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. Planetary Science

    Rosetta mission extended until September 2016

    The Rosetta spacecraft will explore comet 67P through September 2016 and then may go to sleep on the comet’s surface.

  2. Astronomy

    Magnetic ‘glue’ helps shape galaxies

    Galaxy-wide magnetic fields may play a role in shaping the spiral arms of gas and stars.

  3. Planetary Science

    Pluto and Charon’s orbital dance captured in color

    New Horizons has captured the first true-color movie of Pluto and Charon orbiting one another.

  4. Astronomy

    Big exoplanet may be surrounded by helium

    Warm Neptune-sized exoplanet might have atmospheres filled with helium.

  5. Planetary Science

    Evidence mounts for active volcanoes on Venus

    The Venus Express orbiter detected possible signs of active volcanism on the planet next door.

  6. Planetary Science

    Evidence mounts for active volcanoes on Venus

    The Venus Express orbiter detected possible signs of active volcanism on the planet next door.

  7. Planetary Science

    NASA moves ahead with a mission to Europa

    A NASA mission slated for the 2020s to Jupiter’s icy moon will try to figure out if the ocean there is habitable.

  8. Astronomy

    Mars-sized exoplanet is smallest to have its mass measured

    The smallest exoplanet to be weighed is a hot, rocky cousin of the Red Planet.

  9. Astronomy

    Distant galaxy may contain primeval stars

    A stockpile of the first generation of stars might be lighting up gas in a galaxy that existed roughly 800 million years after the Big Bang.

  10. Planetary Science

    Methane found in meteorites from Mars

    Methane stored in Martian meteorites points to possibly habitable environments beneath the surface of the Red Planet.

  11. Planetary Science

    Rendezvous with Pluto

    Earth will get its first good look at Pluto and its five known moons when New Horizons sails past on July 14.

  12. Planetary Science

    Saturn’s widest ring measured

    Saturn has an invisible belt that's nearly 270 times as wide as the giant planet, researchers report.