Isobel Whitcomb

Latest articles by Isobel Whitcomb

photo of a solar eclipse, showing the moon blotting out the sun, except for a thin yellow-orange ring around the outside

'Zeus made night from mid-day:' Terror and wonder in ancient accounts of solar eclipses

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Solar eclipses have inspired awe, wonder and fear for millenia. Here's a historical taste.

Eclipses
The farside of the moon, photographed by Apollo 13, hands upside-down over the blackness of space

China's rover maps 1,000 feet of hidden 'structures' deep below the dark side of the moon

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Scientists were able to visualize the upper 1,000 feet of the moon's surface for the first time. Their results reveal billions of years of previously hidden lunar history.

Moon Rovers
An illustration of NASA's Cassini orbiter soaring through a giant vapor jet over the moon Enceladus

James Webb telescope discovers gargantuan geyser on Saturn's moon, blasting water hundreds of miles into space

By Isobel Whitcomb published

The James Webb Space Telescope caught Saturn's icy moon Enceladus spraying a 'huge plume' of watery vapor far into space — and that plume may contain chemical ingredients for life.

James Webb Space Telescope
Scientists have established a new council to answer the question: "What should humans do after aliens contact us?"

Scientists are working on an official 'alien contact protocol' for when ET phones Earth

By Isobel Whitcomb last updated

We're unprepared for when E.T. reaches out to us. A team of experts is determined to change that.

Search for Life
A radio telescope with the Milky Way in the background

What messages have we sent to aliens?

By Isobel Whitcomb published

The most important thing we've communicated? That we exist.

Search for Life
An illustration of space junk

How do tiny pieces of space junk cause incredible damage?

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Space junk moves at 10 times the speed of a bullet from an average gun.

Space Exploration
The spiral galaxy NGC 4565, about 38.8 million light-years away, has a radio halo that has been clearly detected for the first time.

Remarkable 'Radio Halo' Could Reveal the Unseen Phenomena at Galaxy's Fringes

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Halos aren't just for angels.

Galaxies
The moon is NASA's next big goal, but don't tell President Donald Trump.

Why Trump's Tweet About (Not) Going to the Moon Is a Problem for Space Exploration

By Isobel Whitcomb published

The moon
In a new experiment, scientists watched Schrödinger's cat in action and found that they could not only predict whether the cat would be "dead" or "alive," but could also save it.

Can Physicists Really Save Schrödinger’s Cat?

By Isobel Whitcomb published

Whether the cat lives or dies isn't as unpredictable as scientists assumed.

The Universe