Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Malena Rice

Pedro Bernardinelli @pbernardinelli.com · Jul 21

New paper on arXiv, analyzing Rubin Observatory data of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. This is the first science paper with data from LSSTCam!!!!!

arxiv.org/abs/2507.13409

NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1)

We report on the observation and measurement of astrometry, photometry, morphology, and activity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, also designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin ...

arxiv.org

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Sharena Rice, PhD @sharenarice.bsky.social · Jul 14

Enjoyed a rowboat and conversations with @malenarice.bsky.social over the weekend!

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Jul 10

And, find me and other fellowship alums gushing about how incredible this program is, and how much it has changed our lives for the better, here: www.hsfoundation.org/news-stories... ♡

Beyond Funding: How the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship Provides Transformational Support to Researchers in Planetary Astronomy - Heising-Simons Foundation

Heising-Simons Foundation is investing in a cleaner, healthier transportation sector.

www.hsfoundation.org

Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Jul 10

Learn more about Yale's planetary science community here: astronomy.yale.edu/research/hei...

The Heising-Simons Foundation - 51 Pegasi b Fellowship | Department of Astronomy

astronomy.yale.edu

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Jul 10

Applications for the 2025-2026 cycle of the 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship in Planetary Astronomy are now open! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you are interested in applying with Yale as a host institution :) www.hsfoundation.org/programs/sci...

51 Pegasi b Fellowship

The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship provides exceptional postdoctoral scientists with the opportunity to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy.

www.hsfoundation.org

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Jul 6

:^)

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Emily Hunt @emily.space · Jun 26

Finding out about Gaia at #EAS2025Cork! ☄️

Just announced: Gaia DR4 will be released in December 2026!

A photo of the slide with the December 2026 release date

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Bart Bonikowski @bartbonikowski.bsky.social · Jun 13

Essential reading (by @jasonstanley.bsky.social) for every American. The media, aided by a handful of reactionary academics and compliant university administrations, has sold the public a huge lie about wokeness on college campuses, enabling the extreme right. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The mainstream media has enabled Trump’s war on universities | Jason Stanley

For the past decade, the US press has fueled a moral panic over leftists on campus while failing to report on the right’s assault

www.theguardian.com

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Julien Girard @juliengirard.space · Jun 10

Please watch the @aas.org Press Conference where @balmer.bsky.social presented this thrilling result: THE NEW(even if expected from astrometry)LY IMAGED, COLD (~2ºC), MATURE giant exoplanet 14 Her c with JWST/NIRCam!!!

Congrats Daniella, William and the whole team 😀

www.youtube.com/live/Z7niXAH...

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · May 1

The agenda will include:
- NASA programmatic updates, including a briefing from Acting NASA Astrophysics Division Director Shawn Domagal-Goldman
- Open mic sessions
- Project updates from TESS, Roman, HWO, and SPHEREx
- Presentations from early-career scientists

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · May 1

Join us for NASA's ExoPAG 32 Meeting on June 3rd! This free virtual meeting is open to all, but please register to receive the access link: exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/...

#exoplanets #astronomy

Exoplanet Program: Registration

NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.

exoplanets.nasa.gov

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Apr 7

Delighted that Yan Liang will be joining us at Yale this fall as our newest 51 Pegasi b Fellow, leveraging AI to disentangle planetary signals from stellar spectra!

Our 51 Peg family grows 💜

news.yale.edu/2025/04/04/y...

Yale’s newest 51 Pegasi b fellow will sort through stellar ‘noise’ with AI

The fellowship provides up to $450,000 in support over three years.

news.yale.edu

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Mar 31

We are excited for a fantastic program that is coming together for NYAEM, which will take place on May 22nd at the CCA! We will be accepting additional poster abstracts on a first-come, first-serve basis up through the registration deadline (April 22nd). #exoplanets

Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Feb 25

Abstract deadline for this year's New York Area Exoplanets Meeting (NYAEM II) is coming up in just under 2 weeks (March 10th)!

It'll be a 1-day regional meeting at the CCA, bringing together astronomers in the greater New York area working on exoplanets + adjacent topics 🔭🪐

nyexoplanets.github.io

New York Area Exoplanets Meeting

nyexoplanets.github.io

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Mar 5

Thanks Jessie — also for doing such a great job repping HWO exoplanet science, and for sharing your story as well! 👑

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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · Mar 5

Paper day! I introduce a new all-in-one tool to generate and drizzle/resample space-based point spread functions for more accurate photometry 🔭🧪

arxiv.org/abs/2503.02288

spike: A tool to drizzle HST, JWST, and Roman PSFs for improved analyses

Point spread functions (PSFs) describe the distribution of light for a pure point source in an astronomical image due to the instrument optics. For deconvolution, as for point source photometry and fo...

arxiv.org

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Adrian Price-Whelan @adrian.pw · Mar 3

Applications are open for our visiting grad student program (pre-doc program) at the CCA @flatironinstitute.org!

