
Brandon Specktor
Brandon is the space/physics editor at Live Science. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website and other outlets. He holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and media arts. He enjoys writing most about space, geoscience and the mysteries of the universe.
Latest articles by Brandon Specktor

Giant blob of solar plasma could 'graze' Earth this weekend, NOAA says
By Brandon Specktor last updated
A mild coronal mass ejection could slam into our planet on Saturday, May 7, according to NOAA.

Could a solar storm ever destroy Earth?
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Could a solar storm ever destroy Earth? According to scientists, there’s no evidence that any solar weather has ever harmed a human.

2 geomagnetic storms will lash Earth today, but don't worry (too much)
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Two mild geomagnetic storms are expected to hit Earth on March 14 and 15 after a large coronal outburst, NOAA warns

Cat brains are shrinking, and it's all humans' fault
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Researchers compared the skulls of domesticated house cats to the skulls of their closest wild ancestor, and found that cat brains are definitely shrinking.

Cats can memorize their friends' names, new study suggests
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Cats may be able to remember the names of cohabitating cats — but it depends where they live, new research suggests.

'Cosmic' and 'phantom' UFOs are all over Ukraine's skies, government report claims
By Brandon Specktor published
Dozens of 'phantom' and 'cosmic' UFOs have been detected in the skies over Ukraine, a new government report claims.

Uranus will vanish during 'lunar occultation' Wednesday night
By Brandon Specktor published
Viewers in some parts of the world may see Uranus disappear behind the moon for several hours on Wednesday, Sept. 14 in a 'lunar occultation' event.

New James Webb telescope images reveal the chaotic beauty of Orion's sword
By Brandon Specktor published
The James Webb Space Telescope captured the clearest images ever of the Orion Nebula, one of the brightest and closest nebulas to Earth.

Classified UFO videos would 'harm national security' if released, Navy says
By Brandon Specktor published
The U.S. Navy admitted that it has unreleased videos of UFO encounters but refused to share them due to 'national security concerns.'

September's big, beautiful 'Harvest Moon' will appear full starting tonight (Sept. 9)
By Brandon Specktor published
The full Harvest Moon rises Sept. 10, 2022. This is the closest full moon to the autumn equinox.

Rare Byzantine coin may show a 'forbidden' supernova explosion from A.D. 1054
By Brandon Specktor published
A rare Byzantine gold coin may depict the ancient supernova SN 1054 in clear defiance of the church.

Adorable 'chocolate frog' discovered in crocodile-infested swamp
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Scientists cataloging tree frogs in New Guinea stumbled across a never-before-seen 'chocolate frog' with brown skin and adorable eyes.

Serial killer whales have been murdering sharks and eating their livers for 5 years
By Brandon Specktor last updated
A pair of killer whales has been terrorizing great white sharks near Capetown, slaughtering at least eight sharks over five years and eating their livers, scientists say.

Watch a gargantuan fireball tumble over New York in the dead of night
By Brandon Specktor published
On Aug. 28, an enormous fireball lit up the skies over the northeastern United States for several seconds, exciting hundreds of stargazers.

Extinct Denisovan Woman Gets Her First Portrait Thanks to DNA from Her Pinky Bone
By Brandon Specktor last updated
Scientists have recreated the face of a Denisovan woman — an ancient human who went extinct tens of thousands of years ago — using a groundbreaking DNA analysis.

NASA suddenly aborts moon rocket test launch with 29 seconds on the clock
By Brandon Specktor last updated
NASA aborted the 4th consecutive rehearsal launch of its powerful SLS rocket on Monday, citing a hydrogen leak.

NASA's gargantuan Mega Moon Rocket could head to space as soon as Aug. 29
By Brandon Specktor last updated
NASA announced that its Artemis-1 mission could launch as soon as Aug. 29, flying the most powerful rocket ever built around the moon and back.

A planet-size sunspot grew 10-fold in the last 2 days, and it's aimed directly at Earth
By Brandon Specktor published
Scientists are watching as a planet-size sunspot has grown tenfold in the last two days and could launch solar flares directly toward Earth.

Amazonian 'zombie' fungus bursts through fly's body in grisly, contest-winning photo
By Brandon Specktor published
A grisly photo of a dead fly blooming with mind-controlling fungus has won top prize in the second annual BMC Ecology and Evolution Image Competition

Oops! British Aristocrat Accidentally Bought Stolen, 7th-Century Sculptures As 'Garden Ornaments'
By Brandon Specktor last updated
The 'Indiana Jones of the art world' helped find a pair of 'priceless' stolen sculptures in a British aristocrat's soggy, dirty garden.

Last supermoon of the year — the 'Sturgeon moon' rises tonight (Aug. 11)
By Brandon Specktor published
The Sturgeon Moon, the fourth and final supermoon of 2022, rises on Aug. 11th.

'Gigantic jet' that shot into space may be the most powerful lightning bolt ever detected
By Brandon Specktor published
Scientists detected the most powerful gigantic jet lightning bolt — a lightning bolt that shoots up out of a cloud into the ionosphere — ever.

How to watch the Perseids peak (despite the full moon)
By Brandon Specktor last updated
The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks this year on Aug. 11 and 12. Here’s how to watch it, and where it comes from.
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