Robert Roy Britt

Robert Roy Britt

Chief Content Officer, Purch

Rob has been producing internet content since the mid-1990s. He was a writer, editor and Director of Site Operations at Space.com starting in 1999. He served as Managing Editor of LiveScience since its launch in 2004. He then oversaw news operations for the Space.com's then-parent company TechMediaNetwork's growing suite of technology, science and business news sites. Prior to joining the company, Rob was an editor at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey. He has a journalism degree from Humboldt State University in California, is an author and also writes for Medium.

Articles by: Robert Roy Britt

lunar eclipses are made up of several stages here they are arranged in a question mark shape.

What are lunar eclipses and how do they occur?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Lunar eclipses occur when Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow over the surface of the moon. We explore the different types of lunar eclipses here.

Artist's illustration of our solar system. It shows planets orbiting the sun and a large comet sweeping in from the top right corner.

Solar system planets, order and formation: A guide

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Explore the eight (or nine) planets of the solar system in order from nearest to the sun and discover the many wonders of our solar system along the way.

Skywatcher Jim Gamble of El Paso, Texas created this composite image of the 2010 Leonid meteor shower display using an allsky camera.

The Leonid Meteor Shower Explained in 10 Facts

By Robert Roy Britt published

Compilation of 2010 Perseid Events Over Huntsville, Alabama

10 wild Perseid meteor shower facts

By Robert Roy Britt last updated

The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks every August and is often the most dazzling meteor display of the year.

How to See Venus During Daylight Hours

Rare Sight: See Venus During the Day (Photo)

By Robert Roy Britt published

Venus Visible In the Daytime Sky

By Robert Roy Britt published

Venus is so bright you can see it even in the daytime right now — if you know where to look.

Spectacular Meteor Shower and Rare Planet Alignment Coincide

Spectacular Meteor Shower and Rare Planet Alignment Coincide

By Robert Roy Britt published

The Perseid meteor shower and a rare planet alignment both occur this week.

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First Person: False Alarm Leads to Once-in-a-Lifetime Shooting Star

By Robert Roy Britt published

A bright fireball streaks through the Phoenix sky, spotted fortuitously.

New Sunspots Could Produce Space Storms

New Sunspots Could Produce Space Storms

By Robert Roy Britt published

A new group of sunspots has produced moderate (M-class) solar flares, but forecasters say it could unleash a large (X-class) flare.

Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight

Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight

By Robert Roy Britt published

The biggest full moon of 2010 occurs tonight, Friday Jan. 29. What you can see and how best to view the moon.

Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists

Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists

By Robert Roy Britt published

The hole in the moon is likely a collapsed lava tube. It could provide shelter as a moon base.

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Tonight's Blue Moon: All a Big Mistake

By Robert Roy Britt published

Revelers can ring in the new year with a cosmic flourish tonight, celebrating the first New Year's Eve blue moon since 1990.

Stars Find Fountain of Youth Via Vampirism and Collisions

Stars Find Fountain of Youth Via Vampirism and Collisions

By Robert Roy Britt published

Some stars rely on vampirism to suck the life out of a companion star, while others are rejuvenated in cosmic collisions.

'Gem' of a Meteor Shower Underway

Best Meteor Shower of 2009 Peaks Tonight

By Robert Roy Britt published

This year's annual Geminid meteor shower is expected to be a doozie, producing up to 140 "shooting stars" per hour.

Italian astrophotographer Lorenzo Lovato photographed this spectacular fireball from the 1998 Leonid meteor shower on Nov. 17, 1998.

Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning

By Robert Roy Britt published

Early Tuesday morning, a better-than-average shooting star show is expected.

150 Years Ago: The Worst Solar Storm Ever

150 Years Ago: The Worst Solar Storm Ever

By Robert Roy Britt published

On Sept. 2, 1859, an incredible storm of charged particles sent by the sun slammed into Earth's atmosphere, overpowered it, and caused havoc on the ground.

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Newfound Planet Orbits Backward

By Jeanna Bryner, Robert Roy Britt published

The star and its planet, WASP-17, are about 1,000 light-years away.

Strong Meteor Shower Expected

Strong Meteor Shower Expected

By Robert Roy Britt published

In North America, the best time to watch will be between midnight to 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12.

Saturn's Rings to Disappear Tuesday

Saturn's Rings to Disappear Tuesday

By Robert Roy Britt published

In a celestial feat any magician would appreciate, Saturn will make its wide but thin ring system disappear from our view Aug. 11.

Neptune’s winds travel at more than 1,500 mph, and are the fastest planetary winds in the solar system.

New Theory: Galileo Discovered Neptune

By Robert Roy Britt published

It has long been known that Galileo observed Neptune, but it was thought that he discounted the object as a star.

The Sun Has Spots, Finally

The Sun Has Spots, Finally

By Robert Roy Britt published

After one of the longest sunspot droughts in modern times, solar activity picked up quickly over the weekend.

Wild Fireworks Spotted in Space

Wild Fireworks Spotted in Space

By Robert Roy Britt published

New image of a gaseous space nebula reveals tens of thousands of giant comet-like knots raining down.

Last Shuttle Flight Made Clouds Over Antarctica

Space Shuttle and Strange Clouds Key to Mysterious 1908 Explosion

By Robert Roy Britt published

What caused a huge explosion over Siberia in 1908, flattening an area as big as a large city?

Pictures Reveal Kaguya Moon Probe's Final Moments

Pictures Reveal Kaguya Moon Probe's Final Moments

By Robert Roy Britt published

There is an increasingly somber feel of the photographs as Kaguya slides into darkness and demise, aiming at a landing site on an unlit part of the moon.

Japan's Kaguya Probe Slams into the Moon

Japan's Kaguya Probe Slams into the Moon

By Robert Roy Britt published

The Japanese lunar orbiter Kaguya has completed its main mission. But there's one final scientific endeavor.

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