The weird thing about the current science funding environment is I was rejected again by the NSF, but have no concept of if normally I'd be accepted or not. And not sure I could contact anyone? The rejection email came on a Saturday afternoon w the [brackets] not even removed in the form letter. 🔭🧪

Bambi! 😍🦌

Whoa 🤯 That story (and the entire Martian Chronicles) had such an impact on teenage me

Adam Rawnsley@arawnsley.bsky.social · yesterday

Today, August 4, 2026, is the setting of Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” about a fully automated house continuing on after the family who lived there and the world around it died in a nuclear blast.

I’m pretty sure Phoebe the cat thinks we get half the baby equipment we do have so she has new and improved places to sit

Trip to the coast this weekend! Yaquina Head lighthouse, Newport Oregon Open image to see the paraglider 🪂

Decided today that we really wanted to swim in a lake instead of the city pool, drove a half hour, and ended up here! New local beach uncovered! 😍 Baker Bay, Dorena Lake, Oregon 🏊🏻‍♀️ (Side note- this east coaster will never get over how shoreline is all public here with nary a vacation house on them)

To be clear- this is catastrophic for radio astronomy, not just in the UK. If you shut down a facility like this not only do we use access to the facility, dozens (hundreds?) of jobs are gone and with it expertise that never comes back. Please write to your MP if you’re in the UK! 🔭🧪🎢

Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · last wk.

Short-sighted, stupid cuts to the UKRI budget include shutting down Jodrell Bank, the icon of British astronomy. (Many other cuts too, including 20% to our brand new @vrubinobs.bsky.social). Interesting politically to shut down a major facility in...um..Manchester 🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I won some ribbons at the county fair!!! 😎 My first time entering and I won $20 in prize money- I’m rich! 😅

Goddamn it’s beautiful here. Multnomah Falls, Oregon

Toddler “why?” phase w astrophysicist mom continues: “Why it hot out?” “Because it’s summer.” “Why it summer?” “Because the earth is a ball that’s tilted so we get more direct rays from the sun.” “Why?” “Because when the earth was a young ball it was hit off its axis and that created the moon” 🔭🧪🎢

Kinda wild fact- if you’re watching the World Cup final right now, you’re doing it with an estimated ~20% of the rest of the planet. ⚽️

My Dutch in laws just did an American RV trip and it’s hilarious listening to my BIL talk about his observations of America. “Wow, Americans love to set fires! 9am at the campsite, time to build a fire! And what a lot of dogs in America named Quiet, because that’s what everyone shouts at their dog!”

I find it wild that I moved to Oregon two years ago from New England, but it’s been legit more smoky out east than here since the move. Probably a matter of time before we get smoked out here too, but who would have guessed this a few years ago?

Working on some proposals for the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa (deadline tomorrow). It forever makes me happy that instead of shying away from the name some astronomers said "screw that, we ARE gonna name our telescope after meerkats because life is more fun this way!" 🧪🔭

I'm sad to report that Mark Wise, theoretical physicist at Caltech, has passed away. He was my friend and collaborator, a giant of theoretical physics, and just one of my favorite people. RIP. www.pma.caltech.edu/people/mark-...

Seriously, who could have thought Miami in July would be a terrible place to have a World Cup game? Especially when it could be Norway vs England, those two famously hot and humid nations

Astronomers! Heard someone got notice of a NSF AAG award today. Anyone else? Still just “pending” for me and not sure if that’s good or bad 👀 🔭🧪

Oh, deer! 🦌

Fun talk yesterday up in McMinville to a high school summer science program! All about radio transients and even some radio astronomy cross stitch- look carefully at image 2 😅 McMinville is in wine country, so managed a wine tasting too post talk. The life of an astronomer is tough. 😎🍷 🔭🧪🎢

Bunny pillow done in time for the county fair. We’ll see if the judges like it! 🐰

Update: “Today is America’s birthday and it’s 250 years old. Yours is X and you’ll be 3!” “Why?” “Because you’ll have gone around the sun three times!” “Why?” “Because we orbit the sun.” “Why?” “Because the sun is very big and has a big gravitational potential.” “Oh! Can K come to our party?” 🔭🧪

Yvette Cendes@whereisyvette.bsky.social · last mo.

The “why?” stage of toddlerhood when your mom’s an astrophysics professor: “Why is it the end of the day?” “Because the sun is setting.” “Why is the sun setting?” “Because the earth is a ball that turns.” “Why does the earth turn?” “Conservation of angular momentum.” “…oh.” 🔭🧪

🚨🚨🚨 Northern lights alert 🚨🚨🚨 Seeing some VERY faint aurora in Eugene, Oregon. If you’re further north than me especially, and under darker skies, take a look! 🔭🧪

The “why?” stage of toddlerhood when your mom’s an astrophysics professor: “Why is it the end of the day?” “Because the sun is setting.” “Why is the sun setting?” “Because the earth is a ball that turns.” “Why does the earth turn?” “Conservation of angular momentum.” “…oh.” 🔭🧪

One of my favorite 4th of July traditions is ongoing! 🎆🛸

ID4 in Real Time@1996id4.bsky.social · last mo.

OFFICIAL: WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE.

Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦🍁🦫 (Yes, I am also Canadian! It’s my secret superpower.)

Ah, America. The stays for both of my twins who were born at 35 weeks and were in the NICU for a week was denied by insurance, for the tune of ~$112,000. Well this will be fun to sort out...

Ok new record. The aisle at CVS that not only had Halloween stuff, the plates said “Give Thanks” only about 6 months into the future 🎃🦃

TIL that Bari Weiss, the CBS destroyer/ Goebbels wannabe, is the former neighbor of my childhood best friend. Her family owned a fancy furniture store and gave out their own chocolate bars at Halloween, and just realized a “Weissbar” meant THAT Weiss family…

I like how they tell you to vote for the Michelob Ultra player of the match for the Egypt vs Iran match #worldcup

So I’m pretty excited for my “un-American” 4th of July BBQ this year. Pretty much everyone coming is either an immigrant, gay, or has something else the current powers that be don’t like, so we decided screw that we aren’t letting the hateful Americans stop us from enjoying a good party together. 🎆🇺🇸