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Keith Cooper

@keithpcooper.bsky.social

40 followers 29 following 49 posts

Science journalist; author of Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact (Reaktion Books, 2025) and The Contact Paradox (Bloomsbury Sigma, 2019) https://storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com

storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Jun 23

My new book, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, is out now from Reaktion Books! It's all about the exoplanets that astronomers are discovering, seen through the lens of science fiction, featuring interviews with astronomers and sf authors reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/amazing...

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting how we can see the show differently. To me it's full of hope, not bleakness. I do think some of the fallout from the civil war got pushed aside in the need to wrap the story up by the end of season 4. Sheridan talks about turning it over to the voters but we don't get chance to see that.

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 2d

Back in the 1970s, Princeton physicist Gerard K O'Neill proposed that by now millions of us would be living in huge cities in space. So what happened? For my latest article I take a look at O'Neill's dreams of a 'High Frontier', with a nod, as always, to Babylon 5. www.space.com/astronomy/ea...

How one scientist's wide-eyed dream of giant space cities was crushed by reality

They might've looked something like the space station in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey."

www.space.com

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 2d

In this week celebrating the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the first exoplanet around a Sun-like star, I take a look at what the future holds and how we can expect, at the very least, to double the current count of over 6,000 words by the end of this decade www.space.com/astronomy/ex...

6,000 and counting: The next 30 years in the search for exoplanets

After marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the first exoplanet around a sun-like star, we now look forward to what the next 30 years might offer.

www.space.com

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 5d

Meanwhile, on my Substack page, I've selected some of my favourite exoplanets – check them out here! storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com/p/exoplanets...

Exoplanets at 30: Favourite Worlds

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the discovery of exoplanets around Sun-like stars, and with over 6,000 exoplanets now discovered, I choose some of my favourite aliens worlds.

storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 5d

As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations I've written about how the discovery of 51 Peg b transformed astronomy, with contributions from Amanda Hendrix (Director of the Planetary Science Institute) and Don Pollacco who is leading the forthcoming PLATO mission. www.space.com/astronomy/ex...

Exoplanet revolution at 30: 1st alien world found 3 decades ago

"It was just a matter of time before we found them."

www.space.com

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 5d

Happy exoplanet day! Today is the 30th anniversary of the reveal of the first known exoplanet around a Sun-like star. Discovered in 1995 and published in Nature on 6 October that year, 51 Pegasi b is what we now call a hot jupiter, but back then scientists were bewildered by this new type of planet!

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 7d

With the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the first known exoplanet around a Sun-like star coming up next week, my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science fact is a great primer on all things exoplanets, and how we interpret them through science fiction.

American Scientist @americanscientist.org · 11d

When Star Trek first aired in 1966, it posited a universe bursting with planetary possibilities—a bold move at a time before anyone knew of a single planet beyond our Solar System.

Read more of Michael L. Wong's review of "Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact."

Crossroads of Science and Fiction

www.americanscientist.org

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 10d

Brilliant to see Amazing Worlds reviewed in the new issue of Locus: "Amazing Worlds' well-earned sense of wonder, tempered by critical insight, elevates it above catalog of planetary trivia ... Cooper breathes fresh life both into the fiction and the facts." subscribers.locusmag.com/content/buy-...

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 10d

How does the recent discovery of potential biosignatures on Mars by the Perseverance rover compare to other claims of evidence for life, on Mars and beyond? I find out in my latest article, discussing methane plumes, Martian meteorites, and gases on Venus and K2-18b: www.space.com/space-explor...

How excited should we be about the latest Mars potential biosignature discovery? 'It's arguably the best evidence we have so far'

It's not the first time there have been claims of signs of life on Mars, so why are scientists particularly thrilled now?

www.space.com

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 16d

Some more promotion for Amazing Worlds, appearing on WICN public radio in the US; thanks to Mark Lynch for inviting me on. I did a little flub at the end though, crediting the stellar classification system to Henrietta Swan Leavitt when it was actually Annie Jump Cannon wicn.org/podcast/keit...

Keith Cooper - 90.5 WICN Public Radio

Tonight we go where no man has gone before! We talk with science journalist KEITH COOPER about his new book about alien worlds of science fiction and the real exoplanets that are now being discovered....

wicn.org

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 16d

I star in the latest Physics World podcast, discussing my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact and chatting about exoplanets in general. A special thanks to Hamish for hosting the podcast. Apologies for the horrendous picture of me: physicsworld.com/a/imagining-...

Imagining alien worlds: we explore the science and fiction of exoplanets – Physics World

Keith Cooper chats about has new book in this podcast

physicsworld.com

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 20d

Interesting counterpoint to AI spacecraft! I've always seen the concept of Dyson trees, as depicted in Hyperion and The Integral Trees, as a quite wonderful kind of organic space vessel rooted (pun intended!) in real scientific theory. Tin Man & the Vorlons/Shadows in B5 also really stood out to me.

