Keith Cooper
Keith Cooper is a freelance science journalist and editor in the United Kingdom, and has a degree in physics and astrophysics from the University of Manchester. He's the author of "The Contact Paradox: Challenging Our Assumptions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" (Bloomsbury Sigma, 2020) and has written articles on astronomy, space, physics and astrobiology for a multitude of magazines and websites.
Latest articles by Keith Cooper
![A rock in space looks like it has a bunch of little rocks on it.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SesDpJeGNZnVWifTQ3HrG4-320-80.png)
No, NASA's DART asteroid impact probably won't spark meteor showers on Earth — but maybe on Mars
By Keith Cooper published
Slower moving particles blasted out by the DART impact on the asteroid Dimorphos could create meteor showers on Mars — but it's unlikely they'll cause meteor showers over Earth.
![The sky looks dark with red glowing streaks. On the ground, there are a bunch of gray structures that together make up the MWA.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wnT4sEemomL22V6ErQaQk8-320-80.jpg)
SETI searches for alien life in over 1,000 galaxies using unexplored radio frequencies
By Keith Cooper published
New findings could elevate SETI into an extragalactic search for life beyond Earth.
![a green circle of light against a background of stars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpWNmL92eK8bdNnX6AXQ9L-320-80.jpg)
Astronomers discover new 'odd radio circle' near the center of our galaxy
By Keith Cooper published
A mysterious ring invisible at all wavelengths except radio could be a trace of a dramatically unstable star shedding its skin.
![Deep-space photo showing a large orange-brown molecular cloud, with bright stars shining around it](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VFuiKn3kYA5WL4XWAGSvWW-320-80.jpg)
James Webb Space Telescope finds 6 wandering 'rogue' planets that formed just like stars
By Keith Cooper published
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered half a dozen rogue planets, one of which apparently hosts a newly forming moon system.
![black and white image of moon close up](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ak8Ag2PzMLFoHpHJFJH2Te-320-80.jpg)
Europe's JUICE probe snaps hi-res pics of Earth and the moon on its way to Jupiter (photos)
By Keith Cooper published
JANUS, which is the high-resolution camera on the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, received a solid workout during the fly-by of Earth over Aug. 19 and Aug. 20.
![On the left, a giant orange arc emerges, rising slightly. between that, all the way right, through the middle, seven planets of varying colors and texturs.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JeQYsG4tEK6zMabKsPWZ8b-320-80.jpg)
Why the 7 worlds of TRAPPIST-1 waltz in peculiar patterns
By Keith Cooper published
The complex history of the orbits of the TRAPPIST-1 planets has been revealed, showing how they interacted with the disk of gas and dust that gave birth to them.
![An image of the sun in space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mmHsxcNMiF5mgrrqZp8KfX-320-80.jpg)
The sun hides its age with magnetic activity
By Keith Cooper published
Measurements of the sun's age via oscillations that ripple through it can vary depending on whether those measurements are made near solar minimum or maximum.
![On a flat, slightly rocky ground, there is a sample tube laying there. A rover's wheel is seen toward the top right.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qpLQBBxfZ9Yks54urpKHhC-320-80.jpg)
Perseverance rover's Mars samples must be brought back to Earth, scientists stress
By Keith Cooper published
Sedimentary deposits sampled by the Perseverance rover could contain evidence of past Martian life.
![illustration of a molten exoplanet, with its fiery yellow-orange star in the near background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nbvwhX5VVnMke79RFECcoc-320-80.jpg)
Some rocky exoplanets could have huge amounts of water in their molten cores
By Keith Cooper published
Young, hot planets could soak up a lot of water into their core, with up to 10 times more water inside than on the surface of the planet.
![radio telescopes point up at the dark night sky with mountains in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rQqDksDevrxHLSD69iP6xM-320-80.jpg)
Are we alone? Intelligent aliens may be rare, new study suggests
By Keith Cooper published
A new interpretation of the famous Drake equation finds little reason to be optimistic about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
![Galaxies across space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kztzCTmBrLiuWHvxUCkjsg-320-80.jpg)
Dark Energy Camera's new galactic portrait delves into dark-matter central
By Keith Cooper published
Located at the confluence of several dark matter filaments in the cosmic web, the Coma Cluster of galaxies is the perfect case study for understanding how these galactic conurbations grow.
![A wonderously spiralling galaxy filled with bright whites and warms points of gold in the starry blackness of space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7JdjFqQFzFQ65SuYTyofWA-320-80.jpg)
James Webb Space Telescope adds to the confusing drama of Hubble tension
By Keith Cooper published
Measurements of cosmic expansion using Cepheid variable stars continue to create tension.
