Articles by Rebecca Sohn

Rebecca Sohn is a freelance science writer. She writes about a variety of science, health and environmental topics, and is particularly interested in how science impacts people's lives. She has been an intern at CalMatters and STAT, as well as a science fellow at Mashable. Rebecca, a native of the Boston area, studied English literature and minored in music at Skidmore College in Upstate New York and later studied science journalism at New York University.

Latest articles by Rebecca Sohn

'You could feel the energy and wonder': Despite clouds, totality wows crowds during solar eclipse in Syracuse

By Rebecca Sohn published 13 April 24

The total solar eclipse on April 8 plunged Syracuse, New York's Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology into darkness for 90 seconds, creating a wondrous and memorable totality.

Eclipses

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, seen here in an artist's illustration, deployed its final primary mirror segment on Jan. 8, 2022, a critical milestone for its mission to study the universe.

The James Webb Space Telescope has solved a lot of puzzles, and created a few more

By Rebecca Sohn published 4 April 24

Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the 2024 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate surrounded the James Webb Space Telescope's scientific revolution.

James Webb Space Telescope

Against a dark backdrop of space, speckled with bright dots representing hundreds of galaxies, a giant reddish splotch at the center depicts an active region of star formation.

What are the true colors of images from the James Webb Space Telescope?

By Rebecca Sohn published 26 March 24

We explore the true colors of images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to see what the cosmos really looks like.

James Webb Space Telescope

a person in a brown spacesuit walking on a reddish-orange desert

How long would it take to walk around Mars?

By Rebecca Sohn published 18 March 24

Space mysteries In this space mysteries piece we take a look at how long it would take to walk around Mars and what factors would affect journey time.

Space mysteries

kitt peak national observatory on a tall mountaintop with a dusting of snow on the ground and three large structures two tall white structures and one small dome.

Kitt Peak National Observatory: Facts, research and visitor information

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 11 March 24

Kitt Peak National Observatory, located about 56 miles from Tucson, Arizona, boasts two dozen telescopes for professional research, plus an extensive menu of programs for public visitors.

Space Exploration

Pluto and Charon appear in a composite of natural-color images obtained by New Horizons space probe on July 13 and 14, 2015. Image released July 24, 2015.

What is the smallest known planet?

By Rebecca Sohn published 11 March 24

Space mysteries Although Kepler 37-b has held the title of "smallest planet" for over a decade, it won't hold that designation forever.

Space mysteries

illustration of blue light travelling through a tunnel.

What are wormholes?

By Nola Taylor Tillman, Ailsa Harvey last updated 5 March 24

Reference The wormhole theory postulates that a theoretical passage through space-time could create shortcuts for long journeys across the universe.

Reference

nacreous clouds appear as wispy multi-color iridescent clouds streaking across the sky above snowy mountain tops.

What are nacreous clouds?

By Rebecca Sohn published 2 March 24

Reference Learn more about nacreous clouds, also known as polar stratospheric clouds. We take a look at how these colorful clouds form and why they're so rare.

Reference

graphic with the text "10 moon facts" written in large white letters next to an image of the moon to the right with a starry sky background.

10 fascinating facts about the moon

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 1 March 24

If you thought you knew all there is to know about the moon, think again. Here are 10 cool facts about Earth's lunar neighbor.

The moon

A short clip of lots of blue lines jetting past you like wind, portraying the speed of light as these light representations blur into contiguous lines.

What would happen if you moved at the speed of light?

By Rebecca Sohn published 12 February 24

Space Mysteries We take a look at what would happen to the human body if it could travel at the speed of light.

Space Mysteries

cancer constellation is the dimmest of the zodiac constellations.

Cancer constellation: Facts about the crab in the zodiac

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 19 January 24

Reference Cancer the Crab is the dimmest constellation of the Zodiac yet it contains one of the brightest star clusters.

Reference

gif animation showing Earth spinning, there is a little graphic in the top right corner that reads "space mysteries"

What would happen if Earth stopped spinning?

By Rebecca Sohn published 15 January 24

We can't feel Earth spinning and you probably take it for granted, but what would happen if it stopped spinning? We take a look at the disastrous impacts it would have.

