![Robert Roy Britt](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KvJtyWB34kETiMvGqwMSJm.jpg)
Robert Roy Britt
Rob has been producing internet content since the mid-1990s. He was a writer, editor and Director of Site Operations at Space.com starting in 1999. He served as Managing Editor of LiveScience since its launch in 2004. He then oversaw news operations for the Space.com's then-parent company TechMediaNetwork's growing suite of technology, science and business news sites. Prior to joining the company, Rob was an editor at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey. He has a journalism degree from Humboldt State University in California, is an author and also writes for Medium.
Latest articles by Robert Roy Britt
![lunar eclipses are made up of several stages here they are arranged in a question mark shape.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/btAGR3zVHiCuFGrk9TwSb6-320-80.jpg)
What are lunar eclipses and how do they occur?
By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference Lunar eclipses occur when Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow over the surface of the moon. We explore the different types of lunar eclipses here.
![Artist's illustration of our solar system. It shows planets orbiting the sun and a large comet sweeping in from the top right corner.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DQyNHder4hmYdLZ4Wf5oS3-320-80.jpg)
Solar system planets, order and formation: A guide
By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated
Reference Explore the eight (or nine) planets of the solar system in order from nearest to the sun and discover the many wonders of our solar system along the way.
![Compilation of 2010 Perseid Events Over Huntsville, Alabama](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BpAcSdACwNa8UjA3JgUySF-320-80.jpg)
10 wild Perseid meteor shower facts
By Robert Roy Britt last updated
The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks every August and is often the most dazzling meteor display of the year.
![Cygnus X-1 black hole and a dense cloud of gas in the space between stars.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bcgQneQ2s4ikuDQ3A8vJCH-320-80.jpg)
Black Hole Forges Invisible Bubble
By Robert Roy Britt last updated
Astronomers use the finding to calculate black hole output, and it looks like they are more powerful than expected.
![Skywatcher Jim Gamble of El Paso, Texas created this composite image of the 2010 Leonid meteor shower display using an allsky camera.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LmcCqisrxYtMB99Estx6BW-320-80.jpg)
The Leonid Meteor Shower Explained in 10 Facts
By Robert Roy Britt published
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xAb6UbPWkFKWeu7j2VtLjf-320-80.jpg)
Venus Visible In the Daytime Sky
By Robert Roy Britt published
Venus is so bright you can see it even in the daytime right now — if you know where to look.
![Spectacular Meteor Shower and Rare Planet Alignment Coincide](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6zG9AWzT7aTcempbNvm6EU-320-80.jpg)
Spectacular Meteor Shower and Rare Planet Alignment Coincide
By Robert Roy Britt published
The Perseid meteor shower and a rare planet alignment both occur this week.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BfobgKiYqFqKpmNa7X4eYM-320-80.jpg)
First Person: False Alarm Leads to Once-in-a-Lifetime Shooting Star
By Robert Roy Britt published
A bright fireball streaks through the Phoenix sky, spotted fortuitously.
![New Sunspots Could Produce Space Storms](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3Zq7RLJPtQjmsAvdpRz4on-320-80.jpg)
New Sunspots Could Produce Space Storms
By Robert Roy Britt published
A new group of sunspots has produced moderate (M-class) solar flares, but forecasters say it could unleash a large (X-class) flare.
![Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7jxwc8dNejsvowwWTGfG2P-320-80.jpg)
Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight
By Robert Roy Britt published
The biggest full moon of 2010 occurs tonight, Friday Jan. 29. What you can see and how best to view the moon.
![Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ar4vSoaUc9i4sXacV6oZ5g-320-80.jpg)
Hole in the Moon Could Shelter Colonists
By Robert Roy Britt published
The hole in the moon is likely a collapsed lava tube. It could provide shelter as a moon base.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BfobgKiYqFqKpmNa7X4eYM-320-80.jpg)
Tonight's Blue Moon: All a Big Mistake
By Robert Roy Britt published
Revelers can ring in the new year with a cosmic flourish tonight, celebrating the first New Year's Eve blue moon since 1990.
![Stars Find Fountain of Youth Via Vampirism and Collisions](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ArpGRwPebPPxVsDc4ZiGEW-320-80.jpg)
Stars Find Fountain of Youth Via Vampirism and Collisions
By Robert Roy Britt published
Some stars rely on vampirism to suck the life out of a companion star, while others are rejuvenated in cosmic collisions.
!['Gem' of a Meteor Shower Underway](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rj2AJp2zRRjc5A9cSNNMak-320-80.jpg)
Best Meteor Shower of 2009 Peaks Tonight
By Robert Roy Britt published
This year's annual Geminid meteor shower is expected to be a doozie, producing up to 140 "shooting stars" per hour.
![Italian astrophotographer Lorenzo Lovato photographed this spectacular fireball from the 1998 Leonid meteor shower on Nov. 17, 1998.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XtFDujKdpzNQsgnFy5KE3j-320-80.jpg)
Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning
By Robert Roy Britt published
Early Tuesday morning, a better-than-average shooting star show is expected.
![150 Years Ago: The Worst Solar Storm Ever](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/75rwHemxHFLWkhLMLrFV4H-320-80.jpg)
150 Years Ago: The Worst Solar Storm Ever
By Robert Roy Britt published
On Sept. 2, 1859, an incredible storm of charged particles sent by the sun slammed into Earth's atmosphere, overpowered it, and caused havoc on the ground.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BfobgKiYqFqKpmNa7X4eYM-320-80.jpg)
Newfound Planet Orbits Backward
By Jeanna Bryner, Robert Roy Britt published
The star and its planet, WASP-17, are about 1,000 light-years away.
![Strong Meteor Shower Expected](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P9T8rpbLxS65EHT3tfpJyE-320-80.jpg)
Strong Meteor Shower Expected
By Robert Roy Britt published
In North America, the best time to watch will be between midnight to 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
![Saturn's Rings to Disappear Tuesday](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mgHhXPRZDfwgFJJ8ZJXpfB-320-80.jpg)
Saturn's Rings to Disappear Tuesday
By Robert Roy Britt published
In a celestial feat any magician would appreciate, Saturn will make its wide but thin ring system disappear from our view Aug. 11.
![Neptune’s winds travel at more than 1,500 mph, and are the fastest planetary winds in the solar system.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eNTJrysq4A6DqXncBtsRrB-320-80.jpg)
New Theory: Galileo Discovered Neptune
By Robert Roy Britt published
It has long been known that Galileo observed Neptune, but it was thought that he discounted the object as a star.
![The Sun Has Spots, Finally](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i7iSGeMxyNgvPBWyfgrwfX-320-80.jpg)
The Sun Has Spots, Finally
By Robert Roy Britt published
After one of the longest sunspot droughts in modern times, solar activity picked up quickly over the weekend.
![Wild Fireworks Spotted in Space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BsyfuCaqhvBhFfqsWa4uzR-320-80.jpg)
Wild Fireworks Spotted in Space
By Robert Roy Britt published
New image of a gaseous space nebula reveals tens of thousands of giant comet-like knots raining down.