Nature’s space-man Eric Hand is blogging from the American Astronomical Society on our In the Field blog. Here’s what he’s been up to recently…

Don’t be shy, cuddle up to an M dwarf

Some 70% of the stars in the galaxy are M dwarfs, and so exoplanet surveys will be targeting these relatively cool, small stars. But the habitable zone for Earth-like planets in these systems will be at least five times closer to the M dwarf than the Earth is to the sun. …read on…

The death rattle of the first stars?

The 10-foot-tall tub, full of 500 gallons of liquid helium, dangled underneath a high-altitude balloon over the skies of Texas for just a few hours. But the bucket came back with a big mystery. … read on …