Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social · 1d

And sometimes the community gets stabbed in the back by cowardly institutions that would sell you out for a dollar, and then those same institutions try advising you how to find other jobs in fields now that they've helped destroy your current career (which they're calling a "side-step").

Lunar and Planetary Institute @lpitoday.bsky.social · 1d

Sometimes the planetary career you have planned takes a side-step. Join us on October 20 to hear from our panelists about the surprising turns their careers have taken, and the benefits of taking the stream less traveled. Learn more: https://ow.ly/C8z550X2gK8

Professional Development Webinars
Braided River Careers in Planetary Science and Astrobiology

Panelists
Elizabeth Frank (Interlune)
Tanya Harrison (Outer Space Institute and Mission Control)
Colin Hamill (American Astronomical Society)

October 20
4pm ET/ 3pm CT/ 2pm MT/ 1pm PT

6 1 21

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 1d

what Tod said

Tod Lauer @todlauer.bsky.social · 5d

The effort put into understanding 3I/Atlas has been spectacular, imaginative, professional and well-organized. Planetary scientists don't need Avi Loeb put in charge of an international directorate to tell them how to do their jobs.

1 3 19

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

DisappearedNews @disappearednews.bsky.social · 1d

Book Review: A Call to Arms About the Threat of Anti-Science

" “Science Under Siege,” by Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Hotez, is an impassioned manifesto against attacks on science."

undark.org/2025/10/03/b...

While Sagan was primarily concerned
with the rise of pseudoscience, Mann
and Hotez fear that we're now in the
midst of an anti-science boom, led by
people, corporations, and governments
who intentionally spread false or
mislcading information. "Anti-science
has already caused serious illness and
mass casualties in the near term," they
write. "Unmitigated, it will in the long
term take millions more lives, produce
misguided national policies, and have
long-lasting catastrophic consequences,
including potentially, the destabilization
of our civilization."

6 59 150

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 1d

20 years ago, Hayabusa collected a sample from asteroid Itokawa. Damaged by a huge solar flare, the spacecraft still returned the sample capsule to Earth in 2010. With no way to save the spacecraft, JAXA rotated Hayabusa so that its cameras could see Earth before burning up in the atmosphere 🛰️.

A large poster at the ISAS JAXA Sagamihara open day, showing a picture of Hayabusa visiting asteroid Itokawa with text celebrating 20 years since touchdown.

5 27

c Phlo- Future Engineering @cphlo.bsky.social · 22h

Saw it... good points

John Mashey @johnmashey.bsky.social · 1d

1/ Given CDC evisceration, attacks on climate science, NASA... here's a short tale of worrisome prescience from 2014.
I attended an early showing in San Francisco of the fine film "Merchants of Doubt". It has book's foci of climate denial/tobacco, but adds more.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRWE...

Merchants of Doubt (2014) with Naomi Oreskes, Jamy Ian Swiss, Frederick Singer Movie

YouTube video by hos Ben

www.youtube.com

1 1

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Elizabeth Tasker @elizabethtasker.bsky.social · 1d

It’s our open day at ISAS. A terrifying prospect, and it’s pouring with rain. But this is a half-scale model of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft. HALF SCALE. It’s the biggest spacecraft we’ve ever built 😳

A view from above of the lobby at the Sagamihara campus for ISAS JAXA. The space is dominated by a large spacecraft model, covered in gold and flanked by large solar panels. Even at half size, it towers cover the visitors.

3 3 27

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Alejandro Soto @soto.space · 1d

What did we discuss in the weekly Friday Science Discussion at the office? Lot's of fun stuff. Let's go through some of them.

1/7
#planetaryscience 🧪

1 3 8

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

kwalsh4a.bsky.social @kwalsh4a.bsky.social · 2d

While 3I Atlas is getting to harder to see from Earth, heliospheric images in space are still tracking. Here is a movie from PUNCH tracking it yesterday (8-October).

2 9

c Phlo- Future Engineering @cphlo.bsky.social · 22h

Mainstream coverage: okay, so it's USA Today, but hey, coverage🔭

cphlo.net/abc/index.ph...

“Asteroid Mining” Lines - Asteroid Blog, c Phlo...

USA Today is hardly cutting-edge as journalism goes, but publicity is publicity: www.usatoday.com/story/studiog/life/2025/10/07/asteroid-mining-brings-private-companies-into-the-space-race/85710633007...

cphlo.net

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Skylar Grayson @skylargrayson.bsky.social · 1d

What’s the deal with this comet/alien spaceship really? 🧪🔭

9 14 83

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

#PPOD: The official names of asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson’s surface features — as identified by the Southwest Research Institute-led Lucy Mission — have been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Credit: NASA/SwRI/Goddard/JHUAPL 🧪 🔭

This image is a detailed map of the asteroid Donaldjohanson, created by NASA's Lucy mission team. The asteroid is a contact binary, meaning it's composed of two lobes connected by a neck. The smaller, left lobe is Afar Lobus. The larger, right lobe is Olduvai Lobus. The neck is called Windover Collum. Two regions are near the nect: Hadar Regio and Mintogawa Regio. Other named features are (left to right) Luzia Dorsum (Ridge), Cashel Saxum (Boulder), Narmada (Crater), Kennewick Saxum (Boulder), Boxgrove Saxum (Boulder), and Mungo (Crater).

