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

    Pluto’s pits, ridges and famous plain get official names

    From Adlivun to Voyager, the International Astronomical Union officially names 14 surface features on the dwarf planet.

  2. Astronomy

    Tabby’s star is probably just dusty, and still not an alien megastructure

    New looks at older data on the weirdly flickering Tabby’s star muddy possible explanations — but it’s still probably not aliens.

  3. Astronomy

    Star that exploded in 1437 tracked to its current position

    Astronomers have hunted down a star seen exploding in the year 1437 and traced it since, offering clues to the stages of a white dwarf.

  4. Astronomy

    As Cassini’s tour of Saturn draws to a close, a look back at postcards from the probe

    As Cassini prepares to plunge to its death, we celebrate the spacecraft's discoveries and breathtaking images of Saturn, its rings and moons.

  5. Astronomy

    On a mountain in Wyoming, the eclipse brings wonder — and, hopefully, answers

    Astronomy writer Lisa Grossman joined scientists on a mountain in Wyoming who were measuring the corona using four different instruments to try to figure out why it’s so hot.

  6. Astronomy

    Eclipse watchers will go after the biggest solar mystery: Why is the corona so hot?

    Usually when you move away from a heat source, it gets cooler. Not so in the sun’s atmosphere.

  7. Astronomy

    Does the corona look different when solar activity is high versus when it’s low?

    Carbondale, Ill., will get two eclipses in a row, seven years apart — making it the perfect spot to watch the solar cycle in action.

  8. Astronomy

    Cosmic lens lets astronomers zoom in on a black hole’s burps

    The beginnings of a jet from an active black hole in a distant galaxy were spotted thanks to a lucky alignment.

  9. Astronomy

    Where does the solar wind come from? The eclipse may offer answers

    A quick-fire polarization camera should help scientists detect the origins of the solar wind during the Aug. 21 eclipse.

  10. Astronomy

    Why are the loops in the sun’s atmosphere so neat and tidy?

    Observations during the total solar eclipse may explain why the sun’s atmosphere is so organized despite arising from a tangled magnetic field.

  11. Astronomy

    What can the eclipse tell us about the corona’s magnetic field?

    The corona’s plasma jumps and dances thanks to the magnetic field, but scientists have never measured the field directly.

  12. Astronomy

    Can the eclipse tell us if Einstein was right about general relativity?

    During the eclipse, astronomers will reproduce the 1919 experiment that confirmed Einstein’s general theory of relativity.