Charles Q. Choi
Charles Q. Choi is a contributing writer for Space.com and Live Science. He covers all things human origins and astronomy as well as physics, animals and general science topics. Charles has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica. Visit him at http://www.sciwriter.us
Latest articles by Charles Q. Choi
![mars rover perseverance studies a rock with its robotic arm, with a rocky outcrop in the distance](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fs8T9kdxenZTVgFq7AdV5c-320-80.jpg)
Building blocks of Mars life? Perseverance rover digs up diverse set of organic molecules on the Red Planet
By Charles Q. Choi published
NASA's Perseverance rover has found an intriguing menagerie of organic molecules in a Martian crater, but their source remains unclear.
![Landscape showing the east Africa rift valley panorama from Ethiopia](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LYUCGyJHstefQZyxpYo3JC-320-80.jpg)
Mushroom-shaped superplume of scorching hot rock may be splitting Africa in 2
By Charles Q. Choi published
Strange, never-before-seen movements in the East Africa Rift Valley appear to be driven by super-heated rock from deep beneath Earth's surface.
![a bright white spiral in space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A9g7gwBvUw94oWHJGoLcWJ-320-80.jpg)
Alien's-eye view of the Milky Way: Our galaxy is unusual but not unique
By Charles Q. Choi published
Astronomers have now deduced what alien scientists might see when they gaze at the Milky Way from afar. Our home galaxy is unusual but not unique, at least when it comes to chemistry.
![The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is seen under a starry night sky, with the Milky Way appearing over low auroras in the background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UFuETnhoXFLosPiqTcn5YV-320-80.jpeg)
Scientists find 'ghost particles' spewing from our Milky Way galaxy in landmark discovery (video)
By Charles Q. Choi published
Astronomers have detected high-energy neutrinos coming from within our Milky Way galaxy, potentially opening up an exciting new window of research.
![jupiter's moon europa, its icy surface criscrossed by dark reddish-brown lines, against the blackness of space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wEkX9JhAKJxyA62aVRGZGj-320-80.jpg)
Surprise! Jupiter's ocean moon Europa may not have a fully formed core
By Charles Q. Choi published
The core of Jupiter's ocean moon Europa might have formed billions of years after the rest of it did, if indeed it has formed at all, a new study finds.
![two suns in the night sky over a rocky planet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cs2xP7WBqJFyzWCsrKjkoM-320-80.jpg)
New Tatooine-like exoplanet discovered orbiting twin suns. Meet BEBOP-1c.
By Charles Q. Choi published
The discovery of the new planet BEBOP-1c confirms the 2nd-ever known planetary system orbiting twin stars similar to the fictional planet Tatooine of Star Wars fame.
![mercury appears as a speckled blue, yellow, gray rock against a black backdrop of space and covered in craters.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fjbeeRiPRQjQNhizwy7cWX-320-80.jpg)
Mercury: A complete guide to the closest planet to the sun
By Charles Q. Choi, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and the smallest planet in the solar system. Here we explore the strange world in more detail.
![two astronauts in white spacesuits working to set up an ice-drilling rig on mars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xwWenJ52QVYvSGhELhBLCM-320-80.jpg)
Long space missions take a toll on astronaut brains, study finds
By Charles Q. Choi published
Long spaceflights can cause astronauts' ventricles — cavities in the brain that hold cerebrospinal fluid — to enlarge by up to 25%. And it apparently takes years for the swelling to go down.
![James Webb Space Telescope image of a complex organic molecules in a distant galaxy, shown as a blurry red ring around a light-blue splotch that is a foreground galaxy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pTg8LzSkqoZd4o7ggEtmAi-320-80.jpeg)
James Webb Space Telescope spies earliest complex organic molecules in the universe
By Charles Q. Choi published
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected the oldest known examples of complex organic molecules in the universe, a new study reports.
![Graphic illustration of Uranus with a thin ring structure against a backdrop of stars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fniNDsYDMWq9dg4EiXM2UQ-320-80.jpg)
Uranus: Everything you need to know about the coldest planet in the solar system
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
Reference Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and was the first to be discovered with a telescope. We explore this ice giant in more detail here.
![a half-lit moon in the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DMLwZCcWy25RhSYoszqsjN-320-80.jpg)
The moon: Everything you need to know about Earth's companion
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
Reference Learn how the moon formed, how its orbit affects Earth's tides, why solar and lunar eclipses happen and the history of lunar exploration.
![Satellite image of an undersea volcano erupting.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YkieGoJLvuLRhtJL4YdXJ7-320-80.jpeg)
Record-breaking Tonga undersea volcano disrupted satellite signals in space
By Charles Q. Choi published
The January 2022 eruption of a Tonga undersea volcano was powerful enough to generate plasma bubbles that disrupted radio communications in outer space.
