Sign in

Keith Cooper

@keithpcooper.bsky.social
82 followers 26 following 130 posts

Science journalist; author of The Contact Paradox (Bloomsbury Sigma, 2019) and Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact (Reaktion Books, 2025), which was selected for the Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List.

PostsRepliesMedia
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Between 2028–2034, the hundreds of thousands, soon to be millions of satellites above our heads will come under fire from dense meteoroid streams that could lead to Kessler syndrome. I spoke to Brian Murphy, who is a planetary scientist warning people of the dangers. supercluster.com/editorial/me...
supercluster.com
Meteoroids vs Satellites: The Battle Brewing Above Our Heads
Tiny micrometeoroids, ranging from millimeters to centimeters in size, constantly rain down on the Earth. For the most part, they are sparse enough not to be a high-risk danger. Periodically, though, ...
010
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Space weather impacts us all, but we know surprisingly little about how CMEs propagate through the Solar System. In my new article I describe how a fleet of 17 spacecraft tracked a CME from multiple vantage points, finding it to be unexpectedly, dangerously, asymmetric. www.space.com/astronomy/su...
space.com
How a huge fleet of 17 spacecraft discovered something surprising about solar eruptions
Taking measurements of the same CME from different vantage points in the solar system revealed the true extent of a solar eruption.
130
Reposted by Keith Cooper
Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 25/08/2026
I spoke at length with @keithpcooper.bsky.social for @space.com about what we should call Pluto on the 20th anniversary of its "demotion". It might seem like semantics, but the fact that we keep coming back to it means this issue still matters to people! (a short 🧵) www.space.com/astronomy/pl...
space.com
It's been 20 years since Pluto lost planet status. Will it ever get its title back?
The debate as to whether Pluto is a dwarf planet, or a fully fledged planet, continues to rage.
612226
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Should Pluto be a planet? I didn't think so, but after talking to @theplanetaryguy.com for my article on the subject 20 years after Pluto's reclassification, I'm not so sure anymore! Though I'm still sceptical about classing Jupiter & Pluto as the same kind of object! www.space.com/astronomy/pl...
space.com
It's been 20 years since Pluto lost planet status. Will it ever get its title back?
The debate as to whether Pluto is a dwarf planet, or a fully fledged planet, continues to rage.
130
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
New, by me: astronomers have had the clearest view yet of what's powering the mysterious little red dots found in the early universe. The JWST observations are the best evidence yet for a 'black-hole star' – a giant cocoon of gas harbouring a supermassive black hole physicsworld.com/a/little-red...
physicsworld.com
‘Little red dots’ could herald the birth of supermassive black holes – Physics World
Did cocoons of dense gas shine brightly in the early universe?
020
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Scientists look for biosignatures & technosignatures as signs of life, but what about signatures that are not high-technology but yet are still the imprint of conscious minds? I wrote about the concept of noosignatures, being developed by astrobiologist Julia DeMarines www.space.com/space-explor...
space.com
Are we overlooking signs of alien life that aren't technological or biological? 'Bread would be a signature of intelligence'
Not all signs of intelligence have to be highly technological. Take bread, for example.
131
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
As a former Manchester student this is very sad. I appreciate everything comes to an end but JB is still very capable. The UK's a world leader in radio astronomy yet the funding body does not seem to have even considered what replaces Jodrell. Just scientific vandalism. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.
041
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I wrote this article last week: would AI, trained on Earthly life, really be able to correctly distinguish between alien life and non-life that is outside its training data? Michigan's Christoph Adami has his doubts, but others are more confident in AI's versatility: www.space.com/space-explor...
space.com
Should we trust AI in the search for alien life? Scientists aren't so sure
New research suggests AI can be repeatedly fooled into mistaking non-life for life.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
That's no moon - or is it? An astonishingly large 'exosatellite' with Jupiter's mass has been found orbiting a brown dwarf that orbits a red dwarf star, but astronomers are debating how to classify this bizarre object. I wrote about it for @physicsworld.bsky.social physicsworld.com/a/discovery-...
physicsworld.com
Discovery of giant ‘exosatellite’ challenges our notion of what makes a moon – Physics World
In a novel three-tiered hierarchical system, the star CD-35 2722 is orbited by a brown dwarf that, in turn, is orbited by a newly discovered exosatellite candidate
041
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The paperback edition of my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact comes out in two-and-a-half months. Pre-order your copy here, or at your local bookshop! reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/amazing...
Cover to Keith Cooper's non-fiction book, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact.
