About Author
Lakshmi Kola is a science communicator and content specialist with a keen interest in astronomy, particularly deep space, astrophysics, and space technology. Having graduated with a PhD degree in physics from IIT Madras, Lakshmi brings expertise and experience in academic research. She earlier worked as a science/academic editor at Encyclopedia Britannica, Enago, and Cactus Communications. She has a knack for crafting engaging content that disseminates knowledge and stimulates passion for science.
Latest From Lakshmi Kola
Inside Sunbird: Pulsar Fusion's nuclear spacecraft that can cut travel time to Mars in half
“Fusion doesn’t want to work in an atmosphere. Space is a far more logical, sensible place to do fusion, because that’s where it wants to happen anyway.”
3 rockets, 2 coasts, 13 hours: SpaceX attempts rare launch marathon today
The three liftoffs scheduled today can be watched live. Here's when and where to watch them.
NASA’s Roman Telescope Coronagraph opens its eyes to the cosmos, taking its first images
The Coronagraph made its first observation on September 22 and followed it up with another one on September 27.
Scientists just fixed the timeline of Oklahoma meteor crater—and linked it to a mass extinction
A study suggests that the Ames impact crater was created around 370 million years ago and not 467 million years ago, as previously thought.
Scientists say Saturn's moon Enceladus could host life
Two new studies make a compelling case suggesting that Enceladus' subsurface ocean could support life.
ESA's Jupiter-bound JUICE spacecraft flew by Earth on September 28, received huge speed boost. See pictures
During the flyby, the cameras onboard JUICE took several images of Earth and the Moon.
Google’s AI chips are heading to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9: Date, time and key details
Can large-scale AI computing be moved to space? Google's Project Suncatcher will help us find out.
Earth orbit headed towards overcrowding? Latest ESA report raises alarm amid uptick in launches
With roughly 17,000 satellites in orbit and growing space debris, risk of collisions is rising.
Harvest Moon will be joined by Saturn and Neptune on September 26: Here's how you can spot them
The Moon, Saturn, and Neptune will form a triangle in the night sky on September 26.
Radio signals seen directly from an exoplanet for the first time—here's what astronomers found
The radio signals are not an indication of aliens trying to communicate with us. Instead, they are related to something we are all too familiar with.
NASA and SpaceX finally have a date for the Crew-13 mission to the ISS: Here's when it's launching
Crew-13 was initially supposed to launch on September 12, but the mission was postponed following the discovery of an oxidizer leak on the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system.
NASA's James Webb gives astronomers a new way to forecast weather on distant alien worlds
Using the JWST, scientists developed a way to identify the dominant factors driving the atmosphere of a distant brown dwarf.
MIT researcher developing technology to 'build gas stations' on Mars. How will it work?
“If we don’t build gas stations on Mars, it will be very difficult to get humans back to Earth.”
SpaceX moves Super Heavy booster to launch pad ahead of Starship’s historic orbital flight. See photos
The first orbital launch of Starship will deploy 26 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
NASA's Hubble images another spiral galaxy—but this one is an oddball
It's one of the few known spiral galaxies with a central bulge that extends from its disk at a right angle.
Moon phases 2026: When is the next Full Moon in September? Date and city-wise timings
Mark your calendars for this year's Harvest Moon.
NASA selects SpaceX to launch StarBurst gamma-ray detector to study neutron star mergers
NASA's wide-field gamma ray observatory is expected to detect 10 neutron star merger events every year.
NASA's Moon orbiter makes once-in-a-century discovery, spots solar system's largest new crater—see picture
The newly formed craters span the length of two football fields and can fit three vertically stacked yellow school buses.
Vega C rocket launches two ESA satellites—one of them can measure photosynthesis from space
The launch took place at 9:21 p.m. EDT on September 14 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Actively feeding black holes can facilitate star formation instead of preventing it, finds new study
The findings provide a novel perspective on how AGN feedback influences the evolution of galaxies.