
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

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS transforms into a giant 'cosmic rainbow' in trippy new telescope image
By Harry Baker published
New photos, including a striking technicolor timelapse, show off the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it shoots toward us through the solar system.

Largest known Martian meteorite on Earth sells for $5.3 million at auction
By Harry Baker published
The largest known Martian meteorite, NWA 16788, has been sold at auction for $5.3 million. The hefty chunk of the Red Planet, which weighs 54 pounds, could help unravel new secrets about Mars — if it's allowed to be studied.

Behold, 'The Beast': Gigantic animal-like plasma plume 13 times wider than Earth hovers over the sun
By Harry Baker published
Astrophotographers have snapped stunning shots of a giant shapeshifting solar prominence, dubbed "The Beast," which appeared over the sun's northeastern limb on July 12 and rained impossibly fast fire over our home star.

Giant space 'boulders' unleashed by NASA's DART mission aren't behaving as expected, revealing hidden risks of deflecting asteroids
By Harry Baker published
Debris released from the asteroid Dimorphos during NASA's DART mission has a higher momentum and less random distribution than expected, which "changes the physics we need to consider when planning these types of missions," researchers say.

'Interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS could be the oldest comet ever seen — and could grow a spectacular tail later this year
By Harry Baker published
New simulations have narrowed down where the newly discovered interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS likely came from, revealing it could be more than 3 billion years older than the solar system.

Russian volcano grows 'devil horns' and spits out 1,000-mile-long river of smoke
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A false-color satellite photo from 2023 shows a devilish pair of lava flows and an enormous plume of smoke spewing from Klyuchevskoy, the tallest volcano in Europe and Asia.

Live Science crossword puzzle #2: Pigment in plants where photosynthesis occurs — 13 across
By Harry Baker last updated
Test your knowledge on all things science with our weekly, free crossword puzzle!

Live Science crossword puzzle #1: Largest organ in the human body — 9 across
By Harry Baker published
Test your knowledge on all things science with our weekly, free crossword puzzle!

Astronomers are racing to study our solar system's newest 'interstellar visitor.' Here's why.
By Harry Baker published
Astronomers have been given the rare opportunity to study an extrasolar object after the recent discovery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Experts tell Live Science how they are planning to observe the cosmic visitor.

3I/ATLAS: Everything you need to know about the new 'interstellar visitor' shooting through the solar system
By Harry Baker published
Astronomers have spotted a new interstellar object — the third of its kind ever seen — shooting towards us through the solar system. Here's everything you need to know about 3I/ATLAS.

Perfect trio of prehistoric atolls shine like tropical gems off Australian coast
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space This 2011 astronaut photo shows the atolls of Rowley Shoals lined up in a near-perfect line off the coast of Australia. The island trio was once part of an ancient barrier reef system that stretched over 1,200 miles.

Astronaut snaps giant red 'jellyfish' sprite over North America during upward-shooting lightning event
By Harry Baker published
NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers captured an electrifying image of a giant lightning "sprite" shooting up over Mexico and southern U.S. states. The red "jellyfish" could help researchers learn more about this rare phenomenon.

Astrophotographer snaps 'once-in-a-lifetime' shot of solar flare photobombing the ISS
By Harry Baker published
An astrophotographer has captured an extremely rare and "difficult" photo of a solar flare exploding from the sun at the exact moment the International Space Station passed directly in front of our home star.

Watch newly discovered 'interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS shoot toward us in first livestream
By Harry Baker published
You can see the recently identified "interstellar object" 3I/ATLAS shooting towards us through the solar system in a livestream from the Virtual Telescope Project.

NASA confirms that mysterious object shooting through the solar system is an 'interstellar visitor' — and it has a new name
By Harry Baker published
Experts have confirmed that the mysterious object hurtling towards us, previously dubbed A11pl3Z, is an "interstellar object." The cosmic interloper, officially named 3I/ATLAS, is only the third of its kind ever seen — and will shoot past Earth later this year.

Astronomers spot potential 'interstellar visitor' shooting through the solar system toward Earth
By Harry Baker published
A newly discovered object, dubbed A11pl3Z, appears to be moving too fast and straight to have originated in the solar system. If confirmed, it will be the third interstellar visitor ever spotted.

2 'new stars' have exploded into the night sky at once — potentially for the first time in history
By Harry Baker published
Astronomers have spotted another never-before-seen "nova" blaze to life in the night sky. This may be the first time that simultaneous stellar explosions have been visible to the naked eye in recorded history.

Stunning cloud vortices swirl off 6 different Atlantic islands
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2015 satellite photo captured a series of stunning "von Kármán vortices" swirling off Madeira and the Canary Islands. The giant swirls are collectively one of the best examples of this meteorological phenomenon ever seen.

'Never been seen before': First images from new ISS solar telescope reveal subtle 'fluctuations' in sun's outer atmosphere
By Harry Baker published
NASA's new "CODEX" telescope has snapped its first photos of the sun's outer atmosphere, revealing previously imperceptible changes that could help scientists better predict potentially dangerous space weather events.

Scientists find new way of spotting invisible 'plasma bubbles' lurking in Earth's upper atmosphere
By Harry Baker published
Researchers in China have developed a way of locating giant "equatorial plasma bubbles" in the ionosphere by analyzing the vibrant airglow that forms above them. The findings could help avoid potential disasters in air travel and emergency response situations.

'City killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 could shower Earth with 'bullet-like' meteors if it hits the moon in 2032
By Harry Baker published
There is currently a 4.3% chance that the giant space rock 2024 YR4 will hit the moon in seven years. If this does happen, debris from the nuclear bomb-like impact could trigger a "spectacular" meteor shower that will endanger Earth-orbiting satellites.

You can see a giant 'hole' shoot across Saturn this summer — and it won't happen again until 2040
By Harry Baker published
There will be several chances to see the shadow of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, pass across the ringed planet's Earth-facing surface over the next few months. The rare spectacle is only visible every 15 years.

NASA spots Japan's doomed 'Resilience' moon lander from orbit — and it's surrounded by far-flung debris
By Harry Baker published
Spacecraft from NASA and India's space agency have snapped orbital photos of the Japanese lunar lander Resilience after its recent "hard landing" on the moon. Some of the images show pieces of the failed lander strewn across the surrounding surface.

Mars rover captures first close-up photos of giant 'spiderwebs' on the Red Planet
By Harry Baker published
NASA's Curiosity rover has snapped its first images of web-like "boxwork" features on the surface of Mars. The zig-zagging rocks could provide clues about the Red Planet's watery past and whether it once harbored extraterrestrial life.

Final photo from iconic US satellite shows how Las Vegas has 'doubled' in size over the last 25 years
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space The final image captured by the recently decommissioned Landsat 7 satellite shows how "Sin City" has nearly doubled in size during the iconic spacecraft's 25-year lifespan.
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