Mark Zastrow

Milwaukee

Senior Editor at Astronomy Magazine

Science journalist and KAD. Currently Senior Editor @astronomymag.

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Articles

K2-18 b could have dimethyl sulfide in its air. But is it a sign of life?

1 week ago | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

Scientists have reported new observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that strengthen the case that the exoplanet K2-18 b has molecules in its atmosphere that, on Earth, are produced only by life. The work, announced Wednesday, builds on previous observations from JWST published in 2023 by the same team that yielded weak hints of the molecule dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on K2-18 b, a planet that the team thinks could be covered with a global ocean.
No relief for astronomy industry in new tariff exemptions

1 week ago | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

Exceptions announced today to the Trump administration’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” are unlikely to provide any relief to the amateur astronomy industry, as they do not cover categories for telescopes, mounts, or digital cameras. The updated guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) affects the reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 9.
Amateur astronomy industry grapples with tariff chaos

2 weeks ago | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

The telescope industry in the U.S. has been thrown into chaos as a result of the Trump administration’s escalating trade conflict with China, as manufacturers contemplate price hikes and worry about the possibility of slowing demand. In the latest round of tariffs, U.S. President Donald Trump announced April 9 that duties on goods imported from China would rise to a whopping 145 percent, effectively immediately — up from 20 percent just days earlier.
How to build climate solutions: An interview with Tony Fadell

3 weeks ago | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

In many ways, Tony Fadell built the digital world we live in. At the turn of the millennium, his efforts to build a pocket-sized, hard-disk-based device that could hold 1,000 songs in MP3 format caught the attention of Apple. Within months, he had been hired by the firm, and less than a year after his first phone call with Apple, the iPod had been revealed and was shipping to customers. Fadell then went on to play a key role in the creation of the iPhone, overseeing its hardware.
French space researcher denied entry to U.S. over anti-Trump messages: report

1 month ago | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

A French researcher was denied entry to the United States and expelled from the country for expressing “a personal opinion” on U.S. president Donald Trump’s research policies, the French government said March 19. France’s research minister, Philippe Baptiste, told the wire agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the researcher, from France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), was traveling to a conference near Houston.
Top 10 space stories of 2024

2 months ago | astronomy.com | Alison Klesman |Mark Zastrow

This past year brought much of the world together through events both anticipated and unexpected. April’s highly awaited total solar eclipse delighted millions with the sight of a lifetime — though dodging clouds got a bit stressful for some. Less than a month later, the Sun unleashed a massive storm that lit the skies with dazzling aurorae above locales that rarely see such sights.
An asteroid got deleted because it was actually Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster

Jan 22, 2025 | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

On Jan. 2, the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced the discovery of an unusual asteroid, designated 2018 CN41. First identified and submitted by citizen scientist H. A. Güler, the object’s orbit was notable: It came less than 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometers) from Earth, closer than the orbit of the Moon. That qualified it as a near-Earth object (NEO) — one worth monitoring for its potential to someday slam into Earth.
Unusual spiral quasar seen dancing with a companion

Jan 17, 2025 | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

The jets of a supermassive black hole are one of the cosmos’ greatest spectacles — and also one of its greatest mysteries. These beams of ionized matter burst forth from the cores of galaxies at speeds approaching that of light. How those black holes harness and focus that energy remains hotly contested. In recent years, astronomers have succeeded in finding galaxies with central black holes that have just recently turned on, in hopes of finding leftover clues to what triggered them.
Jet Propulsion Lab and Mount Wilson Observatory closed amid Eaton fire

Jan 10, 2025 | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the historic Mount Wilson Observatory in California appear to be unscathed by the Eaton fire burning through Pasadena and Altadena — for now. However, over 150 JPL employees have lost their homes, said center director Laurie Leshin in a post on X on Friday morning. UPDATE: @NASAJPL is untouched by fire due to the brave dedication of our first responders.
When everything in the universe changed

Jan 1, 2025 | astronomy.com | Mark Zastrow

For millions of years following the Big Bang, after the universe’s roiling soup of particles had cooled, the cosmos was a dark and boring place. There were no stars to make light. No familiar swirls of galaxies. Certainly no planets. And the entire universe was shrouded in neutral hydrogen gas. Then, perhaps 100 million years or so in, everything started to change. Over the next billion-odd years, the universe went from a bland, unimpressive landscape to a rich and dynamic one.