• Space junk

    Chris Impey     |      October 26, 2023

    The tragedy of the commons observes that common access to a resource can quickly degrade it, and we are now littering low earth orbit in space just as we have polluted the Earth and its oceans.

  • The universe according to AI

    Chris Impey     |      May 13, 2023

    AI is becoming an essential tool for astronomers, helping them analyse the torrents of data produced by a new generation of telescopes on Earth and in space.

  • In search of super-earths

    Chris Impey     |      September 21, 2022

    Super-sized Earth-like planets are much easier to spot in other solar systems than planets our own size, and may prove more common and more habitable than Earth itself.

  • Looking for life on alien worlds

    Chris Impey     |      July 23, 2022

    The James Webb space telescope should be able to detect the chemical signatures of life in the atmosphere of planets far beyond our solar system.

  • Is anybody out there?

    Chris Impey     |      May 6, 2022

    The passive search for alien intelligence has failed to bear fruit, so scientists are now actively sending messages to potentially habitable planets.