
Harry Baker
Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won "best space submission" at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science's weekly Earth from space series.
Latest articles by Harry Baker

Surprised Russian school kids discover Arctic island has vanished after comparing satellite images
By Harry Baker published
A student-led project comparing satellite images of the Arctic has discovered that a small Russian island has recently vanished after "completely melting" away.

Scientists just got 1 step closer to creating a 'superheavy' element that is so big, it will add a new row to the periodic table
By Harry Baker published
Scientists have discovered a new way of creating superheavy elements by firing supercharged ion beams at dense atoms. The team believes this method could potentially help synthesize the hypothetical "element 120," which would be heavier than any known element.

'Ridiculously smooth': James Webb telescope spies unusual pancake-like disk around nearby star Vega — and scientists can't explain it
By Harry Baker published
The nearby bright star Vega is surrounded by a surprisingly smooth, 100 billion-mile-wide disk of cosmic dust, confirming that it is not surrounded by any exoplanets, JWST images reveal. And scientists cannot explain its lack of alien worlds.

Watch Valencia disappearing under a sea of mud during deadly Spanish floods
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space Satellite images show the true extent of the flash flooding in Valencia during a freak weather event that killed at least 214 people across Spain.

Massive blue 'melt pond' in Arctic glacier is an eerie sign of things to come
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2014 photo shows a massive, iceberg-littered pool of vibrant blue meltwater sitting alone on top of a glacier in Alaska. Similar "melt ponds" are becoming increasingly common in the Arctic due to climate change and are further accelerating the rate of ice loss across the region.

Accidental discovery of 1st-ever 'black hole triple' system challenges what we know about how singularities form
By Harry Baker published
Researchers spotted a second distant star orbiting a well-known black hole and its stellar companion in a never-before-seen gravitational triad. The system's unique configuration suggests that the black hole was not created as scientists initially expected.

Supernova that lit up Earth's skies 843 years ago has a flowering 'zombie star' at its heart — and it's still exploding
By Harry Baker published
A new animated map sheds light on the superhot "zombie star" at the heart of a nebula leftover from a distant supernova witnessed by astronomers in 1181. The remains of the stellar explosion are unusually wonky and are still exploding at a constant speed.

4 large asteroids, including a skyscraper-size 'city killer,' will zoom past Earth in a 12-hour span tomorrow (Oct. 24)
By Harry Baker published
Four "potentially hazardous" space rocks, which are between 100 and 580 feet across, will all make their closest approaches to Earth within less than 12 hours of one another on Thursday (Oct. 24). Two of them were only discovered earlier this month.

Tiny photosynthetic aliens could be lurking in hidden bubbles in Mars' ice — and could soon be replicated on Earth
By Harry Baker published
A new NASA-led study suggests that photosynthetic microbes could thrive in hidden bubbles of meltwater below patches of ice on Mars. This could be one of the easiest places to search for extraterrestrial life "anywhere in the universe," the team says.

80 million-year-old dinosaur 'mini eggs' unearthed at Chinese construction site are the smallest ever found — and belong to a never-before-seen T. rex relative
By Harry Baker published
Half a dozen dinosaur eggs, each around the size of a grape, were recently saved from a construction site in China. Researchers say the tiny fossilized shells are exceptionally well preserved.

Bizarre 'pet cloud' reappears above its favorite spot in New Zealand
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A recent satellite image captured the reemergence of a unique, UFO-like cloud, known as the "Taieri Pet," which appears above New Zealand's South Island when conditions are just right.

Listen to haunting sounds of Earth's magnetic field flipping 41,000 years ago in eerie new animation
By Harry Baker published
A new video shows how Earth's magnetic field weakened and warped before temporarily flipping during a recent "polar reversal event."

The Milky Way could be part of a much larger 'cosmic neighborhood' than we realized, challenging our understanding of the universe
By Harry Baker published
A probabilistic new map of the universe surrounding the Milky Way reveals that our galaxy is likely part of an even larger "basin of attraction" than we previously assumed.

NASA finds signs of hellish, lava-covered 'exomoon' circling an alien world — and it could meet a 'destructive end'
By Harry Baker published
A new analysis of a peculiar metallic cloud surrounding the exoplanet WASP-49 b provides further evidence that it may have been birthed by a volcanic satellite, which may become the first officially recognized "exomoon."

Scientists finally confirm that solar maximum is well underway — and the worst could still be to come
By Harry Baker published
A surprise announcement from scientists involved in monitoring the solar cycle has finally confirmed that the sun's most active and dangerous phase — solar maximum — is already well underway, and could continue for at least a year.

Rare illusion gives 'once-in-a-lifetime' comet a seemingly impossible 2nd tail after closest approach to Earth for 80,000 years
By Harry Baker published
New photos of comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS appear to show a faint "anti-tail" pointing away in the wrong direction. The puzzling extra limb is the result of a rare illusion that is only possible when our planet is in a certain position.

4 near-identical glaciers spark new life in Arctic island's 'polar desert'
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2012 satellite photo shows a quartet of near-identical glaciers on Canada's Ellesmere Island. The ice masses help to spark life in the otherwise barren Arctic environment.

China’s secretive new 'Thousands Sails' satellites are an astronomer's nightmare, 1st observations reveal
By Harry Baker published
The launch of the Qianfan satellites on Aug. 6 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.

Watch atoms fuse into world's 'smallest bubble' of water in 1st-of-its-kind 'nanoscale' video
By Harry Baker published
A new study captured never-before-seen footage of hydrogen and oxygen atoms combining to form a miniature water droplet out of "thin air." The newly improved reaction could one day help astronauts make water in space.

Scientists discover bright 'sungrazer' comet that could be visible with the naked eye this month — after Tsuchinshan–ATLAS
By Harry Baker published
Newfound comet C/2024 S1 will light up Earth's skies in late October before a super close slingshot around the sun.

Beautiful 'lake of haze' in Himalayan valley has a darker, more sinister source
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2014 satellite photo shows a cloud of haze sitting in the Kashmir Valley in the Himalayas. The ethereal "lake" consists mainly of smog and other pollutants from nearby factories.

Scientists accidentally find deep-sea 'jelly' creatures merged into 'single entity' after injury, revealing bizarre new behavior
By Harry Baker published
Researchers discovered that some comb jellies can fuse their bodies together when injured. The unique adaptation, which involves merging their nervous systems and stomachs, has never been seen in any other species.

X9 solar flare launched from sun is the biggest in 7 years — and Earth is in the firing line (again)
By Harry Baker published
The sun has unleashed the most powerful solar flare since 2017, just days after it spat out another monster explosion. Both outbursts have launched solar storms that will likely hit Earth this weekend and trigger vibrant aurora displays.

New NASA images reveal giant hole in Curiosity rover's wheel after 12 years of 'abuse' on Mars
By Harry Baker published
Images captured by Curiosity's onboard cameras show several large tears in the tire of one of the rover's wheels. However, the damage does not appear to be slowing the roaming robot down.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket grounded for the 3rd time in 3 months following 'off-nominal' crash-landing in the ocean
By Harry Baker published
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the uncontrolled reentry of part of a Falcon 9 rocket that delivered passengers to the International Space Station in a capsule that will return stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth next year.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.