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. Planetary Science

    Venus’ thick atmosphere speeds up the planet’s spin

    Venus’ thick atmosphere can push on mountains on the surface, changing its rotation period by a few minutes every day.

  2. Astronomy

    Swirling gases reveal baby planets in a young star’s disk

    A new technique pinpointed three planets forming around a young star about 330 light-years from Earth.

  3. Planetary Science

    The Mars rover Opportunity is sleeping, not dead, NASA says

    Opportunity is hunkered down in a deep sleep on Mars to ride out what’s looking to be a long dark dust storm.

  4. Planetary Science

    Opportunity rover waits out a huge dust storm on Mars

    NASA’s Opportunity rover is in low-power mode to preserve battery life while a vast dust storm blankets part of the Red Planet.

  5. Planetary Science

    Curiosity finds that Mars’ methane changes with the seasons

    The Curiosity rover found seasonally changing methane in Mars’ atmosphere and more signs of organic molecules in an ancient lake bed.

  6. Planetary Science

    New Horizons wakes up to begin Kuiper Belt exploration

    The New Horizons spacecraft just woke up to get ready for its New Year’s Day flyby of the distant space rock Ultima Thule.

  7. Astronomy

    Take a virtual trip to an alien world

    NASA’s Exoplanet Travel Bureau website lets you view what alien landscapes might look like.

  8. Planetary Science

    Never-before-seen dunes on Pluto spotted in New Horizons images

    Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal dunes on Pluto — but the sand-sized grains must have had an unusual boost to get moving.

  9. Astronomy

    Two-faced star reveals a pulsar’s surprising bulk

    An ultramassive pulsar is frying its stellar companion so that the star shows two different temperatures.

  10. Astronomy

    Astronomers scrutinized last year’s eclipse. Here’s what they’ve learned

    Astronomers observed the 2017 total solar eclipse from the ground and the air, and found some never-before-seen features of the sun’s atmosphere.

  11. Astronomy

    Plasma rain in the sun’s atmosphere falls in surprising places

    Scientists found rain in the sun’s corona where they didn’t expect it, which could help solve the mystery of why the corona is so hot.

  12. Planetary Science

    China is set to launch a satellite to support a future lunar rover

    China is set to launch a satellite to support a future lunar rover that will make the first-ever visit to the farside of the moon.