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

    When James Webb launches, it will have a bigger to-do list than 1980s researchers suspected

    The James Webb Space Telescope has been in development for so long that space science has changed in the meantime.

  2. Astronomy

    Space rocks may have bounced off baby Earth, but slammed into Venus

    New simulations suggest a way to help explain dramatic differences between the sibling worlds.

  3. Astronomy

    Satellite swarms may outshine the night sky’s natural constellations

    Simulations suggest that satellite “mega-constellations” will be visible to the naked eye all night long in some locations.

  4. Planetary Science

    NASA’s Perseverance rover snagged its first Martian rock samples

    Two tubes of stone drilled from a basalt rock nicknamed Rochette are the first from Mars slated to eventually return to Earth.

  5. Astronomy

    New ideas on what makes a planet habitable could reshape the search for life

    New definitions of “habitable worlds” could include planets with global oceans under a steamy hydrogen atmosphere or exclude ones that started out habitable but lost all their water.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.