Lisa Grossman

Lisa Grossman

Astronomy Writer

Lisa Grossman is the astronomy writer for Science News. Previously she was a news editor at New Scientist, where she ran the physical sciences section of the magazine for three years. Before that, she spent three years at New Scientist as a reporter, covering space, physics and astronomy. She has a degree in astronomy from Cornell University and a graduate certificate in science writing from UC Santa Cruz. Lisa was a finalist for the AGU David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism, and received the Institute of Physics/Science and Technology Facilities Council physics writing award and the AAS Solar Physics Division Popular Writing Award. She interned at Science News in 2009-2010.

All Stories by Lisa Grossman

  1. Astronomy

    The definition of planet is still a sore point – especially among Pluto fans

    In the 15 years since Pluto lost its planet status, scientists have continued to use the definition that works for them.

  2. Planetary Science

    See some of the most intriguing photos from NASA’s Perseverance rover so far

    Six months ago, Perseverance landed on the Red Planet. Here’s what the rover has been observing.

  3. Astronomy

    Measuring a black hole’s mass isn’t easy. A new technique could change that

    The timing of flickers in the gas and dust in a black hole’s accretion disk correlates to its mass, a new study finds.

  4. Space

    How do scientists calculate the age of a star?

    There are a few different methods to determine the age of a star, but none are perfect.

  5. Planetary Science

    A century of astronomy revealed Earth’s place in the universe

    The past century of astronomy has been a series of revolutions, each one kicking Earth a bit farther to the margins.

  6. Astronomy

    Any aliens orbiting these 2,000 stars could spot Earth crossing the sun

    Alien astronomers in those star systems could discover Earth the way we find exoplanets: by watching for a dip in starlight.

  7. Astronomy

    Dust and a cold spell on Betelgeuse could explain why the giant star dimmed

    Scientists had two options to explain Betelgeuse’s weird behavior in late 2019. They chose both.

  8. Astronomy

    An arc of galaxies 3 billion light-years long may challenge cosmology

    Dubbed “the Giant Arc,” the purported structure is much larger than expected in a cosmos where matter is thought to be evenly distributed.

  9. Planetary Science

    NASA will be heading back to Venus for the first time in decades

    Two newly selected missions, VERITAS and DAVINCI+, will explore the history of the planet's water and habitability.

  10. Astronomy

    Some fast radio bursts come from the spiral arms of other galaxies

    Tracking five brief, bright blasts of cosmic radio waves to their origins suggests their sources form quickly in regions with lots of star formation.

  11. Space

    China’s first Mars rover has landed and is sending its first pictures

    The country just became the second nation, after the United States, to successfully land a rover on Mars. Its rover will search for subsurface ice.

  12. Astronomy

    The Milky Way may have grown up faster than astronomers suspected

    Most of the galaxy’s disk was in place before a merger 10 billion years ago with a dwarf galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus/Sausage, a new study suggests.