
Robert Lea
Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.
Latest articles by Robert Lea

'Dark matter is more valuable than gold': Wobbly galaxies help shine a light on the universe's strangest stuff
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have used the wobble of the Milky Way and what are known as "cosmic lighthouses" to shine a light on the mystery of dark matter.

NASA supercomputer finds billions of comets mimicking the Milky Way's shape: 'The universe seems to like spirals!'
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered that billions of comets in an icy shell around the solar system called the Oort Cloud mimic the spiral structure of the Milky Way.

James Webb Space Telescope joins cosmic detectives in hunt for dark matter
By Robert Lea published
The James Webb Space Telescope has joined the hunt for dark matter, aiding cosmic detectives in searching for signals indicating axion decay.

These dwarf galaxies in the Hydra cluster are baffling scientists: 'We found something we didn't expect'
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers were surprised to see the behavior of ultrafaint dwarf galaxies located in the Hydra cluster.

Mysterious fast radio burst traced back to massive 'cosmic graveyard' of ancient stars
By Robert Lea published
A mysterious burst of radiowaves with more energy than the sun emits in a year has been traced back to a cosmic graveyard dead galaxy filled with ancient stars.

'That's impact probability zero folks!' Earth safe from 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4
By Robert Lea published
The chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting our planet are now zero. Last week, it was the riskiest asteroid to hit our planet since records began.

Einstein wins again! Quarks obey relativity laws, Large Hadron Collider finds
By Robert Lea published
Do top quarks, nature's heaviest elementary particle, obey Einstein's rules at all times of day and night? Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider have the answer.

How do black holes 'leak' energy? Scientists have a new spin on the answer
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have discovered more about the process that causes black holes to "leak" energy to their surroundings, finding the faster they spin, the more energy is extracted.

Some baby stars in ancient stellar nurseries were born in 'fluffy' cosmic blankets
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered that many infant stars born in stellar nurseries of the early universe may have preferred "fluffy" stellar blankets.

NASA massively lowers impact risk of 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 to 1 in 360
By Robert Lea last updated
Breathe a sigh of relief! NASA has dropped the risk of asteroid 2024 YR4 impacting Earth in 2032 to 1 in 360, just days after it became the highest-risk asteroid since records began.

What is dark energy? Exploding white dwarf stars may help us crack the case
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have studied 3,600 supernovas to discover diversity in exploding white dwarf stars, a vital tool in the investigation of dark energy.

Black holes snacking on small stars create particle accelerators that bombard Earth with cosmic rays
By Robert Lea published
Gamma rays detected by NASA's Fermi spacecraft indicate that microquasars are powered by small black holes slowly devouring stars. They pack quite a punch, bombarding Earth with cosmic rays.

Largest-ever discovery of 'missing link' black holes revealed by dark energy camera (video)
By Robert Lea published
Using a revolutionary dark energy camera, astronomers have discovered the largest haul of "missing link" intermediate-mass black holes ever seen, but there should have been more.

James Webb Space Telescope finds our Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole blowing bubbles (image, video)
By Robert Lea published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have taken a detailed look at the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, Sgr A*, finding it endlessly blowing bubbles.

Exoplanet with iron rain has violent winds 'like something out of science fiction'
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered a powerful jet stream raging through the atmosphere of an ultra-hot Jupiter exoplanet ravaged by liquid iron rains.

James Webb Space Telescope reveals how a cosmic 'Phoenix' cools off to birth stars
By Robert Lea published
Like its mythological namesake, the Phoenix Cluster burns with blisteringly hot gas, which cools to birth stars. The James Webb Space Telescope has now learned how this galaxy cluster does it.

What the asteroid with a 1-in-48 chance of hitting Earth in 2032 looks like (images)
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have captured a new image of the asteroid 2024 YR4, which now has a 1 in 48 chance of hitting Earth in 2032.

Black holes vibe together in a cosmic love story for Valentine's Day written in the stars
By Robert Lea published
Researchers have discovered that black holes engage in a cosmic dance and a star-lit meal to vibe with each other in a cosmic love story fit for Valentine's Day.

Fastest exoplanet ever is dragged through space at 1.2 million mph by hypervelocity star
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have discovered what seems to be a star racing through the Milky Way at 1.2 million mph, dragging a Neptune-sized planet along for the ride.

Gamma rays create Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, but how do they work in the real world?
By Robert Lea published
Captain America: Brave New World is about to hit cinemas, bringing with it the gamma-ray-powered Red Hulk. Here's what you need to know about that high-energy radiation.

Scientists detect highest-energy ghost particle ever seen — where did it come from?
By Robert Lea published
"History shows us that whenever you do open a new 'energy window,' you never really know what you're going to find. It's completely unexplored."

Scientist image 3-million-light-year-long 'cosmic web' ensnaring 2 galaxies for 1st time
By Robert Lea published
Astronomers have been able to image gas as it travels down a 3 million light-year-long cosmic highway between two growing galaxies ensnared in the cosmic web.

Gravitational waves could turn colliding neutron stars into 'cosmic tuning forks'
By Robert Lea published
Scientists have discovered that gravitational waves could turn neutron stars into cosmic tuning forks with characteristic reverberations that reveal their interiors.

Scientists 'dust for fingerprints' around a young star as it births exoplanets
By Robert Lea published
How do you dust a star for prints? Scientists have the answer to this strange question: by reconstructing the magnetic field of an infant star from the planet-forming disk of gas and dust around it.

Euclid 'dark universe' telescope discovers stunning Einstein ring in warped space-time (image)
By Robert Lea published
The "dark universe detective" space telescope Euclid has discovered its first Einstein ring in the process, learning about dark matter at the heart of a distant galaxy.
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