![A box-shaped spacecraft with large solar wings swoops in toward a metal-looking asteroid in space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GuUm7rT6qXxN9yJhj4sqFW-320-80.gif)
Is asteroid Psyche actually a planetary core? James Webb Space Telescope results cast doubt
By Keith Cooper published
The presence of hydrated minerals, including possibly water-ice, might indicate an unexpected origin for Psyche, far from the sun.
![An orange and off-green world, cutoff at the poles as it encompasses the whole image.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7zA9WSngdeek7TW6nMtAS9-320-80.jpg)
Ocean's worth of water may be buried within Mars — but can we get to it?
By Keith Cooper published
"We haven't found any evidence for life on Mars, but at least we have identified a place that should, in principle, be able to sustain life."
![Artist's illustration depicting the terraforming of Mars — turning into a more Earth-like world.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7zWzTQ8nWnmTK7d7vHfjV6-320-80.jpg)
New Mars terraforming idea: engineered, heat-absorbing dust nanoparticles
By Keith Cooper published
Metal particles made from Martian dust could be released into the sky to raise temperatures on the Red Planet by over 50 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), a new study suggests.
![Boeing Starliner in front of an aurora during thruster testing on June 15, 2024. The picture was taken from a SpaceX Dragon docked at the International Space Station.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qcdoypiEdyKRiHKc6WdT68-320-80.jpg)
Earth from space: Astronauts share photography tips for snapping amazing photos from the ISS
By Keith Cooper published
From thunderstorm sprites to volcanic plumes, and city lights to meteors, the world appears a different place from 250 miles (400 kilometers) up.
![orange sphere next to a light brown sphere and a trail of grey and red tripod shapes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SWRMXZr5wYHYFYLCZbNphd-320-80.png)
Venus may be able to support life, new atmospheric evidence suggests
By Keith Cooper published
Preliminary evidence for gases that could be biosignatures have been found in the atmosphere of Venus, but even if these biosignatures are real, does it necessarily imply life?
![a yellow excavator holds a large boulder, part of its effort to build a rock wall](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ixWVrqoL8tWkuCEoRXx3Ld-320-80.jpg)
Moon robots could build stone walls to protect lunar bases from rocket exhaust
By Keith Cooper published
A robotic excavator could build a dry stone wall to act as a blast shield around a launch pad on the moon, a new study suggests.
![This artist’s rendering shows the Extremely Large Telescope in operation on Cerro Armazones in northern Chile. The telescope is shown using lasers to create artificial stars high in the atmosphere.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/56vJ6eZWdKAfixHX53hDfZ-320-80.jpg)
The Extremely Large Telescope: Facts about the world's largest telescope
By Keith Cooper last updated
Reference Here's everything you need to know about the Extremely Large Telescope, which will become the largest telescope in the world when it is completed at the end of the decade.
![Coulntless stars and points of light in black space. In the center, a bright blue light shiens, radiating outward a faint blue hue.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u7C7SQApreaoZrDBvBt8FT-320-80.jpg)
X-rays reveal secret gas in huge and distant galaxy cluster
By Keith Cooper published
The Euclid and XMM-Newton missions have combined to show the hidden, hot gas that fills an immense galaxy cluster 2.7 billion light-years away.
![A black and white image of the moon's surface. A large white pattern is seen in the middle-left and there are craters toward the right.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dvQnYZtASeGPNUdwftbYpg-320-80.png)
Where do the moon's weird swirls come from? Scientists are trying to find out
By Keith Cooper published
Scientists are getting closer to explaining where bizarre lunar patterns that seem to have the involvement of magnetic fields come from.
![A stormy and reddish scene.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VERcevpfhPvZHHv67pGzUb-320-80.jpg)
Alien weather report: James Webb Space Telescope detects hot, sandy wind on 2 brown dwarfs
By Keith Cooper published
The JWST's infrared vision has seen deep into the stormy atmosphere of two brown dwarfs that form the third closest system to the sun.
![a giant pac-man like dome fully opens upward to the night sky, exposing the skeleton of the top of an extremely large telescope. The milky way and countless stars shine above.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W5cZ9zmEnwKbX5kjmd5WWK-320-80.jpg)
How the last 25 years led to the rise of mega-telescopes
By Keith Cooper published
From exoplanets to the galaxies in the early universe, there's little that large telescopes on Earth can't see.
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