Lisa Grossman
@astrolisa.bsky.social
Science journalist (current: Science News; past: New Scientist, Wired). 2023-24 Knight Science Journalism fellow. Lifelong astronomy nerd. Queer Jewish mom 🏳️🌈 she/her/hers
More about the New Jersey (not New York) meteorite from Emily Lakdawalla. "the asteroid belt has it out for New Jersey, it seems" 🔭🧪☄️ skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
New Jersey Meteorite Offers Early Solar System Clues
When a meteorite tore through a New Jersey home, the homeowner quickly preserved the fragments. Now, they're giving scientists a look at Earth's early history.
skyandtelescope.org
I wanted the lede for this to be "not a planet, not a moon, but a secret third thing" but my editor pointed out that not all of our readers are Extremely Online enough to get it www.sciencenews.org/article/exop...
A newly found world blurs the boundary between planet and moon
The object orbits a brown dwarf that orbits a star, and astronomers aren’t sure if it’s a planet, a moon — or something else entirely.
sciencenews.org
Happy birthday to the robotic search for life on Mars! 50 years ago today, Viking 1 landed on Mars and kicked off decades of debate over what it found. But the search for life on Mars keeps getting delayed by the complexities of life on Earth. 🔭🧪👽 www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa...
NASA seems to be backing away from hunting for life on Mars
Viking 1 kicked off the search for Martian life 50 years ago. Now NASA’s shifting priorities are putting the quest in limbo.
sciencenews.org
I love how we keep finding exoplanets that could generally be described as "Earthlike" (rocky, habitable zone, atmosphere!!!) but aren't really much like Earth at all. @lkreidberg.bsky.social's comments for this story were so good I quoted her in the headline 🔭🧪 www.sciencenews.org/article/rock...
This “exotic weirdo” exoplanet has a rocky surface and an atmosphere
Astronomers found a helium atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet — a good sign for the search for life outside the solar system.
sciencenews.org
Peter Jenniskins has been known to dodge lions to collect meteorites. Climbing into an attic is restrained by comparison. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Lisa Grossman@astrolisa.bsky.social · 3w agoI asked the first author of this study what he'd say to someone who is scared of a meteorite falling on their house, and he said "Don't be! It's a treasure! It's an honor!" 😬☄️🔭🧪 www.sciencenews.org/article/new-...
I asked the first author of this study what he'd say to someone who is scared of a meteorite falling on their house, and he said "Don't be! It's a treasure! It's an honor!" 😬☄️🔭🧪 www.sciencenews.org/article/new-...
The 2024 New York City meteorite contains amino acids
The brine-formed meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey roof in 2024 could teach us about how life first arrived on Earth.
sciencenews.org
To bring you into the weekend, here's the brilliant @thsaey.bsky.social reminding us what's at stake when science is decided by political appointees (and something you can do about it!) 🧪 www.sciencenews.org/article/omb-...
Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science
Proposed federal rules would rely on political appointees to decide how a lot of U.S. science gets done. History shows the consequences of such actions.
sciencenews.org
I loved this story SO MUCH! I've been curious about cold dips for a while (even before moving to Minnesota) and now I want to even more. Minneapolis, hook me up, how do I find the local cold dippers?
melanie d.g. kaplan@melaniedgkaplan.bsky.social · last mo.Sometimes the planets align and a story idea leads to an assignment and everything about it is magical. This is one of those times. @protectparks.bsky.social
I think the craziest thing about the SwiftBoost mission is how it shows the enormous influence the sun has on Earth's atmosphere. Swift needs rescuing right now for the same reason we had huge auroras in 2024. That's incredible! 🔭🧪🚀🛰 www.sciencenews.org/article/spac...
This space telescope is falling. A robotic spacecraft may save it
A private rocket mission aims to boost NASA’s Swift telescope before its orbit decays, extending its hunt for gamma-ray bursts.
sciencenews.org
🚨 Beyond the limit 🚨 New ESO study finds that current proposals to launch 1.7+ million satellites into orbit would have devastating consequences for astronomy. The most extreme proposals come from SpaceX & Reflect Orbital 🔭 🧪 ☄️ #DarkSkies #SatelliteConstellations 1/4
I'm excited to see what this telescope (and the dizzying sets of computational/organizational/IT/etc infrastructure supporting it) will do over the next decade! Here's my story from my visit last May, before it had even released its first images: www.sciencenews.org/article/vera...
The Vera Rubin Observatory is ready to revolutionize astronomy
Sporting the world’s largest digital camera, the new telescope is poised to help solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries.
sciencenews.org
NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory@vrubinobs.bsky.social · last mo.The moment we've all been waiting for is finally here… On June 29, 2026, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially began the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST)! 🔭🧪☄️🌌 🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/action-...
