The picture - from the paper - that should have been in the press release: the Gemini position in red over the VLT image where it coincides with the brightest post-processing blob.
Eric Mamajek
@ericmamajek.bsky.social
Star guy. Statements and opinions posted here are my own.
that uh… that sure is a lot of helium escape for a rocky planet, right?
Young researchers, apply for our post-docs! The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester invites applications positions in theoretical and computational approaches to complex systems, information theory, and the emergence of autonomous agency. apply.interfolio.com/189157
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RYAN O'HEARN...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 3RD HOME RUN OF THE GAME. 100TH OF HIS CAREER.
I've never experienced such an amazing fireworks display in my life! 🎆🎇 Hope everyone here at #Anthrocon had an awesome 4th of July! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 #Pittsburgh #USA250 #4thJuly
Springer Nature retracted two studies by Max Planck. In response to a question from @samkean.bsky.social, they issued this statement: "Detailed information about specific retractions is usually confidential and can only be shared with the relevant authors.”
Why have papers by one of history’s most famous physicists been retracted?
Springer Nature has removed two studies by Max Planck. A bot may be to blame
science.org
✨ AAS Virtual Graduate Admissions Fair ✨ We’re excited to announce that the AAS plans to host its first-ever virtual graduate admissions fair on Wednesday, 16 September, 3:00–5:00 pm ET! Confirm your department/unit’s interest by 10 July. Registration fee: $500. aas.org/aas-virtual-... 🔭
Exclusive: The National Science Foundation is trimming this year’s budgets for hundreds of its traditional basic science programs by roughly 20% to 30%, even though its overall budget is down just 3%. https://scim.ag/4xY2KCm
Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say
Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year
science.org
NASA ASTRA workshop Sept 1-3, 2026 science.nasa.gov/astrophysics... #AAS #AAS248 #ExoPAG #COPAG #PhysPAG #astrophysics
One well-done gas giant planet, coming right up! Webb examined a “hot Jupiter” exoplanet called HD 80606 b, with four times Jupiter’s mass, and a very elliptical orbit that sweeps close by its Sun-like star. t.co/X3s69WG4qQ 🔗 go.nasa.gov/3QtN6xr
A wonderful summary from @caltechipac.bsky.social of our Scaling K2 #exoplanet project lead by @aussiastronomer.bsky.social and worked on by me for the last (many) years! The excellent graphic from Keith Miller will be very useful in talks henceforth! 🔭 www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/finding...
Finding Patterns in Planets: Researchers Explore the Demographics of Alien Worlds in K2 Data
The Kepler mission and its follow-on K2 discovered thousands of exoplanets around different types of stars, and new work reveals broader trends in the planetary populations of the Milky Way.
ipac.caltech.edu
It’s truly astonishing to see how comprehensively the US government is tearing down every part of the system that has made it up until now a world-leading power in science, research, and technological development. The entire world will suffer from this wanton destruction.
Dan Vergano@danvergano.bsky.social · 2mo agoWhite House proposes new rules giving political appointees final approval of research grants These proposed Office of Management and Budget regulations would render the federal research grant review process opaque www.scientificamerican.com/article/whit...
Student paper day part 1: Michiel Darcis+ on “The spectral energy distribution of YSES 1 b and its circumplanetary disc” where it’s detected in optical wavelengths with MagAO-X: including the circumplanetary disk now revises the mass up to 26-41 Mjup depending on age #astrodon #exoplanets 🪐🔭
Student paper day 2: Elina Kleisioti+ on “Interior-Atmosphere Coupling on TRAPPIST-1 f, g, and h: Cryovolcanic Water Exospheres and Infrared Detectability” where tidal heating between transiting exoplanets generates H2O vapour exospheres but too thin for JWST detections #astrodon #exoplanets 🪐🔭
Happy to say that my second paper “Astrometric exoplanet detection survives solar-like stellar contamination” has been accepted by MNRAS and is now up on the arxiv: arxiv.org/pdf/2605.18953 Takeaway: Missions like TOLIMAN and SHERA could find earth-twins assuming solar like noise.
arxiv.org
Yep. Here's the list of telescopes that were used to achieve the goals of NASA's DART mission, and basically every single one of them outside the USA depended on collaborations with and labor* from scientists and non-scientists who are not US residents. *and that labor paid for by non-US sources
Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com · 2mo ago"Please provide a justification for the foreign collaboration." Science.
This is a newly processed view of the largest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons. It's 21 km tall. It's as wide as Arizona. Metropolitan LA fits inside its summit caldera. Its basal cliff is 7 km high. And it started to grow ~3.5 billion years ago but has lavas only 2 million years old.
Great session on Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) at #AbSciCon26. Here are QR links to more on HWO and how to get involved
Summary of NASA DARES (Decadal #Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy) update at #AbSciCon26. Draft slides posted in June, followed by public comment period, working towards release of DARES report in Dec 2026
(1/n) 🧵 Now published in Part 1 of the HWO25 conference proceedings, this collection of 60 science cases illustrates the extraordinary scientific reach of the #HabitableWorldsObservatory from... 🧪🔭☄️ #extragalactic #exoplanets #galactic
Martin Weisskopf, who helped shape modern X-ray astronomy and was the Chandra Project Scientist for many years, died last week at the age of 84. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people write letters of support to sustain the mission. www.berryhillfh.com/obituaries/m...
Martin Charles Weisskopf Obituary May 2, 2026 - Berryhill Funeral Home & Crematory
View Martin Charles Weisskopf's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.
berryhillfh.com
I'm extremely proud of my friend and colleague, Michelle Hill, for her brilliant work in investigating the effects of planet size on sustainability of atmospheres and habitability. arxiv.org/abs/2605.00170
Smaller Than Earth Habitability Model (STEHM): The Lower Size Limit for Atmosphere Retention in the Habitable Zone
With recent advances in exoplanet observational techniques enabling the discovery of increasingly smaller planets, a crucial question emerges in the search for habitable planets: how small can a plane...
arxiv.org
The paper has been accepted for publication in MNRAS! 🔭 The revised list contains 56 OB associations within 1 kpc, double the historical census! Besides tracing star formation and structure of the local Milky Way, this catalogue will be useful for target/follow-up studies! #stellarastro #galactic
Alexis Quintana@alexis-space.bsky.social · 8mo agoA new census of OB associations with Gaia! In this study, we took advantage of my OB stars map to find new OB associations within 1 kpc. The goal was to create a useful reference catalogue for this era, and to trace the star formation and structure of the local Milky Way. #stellarastro #galactic
Two ultra-cool wolves in high-redshift-red-blob-sheep's clothing.... "Two Exciting High-redshift Galaxy Candidates Turn Out to Be Two Exciting Ultra-cool Brown Dwarfs" by Bradač et al. arxiv.org/abs/2604.23668
Two Exciting High-redshift Galaxy Candidates Turn Out to Be Two Exciting Ultra-cool Brown Dwarfs
From the onset of observations of JWST we have discovered unexpectedly luminous galaxies at redshifts $z>10$ and as high as $z=14$. With their discovery, the question immediately followed as to where ...
arxiv.org
The United States now has the most government restrictions on academic freedom of any high-income country. www.chemistryworld.com/news/academi... Raw data from @vdeminstitute.bsky.social —> academic-freedom-index.net/research/Aca...