Reach out if you're a student interested in:
- Preparing for Gaia DR4
- Stellar streams
- Data-driven methods for spectroscopy
(and want to apply!)

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
🔭

CCA Pre-Doc Program Stage 1 Applications (2025)

docs.google.com

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Mar 2

Nominations to the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) Executive Committee, including nominations for the ExoPAG Chair, are due March 7.

ExoPAG is a community-based forum coordinating input to NASA Astrophysics. Reach out with any questions! 🔭🪐 exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/...

Exoplanet Program: ExoPAG Overview

NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.

exoplanets.nasa.gov

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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · Feb 25

Tomorrow! Join us — in person or online at 6:30pm Chicago time — for the last Picture an Astronomer public lecture with galactic archaeologist Anna Frebel (MIT), who will describe the cosmic origin of the heaviest elements.

More (incl. registration) at pictureanastronomer.github.io

🔭🧪👩‍🔬

Flyer for Anna Frebel’s Picture an Astronomer public lecture at the University of Chicago. Tomorrow at 6:30pm on campus and online.

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · Feb 25

Abstract deadline for this year's New York Area Exoplanets Meeting (NYAEM II) is coming up in just under 2 weeks (March 10th)!

It'll be a 1-day regional meeting at the CCA, bringing together astronomers in the greater New York area working on exoplanets + adjacent topics 🔭🪐

nyexoplanets.github.io

New York Area Exoplanets Meeting

nyexoplanets.github.io

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Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · Feb 12

From Huei Sears @starlights.bsky.social and Jessie Thwaites @jthwaites.bsky.social: Today we highlight the “Picture an Astronomer” Symposium at UChicago, created primarily by grad student Ava Polzin, with lectures and events in February/March! Registration ends 2/15.✨🔭
astrobites.org/2025/02/11/t...

The “Picture an Astronomer” Symposium

Today we highlight the "Picture an Astronomer" Symposium, with lectures and events happening in February and March!

astrobites.org

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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · Feb 12

Registration ends Feb. 15! 🔭🧪👩‍🔬

We encourage *all* professional astronomers/astrophysicists to attend (in person or remotely)!

More at pictureanastronomer.github.io/symposium

Flyer advertising our Picture an Astronomer symposium, March 4 -6 in Chicago, IL and online.

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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · Jan 22

Here's an e-mail that just went out to NASA agency wide. 🔭

Letter reading, "Dear agency employees,
We are taking steps to close all agency DEIA offices and end all DEIA-related contracts
in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive
Orders and Actions.
These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in
shameful discrimination.
We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to
DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days.
There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However,
failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Janet Petro"

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Eryn Cangi, PhD @planetaryemc2.bsky.social · Jan 9

#PlanetaryScience 🔭🧪: GoFundMe for JPL employees and Habitable Worlds Observatory team members suffering amidst the #LAFires. Confirmed organized on the HWO slack by @astrodave2.bsky.social.

www.gofundme.com/f/support-na...

Donate to Support NASA JPL HabWorlds teammates in the Pasadena fires, organized by Jason Tumlinson

We are raising money to assist friends of ours who are displa… Jason Tumlinson needs your support for Support NASA JPL HabWorlds teammates in the Pasadena fires

www.gofundme.com

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · Jan 10

Folks, a huge number of people at JPL have been affected by the LA wildfires, with many losing their homes.

If you can, consider contributing to a fund that's been set up to help them:

(Link looks sketch but site is legit)

caltech.imodules.com/controls/ema...

Satellite imagery captured by MAXAR showing the extent of the Eaton Fire in North Pasadena and Altadena.

caltech.imodules.com

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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · Jan 10

Hey folks - like many people, our friends have lost their house and everything in it. If you are able to help support them through a long, slow recovery, please do. #LAFires

gofund.me/a24b7e39

Donate to Supporting Jenn & Sam after the Eaton Fire, organized by Jenn Burt

Hi friends, As many of you already know, the wildfires that tore through Alta… Jenn Burt needs your support for Supporting Jenn & Sam after the Eaton Fire

gofund.me

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