Articles by

James R. Riordon

Why the 2024 total solar eclipse will be such a big deal

Solar eclipses are dramatic events as a rule. But the total eclipse coming on April 8 is...

A bar of stars at the center of the Milky Way looks surprisingly young

The biography of our home galaxy may be due for some revisions. That’s because a bar-shaped collection...

The James Webb telescope took some stunning images in 2023

This year, the James Webb Space Telescope celebrated its first full year of operation, during which it...

How tiny red stars can test ideas about the origin of life

A survey of small, cool stars is helping to narrow in on the conditions that might set...

How neutron imaging uncovers hidden secrets of fossils and artifacts

Shattered crocodile. Formally, Confractosuchus. It was discovered in Australia when a bulldozer clearing a boulder broke a...

Marsquakes and meteorite hits show Mars has a dense liquid metal core

Mars has a heavy heart after all. The Red Planet has a dense core of liquid...

Here’s how citizen scientists can help during the 2024 solar eclipse

Last Saturday’s “ring of fire” eclipse, which blocked out 98 percent of the sun’s surface, was a...

NASA’s first look at a sample from asteroid Bennu reveals life’s building blocks

NASA scientists are just beginning to reveal details about roughly 250 grams of dust and rocks brought...