Shaoni Bhattacharya
Science journalist
Shaoni Bhattacharya is a science journalist and writer.
Recent articles by Shaoni Bhattacharya
How astronomers discovered the biggest explosion in the Universe, an eruption from a supermassive black hole
The biggest explosion ever recorded created a cosmic bubble 1.5 million lightyears wide in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster.
A Lunar Ark seed vault on the Moon could ensure Earth's survival in the face of mass-extinction
Forget the Arctic seed bank, the Lunar Ark could provide the ultimate planetary insurance for our survival.
Why asteroids have such unusual shapes
Why do asteroids have unusual shapes, and what can this tell us about their interiors?
What are we doing to tackle light pollution?
A look at what is – and isn’t – being done to help ensure everyone can see the stars
James Webb Space Telescope | How will JWST observe the Universe?
What will NASA's James Webb Space Telescope do, and how does it compare to the Hubble Space Telescope?
What is the future of megaconstellations?
Private space flight and mega constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink were hot topics at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Space Debate
How the Artemis Orion spacecraft will make its first flight to the Moon
The Orion module will house future crews bound for the Moon and for deep space beyond.
How Artemis I's CubeSats will photograph and analyse the Moon
Ten shoebox-sized CubeSats are hitching a ride on top of the Artemis I mission.
How to train an astronaut
How can you prepare human beings for travelling beyond Earth orbit, and the risks involved?
What is a gamma ray burst?
How do gamma-ray bursts occur in massive stars when they die?
How dwarf galaxy Tucana II is changing our view of the early Universe
By studying the composition of dwarf galaxy Tucana II, astronomers have been able to piece together clues about how the first stars and galaxies formed.
What can Antarctic snow tell us about the Universe?
The signature of exploding stars within the interstellar medium could be hidden in Antarctic snow. This is exactly what one team of scientists is hoping to find.
Does Jupiter's moon Europa glow in the dark?
Icy moon Europa is a promising place to search for habitability, but Jupiter's radiation could be making it glow. What does this mean for the search for life?
ESA's Sentinel-2 satellite is hunting penguin poo from space
A UK school science club inspired the British Antarctic Survey to use ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite to find new penguin colonies.
What is stardust?
Stardust from before the birth of the Solar System is still around today and waiting to reveal the secrets of the Universe to astronomers.
The shape of galaxies: reconfiguring Hubble's tuning fork
Using citizen science project Galaxy Zoo, citizen astronomers may have overturned a century-old galaxy classification system.
How do galactic winds affect the evolution of galaxies?
Using NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory, astronomers are studying galactic winds to get to the heart of how galaxies form and evolve.
Hayabusa 2: Japan's asteroid return mission
What has JAXA's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft discovered at asteroid Ryugu, and what might it tell us about the origins of the Solar System?
Mushrooms on Mars: NASA could grow bases using fungi
Mycelium architecture is the construction of buildings using fungi. Could mushrooms be used to build a base for humans on Mars?
How the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument could solve one of the Universe's biggest mysteries
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is the latest tool helping astronomers investigate the elusive force known as dark energy.
Understanding Mercury's magnetic poles
We spoke to a BepiColombo scientist to find out more about Mercury's poles, and how studying them could help us understand our own planet better.
Interview | How ESA's CHEOPS mission will study exoplanets
ESA’s CHEOPS mission may not find life, but it will take the first steps towards characterising faraway exoplanets. We spoke to mission PI Willy Benz to find out more.
What will happen when the Sun dies?
Studying the remains of a planet orbiting a dying star could reveal clues as to what will happen at the end of the Sun’s life.
Will NASA return humans to the Moon? We asked a space exploration expert
Half a century after the Apollo landings first focussed our attentions on the Moon, NASA has plans to send astronauts back to the lunar surface.