Earth

a man wearing a space helmet with the visor open. He is smiling and looking off to his right.

Yuri Gagarin: Facts about the first human in space

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 11 January 24

Reference Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space when he orbited Earth in 1961 aboard the Vostok 1 space capsule.

Reference

a yellow-orange planet with visible clouds

Venus' atmosphere: Composition, clouds and weather

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 10 January 24

Reference The atmosphere of Venus is thick with clouds of carbon dioxide and has led to an extreme version of the same greenhouse effect currently causing climate change on Earth.

Reference

Illustrative satellite view of two planets orbiting, extremely large and one small.

What is the biggest planet ever found?

By Rebecca Sohn published 27 November 23

space mysteries In this space mysteries piece, we investigate the giants of our universe in search of the biggest planet. It might surprise you that there's more than one candidate.

space mysteries

An astronomical unit describes the distance between earth and the sun.

Astronomical Unit: How far away is the sun?

By Rebecca Sohn, Doris Elin Urrutia last updated 1 November 23

Reference Earth's distance from the sun averages about 93 million miles (150 million km), which scientists also call one astronomical unit (1 AU).

Reference

The andromeda galaxy is the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way.

Andromeda Galaxy: Facts about our closest galactic neighbor

By Nola Taylor Tillman, Rebecca Sohn last updated 26 October 23

Reference The Andromeda galaxy is the most distant object in the sky that you can see with your unaided eye. It's also on a collision course with our Milky Way.

Reference

A large gray space rock with large craters on the surface and patches of brown material.

Metal asteroid Psyche has a ridiculously high 'value.' But what does that even mean?

By Rebecca Sohn published 12 October 23

NASA's upcoming Psyche mission could be incredibly valuable — not only for planetary science but also for the budding asteroid mining industry.

Asteroids

artist's illustration jupiter great red spot close up showing swirls of rusty red and orange in an oval shape.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot: Everything you need to know

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 1 September 23

Reference Jupiter's Great Red Spot is the largest storm in the solar system and has been raging for hundreds of years. We explore the phenomenon in more detail here.

Reference

Scorpius constellation graphic illustration showing bright stars in the formation of a scorpion.

Scorpius constellation: Facts about the Scorpion

By Rebecca Sohn, Kim Ann Zimmermann last updated 30 July 23

Reference The Scorpius constellation is one of the 13 zodiac constellations and one of the brightest constellations in the sky. We explore the Scorpion in more detail here.

Reference

Pleiades star cluster appears as a group of bright blue stars surrounded by hazy clouds.

The Pleiades: Facts about the "Seven Sisters" star cluster

By Rebecca Sohn, Adam Mann last updated 19 July 23

Reference The Pleiades is a bright star cluster and a popular skywatching target. We take a look at where it is located and the mythology behind the famous asterism.

Reference

a spacecraft with a large gold hexagon on top in deep space

The James Webb Space Telescope wraps 1st year peering across the universe. What has it discovered so far?

By Rebecca Sohn published 12 July 23

Here is what the James Webb Space Telescope has been up to in its first year, and what might be next for the telescope that is already revolutionizing our understanding of the cosmos.

James Webb Space Telescope

graphic illustration of the Boötes constellation

Boötes constellation: Location, stars and mythology

By Tim Childers, Rebecca Sohn last updated 28 June 23

Refrence Boötes is a constellation in the northern hemisphere containing one of the brightest stars in the night sky, Arcturus.

Refrence

a large cloud as seen from high altitude

Ice clouds high in Earth's atmosphere could help predict climate change. NASA wants a closer look

By Rebecca Sohn published 2 June 23

An upcoming NASA mission will provide an unprecedented look at ice clouds at high altitudes in Earth's atmosphere.

Climate Change

graphic illustration of Enceladus showing plumes of material being ejected from the surface with Saturn in the background.

Enceladus: Everything you need to know about Saturn's bright, icy moon

By Rebecca Sohn last updated 27 May 23

Reference Enceladus is one of Saturn's many moons. The tiny icy world has the potential to harbor life and is one of the most intriguing destinations in the solar system.

Reference

Rebecca Sohn

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