![In this Hubble Space Telescope image, the many red galaxies are members of the massive MACS J1149.6+2223 cluster, which creates distorted and highly magnified images of the galaxies behind it. A large cluster galaxy (center of the box) has split the light from the distant supernova SN Refsdal, which lies in a magnified background galaxy, into four yellow images (arrows) to form an Einstein Cross.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/92AL6mKYhZtNhrhcQxSb2V-320-80.jpeg)
How fast is the universe expanding? New supernova data could help nail it down
By Charles Q. Choi published
A warp in the fabric of space and time that acted like a giant magnifying glass may help solve a celestial mystery about the rate of the universe's expansion.
![Artist’s impression of a dying sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rAGuXkQD7LTwXvsParExVB-320-80.jpeg)
Scientists catch real-life Death Star devouring a planet in 1st-of-its-kind discovery
By Charles Q. Choi published
The action 12,000 light-years away may presage what happens to Earth about 5 billion years from now.
![Pluto against the black background of space. The planet is a mix of colors from dark blood-red to white and a dusting of yellow at the top. In the lower right side of the image, the large white expanse of the Tombaugh Regio takes the shape of a heart.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DoZSMXF87kCuzbymsuEFHo-320-80.jpg)
Pluto: Everything you need to know about the dwarf planet
By Charles Q. Choi, Scott Dutfield last updated
Reference Pluto was once considered the ninth planet in the solar system, it was demoted in 2006 to dwarf planet status. We explore this icy body in more detail here.
![Neptune appears deep blue with wispy light blue bands and a brighter white blue speck in the center of the image.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PezBzd9Fehsq9XWgWMauVV-320-80.jpg)
Neptune: A guide to the windy eighth planet from the sun
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
Reference Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun and was the first to be predicted before it was discovered.
![Planet Earth](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FaWKMJQnr2PFcYCmEyfiTm-320-80.jpg)
Planet Earth: Everything you need to know
By Charles Q. Choi, Ailsa Harvey last updated
Reference Earth is the only planet known to support life. Learn about what Earth is made of and where it came from.
![a red moon backdropped by black night](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jCijgy7WFTZweFjVBfMo3Q-320-80.png)
Medieval lunar eclipse observations show how volcanoes affect Earth's climate
By Charles Q. Choi published
Medieval tomes that recorded how the moon changed color during lunar eclipses could help reveal vital clues about the volcanic eruptions that may have triggered the Little Ice Age in Europe.
![Jupiter against the black backdrop of space. Horizontal bands of orange, brown and beige cover the planet. Blue ribbons of light are auroras at the top of the planet and the Great Red Spot can be seen towards the lower right of the image as a rusty red circle.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mza6ccKYF6WVrqZekTtJxN-320-80.jpg)
Jupiter: A guide to the largest planet in the solar system
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
Reference Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system and has 79 moons. Learn more about the gas giant in our ultimate guide.
![Artist's illustration of planet Saturn partially illuminated by the sun with one of its many moons casting a shadow on the impressive ring system.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mo72fikkp6N2nGCmweU8H5-320-80.jpg)
Saturn: Everything you need to know about the sixth planet from the sun
By Charles Q. Choi last updated
Reference Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second-largest planet in the solar system. We explore this gas giant in more detail here.
![A black hole animation of the event horizon. It shows the swirling orange material around the central black void.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eToSsNm65xFUUJSLsz6Lm4-320-80.gif)
What is a black hole event horizon (and what happens there)?
By Robert Lea last updated
Reference The event horizon is a boundary that marks the outer edge of black holes. It is the point at which nothing, not even light, can escape.
![NASA's Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie looking down at one of 10 sample tubes deposited at the sample depot it created in an area nicknamed Three Forks. This image was taken by the WATSON camera on the rover’s robotic arm on Jan. 20, 2023, the 684th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VJ9eKiRyZouYVMCkwnuaVf-320-80.png)
Signs of Mars life may be too elusive for rovers to detect
By Charles Q. Choi published
The robots currently exploring Mars may not be capable of detecting potential traces of life on the Red Planet, a new study finds.
![An image of Uranus taken by Voyager 2 on Jan. 14, 1986.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VYabicw33wwC2dYEEyPcRE-320-80.jpg)
Uranus up close: What proposed NASA 'ice giant' mission could teach us
By Charles Q. Choi published
A proposed NASA mission to Uranus would shed light on the mysterious ice giant as well as a type of exoplanet that's among the most common in the universe, researchers say.
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