020
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
The new August issue of Sky at Night Magazine features my article about rogue exoplanets, with some very nice artwork to boot – did you know that estimates suggest that there are more rogue planets wandering interstellar space alone than there are planets orbiting stars? It's a mind-boggling number!
Magazine spread showing an article about Rogue Worlds, with an artwork of an exoplanet without a star wandering interstellar space.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Is there really a lot less dark matter, or perhaps none at all, in the Bullet Cluster? And does this mean MOND is right? I wrote about a new paper that claims just this for @physicsworld.bsky.social. Personally though I'm dubious – and so are other scientists. physicsworld.com/a/does-the-b...
physicsworld.com
Does the Bullet Cluster contain a lot less dark matter than we thought? – Physics World
The Bullet Cluster of galaxies might only have half as much dark matter than scientists thought, or perhaps even none at all, according to a new look at
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Telescope technology has developed substantially over the past 250 years. I highlight some of the major developments, from mountaintops to space, and how telescopes that were once the province of rich men have been democratised for use by astronomers all over the world. www.space.com/technology/a...
space.com
America 250: How has telescope technology evolved since the dawn of the U.S.?
From mountaintops to space itself, the progression of telescope technology has been on the up for 250 years.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
One of the most stunning images to come from the Artemis II mission was Earthset, which was designed to replicate Apollo 8's Earthrise photograph, but will it have the same influence as that all-time classic? My latest for Supercluster: www.supercluster.com/editorial/fr...
supercluster.com
From Earthrise to Earthset
The original Earthrise photograph had an impact that almost transcended the Apollo missions themselves. It wasn’t the first picture of Earth taken from space, but those taken before it had largely gon...
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
My latest for @physicsworld.bsky.social: a new proposal called StormWall proposes filling Earth's magnetosphere with a photoionising material that would increase the density of plasma enough to create a buffer to ward off the most dangerous of solar storms: physicsworld.com/a/can-we-cre...
physicsworld.com
Can we create a shield to protect Earth from solar storms? – Physics World
A space-based system could help deflect potentially catastrophic interplanetary weather
100
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Juicy Lucy: NASA's Lucy mission to Jupiter's trojans flew past the asteroid known as Donaldjohanson (after the paleoanthropologist) and discovered an 8km bi-lobed object made from two chunks originating from the destruction of its parent body 155 Myr ago. New, by me: www.space.com/astronomy/as...
space.com
Juicy new details emerge about an asteroid NASA's Lucy spacecraft flew by last year
NASA's Lucy mission visited the asteroid Donaldjohanson, known as "DJ," in April 2025 on its way to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
New, by me: SETI's updated Declaration of Principles describing best practice in the aftermath of the detection of technological ET have been ratified by the IAA. "The new protocols commit us to openness – every step will be made public once a discovery is confirmed." www.space.com/space-explor...
space.com
How should we handle alien detection in a world of AI, deepfakes and social media? This committee is writing the rulebook
If and when SETI discovers alien life, then a revised Declaration of Principles guarantees that once the discovery has been verified, its disclosure will come soon thereafter.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
My 7-page feature looking back on the Artemis II mission can be found in the new issue from @physicsworld.bsky.social
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
The famous Very Large Array radio telescope is getting a huge upgrade in the form of the continent-spanning ngVLA. I wrote about this exciting new frontier in radio astronomy and what it'll achieve (imaging the formation of rocky planets!) for Supercluster www.supercluster.com/editorial/ra...
supercluster.com
On Location with the Next Generation VLA Telescope
A new structure has appeared in the desert. It’s a prototype radio dish for what is being called the next generation VLA, or ngVLA for short. When operational, the new and advanced radio telescope wil...
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
How Artemis II took humans back to the Moon – my latest article for @physicsworld.bsky.social . It was a privilege to write in depth about such an amazing mission. physicsworld.com/a/one-giant-...
physicsworld.com
One giant leap: Artemis II returns humanity to the Moon – Physics World
Artemis II has returned humanity to the Moon, gripping the world with excitement and curiosity. Keith Cooper follows the mission’s journey and looks at what comes next for humans in space
061
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Galaxy clusters drawn together by gravity suggest that Newton's and Einstein's laws of gravity hold over hundreds of millions of light years – but claims that this disproves theories of modified gravity, such as MOND, have been pushed back on. My new article: physicsworld.com/a/newtons-la...
physicsworld.com
Newton’s law describes gravity on cosmological scales, galaxy clusters reveal – Physics World
Observations appear to rule out MOND, but not everyone agrees
010
Reposted by Keith Cooper
Reaktion Books @reaktionbooks.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Listen now: author Keith Cooper talks to the New Books Network about Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact 🔉 buff.ly/coeLMqr 📚 buff.ly/hoqlQp8
011
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I was interviewed by Miranda Melcher for @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact! We talked about all kinds of exoplanets, the science behind them, and the great science fiction that often features such worlds newbooksnetwork.com/amazing-worl...
