Kind of ironic that I got this invitation on the very day I started my professorship in Denmark. After spending the past 8 years in Germany without getting a stable long-term career perspective in academia there. 🧪
Marcel S. Pawlowski
@8minutesold.bsky.social
Astrophysicist studying cosmic choreographies of dwarf galaxies. DIAS Professor in Physics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Street Photographer (he/him). Autor des Buchs „Von tanzenden Galaxien, Dunkler Materie, und anderen kosmischen Rätseln“
What a nice final day at @aippotsdam.bsky.social: very successful defence of one of my Masters students, a former one told me she got a PhD position, and then we had a fun and sweet Danish “fredagsslik” themed farewell get-together 🍬🇩🇰 (hey, I’m still a junior researcher for a few more days 😉).
Last days at AIP, and I am getting feeling that they can't wait for me to leave. The name on my office door got replaced days ago already, and yesterday someone walked in while I had an online meeting and wanted to move the office furniture. 😅
Got my apartment keys in Odense this week and have been to IKEA way too often in the last days … so much so that I unconsciously chose the colors of my clothes accordingly today. 😂
Lovely eclipse watching vibes in the neighborhood this evening. Lots of people out and about, enjoying the view and sharing eclipse glasses - and stories from past eclipses they’ve seen.
How many pictures of himself does he have in his office? Zooming in I suspect it’s at least four in this frame alone.
really enjoying Avi Loeb's slow inevitable descent into full Lue Elizondo UFO madness
I'll visit the University of Bonn next week, where I did my PhD. My grant pays for the trip, but they asked me to provide information on me, a copy of my passport, my CV+publications, asked how I'm financed, and had me sign an eight-page agreement for my visit … all just to say hi for a few days. 🙄
After just 15 hours at home*, I’m off again at sunrise, to #EAS2026Lausanne. Giving a talk this evening in SS2 (not sure how awake I’ll be for that though). * I was supposed to be home for 12h more, but the 4.5h flight back from the CLUES Meeting on Tenerife turned into a bit of an Odyssey:
„Have you tried turning if off and on again? It worked with Jesus, after all.“
This is probably the most traditional possible behavior for the family of a pope.
They found another WW2 bomb in my neighborhood in Potsdam, in a plot just 100 meters straight in front of my living room windows. They'll defuse it Tuesday, which means we need to evacuate that day ... but until then it is apparently fine to have a hundred kg of explosives sit around unsupervised. 😬
No Im Not Trump Weird Horse - Peter Sellers
ALT: No Im Not Trump Weird Horse - Peter Sellers
static.klipy.com
Potsdam success story 1. Kid frequently bullied and hurt at school. 2. School vicim-blames, doesn't seem inlined to do much about it. 3. Sign kid up for self-defense class to build resilience. 4. Martial arts school closes because owner arrested for humiliating, insulting, abusing, assaulting others
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that a big factor why modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) is less popular than the cold dark matter LCDM model is less a matter of differences in scientific successes, but a relative deficit in politically savviness in the MOND community. 🔭🧪
What a nice week as an academic supervisor: one of my Master students successfully defended her thesis yesterday, and today one of my PhD students submitted her dissertation. They grow up so fast! 🧪🔭
When your employees are part of the inventory. 😂
A group of photographers in Germany started the initiative "Gesichter gegen Rechts" (gesichtergegenrechts.org) to show the many different people in society who oppose right-wing extremism. When they stopped by Potsdam last week I took the opportunity to contribute; here's my face against the right.
Artemis II: Einmal Mond 🌔 und zurück - Dr. Mirko Krumpe gibt Einblicke in die Mondmission mit einem öffentlichen Vortrag als Spezialausgabe unserer #BabelsbergerSternennächte am 23.04.2026, ab 19:15 am AIP in Potsdam Babelsberg. Seid dabei! www.aip.de/de/news/star...