The history of Mars exploration is pretty much entirely a NASA story. But the future might not be. In which I vent my frustrations about Mars sample return and stoke some hope for ExoMars. 😍 at the interactive Mars mission timeline by the amazing Brody Price! 🔭🧪👽 www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa...
NASA seems to be backing away from hunting for life on Mars
Viking 1 kicked off the search for Martian life 50 years ago. Now NASA’s shifting priorities are putting the quest in limbo.
sciencenews.org
I’m so sad to share that yesterday was my last day at Scientific American. It was an honor to work alongside my incredible colleagues and to speak with researchers across the sciences. If you’re looking to hire staff or freelance, please consider me and my other laid off coworkers (🧵)
I really enjoyed putting "ancient moonpocalypse" in a headline.🧪🔭🪐 www.sciencenews.org/article/nept...
An ancient moonpocalypse may explain Neptune’s odd moon Nereid
Neptune’s oddball moon Nereid may be the sole remnant of an earlier system, formed near the planet rather than being pulled in from afar.
sciencenews.org
A gorgeous reflection on the impact of one of the most quietly important planetary scientists in recent history. RIP, Candy Hansen-Koharcheck. 🔭🧪
Marina Koren@marinakoren.bsky.social · 3mo agoCandy Hansen-Koharcheck was one of my favorite people to interview. She died last month, after nearly 50 years in planetary science. I wrote about her enthusiasm for capturing cosmic wonder and sharing it with everyone on Earth, for @sciencenews.bsky.social: www.sciencenews.org/article/spac...
Here’s the thing about Pluto. I don’t care if it’s a planet. I do care if there’s a clear scientific definition of a planet, whether that encompasses Pluto or not.
NASA Administrator Isaacman's "Make Pluto A Planet Again" push didn't come from nowhere. The right has been Pluto-baiting for over a year. Why? Because it is anti-science populist gold. And now it's also a distraction from the White House trying to slash NASA's science budget in half.
Enjoy the Pluto Show! Nothing else to see here.
Jared Isaacman's Pluto push is a master class in science populism
reviewertoo.com
Just reposting this essay I wrote about learning more about the universe and adjusting my language accordingly for no particular reason today. (PS if Pluto is a planet then so are Eris and Makemake and Haumea and Ceres and and and... More planets! More!!) 🔭🧪 www.narratively.com/p/pluto-tran...
How Pluto Helped Me Accept My Trans Partner's New Name
Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love calling my husband by his masculine moniker…with a little help from everyone's favorite dwarf planet.
narratively.com
I had the honor of editing this essay by my friend and colleague @astrolisa.bsky.social. As she wrote in her pitch: "Space exploration is never separate from the planet it starts on and the people who live there." www.sciencenews.org/article/moon...
On moonshots and Minneapolis
Space exploration can bring people together and reflect deep societal divisions.
sciencenews.org
I've been really struggling to write about space while living through the ICE occupation in Minneapolis this winter. I was shocked to find myself thinking, "Who cares about sending people to the moon?" That feeling is more historically resonant than I thought. 🧪🔭 www.sciencenews.org/article/moon...
On moonshots and Minneapolis
Space exploration can bring people together and reflect deep societal divisions.
sciencenews.org
Happy interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS closest approach day to those who celebrate! 🧪🔭☄️ www.space.com/news/live/in...
Latest Comet 3I/ATLAS news: Comet close approach today
Friday, Dec. 19, 2025: Your daily feed for the holiday flyby of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by Earth.
space.com
"... innovative ways to strengthen the camaraderie we built over the years. Instead our leaders doubled down and created two employee streams — remote and in office — hurting both parties in the process." @sujatagupta.bsky.social
"When pandemic restrictions lifted, I had hoped the company would create a new normal, one that valued and recognized the myriad ways in which we all showed up to work even when we could not show up in person. I had hoped the company would find ..."
"I want to keep sharing the wonder of the universe with our readers alongside a strong team with sustainable working conditions, where all of our contributions are valued and respected equally." @astrolisa.bsky.social
"We’ve demonstrated that we can do our jobs, and do them well, from all over the country and even world. We’ve built a collaborative team that thrives on trust and respect. But we need the support of our employer to keep delivering the award-winning reporting we’re known for." Jill Sakai
"The pandemic proved we can do award-winning science journalism from anywhere in the world. I and my colleagues who are fully remote continue to prove it every day. If only the Society could see that it’s the work and the people that matter, not where they sit and when." Chris Crockett
"Clear, informed reporting is as crucial now as it has ever been. Yet it doesn’t always feel like that work is appreciated. Our CEO has gotten raises that outpace my salary — as well as some other people on staff — while many of ours barely keep up with rising costs." @viruswhiz.bsky.social
"We all know, deep in our bones, that what we do is foundational to a functional, literate society. That's true today more than ever before. None of us do this job for the money, but we do ask for fair treatment." @laura-sanders.bsky.social