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 20d

New article on my Substack: is technological alien life rare? A new calculation, based on the prevalence of planets with plate tectonics and just the right amount of CO2 and oxygen suggests they might be – but there are reasons for optimism. storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com/p/rare-earth...

Rare Earth strikes back? Why alien life might be rare

If Earth-like habitats really are scarce, then technological life might be too, with the nearest civilisation possibly being 33,000 light years away – but is our pessimism in error?

storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 21d

@spacesword.bsky.social you get a good mention in this review of my book too! www.americanscientist.org/article/cros...

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 21d

Great review of my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact in American Scientist: "An engaging survey of exoplanetary science ... Cooper demonstrates how entwined imagination and ingenuity are at the forefront of astronomical understanding." www.americanscientist.org/article/cros...

Crossroads of Science and Fiction

AMAZING WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION AND SCIENCE FACT. Keith Cooper. 224 pp. University of Chicago Press, 2025. $22.50.

www.americanscientist.org

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · 28d

Another of the press releases that I wrote for Europlanet & EPSC-DPS2025 and possibly my favourite given its subject matter: how plate tectonics and the right amounts of CO2 and oxygen are crucial for technological life to evolve – and such life could be very rare: www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025...

EPSC-DPS2025: Planets Without Plate Tectonics and too Little Carbon Dioxide Could Mean that Technological Alien Life is Rare – Europlanet

www.europlanet.org

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Sep 11

Another of my press releases from EPSC-DPS2025 and it's truly remarkable: how interstellar objects similar to 3I/ATLAS could be captured by protoplanetary discs around young stars and become the seeds of giant planets! Look out for more on this on my Substack soon! www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025...

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Sep 10

It's been 40 years this month since Carl Sagan's epic science fiction novel, Contact, was published. I explore its themes of SETI, politics, religion and, indeed, contact, plus its legacy and how well it stands up today in my new article for Supercluster
www.supercluster.com/editorial/40...

40 Years Later: The Flaws and Timeless Themes of Carl Sagan's Contact

Such was Carl Sagan’s star power that, in 1981, he received a $2 million advance from Simon & Schuster to write Contact. Sagan must have had a hell of an agent: at the time it was the largest advance ...

www.supercluster.com

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Sep 9

The final frontier: in my new article I explore David Kipping's 'TARS' concept for launching an interstellar mission using a spinning slingshot accelerated by solar wind pressure, which could fling a tiny spacecraft towards nearby stars at up to 1,000km/s www.space.com/technology/s...

Spacecraft launcher named for robot in 'Interstellar' could help us reach another star system. Here's how

The slingshot, called TARS, could in theory accelerate a small spacecraft up to 620 miles per second.

www.space.com

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Reposted by Keith Cooper

Reaktion Books @reaktionbooks.bsky.social · Sep 9

'Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact would make a great primer for anyone looking to brush up on knowledge of this or that aspect of exoplanet discovery . . .'

📌 buff.ly/06ViiAH
📚 buff.ly/LseCNlM

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Sep 9

I've been privileged to be working with Europlanet to write press releases for the EPSC–DPS 2025 Joint Meeting in Helsinki this week. The first PR puts the spotlight on Saturn's moon Enceladus, questioning the origin of organic molecules in Enceladus' water plumes www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025...

EPSC-DPS2025: Study Questions Ocean Origin of Organics in Enceladus’s Plumes – Europlanet

www.europlanet.org

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Sep 5

New on my Substack: the magic of planet-forming discs, and how images of these planetary construction sites are incredibly profound in what they teach us about how Earth and the rest of the Solar System formed. storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com/p/secrets-of...

Secrets of the planetary construction yards

Watching a planet be born is an incredible thing: a whole new world, pregnant with possibility. It's also a precious window into Earth's past.

storiesfromthecosmicfrontier.substack.com

Reposted by Keith Cooper

Paul Gilster @gilster.bsky.social · Sep 1

Keith Cooper's new book Amazing Worlds looks at the interplay of science fiction and exoplanet research. It's a crisp, well-informed survey rich in SF both classic and new, mingling with latest exoplanet data. My review is available here. www.centauri-dreams.org/2025/08/29/a...

Amazing Worlds: A Review | Centauri Dreams

www.centauri-dreams.org

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Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Aug 29

Paul Gilster at the brilliant Centauri Dreams has reviewed my book Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact – thanks Paul! You can check out the the review here: www.centauri-dreams.org/2025/08/29/a...

Amazing Worlds: A Review | Centauri Dreams

www.centauri-dreams.org

Keith Cooper @keithpcooper.bsky.social · Aug 21

I've written about some cool stuff recently but this has to be among the coolest: dark matter that gets trapped inside planets and turns into a black hole! Incredibly, sometimes the planet might survive! Though it does depend on which model of dark matter is correct. physicsworld.com/a/exoplanets...

Exoplanets suffering from a plague of dark matter could turn into black holes – Physics World

Surveying exoplanets could provide a new way to hunt for superheavy dark-matter particles

physicsworld.com