Matthew Williams

Matt Williams is a space journalist, science communicator, and author with several published titles and studies. His work is featured in The Ross 248 Project and Interstellar Travel edited by NASA alumni Les Johnson and Ken Roy. He also hosts the podcast series Stories from Space at ITSP Magazine. He lives in beautiful British Columbia with his wife and family. For more information, check out his website.

Recent Articles

Astronomers from Western University Discover the Birthplace of Cosmic "Buckyballs"

May 09, 2026

Fifteen years after Western astronomers first discovered ‘buckyballs’ in space, they’re back with stunning images and rich data generated by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The results of their study have revealed the cosmic origin of these strange molecules.
A Brief-ish History of SETI. Part II: Ozma and the Drake Equation

May 09, 2026

By the mid-20th century, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence would emerge as an established field of scientific research. The era witnessed the first experiments, and many of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of SETI were proposed during this time.
A Brief-ish History of SETI. Part I: "Where is Everybody?"

May 07, 2026

The history of SETI is long and varied, with countless contributions made by some of the most brilliant minds humanity has ever produced. In this series, we will look into the milestones and principles that have led the field to where it is today.
Astronomers Witness the Awesome Power of a Black Hole's "Dancing Jets"

May 06, 2026

New Curtin University-led research has used a radio telescope that spans the Earth to snap images that measure the immense power of jets from black holes, confirming scientists’ theories of how black holes help shape the structure of the Universe.
Subaru Telescope Reveals New Data on the Interior Composition of 3I/ATLAS

May 05, 2026

The Subaru Telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) on January 7, 2026 (UT), after it made its closest approach to the Sun. By observing colors in the coma around the comet, astronomers could estimate the ratio of carbon dioxide to water. This ratio is much lower than that inferred from earlier observations by space telescopes. These findings suggest that the chemistry of the coma is evolving over time and offers clues to the structure of comet 3I/ATLAS.
The Paranal solar ESPRESSO Telescope, a New Tool for Finding Exoplanets

May 03, 2026

The Paranal solar ESPRESSO Telescope (PoET), installed at the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Paranal site in Chile, has made its first observations. The telescope will work with ESO's ESPRESSO instrument to study the sun in detail. Described as a solar telescope for planet hunters, PoET aims to understand how the variation in the light from stars like the sun can mask the presence of planets orbiting them, helping us in our search for worlds outside the solar system.
Another Instrument Shut Down on Voyager 1 to Extend its Interstellar Mission

April 26, 2026

On April 17th, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, or LECP. The nuclear-powered spacecraft is running low on power, and turning off the LECP is considered the best way to keep humanity's first interstellar explorer going.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Left a Trail of Methane in its Wake

April 23, 2026

A new analysis of data obtained by JWST on 3I/ATLAS as it was on its way out of the Solar System (in December 2025) showed that its interior is rich in methane ice.
New Research Reveals That Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Formed in a System Far Colder Than Our Own

April 23, 2026

The interplanetary comet 3I/ATLAS is remarkably rich in a specific type of water that contains deuterium, meaning it came from somewhere colder and with lower levels of radiation than our early Solar System.
Behold, the Solar System in All its X-ray Glory

April 21, 2026

Using the eROSITA space telescope, MPE researchers have successfully isolated the X-ray glow from our Solar System, revealing its impact on the soft X-ray sky. The findings, published in Science, underscore the importance of considering Solar System processes when analyzing X-ray data and highlight eROSITA’s role in advancing not only astrophysics but also heliophysics.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has Discovered 11,000 New Asteroids, and It's Barely Even Started!

April 19, 2026

Rubin’s largest asteroid haul yet, gathered before the Legacy Survey of Space and Time even begins, is just the “tip of the iceberg”
"Immature" Lunar Soil Could Be Suitable for Roadways on the Moon

April 18, 2026

Using lunar regolith simulant, a team of researchers demonstrated that "immature" regolith similar to what is expected around the Moon's southern polar region is suitable for rovers to drive on.
Early Galaxies Were Surrounded by Huge Clouds of Hydrogen, and Astronomers Found a Whole Bunch!

April 16, 2026

Astronomers using data from the Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) have discovered tens of thousands of gigantic hydrogen gas halos, called “Lyman-alpha nebulae,” surrounding galaxies 10 billion to 12 billion years ago.
The World Welcomes the Crew of Artemis II Home!

April 15, 2026

After achieving their record-breaking 10-day flight around the Moon, the crew of the Artemis II mission returned home on Friday, April 10th, 2026.
Exploring the Moon's Shadowy Craters With Nuclear-Powered Rovers

April 15, 2026

Rovers equipped with Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs), aka. nuclear reactors, could effectively explore the craters in the Moon's southern polar region.
A New Study Narrows the Search for Water on the Moon

April 13, 2026

A new study challenges old assumptions by revealing that water on the Moon likely came from multiple sources over billions of years, rather than from a single major deposit long ago.
Student Team Finds One of the Oldest Stars in the Universe that Migrated to the Milky Way

April 10, 2026

A class of undergraduate students at University of Chicago has used data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to discover one of the oldest stars in the universe, a star that formed in a companion galaxy and migrated to the Milky Way.
Why Does Jupiter Have More Large Moons than Saturn?

April 10, 2026

The two largest planets in our Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn, have the largest systems of moons. However, Jupiter has more large moons than Saturn, which has only one. Since both planets are gas giants, the reasons for the differences in these satellite systems have long puzzled astronomers. This motivated a collaborative team of researchers from Japan and China to develop a physically consistent model that can explain this.
NASA Releases Images of Artemis II's Flight Behind the Moon

April 09, 2026

The first flyby images of the Moon captured by NASA’s Artemis II astronauts during their historic test flight reveal some regions no human has seen, including a rare in-space solar eclipse. Released Tuesday, astronauts captured the images April 6 during the mission’s seven-hour flyby of the lunar far side, showing humanity’s return to the Moon’s […]
Webb's Picture of the Month Features Two Planet-Forming Disks and a Possible Planet

April 08, 2026

Two images of protoplanetary disks side-by-side. The left image shows a dark horizontal band covering the star, with broad, colorful, conical outflows above and below it, and a narrow jet pointing directly up and down from the star. The right image shows the star within a yellow dusty disk, with scattered dust creating purple lobes above and below the disk. Each is on a black background with several galaxies or stars around it.