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 on Patreon. He lives in beautiful British Columbia with his wife and family. For more information, check out his website.

Recent Articles

Webb Observes "Extreme Debris Disks," Providing a Window into the Early Solar System

October 09, 2026

In the early history of our solar system, scientists theorize that a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, creating the Earth-Moon system. Using Webb, astronomers are studying young star systems to learn more about the early Solar System's evolution.
NASA Selects GIMLI to Search the Marius Lunar Pit for a Potential Lunar Base Site

October 08, 2026

NASA has selected a Planetary Science Institute-led proposal to investigate whether a potentially large underground cave extends beyond the opening of a lunar pit.
New Study Shows That Earth and Mars Had Different Origins

October 07, 2026

A surprising discovery suggests that Mars and Earth formed through different processes, which could help scientists confirm whether exoplanets are habitable.
Wandering Black Holes May Hold Clues to the Evolution of the Universe

October 07, 2026

According to new research, "wandering" black holes may have left an imprint on the Universe as they traveled for billions of years.
New Simulations Connect the First Galaxies to the Universe We See Today

October 05, 2026

In a recent study, researchers at the international MEGATRON project used some of the most detailed simulations of the early Universe to investigate how the first stars and galaxies formed.
XRISM Makes First-Ever Detection of a Pulsar Feeding from a Companion's Stellar "Wind"

October 04, 2026

Using data from the Japan-led XRISM observatory, astronomers have directly observed a giant star’s stellar wind captured by its compact companion (triggering X-ray flares) for the first time.
NASA's First Selection for a New Class of Mission: The PRIMA Far-Infrared Telescope

October 01, 2026

NASA announced Wednesday a mission to explore the history and evolution of the universe, PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), is advancing to the next phase of development. This space telescope is the first in a new class of NASA astrophysics missions, called Probe Explorers, within the agency’s longstanding Explorers Program.
NASA's Hubble Marks its 200,000th Orbit by Watching Lensed Supernova

October 01, 2026

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope completed its 200,000th orbit around Earth on Sept. 19th and marked this milestone with observations that could help refine astronomers' measurements of cosmic expansion (aka. the Hubble Constant).
Finding Life on Enceladus Could be Easier than We Thought, Says New Research

September 30, 2026

Planetary scientists from Freie Universität Berlin have published two new studies that indicate that a spacecraft could identify evidence of life much more easily than previously thought.
Measuring the Distance Between Quasar Pairs Just Got Easier

September 29, 2026

A new way to accurately measure the distance between quasar pairs is showing promise through University of Alberta research.
Cornell Lightsail Experiment Paves the Way for Interstellar Missions

September 28, 2026

Students in Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio have published results from two lightsail experiments (Alpha CubeSat and Sailing to the Stars) built by engineering students at Cornell University.
Carbon Rocks Deep Underground Could Hold the Evidence of Mars' Watery Past.

September 26, 2026

A new geochemical modeling study led by researchers at JAXA and the University of Tokyo addresses Mars' "missing" stores of carbonate rocks.
Perseverance Reveals How Complex Water Systems Shaped the Jezero Crater on Early Mars

September 24, 2026

A new study reveals that Jezero Crater’s enigmatic ‘Margin Unit’ was shaped by a complex sequence of ancient lakes, groundwater systems, and hydrothermal fluids.
JUICE Mission to Swing by Earth on September 28

September 23, 2026

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will return to Earth on 28 September, with flight controllers guiding the spacecraft close to our home planet to alter its speed and direction en route to Jupiter.
First Diagnostic X-Rays in Space Mark New Era for Astronaut Health

September 23, 2026

A team of researchers acquired the first diagnostic X-ray images during a commercial spaceflight, demonstrating that X-ray medicine can be performed in space.
MIT Research Could Lead to Refueling Depots on Mars

September 20, 2026

MIT PhD candidate Lanie McKinney is developing technology to convert the chemicals in the Martian atmosphere into propellant to bring astronauts home.
Researchers Measure the Environment Where the First Supermassive Black Holes Formed

September 19, 2026

Scientists theorize that the rapid emergence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the early Universe can be explained by the direct-collapse black hole (DCBH) scenario. In a recent study, astronomers investigated the potential host environments of DCBHs and found that this scenario is a plausible explanation for how the "seeds" of SMBH formed.
BepiColombo Makes Up-Close Measurement of Mercury's Solar Bombardment

September 19, 2026

BepiColombo's measurements of particle bombardment at Mercury will help assess the impact of space storms on Mercury's surface and on Earth's atmosphere.
Researchers Develop a Way to Check the Weather on a Exoplanet

September 17, 2026

Scientists from Trinity have developed a powerful way to unravel the changing weather patterns on distant worlds. Using this approach, they discovered that the weather on a well-studied brown dwarf, “SIMP 0136”, previously linked with Northern Lights-like phenomena, is largely shaped by just two dominant processes: changes in temperature and the vertical structure of its clouds.
Mercury is Shrinking, But Faster Than Previously Thought

September 16, 2026

The rough, impact-debris-covered surface of Mercury has hidden the true rate at which Mercury has been shrinking, which scientists previously underestimated by 30%