Robert Lea
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
![Magnetic fields seen in the halo of the Milky Way](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FNeUiEYqS3hz9RYTZrfVa3-320-80.png)
Milky Way's halo is filled with 'magnetic donuts' as wide as 100,000 light-years
By Robert Lea published
The discovery could help astronomers better understand how cosmic magnetic fields form and evolve.
![A gray exoplanet in space near a red dwarf star toward the top right. A flare erupts off the star.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cmh9szNANbpT4sRhYt9D65-320-80.png)
Earth-size planet discovered around cool red dwarf star shares its name with a biscuit
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size planet orbiting a red dwarf star, making just the second planetary system seen around one of these tiny, cool, dim, but common, stars.
![A scene of lots of color-coded smears of gas. On the right, an inset shows a zoomed-in section of the scene.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AMtVgzNWpACgMYpFSpRSQA-320-80.png)
NASA's Chandra spacecraft spots supermassive black hole erupting in the Milky Way's heart
By Robert Lea published
NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope has spotted the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy erupting, proving even quiet black holes like Sagittarius A* need to vent sometimes.
![An illustration of two black holes, one much smaller than the other](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p3yGsFfAZYCeAz6avWx6oe-320-80.png)
Cracking! Some binary black holes may roll around each other in egg-shaped orbits
By Robert Lea published
Some black hole pairs roll around each other in wobbly, egg-shaped orbits that could hold clues about their origins, gravitational wave measurements suggest.
![An illustration shows a black hole ripping apart a massive star in a tidal disruption event](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/it2gVpP88VLP7AmFW49b6a-320-80.png)
NASA's Roman Space Telescope will hunt for the universe's 1st stars — or their shredded corpses, anyway
By Robert Lea published
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will hunt for the universe's first stars — or rather, what's left of them after they've been ripped apart by black holes.
![An illustration of Earth in space; a small-ish asteroid is toward the top right.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YXnuxHcRReumk7nef6FtAi-320-80.png)
'God of Destruction' asteroid Apophis will come to Earth in 2029 — and it could meet some tiny spacecraft
By Robert Lea published
Asteroid Apophis is heading to Earth, and scientists have revealed three tiny spacecraft concepts that could race to meet the space rock in April 2029.
![Red swirls around a light blue oval against a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NYNg3wQh7i57iV82tXb8RX-320-80.png)
Scientists use XRISM spacecraft to predict fate of matter around monster supermassive black hole
By Robert Lea published
The spacecraft XRISM has examined light from a distant galaxy that houses a supermassive black hole to determine the fate of matter in the void's gravitational thrall.
![A satellite is seen against the background of space. Lots of black holes are illustrated among the background, too.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qea8kdAA3tQookqXUNMKLD-320-80.png)
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope will hunt for tiny black holes left over from the Big Bang
By Robert Lea published
Primordial black holes left over from the Big Bang and no wider than a dime could be a prime target for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Telescope after it launches in 2026.
![Planetesimal orbits around a white dwarf. Initially, every planetesimal has a circular, prograde orbit. The kick forms an eccentric debris disk which with prograde (blue) and retrograde orbits (orange).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bScNWhzPufQwrRGB6zgcwd-320-80.png)
White dwarfs are 'heavy metal' zombie stars endlessly cannibalizing their dead planetary systems
By Robert Lea published
Zombie white dwarf stars keep their heavy metal exteriors fresh by constantly cannibalizing any smaller objects in their dead planetary systems, like comets and asteroids, that get in their way.
![Illustration of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) at work.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rqUmqyHVtd6upSh2wNbuE7-320-80.jpg)
NASA's TESS spacecraft resumes exoplanet hunt after recovering from glitch
By Robert Lea published
NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS is back in action after nine days in safe mode, returning to scientific observations on May 3.
![A reddish orange planet with what look like charred edges is seen next to a giant star, slightly offscreen.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mFY3fUFmAB9gthkigd95tD-320-80.png)
This diamond exoplanet lost its atmosphere — then it grew another
By Robert Lea published
55 Cancri e is a super-Earth planet that appears composed of diamond-like carbon — now, thanks to the JWST, astronomers have found the world has "grown" a second atmosphere.
![An visualization of the approach to a black hole created by NASA to mark black hole week](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eP5czpZQYRS3UoyfpVXznc-320-80.png)
Fall into a black hole in mind-bending NASA animation (video)
By Robert Lea published
Black hole week is on, and to celebrate NASA is taking us on a way to plunge past the event horizon of a supermassive black hole and on a time-bending trip around the same cosmic titan.
