Space.com contributing writer Stefanie Waldek is a self-taught space nerd and aviation geek who is passionate about all things spaceflight and astronomy. With a background in travel and design journalism, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University, she specializes in the budding space tourism industry and Earth-based astrotourism. In her free time, you can find her watching rocket launches or looking up at the stars, wondering what is out there. Learn more about her work at www.stefaniewaldek.com.
Latest articles by Stefanie Waldek

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Scientists working with the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) have collected the oldest directly dated ice cores ever drilled: 6 million years old.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists mapped the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-18b in three dimensions, uncovering a blistering hotspot where water molecules are torn apart.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Chiron is forming a ring system, and scientists seem to have caught the action.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Astronomers have sighted Betelgeuse’s mysterious companion — and it’s turning out to be full of surprises.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Just four minutes of darkness was enough to confuse dozens of species of birds.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Ancient iron-metabolizing microbes may have turned toxic oxygen into an energy source.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
The team behind Europe's Euclid space telescope just published the world's most extensive simulation of the universe, which maps an astonishing 3.4 billion galaxies.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
A new study suggests that, without plate tectonics and the right balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen, advanced alien civilizations may be exceedingly rare.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Scientists didn't expect to find the remnants of an icy world around this extremely dense white dwarf star.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Natural geologic processes at Mars' Oxia Planum may improve the Rosalind Franklin rover's chances of detecting organic compounds.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Alien objects may be seeding the universe. Here's what that means.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Yes, even Jupiter's moons produce auroras.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Data from NASA's InSight lander suggests there's a chunky mix beneath the surface of Mars.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
The interstellar visitor appears to have a lot in common with its solar system brethren.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Scientists have solved how molten "raindrops" in meteorites, called chondrules, were formed — and the discovery reveals key details about Jupiter's origin.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
While observing the Halley-type comet 12P/Pons-Brooks with ALMA and NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, researchers determined that the comet's water is strikingly similar to the water on Earth.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
A new study finds that liquids other than water might be able to support life on worlds beyond Earth, potentially expanding the envelope of life throughout the cosmos.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
ESA's Mars Express spacecraft has been imaging the dynamic Acheron Fossae region of Mars for more than 20 years.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Scientists have developed an algorithm called Astroclimes, which transforms stargazing instruments into climate sensors that measure greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found strong evidence for a new exoplanet — one orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the nearest sun-like star to Earth.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Meet the astonishing phenomenon of megaflash lightning.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Living in space changes the human body — but arteries seem particularly resilient to microgravity's effects.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
Astronomers have long voiced concerns about Starlink's satellite constellation interfering with observations of the universe, and a new survey by Curtin University confirms those fears.

By Stefanie Waldek Published
The letter warns that the proposed FY2026 budget would halt dozens of missions, gut future programs and threaten U.S. leadership in space science.
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