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Articles
Monthly Insights on Planetary Science, Space News and Policy
Dec 1
Following the Salt on Mars
Mars has been keeping me busy! This is the fourth article I have written on the red planet in twelve months and who knows how many I will...
Nov 1
Europa: Here We Go!
And we're off! Watching the Falcon Heavy launcher effortlessly lift the 6-ton Europa Clipper spacecraft into the sky on the 14th of...
Oct 1
Ceres: A Story of Mud and Ice
My latest book on ocean worlds is barely off the press and already a new study has surfaced shedding light on one of the ocean world...
Sep 1
My New Book is Out!
Finally, after over a year of hard work, the second edition of my first book is out! I’m thrilled about this new edition—essentially a...
Aug 1
Extraordinary Claims on Mars?
Let me put this out in front: Carl Sagan is a hero of mine. How could he not be? He was a scientific communicator par excellence. His...
Jul 1
Bennu's Secrets Unveiled
In October of last year, I shared my insights on the significance of sample return missions, with a particular emphasis on the OSIRIS-REx...
Jun 1
The Struggle for Freedom Beyond Earth
At some junctures in life, one often reevaluates their deeply ingrained beliefs. This introspection might involve spiritual reflection,...
May 1
Fresh Insights on Martian Methane
In this month's post, we review one of the most exciting discoveries made in our Solar System: the detection of methane gas on Mars. This...
Apr 1
Lake Vostok, Ocean Worlds Analogue
Within the field of astrobiology, Earth-based analogues of habitable environments found in space (e.g., early Mars) can provide deep...
Mar 1
Could Eris and Makemake be Ocean Worlds?
Building on the November post about the trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and the remarkable observations made by the James Webb Space...
Feb 1
More Precursors of Life Found on Enceladus
Planetary exploration missions are journeys of epic endurance, stretching across many years and, more often than not, decades. Even after...
Jan 1
Another Great Year Ahead
The year 2023 has been exceptional in many regards, from the avalanche of JWST scientific papers covering many fields of astronomy to the...
Dec 1, 2023
Mars Mission in Trouble
Luck had it that as soon as I had decided to write an article for my October post on the importance of sample return missions on the back...
Nov 1, 2023
Trans-Neptunian Objects Under the Spotlight
When the James Web Space Telescope (JWST) was launched almost two years ago now—time flies—one of the key observations I was looking...
Oct 1, 2023
The Holy Grail of Planetary Science
After travelling for over 160 million kilometres in space, the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft whizzed by Earth on the 24th of September to release...
Sep 1, 2023
India is on the Moon
Having written about the ups and downs of India’s past Chandrayaan missions in my second book – Imaging Our Solar System – it was with...
Aug 1, 2023
The Wanderers
Interstellar space, this vast region of space that lies between stars, is a very empty place with an average density of only about one...
Jul 1, 2023
Why Technosignatures is the Way
Is there anybody out there? The question of whether or not there is another life or even intelligent life in the universe is one of the...
Jun 1, 2023
Could There Be Another Kuiper Belt?
I have always been fascinated by the Kuiper Belt and the worlds that lay beyond it. The Kuiper Belt, home to Pluto and Arrokoth, is...
May 1, 2023
We're off to Ganymede!!
A few weeks ago, a booming sound rumbled throughout the lush jungles of French Guiana as Ariane V took off for its penultimate launch,...
Apr 1, 2023
A New Case for Ariel's Ocean
When Voyager 2 whizzed past Uranus in January 1986, it encountered a system tilted by 97.7 degrees, as if lying on its side. Such a...
Mar 1, 2023
Beyond the Psyche Report
In May last year, I shared with you (here) my initial thoughts on the 782-page Planetary Decadal Survey published by the US National...
Feb 1, 2023
The Tale of Two Images
Last week, I gave a talk at a local astronomy club on the topic of my latest book: the evolution of space mission cameras and instruments...
Jan 1, 2023
Looking at the Year Ahead
Remarkable, don’t you think, that we have made it through another year in the amazing story of humanity, so terrific, so tremendous, but...
Dec 1, 2022
Artemis: Expect the Unexpected
Just a few weeks ago, on the 16th of November to be precise, I woke up at 5h45 in the morning (UK time) and went to my living room in my...
Nov 1, 2022
Juno's Daring Flyby of Europa
It seems that not a month goes by without some fantastic images being returned from an imaging instrument somewhere in space. Of all the...
Oct 1, 2022
The Neptune System Up Close
How lucky we are to live during the era of the James Webb Space Telescope! Webb has merely begun its decades-long mission (hopefully, it...
Sep 1, 2022
A Galaxy of Cephalopods
When considering life in outer space, we have been bathed – dare I say conditioned - for over a century now with stories that mainly...
Aug 1, 2022
Europe's Bubbling NewSpace Industry
I was recently commissioned to write an article on the European space tech industry. Through my research into this topic, I discovered a...
Jul 1, 2022
Summer Solstice at Avebury
As a person who is passionate about space as well as prehistory, and having recently moved near Avebury Stone Circle, I had to experience...
Jun 1, 2022
Is there Life on Trappist-1? We'll Soon Find Out!
As you read these lines, something exciting is happening; and it might change our perception of life in our Universe - no less! Indeed,...
May 1, 2022
The New Planetary Decadal Survey is Out!
So, here it is finally! The day planetary science nerds like yours truly have been waiting for so long occurred on the 19th of April. On...
Apr 1, 2022
Crisis in Space
As we’ve all watched in horror the advent of war in Ukraine and been deeply moved by the scale of the human tragedy unfolding, another...
Mar 1, 2022
Mapping the Galaxy
Imagine, one and a half million kilometers above your head lies the most productive space mission or observatory ever conceived, yielding...
Feb 1, 2022
The Onset of Extremely Large Telescopes
Last month, I shared with you my excitement about the new golden age we are currently living through; from state-of-the-art heavy lift...
Jan 1, 2022
The Best Year for Space
As we start this new year, I can’t help but contemplate the golden age we are currently experiencing in space science and exploration. If...
Dec 1, 2021
The 10-Billion-Dollar Christmas Gift
If all goes well, space enthusiasts from around the world will be watching a nail-biting event on the 22nd of December at 12:20 GMT as...
Nov 1, 2021
Searching for life on Earth…in Space
The search for our deepest origins is one of the most challenging and yet rewarding endeavours humanity has ever undertaken. For more...
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