![Robert Lea](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FrPVWMGMDcv5rjJzExQQ4f.jpg)
Robert Lea
Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek 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. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.
Latest articles by Robert Lea
![An illustration shows Voyager 1 in interstellar space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oD7zudV5zGuM79JfZoSLdL-320-80.png)
NASA finds clue while solving Voyager 1's communication breakdown case
By Robert Lea published
In 2023, humanity's pioneering space mission, Voyager 1, stopped sending understandable data back to Earth. Now, NASA engineers may be closer to discovering the source of the issue.
![a large black and silver rocket vents vapor at night while standing upright on a launch pad](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AYyvdiNZ3YCKqSLrMSCNHK-320-80.png)
How to watch SpaceX's 3rd Starship launch test live online today
By Robert Lea last updated
SpaceX's megarocket Starship, the largest and most powerful space rocket ever built, is set for a third test flight on Thursday (March 14). You can watch it live online for free.
![An illustration shows the aftermath of a black hole shredding and devouring a star in a tidal disruption event](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g6qcX9Qf6jDcThrr4pFgV-320-80.png)
Scientists find black hole spaghettifying star remarkably close to Earth
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered rather close evidence of a star being ripped apart and devoured by a supermassive black hole in a tidal disruption event.
![An illustration of an atomic nucleus is space (inset) the multi-layer Compton camera originally designed to investigate astronomy not nuclear structure](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZpdsXSdk5KoBA9XPxTzn5K-320-80.png)
Deep-space astronomy sensor peers into the heart of an atom
By Robert Lea published
"Developed initially for space observations, the Compton Camera has now proven its worth as a tool for addressing complex scientific questions in other domains as well."
![illustration showing earth in the foreground with mars and the sun in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TRGnPuFsAFYikDYfwAJYx8-320-80.png)
Mars attracts: How the Red Planet influences Earth's climate and seas
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have discovered a surprising 2.4-million-year-cycle in deep-sea sediments that indicates Mars has an influence on Earth's oceans and climate.
![On the left, a red bubbly-looking orb is depicted. On the right is a similar orb with blueish regions.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JsNNnfQvSXfebPU6HizETX-320-80.png)
The boiling surface of giant star Betelgeuse may be creating an illusion
By Robert Lea published
Betelgeuse appears to be rotating faster than is possible for such a massive star. New research suggests this is an illusion caused by the violently boiling surface of the red supergiant.
![A James Webb Space Telescope image showing reddish hazy webs against a dark blue background. Toward the top left is a glare with the telescope's characteristic spikes.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCnLv3NBMuV6ucJhhD5uD-320-80.png)
The James Webb Space Telescope hones in on star-forming region in the Triangulum Galaxy (images)
By Robert Lea published
The James Space Telescope has used its NIRCam and MIRI instruments to capture two dynamic views of the star-forming region NGC 604 in the Triangulum Galaxy.
![Two alternative models for the interior of white dwarfs placed side-by-side. The stars look like large blue orbs; there are arrows denoting where certain layers and processes are.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FtkbmRsrnXUp7x6w6YACMA-320-80.png)
Some 'dead' stars hide celestial fountains of youth beneath their surfaces
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have discovered that some "dead" white dwarf stars hide a metaphorical fountain of youth beneath their skin that helps them delay their cooling processes.
![A simulation of dark energy in the universe obtained using AI](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WJY9cBgM9DFNfDvFtAG7J6-320-80.png)
Dark energy remains a mystery. Maybe AI can help crack the code
By Robert Lea published
Dark energy has humans stumped. The force is sometimes even labeled "the worst prediction in the history of physics." Can AI do any better?
![An illustration shows the James Webb Space Telescope examining Mors Somnus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gMdoeSDHVLQCtyekHWw8Co-320-80.png)
Icy asteroids help the James Webb Space Telescope uncover Neptune's history
By Robert Lea published
The powerful space telescope zoomed in on Mors-Somnus, a binary pair of icy asteroids that originated within the Kuiper Belt.
![An illustration shows the five spacecraft of the LIFE mission with Earth between them](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hFK7CZ9pfVtMSEw6A6Zy6T-320-80.png)
If aliens had our life-hunting equipment, could they find us?
By Robert Lea published
Scientists asked the question: If Earth was an exoplanet, what would reveal it hosts life? The answer was used to verify the usefulness of a planned space mission dubbed "LIFE."
![cartoon illustration of an astronaut sitting on a toilet while in space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sgzwakuGvXUvFDBL3kXQo-320-80.jpg)
How do astronauts use the bathroom in space?
