Monisha Ravisetti

Monisha Ravisetti

Astronomy Editor, Space.com

Monisha Ravisetti is Space.com's Astronomy Editor. She covers black holes, star explosions, gravitational waves, exoplanet discoveries and other enigmas hidden across the fabric of space and time. Previously, she was a science writer at CNET, and before that, reported for The Academic Times. Prior to becoming a writer, she was an immunology researcher at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.A. in philosophy, physics and chemistry. She spends too much time playing online chess. Her favorite planet is Earth.

Articles by: Monisha Ravisetti

a cone-shaped telescope in orbit above Earth

NASA's new SPHEREx space telescope to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can't

By Monisha Ravisetti published

SPHEREx is slated to launch Feb. 27 on a SpaceX rocket. It is meant to map the entire night sky in infrared — something even the JWST can't exactly do.

A black and white view of a portion of a world from which plumes radiate out.

There's a weird, disappearing dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus

By Monisha Ravisetti published

"After staring at dozens and dozens of image pairs, she found something interesting."

A view of the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System

NASA spacecraft captures 1st photo of its giant solar sail while tumbling in space

By Monisha Ravisetti published

NASA's testing a solar sail system in space, and the spacecraft that brought the tech there has snapped a photo.

An image of the night sky with one very bright star in the middle

Scientists collect high-resolution images of the North Star's surface for 1st time

By Monisha Ravisetti published

The North Star's surface is surprisingly spotty, new high-definition observations of Polaris reveal.

Voyager 1

Things are finally looking up for the Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft

By Monisha Ravisetti published

Two of the four science instruments aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft are now returning usable data after months of transmitting only gibberish, NASA scientists have announced.

MIRA, Virtual Incision’s miniaturized robotic assisted surgery system, is pictured in position to reach rubber bands serving as simulated surgical tissue.

Robot surgeon sent to the International Space Station to dissect simulated astronaut tissue

By Monisha Ravisetti published

A small robotic surgeon was successfully launched to the International Space Station last week. It was joined by a bunch of equally impressive experiments, including machine learning devices and artificial retina prototypes.

Artist's illustration of Astrobotic's Peregrine lander on the surface of the moon.

The Peregrine Lunar Lander is set to launch on Dec 24. Here's what it'll bring to the moon

By Monisha Ravisetti published

NASA and scientists from around the world are sending new science instruments, as well as a few stocking stuffers, to the moon on Dec. 24 in the debut launch of a new rocket.

OSIRIS-REx curation team members at NASA’s Johnson Space Center begin the process of removing and flipping the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Mechanism) from the avionics deck of the mission's science canister.

NASA is locked out of its OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample because of 2 faulty fasteners

By Monisha Ravisetti published

NASA is struggling to open a capsule containing precious asteroid samples from the OSIRIS-REx mission. Luckily, there is plenty of material to study on the outside of the container.

Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) have discovered a high-speed jet stream sitting over Jupiter’s equator, above the main cloud decks. At a wavelength of 2.12 microns, which observes between altitudes of about 12-21 miles (20-35 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, researchers spotted several wind shears, or areas where wind speeds change with height or with distance, which enabled them to track the jet.

James Webb telescope spots enormous jet stream faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Jupiter

By Monisha Ravisetti published

New observations with the James Webb Space Telescope reveal a never-before-seen jet stream near Jupiter's equator moving twice as fast as a Category 5 hurricane.