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
Did monster black holes or galaxies come first? The James Webb Space Telescope may have a surprise answer
By Robert Lea published
Observations of bright galaxies in the early universe could indicate that black holes were driving star formation and galaxy growth just 50 million years after the Big Bang.
NASA's Juno probe sees active volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's volcanic moon Io (images)
By Robert Lea published
NASA's Juno spacecraft has seen Jupiter's volcanic moon Io like never before, catching active eruptions, lava flows, and a side to the solar system's most volcanic body not seen in 35 years.
How the Large Hadron Collider's successor will hunt for the dark universe
By Robert Lea published
CERN has revealed further plans for the Future Circular Collider, which will dwarf the Large Hadron Collider in size and power to hunt for dark energy and dark matter.
Upcoming solar maximum may help solve the sun's gamma-ray puzzle
By Robert Lea published
The upcoming solar maximum may help scientists solve the puzzle of why the sun's poles emitted ten times more high-energy radiation than expected during the last peak in activity.
Surprise! Baby exoplanets might look like Smarties candies rather than spheres
By Robert Lea published
Infant exoplanets may not be spherical as astronomers have always assumed. Instead, they may be oblate spheroids, like the 'Smarties' candy found in Europe.
Saturn's 'Death Star' moon Mimas may have an ocean scientists never believed could exist
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have made a shock discovery that Saturn's moon Mimas seems to have a liquid ocean beneath its surface, potentially redefining our search for life on alien moons.
What's the forecast for Neptune-like exoplanets: Cloudy or clear?
By Robert Lea published
Do the Milky Way's most common planets, mini-Neptunes, have atmospheres filled with opaque clouds or a more transparent haze?
NASA's asteroid-hopping Lucy probe heads back toward Earth after acing crucial engine burn
By Robert Lea published
Thanks to a powerful engine burn on Feb. 3, NASA's asteroid-hopping Lucy spacecraft is on its way back to Earth for a Christmas-time rendezvous this year.
India's Chandrayaan-2 moon orbiter catalogs tons of mysterious solar flares
By Robert Lea published
Over the course of 3 years, Chandrayaan-2 observed thousands of mysterious, slow-building, ultra-hot solar flares as they erupted from the sun.
Asteroid 2024 BX1 fragments confirmed to be rare meteorites as old as the solar system itself
By Robert Lea published
When asteroid 2024 BX1 exploded over Earth it littered the planet with rare meteorites that are similar in composition to the unspoiled building blocks of our planet.
NASA exoplanet telescope discovers 'super-Earth' in its star's Goldilocks zone
By Robert Lea published
NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS has spotted a 'super-Earth' in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star, with indications it may have Earth-sized company.
James Webb Space Telescope could target tiny bright galaxies to shine light on dark matter
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope could target tiny and bright galaxies in the early universe to unveil some secrets about the universe's most mysterious stuff, dark matter.
Where do cosmic rays come from?
By Robert Lea published
Space Mysteries High-energy particles from space constantly bombard Earth at near light speed, but what are their origins?
SpaceX rolls out Falcon 9 rocket to launch NASA's ocean-studying PACE satellite on Feb. 8 (photos)
By Robert Lea published
NASA experts spoke ahead of the launch of the ocean and atmosphere studying spacecraft PACE from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early on Feb. 8.
Scientists find black hole powering a molecular gas fountain in the ancient universe
By Robert Lea published
The ALMA telescope spotted a molecular gas outflow coming from a black hole-powered, 13-billion-year-old quasar, explaining why some galaxies stop forming stars.
Hubble Space Telescope spots a cosmic 'tug of war' between galaxies that could lead to a collision (image)
By Robert Lea published
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a cosmic 'tug of war' between two galaxies that have lasted for tens of millions of years and could end in a collision.
Event Horizon Telescope spies jets erupting from nearby supermassive black hole
By Robert Lea published
A nearby supermassive black hole is erupting, and astronomers spotted the outburst using the Event Horizon Telescope.
James Webb Space Telescope makes rare detection of 2 exoplanets orbiting dead stars
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope has directly imaged two exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars. These systems offer a glimpse at the future of our solar system after the sun has died.
Near-Earth asteroids: Hunting and tracking upcoming flybys
By Robert Lea last updated
Reference Here we explore whether there are any upcoming asteroid encounters and how NASA and other space agencies actively monitor near-Earth asteroids that have the potential to hit our planet.
A monster black hole is throwing a galaxy-size tantrum
By Robert Lea published
The XMM Newton space telescope has seen a feeding supermassive black hole as it throws a major tantrum, "flipping over the table" and preventing its parent galaxy from birthing new stars.
X-ray image of universe reveals almost 1 million high-energy objects: 'These are mind-blowing numbers'
By Robert Lea published
"The scientific breadth and impact of the survey is quite overwhelming; it’s hard to put into a few words."
How do galaxies grow while ensnared in the universe's cosmic web?
By Robert Lea published
Scientists want to know how galaxies get ensnared in the universe's 'cosmic web' and how this network of filamentary gas and dust drives galactic evolution.
Meteorites from Asteroid 2024 Bx1, which just hit Earth, may be super-rare space rocks
By Robert Lea published
Fragments of the Asteroid 2024 BX1 that rained down on Berlin have been recovered by intrepid meteorite hunters, and it turns out the rocks may be incredibly rare.