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
'We thought it was impossible:' Water frost on Mars discovered near Red Planet's equator
By Robert Lea published
Water frost has been found on huge volcanoes at the equator of Mars, a region where scientists thought frost was impossible.
The Milky Way's last major act of galactic cannibalism was surprisingly recent
By Robert Lea published
Gaia discovers the Milky Way's last major act of galactic cannibalism was surprisingly recent, as the space telescope counts the "wrinkles" of our galaxy to retell its history."
'Supercharged rhino' black holes may have formed and died a second after the Big Bang
By Robert Lea published
Tiny 'supercharged' black holes born just after the Big Bang may have been brief companions to primordial black holes, dying before the universe was a second old.
'Vampire stars' explode after eating too much — AI could help reveal why
By Robert Lea published
Type Ia supernovas erupt when white dwarf "dead stars" vampirically feast on a companion star. Researchers are turning to AI to better understand why.
Scientists find slowest spinning 'radio neutron star' — it breaks all the dead-star rules
By Robert Lea published
Taking almost a full hour to rotate rather than fractions of a second, ASKAP J1935+2148 is the slowest spinning radio-blasting neutron star ever seen.
Massive 'El Gordo' galaxy cluster suggests dark matter smashes into itself
By Robert Lea published
El Gordo is a massive collection of colliding galaxies 7 billion light-years away. Its odd behavior could suggest dark matter interacts with itself.
Rocky, carbon-rich exoplanets more likely around tiny stars, James Webb Space Telescope reveals
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers using the JWST have discovered tiny stars may be better suited at birthing small, rocky planets with atmospheres dominated by carbon.
Chang'e 6 probe's far-side moon samples enter return-to-Earth module in lunar orbit, China says
By Robert Lea published
The two spacecraft of the Chang'e 6 mission met and docked in orbit over the moon on Thursday (June 6) to transfer samples the moon's far side. They'll now be returned to Earth.
NASA exoplanet hunter finds 'weird' world surviving a star's relentless bombardment — it's named Phoenix
By Robert Lea published
NASA's TESS exoplanet hunter has discovered a weird world called Phoenix that has managed to hold on to its atmosphere despite being relentlessly bombarded with radiation from its red giant star.
China's Chang'e 6 probe launches samples of far side of the moon to lunar orbit. Next stop? Earth (photos)
By Robert Lea published
China's Chang'e 6 moon mission returned stunning lunar surface images as it collected samples and sent them to orbit to begin their historic return to Earth for study.
NASA 3D Instagram 'experience' brings nebulas into your home
By Robert Lea published
Ever wanted to see the wreckage of a supernova or explore distant clouds of gas and dust ejected by a dying star? A new NASA Instagram Experience brings celestial bodies to Earth.
Rogue planets may originate from 'twisted Tatooine' double star systems
By Robert Lea published
"Twisted Tatooine" binary star systems could be a major player in ejecting rogue planets that go on to drift through the Milky Way without a stellar parent to heat or illuminate them.
Watch China's Chang'e 6 probe land on far side of the moon in dramatic video
By Robert Lea published
China's Chang'e-6 has successfully touched down on the far side of the moon, and its dramatic approach to the mysterious lunar region was captured in a stunning video.
The secrets of supernovas might be locked in moon dust
By Robert Lea published
Supernovas spread the building blocks for new stars and planets throughout the cosmos, and evidence of these stellar explosions could be extracted from moon dust.
Could these black hole 'morsels' finally prove Stephen Hawking's famous theory?
By Robert Lea published
Stephen Hawking suggested black holes "leak " and evaporate away — scientists could use "morsels" launched from catastrophic black hole collisions to prove it.
How auroras on Earth, Saturn and Jupiter could help forecast risky space weather
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have investigated the different factors shaping celestial light-shows over Earth, Saturn and Jupiter. The resulting framework could help predict risky space weather.
Massive, magnetic stars beyond the Milky Way detected for the 1st time
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have detected giant, magnetic stars outside the Milky Way for the first time. These infant stars in the Magellanic Clouds could reveal details of early stellar evolution.
Elusive medium-size black holes may form in dense 'birthing nests'
By Robert Lea published
A new simulation has shown elusive intermediate-mass black holes may form in dense globular clusters of millions of tightly packed stars, thanks to a chaotic collision chain.
James Webb Space Telescope spots the most distant galaxy ever seen (image)
By Robert Lea published
The most distant JADES-GS-z14-0 is a massive and bright galactic record breaker that existed just 300 million years after the Big Bang.
If the Big Bang created miniature black holes, where are they?
By Robert Lea published
Primordial black holes born from density fluctuations dating back to the Big Bang have been frustratingly elusive, but a new quantum clue has been discovered.
Real-life 'Star Trek' planet was actually just an illusion caused by a 'jittery' star
By Robert Lea published
Just like the fictional planet of Vulcan was wiped out in Star Trek, new research has destroyed the real-life version of Spock's homeworld, albeit in a less violent fashion.
Euclid space telescope finds 1.5 trillion orphan stars wandering the Perseus cluster (images)
By Robert Lea published
The Euclid telescope has allowed astronomers to discover a staggering 1.5 trillion orphan stars torn from their own galaxies to wander the Perseus cluster alone.
Scientists pick their favorite Euclid 'dark universe' telescope images: 'The best is still to come'
By Robert Lea published
The European Space Agency has now released ten images from its dark universe detective spacecraft, Euclid. We asked scientists from various fields to pick their favorite Euclid image thus far.
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