newbooksnetwork.com
Keith Cooper, "Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact" (Reaktion, 2025) - New Books Network
021
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I’ve just completed reading Jack Vance’s 1964 science-fiction novel Star King, which is an enjoyable, galaxy-spanning revenge thriller, but it also includes a couple of fascinating planets. So, in the vein of my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, let’s talk about them! 1/
100
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
The dissonance between this moment of perfect beauty and what's going on in the world right now is startling, but it is a timely reminder that we all live on one tiny, vulnerable planet, and yet we can do great things.
The crescent Earth setting over the limb of the Moon as seen by Artemis II
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Amazing and beautiful: Earth as seen from Artemis II.
Earth seen from the Artemis II mission while journeying to the Moon. There are stars in the background and white clouds swim over the planet.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Just a reminder that my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, which is all about the planets of science fiction and how they compare to real planets, was to my great honour selected for Locus' 2025 Recommended Reading List and is eligible to be voted for in the Locus Awards.
010
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
New, article by me: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is probably 11–12 billion years old, based on an assessment of its isotopic composition. Remarkable that I was able to see something so cosmologically ancient with my SeeStar S30 smart telescope a few months ago! www.space.com/astronomy/co...
space.com
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS may be nearly 12 billion years old — so ancient its star system may no longer exist
Our solar system's famous "invader" might be as old as the Milky Way itself.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
While I'm dubious of the feasibility of NASA's plan to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars by 2028, it would be the culmination of over 60 years of experiments. Here I describe the ways nuclear power is used in space, from RTGs to nuclear electric propulsion: www.space.com/space-explor...
space.com
NASA is developing the '1st nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft.' What about the Voyager probes?
What is nuclear electric propulsion and how is it different from radioisotope thermoelectric generators?
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
My article about the recent results from DESI suggesting that dark energy might be weakening, decelerating the expansion of the Universe and what that might mean for the ultimate fate of the cosmos, is on the cover of the April issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine – on sale in all good newsagents!
011
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
My new article is a SETI one, about how space weather from stars home to broadcasting aliens could affect their transmissions. 15 years ago some SETI scientists would tell me that ET would do the heavy lifting for us, & now we realise we have to work harder to find them www.space.com/space-explor...
space.com
Where are all the aliens? Maybe space weather is scrambling their transmissions
"If a signal gets broadened by its own star's environment, it can slip below our detection thresholds, even if it's there."
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
A reminder that my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact was selected by Locus Magazine for their 2025 recommended reading list in the non-fiction category, and if you enjoyed my book please consider voting for it in the Locus Awards!
010
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
The latest by me: exciting astrobiology news! Amino acids in the sample brought back by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu have a different origin to those found in meteorites, suggesting that there basic building blocks for life could have been widespread www.space.com/astronomy/as...
space.com
Asteroid samples NASA brought to Earth suggest life's building blocks may be widespread in the universe
"This confirms that life's building blocks can be formed in a diversity of environments throughout the universe."
010
Reposted by Keith Cooper
The History of Literature Podcast @holpod.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
For more about Amazing Worlds, take a listen to @jackewilson.bsky.social's conversation with author Keith Cooper. @reaktionbooks.bsky.social #books #sciencefiction #sciencefact
historyofliterature.com
708 Science Fact and Science Fiction (with Keith Cooper) | AI Di…
For decades, writers and filmmakers have imagined worlds where characters can do things like watch a double sunset (on Tatooine, of course), or stand among the sand…
043
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
New, by me: Did the Viking landers discover life on Mars 50 years ago? A new paper convincingly argues that there's a very good chance they did, and rather than the results being swept under the rug, a scientific debate is needed to figure out what Viking really found. www.space.com/space-explor...
space.com
Did the Viking missions discover life on Mars 50 years ago? These scientists think so
The key to solving the mystery of the Viking results is the discovery of perchlorate on the Martian surface in 2008.
000
Reposted by Keith Cooper
Reaktion Books @reaktionbooks.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
The Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List is out, and vote in the awards! 📌 buff.ly/f6POPqk 📚 buff.ly/1Lb4PGQ
021
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Looks like the paperback version of my book, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, is being released in October 2026 by @reaktionbooks.bsky.social ! You can pre-order a copy by following the link. And don't forget to vote for it in the Locus Awards! reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/amazing...