![A James Webb Space Telescope image of the quasar J0148 and the supermassive balck hole at its heart](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UQbykC22PRMJqyVH4UaNoA-320-80.png)
James Webb Space Telescope suggests supermassive black holes grew from heavy cosmic 'seeds'
By Robert Lea published
The mystery of how early universe supermassive black holes grew so quickly may be solved, with the James Webb Space Telescope finding the first evidence of "heavy seeds."
![The cometary globule God's Hand as seen by the Dark Energy Camera](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fD8Ph2MygpcngTV82L9qz5-320-80.png)
'God's Hand' interstellar cloud reaches for the stars in new Dark Energy Camera image (video)
By Robert Lea published
There is nothing supernatural about this celestial structure, but it is awe-inspiring nonetheless.
![As two supermassive black holes spiral around one another and merge, they create gravitational waves. With enough energy, they can "kick" themselves out of their starting spot, or even completely out of their home galaxy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g9ZXYfkmTrg5mHjV6hjE67-320-80.jpg)
Black hole collision 'alerts' could notify astronomers within 30 seconds of detection
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers will be alerted to gravitational waves faster than ever before as LIGO and other detectors "listen" to a universal symphony.
![Large beige sphere surrounded by golden spheres and pairs of purple and blue spheres](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bGsy6XCD9bKnfS5XkoU6Fe-320-80.png)
How 'Earth's twin' Venus lost its water and became a hellish planet
By Robert Lea published
New research may have identified a culprit molecule that caused Venus, often described as Earth's twin, to lose its water and become an inhospitable hellscape.
![A splotchy pink and blue blob in the center of the image. In the background, space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sXvisKuKJvCp8NRgShfFRT-320-80.png)
X-ray spacecraft reveals odd 'Cloverleaf' radio circle in new light (image)
By Robert Lea published
Thanks to XMM-Newton, astronomers may know the powerful event that gave rise to the Cloverleaf odd radio circle.
![A view of space with lots of specks of light indicating galaxies and a few streaks representing lensed light.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SK8FW9fy8MDtLEVaPnox8c-320-80.jpg)
Does a cosmic 'glitch' in gravity challenge Albert Einstein's greatest theory?
By Robert Lea published
Scientists think they've uncovered a cosmic "glitch" in gravity that could require a revision in Einstein's theory of general relativity.
![A blue orb is in the foreground and a red one in the background. Both are in space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8gyn65REk8wUwFrnUk9LV9-320-80.png)
Did the James Webb Space Telescope really find life beyond Earth? Scientists aren't so sure
By Robert Lea published
Reports of life signs detected in the atmosphere of the potential ocean world K2-18 b may have been premature.
![A blue orb under a glowing yellow circle againsy a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PynBCQrgAZjQBHzTLgF8VV-320-80.png)
Citizen scientists find remarkable exoplanet, name it after Harry Potter character
By Robert Lea published
Citizen scientists have spotted a truly remarkable planet in a binary system's habitable zone. They gave a Harry Potter-inspired nickname.
![A cyclinder shaped silver gold and green spacecraft against a black background with golden square to its right](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uu4tqfpxhkjgx6WkReS7J9-320-80.png)
How the XRISM spacecraft can study the X-ray universe with only 36 pixels
By Robert Lea published
It may have fewer pixels than the screen of a 1989 Game Boy, but the Resolve device on the XRISM space telescope will broaden our view of the cosmos.
![A split screen diagonally. On the top is the Hubble Space Telescope, wrapped in silvery material. On the bottom is TESS, a golden object with blue solar panel wings.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ACYa98orRE5fGkTq83CEXb-320-80.png)
NASA's Hubble Telescope is back in action — but its TESS exoplanet hunter may now be in trouble
By Robert Lea published
Both the Hubble Telescope and TESS exoplanet hunter went into safe mode on April 23. Hubble is back on, but TESS remains off.
![A large red sphere and a smaller brown sphere followed by trail of white smoke against a black background of stars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HFRsfD8b8oiDE9KvLJXqo7-320-80.png)
Some planets 'death spiral' into their stars and scientists may now know why
By Robert Lea published
WASP-12b is a planet on a date with a fiery destiny, doomed to plunge into its sun-like star. Scientists may finally know why some hot Jupiters eventually death spiral into their stars.
![An illustration shows a hot Jupiter planet tidal locked to its star resulting in blisteringly hot dayside and a cooler nightside.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BjqSVKKHapjXVJQnpj5iWZ-320-80.png)
James Webb Space Telescope forecasts clouds of melted rock on this blisteringly hot exoplanet
By Robert Lea published
The JWST has performed a weather report for a distant hot Jupiter exoplanet, finding winds three times as fast as a jet fighter, clouds made of rock and temperatures hot enough to melt lead.