Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.
Latest articles by Robert Lea

Hubble telescope discovers rare galaxy that is 99% dark matter
By Robert Lea published
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered what seems to be a galaxy that is the most heavily dominated by dark matter ever seen.

Hubble and Chandra space telescopes hunt for rogue black holes wandering through dwarf galaxies
By Robert Lea published
The investigation could solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so large in the early universe.

James Webb Space Telescope spots a stunning 'cosmic jellyfish' that could help solve the mysteries of galactic evolution
By Robert Lea published
"This data provides us with rare insight into how galaxies were transformed in the early universe."

Scientists may have found a 'missing-link' black hole ripping up and devouring a star
By Robert Lea published
An unusual tidal disruption event spotted by astronomers may be the result of an elusive intermediate mass black hole ripping apart a star.

Scientists hunt for origins of the mysterious 'sun goddess' particle
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have used a novel new approach to discover the potential origins of the sun goddess particle Amaterasu, the second most energetic cosmic ray ever to be detected striking Earth.

'The beacons were lit!' Scientists name merging supermassive black holes after 'Lord of the Rings' locations
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have named two systems of colliding supermassive black holes after Lord of the Rings locations, Gondor and Rohan.

A mystery object is dimming a distant star. Could it be a massive exoplanet, or a 'failed star'?
By Robert Lea published
A mysterious object has caused a long-lasting and extreme dimming of a distant star, but is this object a 'failed star' brown dwarf, or an exceptionally massive super-Jupiter exoplanet?

Could the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole actually be a clump of dark matter?
By Robert Lea published
New research suggests that the heart of the Milky Way may be dominated by a dense clump of dark matter rather than the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*.

James Webb Space Telescope finds precursors to 'building blocks of life' in nearby galaxy
By Robert Lea published
"We found an unexpected chemical complexity, with abundances far higher than predicted by current theoretical models."

Does dark matter actually exist? New theory says it could be gravity behaving strangely
By Robert Lea published
"It highlights gravity's possible hidden complexity and invites a reevaluation of where dark matter effects originate."

James Webb Space Telescope's view of 800,000 galaxies paints a detailed picture of dark matter
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers used James Webb Space Telescope data to determine the density of the universe's most mysterious "stuff."

Did astronomers see a black hole explode? An 'impossible' particle that hit Earth in 2023 may tell us
By Robert Lea published
"If our hypothesized dark charge is true, then we believe there could be a significant population of primordial black holes, which would be consistent with other astrophysical observations, and account for all the missing dark matter in the universe."

Watch dead neutron stars smash together in new NASA supercomputer simulation
By Robert Lea published
"We studied the last several orbits before the merger, when the entwined magnetic fields undergo rapid and dramatic changes, and modeled potentially observable high-energy signals."

James Webb Space Telescope watches distant galaxies form farthest cluster ever seen in the ancient universe (image)
By Robert Lea published
"JADES-ID1 is giving us new evidence that the universe was in a huge hurry to grow up."

Large Hadron Collider reveals 'primordial soup' of the early universe was surprisingly soupy
By Robert Lea published
Waiter, there's a quark in my soup!

1.1 million mph cosmic winds race through 'magnetic superhighway' in colliding galaxies
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered powerful magnetic fields steering gas, dust, and star formation in a dramatic galaxy merger.

Astronomers watch 1st black hole ever imaged launch a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet from its glowing 'shadow'
By Robert Lea published
"It is amazing to see that we are gradually moving towards combining these breakthrough observations across multiple frequencies and completing the picture of the jet launching region."

Astronomers discover the 'growing pains' of teenage exoplanets
By Robert Lea published
"We've often seen the 'baby pictures' of planets forming, but until now, the 'teenage years' have been a missing link."

Artemis Accords: What are they & which countries are involved?
By Robert Lea last updated
Reference As the Artemis program aims to return humanity to the moon and beyond, the Artemis Accords lay out a framework for nations collaborating in this effort.

Are mysterious 'Little Red Dots' discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope actually nurseries for direct-collapse black holes?
By Robert Lea published
"It is exciting to think that Little Red Dots may represent the first direct observational evidence of the birth of the most massive black holes in the universe."

Scientists just got the clearest picture of the dark universe yet: 'Now the dream has come true'
By Robert Lea published
"These results from the Dark Energy Survey shine new light on our understanding of the universe and its expansion."

A mystery object is holding this 120 million-mile-wide cloud of vaporized metal together
By Robert Lea published
"Stars like the sun don’t just stop shining for no reason."

A black hole 'feeding frenzy' could help explain a cosmic mystery uncovered by the James Webb Space Telescope
By Robert Lea published
"It is exciting to think that Little Red Dots may represent the first direct observational evidence of the birth of the most massive black holes in the universe."
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