headshot of Associate News Editor Christopher Crockett

Christopher Crockett

Associate News Editor

Christopher Crockett is an Associate News Editor. He was formerly the astronomy writer from 2014 to 2017, and he has a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

All Stories by Christopher Crockett

  1. Astronomy

    Space-based probe passes tests for gravitational wave detection

    The LISA Pathfinder mission has demonstrated that future observatories in space could detect gravitational waves.

  2. Astronomy

    Space-based probe passes tests for gravitational wave detection

    The LISA Pathfinder mission has demonstrated that future observatories in space could detect gravitational waves.

  3. Planetary Science

    Jupiter’s stormy weather no tempest in teapot

    New radio observations reveal how ammonia moves about beneath Jupiter’s clouds and provide a sneak peek at what NASA’s Juno mission will learn later this year.

  4. Planetary Science

    Comet 67P carries two ingredients for life: glycine, phosphorus

    Two ingredients essential for all life, phosphorus and the amino acid glycine, have been found floating around a comet.

  5. Astronomy

    Return of superstar supernova raises doubt about its identity

    The brightest supernova on record is back for round two, and might not be a supernova after all.

  6. Planetary Science

    Space experts say sending humans to Mars worth the risk

    At a meeting in Washington, NASA and aerospace reps discuss the hopes and hurdles of landing a crew on Mars by the 2030s.

  7. Astronomy

    Fast-moving star duo is heading out of the Milky Way

    A pair of hyperfast stars hurtling through a remote region of the Milky Way might have been orphaned after a long-ago galactic collision, a new study suggests.

  8. Astronomy

    Stephen Hawking finds the inner genius in ordinary people

    Ordinary people wrestle with big questions in science and philosophy in Genius, a new television series hosted by Stephen Hawking.

  9. Astronomy

    Earth has nothing on this exoplanet’s lightning storms

    Lightning storms far more intense than any on Earth might explain radio waves that once came from a planet 124 light-years away.

  10. Astronomy

    Kepler telescope doubles its count of known exoplanets

    NASA’s Kepler space telescope adds 1,284 planets to the roster of worlds known to orbit other stars in our galaxy.

  11. Planetary Science

    Mercury’s stunning landscape mapped

    First complete topographic map of Mercury reveals plains, craters and both the highest and lowest points on the planet.

  12. Planetary Science

    Long-running lunar mission reveals moon’s surprises

    Seven years into its mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is still going strong and finding surprises on the moon.