Latest articles by Keith Cooper
Ceres: The closest dwarf planet to Earth
Reference Learn all about the dwarf planet Ceres, including its discovery, location, composition and the Dawn mission.
Which telescope will be 1st to find alien life? Scientists have some ideas
Tests suggest the European Extremely Large Telescope will be able to detect crucial biosignatures on other worlds.
What are Lagrange points?
Reference Find out who discovered the Lagrange points, how space agencies use them and the asteroids that accumulate at them.
Something 'fishy' is happening with the Milky Way's dark matter halo
Stars around the outskirts of our galaxy may hint at a secret about the Milky Way's dark matter.
The universe might be younger than we think, galaxies' motion suggests
The motions of satellites in galaxy groups tell us that such groupings, and therefore possibly the universe, are younger than what standard cosmology tells us.
It's been a 'wild' ride for the comet sampled by NASA's Stardust mission
Comet Wild 2 formed 4.5 billion years ago and is a relic of the birth of the solar system. In 2006, NASA brought pieces of it down to Earth.
An impossibly huge ring of galaxies might lead us to new physics. Here's how
This galactic superstructure appears to us as it was over 9 billion years ago.
Early galaxies were shaped like surfboards and pool noodles, James Webb Space Telescope finds
Young galaxies in the early universe adopted elongated shapes as they formed along filaments of the cosmic web, before evolving into more disc-like galaxies.
Water ice buried at Mars' equator is over 2 miles thick
The Mars Express orbiter has detected enough water ice buried beneath the Red Planet's equator to cover the entire planet in a shallow ocean if melted.
What is the Large Magellanic Cloud?
Reference Learn all about the Large Magellanic Cloud, including what it is, what it features and its relation to the Milky Way.
No alien life needed: Dark streaks in Venus' atmosphere can be explained by iron minerals
The dark streaks in Venus' atmosphere — a potential sign of life, according to some researchers — can be explained by Iron-bearing sulfate minerals, a new study reports.
SETI scientists begin huge new hunt for intelligent aliens
The search for alien technosignatures has dramatically expanded, thanks to a new experiment called COSMIC.
What does space smell like?
Space mysteries From carbon molecules and ozone on spacesuits to the nauseating odor of comets and the sweet tang of gas clouds, the universe is a natural laboratory for aromatic chemistry.
Hubble Space Telescope sees wild weather raging on distant hot Jupiter world
The new weather forecasting method could one day be used on more Earth-like exoplanets.
Alien technosignatures more likely to be found on oxygen-rich exoplanets. Here's why
To stand the best chance of detecting technosignatures, SETI should survey exoplanets with atmospheres that are at least 18% oxygen.
30 years ago, astronauts saved the Hubble Space Telescope
Launched with faulty vision, the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA were a laughing stock – until seven astronauts performed a series of daring spacewalks to fix it.
13 record-breaking space discoveries of 2023
Some of the strongest, longest, smallest, biggest and best reasons to celebrate space as the year comes to a close. There are a handful of awesome firsts in here too.
Warped supernova spotted by James Webb Space Telescope could settle a longstanding debate
Gravitationally lensed images of two different supernovas in the same galaxy can be used to measure the expansion rate of the universe.
Johannes Kepler: Everything you need to know
A biography of Johannes Kepler, from his troubled childhood to his mission to mathematically formalize Copernicus' heliocentric model by finding divine reasoning within the orbits of the planets.
The rings of Uranus look positively festive in epic James Webb Space Telescope holiday photo
The observations are vital for piecing together the science objectives for a future mission to Uranus.
Scientists find record-breaking collection of molecules in 2 extremely ancient galaxies
"We knew these galaxies were prodigious star factories, perhaps among the biggest the universe has ever seen."
Tiny 14-inch satellite studies 'hot Jupiter' exoplanets evaporating into space
Hot Jupiters are gas giants so close to their star that the star's heat and radiation can blow the planets' atmosphere away.
Over 100 galaxies seen spewing powerful winds that can halt star formation
The winds extend tens of thousands of light years above and below galaxies.
