
Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell was staff reporter at Space.com between 2022 and 2024 and a regular contributor to Live Science and Space.com between 2012 and 2022. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.
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'What the heck is this?' James Webb telescope spots inexplicable planet with diamonds and soot in its atmosphereScientists using the James Webb telescope observed a distant exoplanet with an atmosphere of soot and diamonds, challenging all explanations.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
astronomy -
Saturn's largest moon may be riddled with 'slushy tunnels' that contain alien life, new study hintsDecades ago, a spacecraft suggested Saturn's largest moon, Titan, had an ocean. New observations suggest that the liquid may look more like slush.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
saturn -
The UN's International Asteroid Warning Network is closely watching comet 3I/ATLAS. Here's why.Tracking comets accurately is hard. A new effort with the U.N. and NASA aims to better chart these visitors using 3I/ATLAS.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
9 Commentscomets -
Rarrr! James Webb telescope spots 'monster stars' leaking nitrogen in the early universeResearchers using the James Webb Space Telescope spotted huge stars leaking nitrogen in an early galaxy, hinting that such 'monster stars' might have been the source of ancient supermassive black holes.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
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Historic search for 'huge missing piece' of the universe reveals new secrets of particle physicsScientists hunted dark matter and solar neutrinos with one of the largest experiments yet. While the neutrinos likely appeared, dark matter results couldn't be confirmed.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
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JWST spots a planet chasing its own atmosphere through spaceNew James Webb telescope observations of the 'super-puff' planet WASP-107b show that the exoplanet's runaway atmosphere is frantically escaping into space.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
5 Commentsastronomy -
Did a NASA telescope really 'see' dark matter? Strange gamma-rays spark bold claims, but scientists urge cautionA new study says observations from the NASA Fermi space telescope suggest a halo of dark matter around the center of our galaxy, but more information is needed to confirm the result.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
cosmology -
Blue Origin New Glenn rocket: New launch window for historic Mars mission after solar storm delayTwin Mars spacecraft were due to launch on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket on Nov. 12, but an active sun prompted NASA to delay its mission until Thursday (Nov. 13).
By Elizabeth Howell Last updated
space-exploration -
Scientists detect monster blast from nearby star that could rip the atmosphere off a planetIn a small blow to the search for extraterrestrial life, a nearby star shot out a strong enough coronal mass ejection to strip away the atmosphere of any rocky planets that could have been in the way.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
astronomy -
James Webb telescope may have found the first stars in the universe, new study claimsThe James Webb Space Telescope may have discovered Population III stars, the universe's first generation of stars. They may tell us more about how galaxies form.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
cosmology -
'Unlike any we've ever seen': Record-breaking black hole eruption is brighter than 10 trillion sunsAstronomers spotted a flaring black hole that may be consuming a star at least 30 times more massive than the sun. At its peak, the flare was brighter than 10 trillion stars.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
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Astronomers discover bizarre 'runaway' planet that's acting like a star, eating 6 billion tons per secondThe James Webb and Very Large telescopes spotted a free-floating planet accreting material at a record rate, displaying behavior similar to how stars form. Scientists aren't clear as to why.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
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Physicists detect rare 'second-generation' black holes that prove Einstein right... againPhysicists have analyzed two enormous black hole mergers that happened one month apart and have come up with tantalizing evidence that rare "second-generation" black holes were involved.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
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Mystery of the sun's mind-bogglingly hot atmosphere may finally be solvedScientists have spotted elusive "magnetic waves" in the sun's atmosphere that may explain why the sun's corona is much hotter than its surface.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
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James Webb telescope finds that galaxies in the early universe were much more chaotic than we thoughtUsing the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have charted billions of years of galactic evolution, finding that galaxies near the dawn of time were much more chaotic than they are today.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
astronomy -
$20 million NASA mission to visit 'God of Chaos' asteroid saved from budget cuts in last-minute decisionNASA's OSIRIS-APEX mission, which was one of 19 designated to be canceled by the Trump administration, has been saved from the chopping block in a last-minute decision. There will be a significant change to its structure, however.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
space-exploration -
Soar through a 1,000-mile-long maze on Mars in this mesmerizing new satellite videoA stunning new video, made from Mars Express orbiter data, allows you to soar over a gigantic maze on the Red Planet in incredible detail.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
mars -
A 'Great Wave' is rippling through our galaxy, pushing thousands of stars out of placeA giant 'wave' is rippling through the Milky Way, pushing thousands of stars across the galaxy, and scientists don't know what triggered it.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
17 Commentsastronomy -
'City killer' asteroid could be nuked before close encounter with the moonThe potential 'city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 has a small chance of hitting the moon in 2032. In a new paper, scientists probe the logistics of destroying it — possibly with nuclear weapons — before it comes too close.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
12 Commentsasteroids -
'Dramatic' changes spotted in first black hole ever imagedThe polarization pattern around M87* — the first black hole to be directly imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope — has changed direction, and scientists aren't sure why.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
3 Commentsblack-holes -
New 'quasi-moon' discovered in Earth orbit may have been hiding there for decadesA near-Earth asteroid lurked undetected for decades until a telescope in Hawaii spotted it earlier this year. It may be Earth's newest quasi-moon.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
astronomy -
Confirmed! Black hole merger shows Stephen Hawking theory was rightBlack holes get bigger as they merge, the LIGO Collaboration confirmed with a new observation that could finally prove a decades-old Stephen Hawking theory.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
6 Commentsblack-holes -
James Webb telescope spots odd disk around star that could shatter planet formation theoriesAstronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a planet-forming disk that almost entirely lacks water, challenging prevailing theories.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
astronomy -
Cataclysmic crash with neighboring planet may be the reason there's life on Earth today, new studies hintEarly Earth may not have had the right ingredients for life — until a nearby Mars-size planet crashed into it, two new studies hint.
By Elizabeth Howell Published
4 Commentsastronomy
