Latest articles by Chris Impey
Extraterrestrial life may look nothing like life on Earth − so astrobiologists are coming up with a framework to study how complex systems evolve
We have only one example of biology forming in the universe – life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways?
The future is bright for astronomy, and very expensive (op-ed)
The universe is being revealed in exquisite detail with the current generation of large optical telescopes.
Orbital resonance — the striking gravitational dance done by planets with aligning orbits
I’m an astronomer who studies and writes about cosmology. Researchers have discovered over 5,600 exoplanets in the past 30 years, and their extraordinary diversity continues to surprise astronomers.
Space rocks and asteroid dust are pricey, but these aren’t the most expensive materials used in science
I use moon and Mars rocks in my teaching and have a modest collection of meteorites. I marvel at the fact that I can hold in my hand something that is billions of years old from billions of miles away.
Space junk in Earth orbit and on the moon will increase with future missions − but nobody's in charge of cleaning it up
There's a lot of trash on the moon right now – including nearly 100 bags of human waste. But whose responsibility is it to clean it up?
AI is helping astronomers make new discoveries about the universe faster than ever before
AI has now spread into every field of astronomy and is helping astronomers learn more about the universe at an astonishing rate.
Super-Earths are more common and more habitable than Earth. Astronomers are finding more of the billions out there.
Astronomers now routinely discover planets orbiting stars outside of the solar system — they're called exoplanets.
To search for alien life, astronomers will look for clues in the atmospheres of distant planets — and the James Webb Space Telescope just proved it's possible to do so
Scientists who study exoplanets explain how the James Webb Space Telescope will study exoplanet atmospheres.
Say hello to Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy
Here's everything you need to know about our local supermassive black hole.
Sending out Earth's location with the hope of reaching aliens is a controversial idea. These scientists are doing it anyway.
For over 70 years, astronomers have been scanning for radio or optical signals from other civilizations in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, called SETI.
Astronomy's 10-year wish list: Big money, bigger telescopes and the biggest questions in science
Every 10 years, astronomers and astrophysicists outline priorities for the hardware they need in the decadal survey on astronomy and astrophysics.
