It's been a hard week, losing a good friend and 🔭 colleague. If you knew Ralph and want to read my loooong tribute I've posted it publicly on my (hardly used) Facebook page. www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/en/in...

In memoriam Ralph Wijers, astrophysicist (1964–2026)

astronomie.nl

Cat has turned into a triffid ahead of #caturday

Using our VLT and the Gemini North telescope, astronomers have measured the strength of #exoplanets ’ magnetic fields for the first time. These fields turned out to be comparable to those found in our Solar System. More: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2606/ 🔭 🧪 #exoplanets

So, Director of National Intelligence is apparently a part-time job with no previous experience required. Got it.

every time i see a white guy in their fifties radicalized by the twitter algorithm into racism and extremism i think about how it's a total failure of the youtube algorithm to instead radicalize him into home brewing, elaborate A/V setups, or DIY solar

Fox continues to run these segments that seem like free ads for the candidates they are attacking Every one of these policies are broadly popular with voters

I made this Pride flag using only NASA images and our team thought it would be cool to share on social (I work on the NASA heliophysics communications team), but it's getting all sorts of hate on the bird app and Fbook. Thought y'all might be more appreciative of it here. ☺️🏳️‍🌈💖

I hope this isn't behind a paywall, but here's a great article from @astroroyalscot.bsky.social questioning the logic behind cutting one of the UK's most successful research fields. 🔭🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A change in UK policy jeopardizes the future of UK astrophysics - Nature Astronomy

The latest budget proposal announced by the largest UK science funding agency threatens to severely affect UK astrophysics research. My colleagues and I are fighting back.

nature.com

thank you to everyone who sent this to me

A steamy #caterday in Amsterdam

Saying the obvious but 30C/86F in Amsterdam in May is not normal…

I feel strongly about this, plus it's personal (Brexit has affected my family profoundly). This petition seems to be doing well, but could do with more shares and signatures if you're eligible (British Citizen or UK Resident) and feel strongly about this too. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Petition: Apply to Rejoin the EU as soon as possible to increase growth in the UK

We believe Brexit's not working. The OBR judges that the UK economy is smaller and trade is weaker because of Brexit, and it will just get worse. 10 years after the Brexit vote, let's apply to rejoin ...

petition.parliament.uk

Starbucks is abruptly scrapping its AI inventory tool for repeatedly miscounting and mislabeling items, just months after rolling it out at stores nationwide. It's the latest warning that the widely-hyped "AI revolution" could be a bubble that's going to burst.

Brace Yourself for the AI Bubble

Are we watching an AI revolution, or a slow-motion economic disaster?

youtube.com

ARAA will be marching Wednesday in protest. So many countries have destroyed higher education, we must fight against Austria going the same way. Come join us! 👊🏻 #UnisRetten

Emily Hunt@emily.space · 3mo ago

The Austrian government has proposed hitting universities with an €800 million / year budget cut (after inflation). This could lead to redundancies for up to 20% of staff. 🫠 Quite ironic after the last year of advertising Austria as a "safe haven" for researchers impacted by Trump.

Bill: “Dude, what if we pointed this giant dish at the cosmos?” Ted: “…most excellent.” and that is how the International Centre for Rad Astronomy Research was invented. 🤙📡 #astro

Thanks for totally derailing my brain @alexandermilas.bsky.social, for pointing me to the most terrifying project by this year's UK entry to Eurovision, where he made a Furby organ, I kid you not!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYLB...

THE FURBY ORGAN, A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MADE FROM FURBIES

YouTube video by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

youtube.com

IOP President Paul Howarth and I have today written to Science Minister Lord Vallance calling for a full impact assessment of proposed STFC cuts to particle physics, astronomy and nuclear (PPAN) research.

Last week Thursday was my inaugural lecture here at @cambridgeastro.bsky.social (it's been a whirlwind with family in town so only posting about it now). The talk is about #blackholes 🧪🔭, pitched for non-experts, and you can follow it on Youtube (QR code on poster, or youtu.be/60hx7MXzxC4)!

When you spend days making fancy new slides for a talk, only to have to cut them because the talk's already way too long....

"You hear theyre using chickens as camera gimbals now?" "What?" "Chickens. Strap a camera onto their head. No shake. Chicken camera gimbals"

Newest release of #Jupiter aurora from program 17408. Observation date 2025-10-17, but released a few days ago. www.planetarylightshow.com/jupiter/prop... Credit: Planetary Light Show

It always throws me when I look at my French Vélib account and the page auto-translate to English helpfully also 'translates' my name:

👇👇

Amateur astronomers with telescopes equipped with video cameras are requested to look for impact flashes on the Moon tonight, to coordinate with #ArtemisII observations. Details here: www.geodes.umd.edu/impactflash

The President of the United States is threatening to commit war crimes and wipe out a "whole civilization" — all because he started a disastrous war of his own making and had no plan and no strategy for how to end it. This is abhorrent, and the American people do not support this.

Unexpected EHT intern alert! This bird had gotten lost in the fog and appeared at the IRAM 30-m control room door- more than 1,500 meters above its usual habitat. After a brief "internship," it was safely released back into nature the next morning. #M87MOVIE

It is very easy to become accustomed to Trump’s ravings, and laugh them off. That’s a dangerous thing to do. When Trump states: “A whole civilization will die tonight,” he is threatening to commit genocide. We can’t allow that to happen. Congress must end this war NOW.

President Trump is threatening war crimes of horrific proportions against civilians. It’s deranged. This madness must stop.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4mo ago

Trump: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will … We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end”

Sickeningly evil. Donald Trump must be impeached.  When will it be enough for my Republican colleagues to grow spines and remove him from office?