Sharmila Kuthunur
Sharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist focusing on astronomy and space exploration. Her work has also appeared in Scientific American, Astronomy and Live Science, among other publications. She has earned a master's degree in journalism from Northeastern University in Boston. Follow her on BlueSky @skuthunur.bsky.social
Latest articles by Sharmila Kuthunur

Hubble telescope celebrates 34th anniversary with an iridescent Dumbbell Nebula (image)
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Take a fresh look at the iconic Dumbbell Nebula on occasion of the Hubble Space Telescope's 34 years in space.

Citizen scientists spot more than 1,000 new asteroids in old Hubble Telescope photos
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Citizen scientists poring over old Hubble Telescope photos discovered a thousand previously unknown asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.

India aims to achieve 'debris-free' space missions by 2030
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
India has announced its intent to join the global effort to reduce space debris in low Earth orbit.

Satellites watch as 4th global coral bleaching event unfolds (image)
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Satellites are tracking in real time as multiple major coral reefs around the world get paler due to warming sea temperatures in the fourth-ever global bleaching event.

Sorry, little green men: Alien life might actually be purple
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The search for alien life can now include purple bacteria, thanks to a new catalog of chemical makeup of the lavender-hued organisms.

NASA greenlights 2028 launch for epic Dragonfly mission to Saturn's huge moon Titan
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The Dragonfly mission is set to launch in July 2028 on a six-year journey to Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Mysterious dark matter may leave clues in 'strings of pearls' trailing our galaxy
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Starting in late 2025, the Vera C. Rubin observatory will image the outskirts of our galaxy in search of dark matter clues.

Exotic 'Einstein ring' suggests that mysterious dark matter interacts with itself
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The unexplained mass of a remarkably massive galaxy suggests that dark matter interacts with itself, according to new observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Venus is leaking carbon and oxygen, a fleeting visit by BepiColombo reveals
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
BepiColombo spotted an outpour of carbon and oxygen atoms in Venus' fragile magnetic environment

Rocket Lab to launch NASA's new solar sail technology no earlier than April 24
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
An upcoming NASA mission meant to test new solar sail technology will launch no sooner than April 24, 2024.

Gravitational waves reveal 1st-of-its-kind merger between neutron star and mystery object
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The mystery object, which falls right within the mass-gap range, sheds light on a long-sought, murky realm.

White House directs NASA to create a new time zone for the moon
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The White House has tasked NASA with creating a new time zone for the moon by the end of 2026, as part of the United States' broader goal to establish international norms in space.

Largest 3D map of our universe could hint that dark energy evolves with time
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Our leading model of the universe assumes dark energy to be constant across the universe and throughout time. Emerging evidence suggests that may not be the case.

Western US residents report the most UFO sightings — what are they actually seeing?
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Wide-open spaces of the western U.S. may partly explain the region’s higher UAP sightings, according to a new study.

Thousands of strange white rocks found on Mars. Will they ever be brought to Earth?
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists are puzzled by thousands of white rocks scattered across the Jezero Crater on Mars.

Solar spacecraft 'SOHO' discovers its 5,000th comet
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory just hit a milestone with its 5,000th comet detection.

NASA's Lucy asteroid-hopping spacecraft pins down surface ages of 1st asteroid targets
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Scientists shared preliminary results from Lucy's encounter with Dinkinesh and Selam late last year.

Life as we know it could exist on Venus, new experiment reveals
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Some of the building blocks of life are surprisingly stable in Venus-like conditions, according to a new lab experiment.

365 days of satellite images show Earth's seasons changing from space (video)
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Satellite images taken daily for one year shows a stunning glimpse of what the change of seasons looked like from space.

Tragic Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath seen from space (satellite photos)
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Satellites looked down upon the aftermath of a deadly bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland that occurred after a massive cargo ship struck one of the bridge's pillars.

Euclid 'dark universe' telescope's vision restored by deicing campaign
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The Euclid "dark universe" probe's vision has been restored, after an experimental campaign succeeded in evaporating water ice from the telescope's mirrors.

Euclid 'dark universe' telescope gets de-iced from a million miles away
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Euclid's mission team is trying to de-ice the telescope’s mirrors after water ice begins impacting its vision.

India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander barely kicked up any moon dust. Here's why that matters
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The Indian Space Research Organisation's historic Chandrayaan-3 moon lander managed to keep moon dust off its cameras thanks to a special engine setup.
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