Some career news: this September I will move to Denmark to join @sdu.dk as a Professor of Physics & Chair at the interdisciplinary @d-ias.bsky.social! At SDU/DIAS, I’ll continue working on dwarf galaxies, their dynamics, and dark matter, while also exploring more interdisciplinary collaborations 🧪🔭
Some career news: this September I will move to Denmark to join @sdu.dk as a Professor of Physics & Chair at the interdisciplinary @d-ias.bsky.social! At SDU/DIAS, I’ll continue working on dwarf galaxies, their dynamics, and dark matter, while also exploring more interdisciplinary collaborations 🧪🔭
Für alle in Potsdam oder Berlin, die gerne mehr über Dunkle Materie, Tanzende Galaxien, oder meine Forschung erfahren möchten: kommt diesen Donnerstag zu meinem öffentlichen Vortrag auf dem Campus des @aippotsdam.bsky.social in Potsdam Babelsberg. 💃🌌🕺 Eintritt frei, eine Anmeldung nötig. 🧪🔭
„Tanzende Galaxien, Dunkle Materie und andere kosmische Rätsel“ 🌌🪩😀 #BabelsbergerSternennächte am Do., 16.4.2026 um 19:15 Uhr mit Dr. Marcel Pawlowski @8minutesold.bsky.social www.aip.de/de/news/live...
Dear journals/editors, if you invite me to review a manuscript on Saturday morning and then send a pushy reminder less than 48 hours later on Monday morning at 7am, I am not strongly inclined to accept your request to provide my free labor in support of your for-profit publisher. 🧪
Orbán conceded; fantastic news for Hungary and the EU. Not just a loss for him, but also for all the corrosive right-wingers of various countries who supported him. Let’s get Europe back to acting as a united union, and hope Hungary’s research and university system recovers from the damages.
Ok, what the heck is going on in Australia with their ESO affiliation? Looks like their current strategic partnership was set to expire next year, and instead of going for full membership as widely expected the government decided to pull the plug? 🔭🧪 astronomyaustralia.org.au/blog/news/st...
Statement on the future of Australia’s partnership with ESO – Astronomy Australia Limited
astronomyaustralia.org.au
The Australian Academy of Science posted this reaction to the government's decision to withdraw Australia from ESO (which I had not heard about?!) 🔭 science.org.au/news-events/...
As the world looks up, Australia looks away | Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Government’s decision to withdraw from its association with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is short-sighted and risks long-term damage to the country's astronomy capability.
science.org.au
For #BrainAwarenessWeek, I'm hosting 'That Sugar Film' at #ThaliaKino on March 18th. After the film, Luise Molling (@foodwatchde.bsky.social), Friedrich Johenning (#ChariteBerlin) and I will discuss the impacts of sugar to the 🧠and to society! Tickets here: www.kinoheld.de/Kino-Potsdam...
So shocking and awful. Just a few months ago I had some wonderful conversations with Carl at a conference. He was always such a pleasure to interact with due to his intellect, humor, and openness to ideas and scientific challenges. What a loss. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Renowned scientist who studied distant planets fatally shot at his home near LA
Authorities suspect Carl Grillmair was shot by man arrested for carjacking, as friends mourn him as ‘irreplaceable’
theguardian.com
Looking forward to visit the planetarium of the Sternwarte Neanderhöhe Hochdahl tonight, where I will give a public talk about my research on dwarf galaxies and dark matter. If you happen to be near Erkrath: a few seats are still available.
Von Tanzenden Galaxien, Dunkler Materie und anderen kosmischen Rätseln | Sternwarte Neanderhöhe Hochdahl e.V. | Erkrath
snh.nrw
I'd watch a muppet show movie where the muppets infiltrate an academic conference.
Last year I was invited to speak at the "Nicolaus-Copernicus-Symposium" in Nuremberg about limits of modern astronomy and dark matter. 🔭🧪 A recording of the talk is now available (with almost 30k views already, and there's a version dubbed in English, apparently): www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMt_...
Dunkle Materie oder modifizierte Gravitation • Grenzen moderner Astronomie | Marcel Pawlowski
YouTube video by Urknall, Weltall und das Leben
youtube.com