
Robert Lea
Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. who specializes in science, space, physics, astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, quantum mechanics and technology. Rob's articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space 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
Latest articles by Robert Lea

'Missing link' black hole found? Not so fast, new study says
By Robert Lea published
A "missing link" black hole in Omega Centauri is still missing. What appeared to be an intermediate-mass black hole was a cluster of stellar-mass black holes.

NASA's Hubble and Chandra telescopes discover a strange 'sideways' black hole in a cosmic crime scene
By Robert Lea published
What knocked this black hole over onto its side? It's a cosmic "whodunnit" that NASA scientists using the Hubble and Chandra space telescopes are trying to solve.

James Webb Space Telescope catches monster black hole napping after 'overeating' in the early universe
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope has caught a napping monster black hole in the early universe. The cosmic giant is slumbering after a massive meal like a reveler on Christmas Day.

Large Hadron Collider finds 1st evidence of the heaviest antimatter particle yet
By Robert Lea published
Scientists at CERN's ALICE detector are replicating conditions found during the Big Bang, attempting to get to the bottom of how matter came to dominate over antimatter.

Mysterious fast radio bursts could be caused by asteroids slamming into dead stars
By Robert Lea published
An asteroid hitting a neutron star could release enough energy to power humanity for 100 million years, more than enough to explain fast radio bursts.

Did Venus ever have oceans to support life, or was it 'born hot'?
By Robert Lea published
"We would have loved to find that Venus was once a planet much closer to our own, so it’s kind of sad in a way to find out that it wasn't."

Destroyed observatory helped SETI unlock the secrets of 'cosmic lighthouses' powered by dead stars
By Robert Lea published
"Even years after the Arecibo Observatory's collapse, its data continues to unlock critical information that can advance our understanding of the galaxy."

Did alien life exist in hot water on Mars billions of years ago?
By Robert Lea published
Was alien life in "hot water" on Mars billions of years ago? New evidence from the Martian meteorite "Black Beauty" suggests so.

3D map reveals our solar system's local bubble has an 'escape tunnel'
By Robert Lea published
A 3D map of our cosmic neighborhood has revealed hot and cold regions as well as an "escape tunnel" from our local bubble.

Hubble watches neutron stars collide and explode to create black hole and 'birth atoms'
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have used a range of telescopes, including Hubble, to watch as particles dance around a neutron star collision that created the smallest black hole ever seen.

Saturn's moon Titan may have a 6-mile-thick crust of methane ice — could life be under there?
By Robert Lea published
A 6-mile-think shell of methane ice on Saturn's moon Titan could assist in the hunt for life signs arising from this moon's vast subsurface ocean.

James Webb Space Telescope sees lonely supermassive black hole-powered quasars in the early universe
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered lonely quasars in the early universe, with "empty larders" that defy theories surrounding their growth to monster sizes.

'Killer electrons' play pinball with space weather around Earth
By Robert Lea published
"Killer electrons" stashed in radiation belts around Earth could be dislodged by lightning to create a game of "cosmic pinball" that influences space weather around our planet.

Gaia space telescope discovers 55 'runaway' careening away from stellar cluster at 80 times the speed of sound
By Robert Lea published
Using the Gaia space telescope, astronomers have observed 55 massive stars ejected from their home star cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud at speeds equivalent to 80 times the speed of sound.

Record-breaking ancient spinning galaxy challenges cosmic evolution theories
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered the earliest strongly rotating galaxy ever seen that's well-organized rather than chaotic, challenging theories of cosmic evolution.

NASA's exoplanet hunter TESS spots a record-breaking 3-star system
By Robert Lea published
Using NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, TESS, astronomers and citizen scientists have discovered a record-breaking system of three tightly bound stars that could fit between the sun and Mercury.

NASA shuts off Voyager 2 science instrument as power dwindles
By Robert Lea published
NASA has turned off one of Voyager 2's science instruments as power conservation becomes crucial for the interstellar exploring spacecraft located 12.8 billion miles from home.

James Webb Space Telescope deciphers the origins of Pluto's icy moon Charon
By Robert Lea published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide at the surface of Pluto's largest moon, Charon, potentially shedding light on its origins.

James Webb Telescope goes 'extreme' and spots baby stars at the edge of the Milky Way (image)
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope has taken things to the extreme, studying the outer edge of our own galaxy, the Milky Way and producing a stunning new image.

Iron winds and molten metal rains ravage a hellish hot Jupiter exoplanet
By Robert Lea published
"Our observations indicate the presence of powerful iron winds, probably fuelled by a hot spot in the atmosphere."

Gravitational waves hint at a 'supercool' secret about the Big Bang
By Robert Lea published
Scientists might be on track to revealing new facets of physics.

These nearby star systems could be good targets in the search for alien life
By Robert Lea published
NASA's Chandra X-ray space telescope has created a 3-D map of nearby stars that may help astronomers search for alien planets with the potential for life.

Over 350 asteroids have hidden moons, Gaia space telescope finds
By Robert Lea published
The European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope has found evidence of more than 350 previously unknown moons orbiting asteroids within our solar system.
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