Kiona Smith
Kiona Smith is a space reporter at Inverse. Nothing brings them more joy than a gleefully morbid description of a black hole or a deep speculative dive into what aliens might be like, except maybe a great pun.
When Kiona isn't enthusiastically nerding out about space at Inverse, they also contribute freelance archaeology stories at Ars Technica. Over the last decade, Kiona has written online and in print at a number of other outlets. Their first book, an illustrated look at a weirdly niche bit of spaceflight history, will be out with Running Press in 2024.
Kiona studied anthropology at Texas A&M University and has spent the last decade telling people interesting stories about science.
Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kiona shares their office with a scruffy little dog and a very jumpy gecko. When not writing, they're usually knitting, cross-stitching, tabletop gaming, or chasing Pokemon.
Find them on Twitter @KionaSmith07.
NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Stumbled On A Glistening Lava Lake On Jupiter’s Moon Io
Loki Patera is like no place on Earth.
A Dead Star in a Nearby Galaxy Just Did Something Wild
A massive star in M82 lived fast, died young, and left an extremely magnetic corpse.
Voyager 1 Just Sent Its First Coherent Message Back to NASA In Months
A clever programming fix has cured the spacecraft's electronic aphasia.
Look Up! April’s Full Pink Moon Is Finally Here
Blue Moons aren't really blue, and the Pink Moon isn't really pink, but at least the full Moon is really full.
The Solar System’s Most Volcanic Moon Has Been This Way For Billions Of Years
A recent study confirms that Io has always been a landscape of fiery lava and violent volcanic eruptions.
Is Dark Matter Real? Inside the Theories That Leave This Mysterious Phenomenon Out
Is there more to the universe than meets the eye, or are the rules different than we thought? (Spoiler alert: it's probably the first one.)
9 Totally Stellar Images From April 8’s Solar Eclipse
In case you missed it — or just couldn’t get enough — here are the best images of the 2024 total solar eclipse.
Inside the Outlandish Space Project to Construct a Telescope on the Far Side of the Moon
Space agencies around the world are focused on the south pole of the Moon, but these astronomers have set their eyes on the far side.
This Easy Free App Allows You To Take Beautiful Images of the Eclipse From Your Phone
SolarSnap is a quality, bare-bones camera app for taking pictures of the Sun.
An Astronomer Reveals the Secret Trick to Taking the Ideal Eclipse Photo on Your Phone
Astronomer Douglas Duncan reveals how to take the best shot possible.
Astronomers Just Noticed Something Bizarre About Elderly Galaxies
It turns out that galaxies get messier with age.
Hubble Scrutinized Hundreds of Newborn Stars to Untangle How Galaxies Evolve
The survey focused on two dramatically different groups of stars.
105 Years Ago, This Astrophysicist Used a Solar Eclipse to Prove Einstein’s Theory Of Relativity
And other ways a solar eclipse can shed light on how our planet, and the universe, work.
What Would A Solar Eclipse Have Looked Like to Neanderthals? Here’s What We Know
We're not the first humans to see a solar eclipse.
Ghost Particles Could Help Untangle Quantum Gravity
Physicists look to neutrinos for clues about how gravity works at tiny scales.
The First Full Moon of Spring Will Appear this Weekend With A Hidden Surprise
Think of it as the opening act for the solar eclipse on April 8.
Forget Betelgeuse! This Star Is Actually About to Explode
Any day now...
The Solar Eclipse May Include A Rare Comet If You Look In Just the Right Spot
The comet might be bright enough to see with the unaided eye during the eclipse, but only if it erupts at the right time.
Look! SpaceX’s Epic Starship Orbit In Photos
A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when the picture includes giant rockets.
The World's Most Powerful Rocket Finally Flew
The third time is the charm.