By Robert Lea published
Reference Going to the toilet is a basic human function that even astronauts, as they further human space exploration, have to undertake. So how do astronauts 'boldly go' in space.
![An illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope and some of its Cycle 3 observational targets.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EUavkT2EFN5V9uxSmL8qaL-320-80.png)
The James Webb Space Telescope's targets over the next year include black holes, exomoons, dark energy — and more
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Telescope will be busy during Cycle 3 , with astronomers using the powerful telescope to hunt exomoons and supermassive black holes and investigate cosmic evolution.
![illiustration of a boxy silver rover on the lunar surface at night](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rNTpSnSARUKJHSfVcP66DN-320-80.jpg)
NASA's ice-hunting VIPER moon rover getting ready to slither to the launch pad
By Robert Lea published
NASA's VIPER moon rover is a step closer to making its lunar journey late this year: The robot's flight instruments are fully installed and the rover over 80% built.
![An illustration shows two supermassive black holes locked by their size and prevented from merging](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ExL7xX4WHkXNf95BsMXPVA-320-80.jpg)
Heaviest pair of black holes ever seen weighs 28 billion times more than the sun
By Robert Lea published
The discovery could explain why, although supermassive black hole mergers are predicted theoretically, they have never been observed in progress.
![Two metal devices with blue lights at their necks are pointed up toward the sky. In the sky, there are lots of stars and the center of the Milky Way is visible.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6U7UCq99RFg6CTDNNQsbfZ-320-80.png)
'Wiggles' of energy waves over Earth could hold the universe's history
By Robert Lea published
The CLASS telescope has mapped how microwave energy "wiggles" over Earth to learn more about the cosmic fossil that could help reveal the story of the universe.
![Hubble image of the Orion Nebula, and a zoom in on the protoplanetary disc d203-506 taken with the James Webb Space Telescope](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BGnqvgh8DH9GkixeTqAZPJ-320-80.png)
James Webb Space Telescope reveals how stellar blasts of radiation stunt planet birth
By Robert Lea published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered how massive stars sculpt planetary systems and stunt planet birth with bombardments of harsh radiation.
![An illustration shows a hypothetical axion star which could shed light on dark matter.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XrdN5wGFwVKdoWnMYLrTek-320-80.png)
'Axion stars' that went boom after the Big Bang could shed light on dark matter
By Robert Lea published
Hypothetical particles called axions may have gathered to form "axion stars" that exploded in the early universe to create readable signals that could reveal the secrets of dark matter.
![A slightly blurry blue orb in the center of the image is surrounded by a gradient disk of purple, and then red, hazes. The structure is seen against a black background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5YnhqAJBsQfsDRicymmdB3-320-80.png)
A baby star's planet-forming disk has 3 times more water than all of Earth's oceans
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered that the water content of a planet-forming disk around an infant star is enough to fill Earth's oceans three times over.
![An illustration shows the James Webb Space Telescope as it studies an array of dwarf galaxies.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/axwobdvhFgv7XgopKR98Vg-320-80.png)
James Webb Space Telescope finds dwarf galaxies packed enough punch to reshape the entire early universe
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope investigated low-mass galaxies from the early universe, finding most of these dwarf galaxies' light drove a vital phase of cosmic evolution.
![An illustration of Trappist-1e shows the potentially habitable exoplanet being stripped of its atmosphere by harsh radiation from its red dwarf star as its planetary siblings watch on](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yCr8VdCbT2BKmfohjTcm5c-320-80.png)
Possibly habitable Trappist-1 exoplanet caught destroying its own atmosphere
By Robert Lea published
"I would imagine that all Trappist-1 planets are going to have a hard time holding on to any atmosphere."
![(Left) AR3590 the largest sunspot of the current solar cycle (Right) AR3590 explodes with powerful solar flares](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AYtZLe22XqgY7MAwVoVxBo-320-80.png)
Put on your eclipse glasses and look up to see the biggest sunspot in years before it disappears from view
By Robert Lea published
The AR3590 sunspot region is the largest of the solar cycle and is responsible for the most powerful solar flare seen since 2017.
![An illustration shows an extreme red supermassive black hole in the early universe.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8GGT9iqLjninpKvXgQ9ut8-320-80.png)
James Webb Space Telescope finds 'extremely red' supermassive black hole growing in the early universe
By Robert Lea published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers discovered an "extremely red," growing supermassive black hole powering a quasar that existed 700 million years after the Big Bang.