First-person journalism by me



A New, Deadly Era of Space Junk Is Dawning, and No One Is Ready

Scientific American, July 2024


Invited opinion articles written by me


What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on Earth

Live Science, May 2025

Bright satellites are disrupting astronomy

Nature News & Views, Oct 2023

Op-Ed: Satellites may devastate research astronomy. How we can save the night sky for science

Los Angeles Times, Jan 2022


My science writing for the general public


Satellite Pollution


Keep Calm and Orbit On: Cow-culating Reentry Risks

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Aug 2026

The CRASH Clock has ticked down to 2.5 days, and keeps dropping

The Conversation Canada, Jun 2026 (with co-authors Aaron Boley, Sarah Thiele, and Skye Heiland)

Keep Calm and Orbit On: Interdisciplinarity

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Apr 2026

A million new SpaceX satellites will destroy the night sky - for everyone on Earth

The Conversation Canada, Mar 2026 (with co-authors Aaron Boley and Hanno Rein)

A new space race could turn our atmosphere into a 'crematorium for satellites'

The Conversation New Zealand, Feb 2026 (co-authored with Laura Revell and Michele Bannister)

Too many satellites? Earth's orbit is on track for a catastrophe - but we can stop it

The Conversation Australia, Feb 2026 (co-authored with Gregory Radisic)

Keep Calm and Orbit On: Megaproblems from megaconstellations

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Feb 2026

Keep Calm and Orbit On: Reflect Orbital is the Worst

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Dec 2025

SpaceX space junk crashed onto Saskatchewan farmland, highlighting a potential impending disaster

The Conversation Canada, July 2024 (with co-author Aaron Boley)

As the skies become crowded with satellites, will it affect viewing the solar eclipse?

The Conversation Canada, April 2024 (with co-authors Aaron Boley and Hanno Rein)

An Astronomer's Lament: Megaconstellations are Ruining Space Exploration

The Conversation Canada, Feb 2024

Soon, 1 out of every 15 points of light in the sky will be a satellite

The Conversation Canada, Nov 2021

It's not too late to save the night sky, but governments need to get serious about protecting it

The Conversation Canada, Jun 2021 (with co-author Aaron Boley)

SpaceX's Starlink satellites are about to ruin stargazing for everyone

The Conversation Canada, Nov 2020


Planet 9, the Kuiper Belt and exoplanets


Keep Calm and Orbit On: Ten Times the Fun!

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Oct 2025

Keep Calm and Orbit On: Saturn's 128 New Moons (Oops!)

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Aug 2025

The Curious Case of Fomalhaut b

Astronomy by Night newsletter, Jun 2023

Discovering Kuiper Belt Objects

Astronomy by Night newsletter, Apr 2023

Previously thought to be science fiction, a planet in a triple-star system has been discovered

The Conversation Canada, Mar 2021

Why astronomers now doubt there is an undiscovered 9th planet in our solar system

The Conversation Canada, May 2020


For Kids


Curious Kids: Why does it matter if Pluto is a planet or a dwarf planet?

The Conversation Canada, Jun 2022

Curious Kids: Why are the northern lights only spotted near the North Pole?

The Conversation Canada, Oct 2021

Curious Kids: Is Pluto a planet or not?

The Conversation Canada, Apr 2020


Astronomy and Environmentalism


Keep Calm and Orbit On: The Skies of Aotearoa New Zealand

Column for The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Jun 2026

How space exploration became a wake up call on climate change

America Magazine, Jul 2019