Lewis Dartnell

Astrobiologist

Dr. Lewis Dartnell is an astrobiologist and science author based at the University of Westminster.

Recent articles by Lewis Dartnell

Europa viewed from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft. Note the bright ice, huge cracks and dark patches that probably contain both ice and dirt Image: NASA/Ted Stryk

How thick is moon Europa’s icy crust?

Illustration showing dinosaurs observing the landing of the asteroid that created the Chicxulub crater. Credit: Elena Duvernay/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images

What was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?

Artist’s conception of the view toward the young star Beta Pictoris from the outer edge of its disk. This disk of dust and gas orbiting the star is produced by collisions between and evaporation of asteroids and comets. Credit: NASA/FUSE/Lynette Cook

Did planetary migration stunt Mars’s growth?

The moons of Uranus, including (clockwise from top) Miranda, Umbriel and Ariel, could have oceans under their surface. Credit: NASA/JPL

Are there subsurface oceans on the moons of Uranus?

Could humans be too heavy to land on Mars? Credit: NASA

Could humans be too heavy to land on Mars?

The Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/J. Cowart, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

The curious cloud above Mars’s Arsia Mons volcano

The K2-290 system, with its tilted primary star, K2-290A, and two transiting planets. Credit: Sakkmesterke / iStock / Getty Images

The planets that orbit a backward-spinning star

Artist's impression of an asteroid belt. Credit: Maciej Frolow / Getty Images

Asteroid Belt: what is it and how did it form?

Lights over the city of Granada, Spain. Has lockdown helped reduce light pollution in the city? Credit: Marco Ritzki / Getty Images

Has lockdown affected light pollution?

Artist's impression of the view from a Kuiper Belt Object. Credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)

How astronomers weighed the Kuiper Belt

An artist's impression of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter releasing probes into Venus's atmosphere. Credit: NASA/NSSDCA

Did the Pioneer mission discover phosphine in the clouds of Venus?

What happens when a planet orbits two stars at once? Credit: Rastan/istock/getty images

What happens when exoplanets orbit two stars at once?

An artist's illustration of a Martian dust storm. Credit: NASA

Winds on Mars: understanding the Red Planet’s atmosphere

Imperfect timing: transits can point to potential moons like Kepler-1625b-i . Credit: NASA/ESA/L. Hustak

Exomoons: the next step in exoplanet science

Moon Titan appears in front of Saturn in an image captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

How did Saturn’s moon Titan form?