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 is available now from Running Press.
Kiona shares their office with a scruffy little dog and a very jumpy gecko. When not writing or voractiously reading, they're usually knitting, cross-stitching, tabletop gaming, or chasing Pokemon. Find them online in various places.
The Webb Telescope Found A Planet Orbiting A Star 35 Light Years Away — Its Data Is Just Plain Odd
A recent study suggests an exoplanet orbiting daringly close to its small star may have a thick atmosphere, but there's reason to be skeptical.
The International Space Station Has A Pesky Leak — Not Even NASA Has A Solid Plan For It
NASA can keep the station in orbit until 2030, but it's not going to be easy.
Aurora Alert! These 9 Northern States Could See the Aurora Borealis Tonight
The Solar Maximum is really lighting up the skies.
The Debris From An Ancient Space Catastrophe Will Pelt Earth This Entire Week
Its Taurid Season!
Voyager 1 Spacecraft Just Shut Off Its Main Transmitter And Switched To A Long-Abandoned Signal
The old transmitter sends home a faint, almost ghostly signal from 15 billion miles away in the dark.
This is What Game Theory Tells Us About Messaging Aliens
The less said, the better.
This Potentially Rogue Planet Might Have Rings That Rotate Backwards — And That’s Not the Weird Part
Simulations show how a giant gas planet could end up with backwards rings and moons.
Earth Plants Can Grow On These Alien Worlds, A New Simulation Study Suggests
Alien sunlight: It's what plants crave!
Nearly All Meteorites That Smash Into Earth Came From These 3 Ancient Collisions
A team of astronomers recently traced most of the rocky meteorites found on Earth to three familes of asteroids, formed during dramatic collisions in the asteroid belt over the last few million years.
Here's How SpaceX's "Chopsticks" Caught a Rocket In This Beautiful Engineering Feat
Super Heavy made a successful landing after the fifth Starship test flight over the weekend.
Look Up! The Brightest Supermoon of 2024 Is Happening This Week — And It Comes With A Bonus Comet
This month's supermoon is the third in a row.
This Early Galaxy Grew Inside Out And Upends What We Know About Star Formation
A recent study found a galaxy in the early universe busily forming new stars at its edges, not in the core.
X-Rays Kept Repeatedly Flashing Near a Supermassive Blackhole — Now Astronomers Think They Know What It Is
Om nom nom.
What Did NASA’s DART Mission Really Do To That Asteroid? We Are About To Find Out
Humanity is returning to the scene of the crime, like we do.
Please Don’t Miss Your Chance to View This Comet That Hasn’t Been Seen Since the Neanderthals
Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchishan-Atlas only passes through the inner Solar System once every 80,000 years, so it’s a once-in-a-civilization sight.
NASA Engineers Just Made This Ruthless Choice to Save Voyager 2
Fare thee well, plasma science instrument.
A Retired Cold War Spy Plane Discovered Something Really Weird About Thunderstorms
Storms act like giant particle accelerators to produce the high-energy radiation.
Astonishingly, Astronomers Discovered A Planet Orbiting Barnard’s Star — And There Might Be More
The rocky planet around a red dwarf star is pretty close to home.
The Stranded Starliner Crew Finally Has a Ride Home, But They Still Can't Leave
Meanwhile, Williams has been promoted from stranded test pilot to ISS commander.
This Eerily Lopsided Planet Has Weather That Technically Shouldn’t Exist
The latest contender for weirdest planet of 2024 just arrived.
