Sean Raymond
The Stars Foretell Our Doom
Post-apocalyptic star systems could reveal the fate of our own.
Where Earth Got Its Water
A new theory shows Earth’s water was more locally sourced than ever thought before.
The Dwarf Planet on Our Doorstep
The series of fortunate astrophysical events that gave us Ceres.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Our Solar System’s Demise
First the oceans boil off. Then things really get serious.
Were It Not for Cosmic Good Fortune, We Wouldn’t Be Here
Why Earth wasn’t swept into the dustbin of space.
We Were Here
How advanced civilizations could leave us a message of their presence.
The Moon Is Underrated
New research hints at what makes Earth’s moon special.
Comets Are More Dangerous Than We Thought
Could a comet, not an asteroid, have killed the dinosaurs?
We’re the Cosmic 1 Percent But Our Solar System Isn’t a Complete Weirdo
About half of all stars seem to have “super-Earth” planets on orbits closer to their stars than Mercury is to the Sun, but we don’t.Illustration by Vadim Sadovski / Shutterstock Is Earth unique? Once a grand philosophical question, it has, over the past two decades, become, with the discovery of thousands of planets around other […]
How ‘Oumuamua Got Shredded
‘Oumuamua may be a piece of a torn-apart comet, gravitationally launched into interstellar space, that roamed the galaxy before dropping on our doorstep.ESO / M. Kornmesser / Wikicommons Our solar system’s first houseguest—at least, the first one we have seen in our midst—is a strange one. Scientists have taken to calling it ‘Oumuamua (pronounced “Oh-MOO-ah-MOO-ah”), […]