Category Archives: Space

Commissioned Artwork: Terraforming Venus 2523

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Alex R. Howe

I published this art piece on YouTube, Twitter earlier today. You can watch the video here. I’ve reproduced the transcript in this post, along with a few extra notes. Video Transcript (with notes) One year ago, I published a paper[1] … Continue reading →

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JWST Launches Tomorrow! (Screams Internally)

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Disclosure: I am a NASA postdoc. However, all opinions are my own. Hi, everyone. Just a PSA that the James Webb Space Telescope lifts off tomorrow morning from French Guiana. (Yes, on Christmas Day.) The launch is at 7:20 AM … Continue reading →

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A New Potentially Habitable Planet from TESS

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

This week is what many call the “Super Bowl of Astronomy”: the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), held this year in Honolulu. I am not there, sadly, but I am involved in one of the big press … Continue reading →

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The Mystery of the Big Bang Theory

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

There’s a problem with the Big Bang theory. No, I’m not suggesting the Big Bang theory is wrong. There are a few scientists who dispute it*, but this post isn’t about that. And it isn’t about the TV show either.** … Continue reading →

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A Photo of a Black Hole: What’s Next?

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Alex R. Howe

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that I never really know what to do about blogging about science news. I don’t really know what to say that hasn’t already been in all the news articles. This week’s first … Continue reading →

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Heavy Metals in the Cosmos

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Alex R. Howe

The recent discovery of gravitational waves from the neutron star merger designated GW170817 is said to prove that heavy metals like gold are produced in this extreme environment and not in supernovae, as was long thought. The teams that discovered … Continue reading →

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Gravitational Waves Found at Last

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Alex R. Howe

One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity. It was a radical new idea that overturned Newton’s theory of gravity and said things got much more complicated when you were near a massive object. Strange as … Continue reading →

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Planet 9 Follow-Up

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Alex R. Howe

Where it is, where it came from, and why there’s a chance it’s not there at all. Last week, I wrote about the not-quite-discovery of a ninth planet in our Solar System (and I don’t mean Pluto), way, way beyond … Continue reading →

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Planet 9: A New Planet in Our Solar System?

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Alex R. Howe

“In my day, Pluto was a Planet!” said everyone over the age of…15 or so. Pluto was demoted from planet status ten years ago (a decision I do agree with–see here), and now we only have eight planets–or do we? … Continue reading →

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The Wild Chemistry, Geology, and Everything Else of Pluto

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Alex R. Howe

I just got back from the American Astronomical Society’s winter conference, and let me tell you, there was a lot of great science going on there, but I wanted to focus particularly on the latest findings about Pluto. Pluto’s geology … Continue reading →

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