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

    Mars’ lake may need an underground volcano to exist

    If a lake under Martian ice is real, there must be a subsurface magma pool to keep conditions warm enough for water to remain liquid, scientists say.

  2. Physics

    The quest for quasicrystals is a physics adventure tale

    In ‘The Second Kind of Impossible,’ physicist Paul Steinhardt recounts his journey to find quasicrystals in nature.

  3. Planetary Science

    After 15 years on Mars, it’s the end of the road for Opportunity

    After 15 years of exploring Mars, a dust storm led to the demise of NASA’s longest-lived rover.

  4. Planetary Science

    A basketball-sized rock hit the moon during the last lunar eclipse

    Professional and amateur astronomers joined forces to analyze the impact.

  5. Planetary Science

    Titan’s oddly thick atmosphere may come from cooked organic compounds

    Saturn’s moon Titan might get some of its hazy atmosphere by baking organic molecules in a warm core.

  6. Planetary Science

    NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover weighed the mountain it’s climbing

    Curiosity measures gravity as it drives, allowing scientists to weigh Mount Sharp and determine that the rock is less dense than expected.

  7. Planetary Science

    The latest picture of Ultima Thule reveals a remarkably smooth face

    Kuiper Belt object MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, is largely unmarred by impact craters, suggesting the Kuiper Belt might lack small objects.

  8. Space

    It’s time to start taking the search for E.T. seriously, astronomers say

    Astronomers are hoping to make looking for alien technology an official science goal of NASA.

  9. Planetary Science

    Ring ripples reveal how long a day lasts on Saturn

    Clues in Saturn’s rings divulge the planet’s rotation rate: 10 hours, 33 minutes, 38 seconds.

  10. Planetary Science

    The moon’s craters suggest Earth hasn’t erased lots of past impacts

    A new look at moon craters suggests the Earth and moon suffered more impacts in the last 290 million years, and the Earth retains its biggest scars.

  11. Planetary Science

    Two daring spacecraft aim to bring asteroid dust back to Earth

    A pair of daredevil spacecraft that aim to bring asteroid dust back to Earth have reached their targets and are scouting for the best sampling spots.

  12. Astronomy

    The first suspected exomoon may remain hidden for another decade

    The discoverers of the first evidence for a moon orbiting a planet around a distant star are still trying to confirm the object’s existence.