell published

It looks like New Orleans and Florida got quite the show.

The crescent moon will shine with a brilliant Venus and the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn from Nov. 8 to Nov. 11 shortly after sunset in the southwestern sky.

You can see the moon line up with bright Venus, Jupiter and Saturn in the sky tonight

By Elizabeth Howell published

Skywatchers a chance to see Venus and the moon line up with Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky tonight (Nov. 8).

This photo from NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity shows the drone's shadow on the Martian surface during its 14th flight, which occurred Oct. 24, 2021.

Watch NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity take its 14th flight in this full video

By Elizabeth Howell published

A new video shows NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity as it completed its latest daring brief flight hop in the thinning atmosphere of the Red Planet.

The Hubble Space Telescope as photographed at the end of the final servicing mission, in 2009.

NASA considering software fixes for sidelined Hubble Space Telescope

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA is considering software adjustments to the Hubble Space Telescope to bring the sidelined telescope back into service.

An illustration of the private Nova-C moon lander built by Intuitive Machines with NASA's Polar Resources Ice-Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) attached to the spacecraft.

NASA picks landing site at the moon's south pole for ice-drilling robot

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA and Intuitive Machines announced the Shackleton Crater landing site for an ice-drilling robot.

2013 map of background radiation left from the Big Bang

What is the Big Bang Theory?

By Elizabeth Howell published

The Big Bang Theory explains how the universe began.

These intriguingly layered rocks are a potential sampling target for NASA's Mars rover Perseverance, mission team members said via Twitter, where they posted this photo on Nov. 4, 2021.

New Perseverance rover photos from Mars show tantalizing layered rocks

By Elizabeth Howell published

These strikingly layered Mars rocks may be the Perseverance rover's next sampling target.

The logo of NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA has merged two leadership offices into one big one to follow US space strategy

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA announced Monday (Nov. 1) that it is adding several new leadership positions and merging two offices into a new one.

The 2021 Antarctic ozone hole reached its maximum area on Oct. 7 and ranks as the 13th-largest such feature since 1979.

See how the huge ozone hole over Antarctica has grown in 2021 in this NASA video

By Elizabeth Howell published

A new NASA video highlights the giant ozone hole that opened over the Antarctic this year.

Amy Ross, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, left, and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, second from left, watch as Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASA’s new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), and Dustin Gohmert, Orion Crew Survival Systems Project Manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wearing the Orion Crew Survival System suit, right, wave after being introduced by the administrator, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

How NASA is building next-gen spacesuits for Artemis moon astronauts (video)

By Elizabeth Howell published

NASA's new moon explorers will have better mobility and a lighter load to lug than their Apollo ancestors.

Elon Musk says SpaceX's Falcon 9 reusability is key to success in the new documentary "Space Titans."

'Space Titans' goes inside a billionaires' space race on Discovery+ (exclusive clip)

By Elizabeth Howell published

In "Space Titans," a new documentary launching today (Nov. 4), SpaceX founder Elon Musk shares the secret of his company's Falcon 9 rocket success.

Boeing is planning a large satellite constellation to provide V-band and C-band communications services.

Boeing gets FCC approval for 147-satellite constellation

By Elizabeth Howell published

Boeing has the green light to launch a planned broadband constellation that will place 147 satellites in orbit.

A Long March 2C rocket launched remote-sensing Yaogan-32 family satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Nov. 3, 2021.

China launches military satellites into orbit after delay

By Elizabeth Howell published

China sent new military satellites to orbit Wednesday (Nov. 3) for an undisclosed mission, following a lengthy launch delay.

Uranus will be at its brightest on Nov. 4-5, 2021, when the planet reaches opposition.

Here's how to see Uranus at its brightest in the sky

By Elizabeth Howell published

The distant planet is about to reach opposition, and with the right equipment you'll be able to spot it.

earth thomas pesquet

French astronaut on space station calls for climate change action now

By Elizabeth Howell published

"We can only do this together," says space station commander as he prepares to wrap up another stay in orbit.

A Hubble Space Telescope image of a nebula called N44.

This bizarre 'superbubble' spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope has scientists scratching their heads

By Elizabeth Howell published

Scientists aren't exactly sure how it formed.

matthias maurer crew-3

This astronaut is spending his SpaceX launch delay cleaning up a Florida beach

By Elizabeth Howell published

A German astronaut is showing his love for Earth during a few extra days on the planet's surface before his first space mission.

A selfie taken by NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021.

You can help NASA train Mars rovers for the Red Planet

By Elizabeth Howell published

You can help NASA make its Mars rovers even better explorers.