011
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
This just popped through my letterbox - the latest edition of Physics World with my icy moons article on the cover! I've previously posted a link to the digital version of the article, but as a physical media guy I'll never get tired of seeing my work in print. Thanks @physicsworld.bsky.social!
010
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
I'm gobsmacked that my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact made the Locus 2025 Recommended Reading List! A big thank you to @locusmag.bsky.social for including me. If you've read my book and enjoyed it please consider voting for it in the Locus Awards (details in the link).
010
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
A little weekend reading: my new article explores whether there's any risk in doing SETI. Should we be concerned about downloading an interstellar Trojan horse such as a malicious program or hostile AI? Yes, but for me it shouldn't outweigh the reasons for doing SETI supercluster.com/editorial/pl...
supercluster.com
Pluribus and the Alien Trojan Horse: Is SETI Dangerous?
The plot of Apple TV's new hit show Pluribus is a terrifying case study in SETI gone wrong.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
I'm excited to be back on the newsstand after a six-month absence with my article about the fate of planets after their sun dies, published in the February 2026 issue of the BBC's The Sky at Night magazine. With many thanks to the S@N editorial team - I think the article turned out pretty good!
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
The icy moons of the outer Solar System, with their hidden underground oceans, entice us with their great potential for alien life. My new article for @physicsworld.bsky.social explores what makes these moons so exciting and the spacecraft armada heading to them. physicsworld.com/a/exploring-...
physicsworld.com
Exploring the icy moons of the solar system – Physics World
Could the icy moons of our solar system hold life beyond our planet? Keith Cooper looks at how planetary scientists plan to find out
053
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
It's been a difficult year professionally, but I'd like to thank everyone at @physicsworld.bsky.social, @reaktionbooks.bsky.social, @europlanetmedia.bsky.social, The Sky at Night magazine, Supercluster.com and the team at Space.com for their support and continuing to value my work. Happy new year!
030
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Space.com asked for my top stories of the year, and with an interstellar comet, potential biosignatures, new nearby exoplanets, dark energy surprises, black-hole stars, @lsstuk.bsky.social coming online & more, 2025 was a wild year in space! What were your top stories? www.space.com/astronomy/th...
space.com
The top astronomical discoveries of 2025
From new exoplanetary neighbors and a weakening dark energy to the best evidence for life on Mars and an interstellar comet that's got everyone talking, 2025 has been jam-packed with astronomical exci...
020
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Here's a festive story: was the Star of Bethlehem a comet that came as close to the Earth as the Moon? Mark Matney of NASA thinks that's one possible explanation that fits all the observational properties of the star, and I describe his work in my latest article: www.space.com/astronomy/co...
space.com
Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet?
The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
This was a really intriguing story for me to write. Are transients on the Palomar plates UFOs or something more mundane? I favour the mundane, but that unusual statistic of a 1/3 of transients disappearing in Earth's shadow needs verification & explanation first. www.supercluster.com/editorial/th...
supercluster.com
The Palomar Lights: Did ET Watch Our Nuclear Tests?
Beatriz Villarroel of Stockholm University leads VASCO, the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations project. She claims to have found anomalous objects on digitized versions o...
131
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
My book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, published by Reaktion Books, explores the intersection between the alien worlds of science fiction and real exoplanets. Featuring interviews with scientists and sf authors, it's aimed at readers of popular science and science fiction.
021
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
I write about more discoveries in the samples returned to Earth from the asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx, including, excitingly, ribose, which means that all the ingredients of RNA have now been found on Bennu. Could RNA have come to Earth from space? physicsworld.com/a/components...
physicsworld.com
Components of RNA among life’s building blocks found in NASA asteroid sample – Physics World
Samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu found to contain molecules and compounds vital to the origin of life
011
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Is there a protocol that scientists can follow should they discover evidence of extraterrestrial life? Indeed there is! What's more, it's getting an update next year. I talk to one of its chief architects in my latest SETI-related article for @supercluster.com www.supercluster.com/editorial/ne...
supercluster.com
New SETI Protocols: How Will Scientists Announce the Discovery of Alien Life?
You’ve discovered an alien signal, but before you get to the point that you’re appearing on talk shows and advising Steven Spielberg (or should it be Robert Zemeckis?) on the film adaptation, what are...
000
Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
New by me: it's not quite forked lightning, but lightning of sorts has been detected on Mars for the first time, as small electrical discharges during dust devils, in the windy fronts of dust storms and even from the rover itself when it becomes charged by dust www.space.com/astronomy/ma...
space.com
Electric discovery on Mars! Scientists find tiny lightning bolts coming from Red Planet dust clouds
Could these bolts destroy evidence of ancient Red Planet life?
000