3 13 52

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Prof. Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez @joseptrigo.bsky.social · 2d

Going viral now my article on interstellar #comet #3IATLAS. Only observational astronomy and good scientific explanations can fight current pseudoscientific relates.
Towards 15,000 readers after half a day of its publication🤩
#PlanetaryScience
#InterstellarComets

The Conversation ES @es.theconversation.com · 3d

La ESA ha revelado nuevas imágenes del cometa 3I/ATLAS captadas por ExoMars. @joseptrigo.bsky.social (@ice-csic.bsky.social @ieec.cat) nos cuenta qué nueva información proporcionan:

Las últimas noticias sobre el cometa extrasolar 3I/ATLAS llegan desde Marte

Entre otras novedades, las imágenes enviadas por diversas sondas que orbitan el planeta rojo desmontan definitivamente el rumor de que el visitante es de naturaleza artificial.

theconversation.com

1 1 14

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Committee on Space Research @cospar.bsky.social · 3d

📣Calling all STEM teachers: The autumn StAnD Asteroid Search Campaigns are in full swing

Would you like to start your school year by contributing to real scientific research identifying and tracking asteroids? The deadline to sign up for slots in the first campaign is tomorrow, 10 October ☄️

1 1 3

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

University of Leicester, Physics & Astronomy @physicsuol.bsky.social · 3d

🔭🧪🎢 Our undergraduate, Kieran Bujdoso, spent his summer project here analysing meteorites.

Learn more about our meteorite research here 💫 🪨 : le.ac.uk/physics/rese...

Learn about studying Physics at Leicester here 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

1 5

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 3d

Ha! It looks like Avi Loeb silently edited his Medium post about the Perseverance Navcam images, after being called out for his wrong interpretation.
While he previously claimed the image was of 3I/Atlas, he now says the claim came from "social media". 🔭

A paragraph about the Navcam image that claimed the image is of 3I/Atlas was edited to say "This was claimed on social media to be an image" of the comet

A paragraph that previously only mentioned the object creating the source could be much closer to the camera than Atlas was extended with a speculation that it could be one of the Martian moons.

4 14 56

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Ethan Vishniac 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇺🇸 @ethan-vishniac.bsky.social · 3d

youtu.be/JUgNSPv94LI
🔭
AAS Journal Author Series: Anicia Arredondo on 2025PSJ.....6..195A

Anicia Arredondo (Southwest Research Institute) chats about her article on the near Earth asteroid (142) Polana.

AAS Journal Author Series: Anicia Arredondo on 2025PSJ.....6..195A

YouTube video by AAS

youtu.be

1 5

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 3d

Every once in a while, our solar system receives a fleeting visitor from the depths of our galaxy. On July 1, 2025, NASA’s ATLAS telescope discovered Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected, following ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

Learn more:

Visitors from the Stars: Understanding Comet ATLAS Without the Hype

Commentary: Nathalie A. Cabrol

www.seti.org

5 40

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Prof. Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez @joseptrigo.bsky.social · 4d

When a sample return mission from #Ceres?
#Astrobiology #PlanetSci

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 4d

#ICYMI: In last week's #SETILive, Dr. Sam Courville explained how and why the dwarf planet Ceres may be the key to understanding astrobiology. Watch the full interview: youtube.com/live/AMxbk9f... 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

1 9

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Steve Desch @deschscoveries.bsky.social · Sep 9

Sorry it took me so long to grade your August 20 assignment, Avi Loeb. Are you sure you're ready for a class on comets? You might need to learn about things like bow shocks and chemistry.

Avi Loeb posted these notes on comet 3I/ATLAS on August 20, but they are full of mistakes. I correct them and provide notes on how comets actually work.

15 16 91

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

Shanil Virani @shanilv.ca · 18d

“Shut up and calculate”? Not a chance.🔭🧪

President of the @apsphysics.bsky.social in @physicstoday.bsky.social reminds us that physicists are not just scientists; we are citizens, educators, & truth-tellers.

So, no, Laura Ingraham, we also won't just "shut up and dribble."
🔗 bit.ly/ShutUpandCal...

What does it mean to be a physicist right now?

The scientific enterprise is under attack. Being a physicist means speaking out for it.

bit.ly

2 45 140

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

MU-Peter Shimon 🀄️ @mu-peter.bsky.social · 16d

🔆Good morning!

The names of human ancestors are now on an asteroid map

From Afar to Olduvai:
asteroid Donaldjohanson's landmarks get names tied to human origins 🏺🧪
www.space.com/astronomy/as...

Names of features of asteroid Donaldjohanson have been approved by the International Astronomical Union

The officially recognized names of geological features on the asteroid Donaldjohanson. (Image credit: NASA Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL)

3 13

c Phlo- Future Engineering @cphlo.bsky.social · 15d

Proposed OPENS mission to Saturn looking for collaborators: cruise science to asteroids, zodiacal dust, or something new?

cphlo.net/abc/index.ph...

Japanese OPENS Meeting Sep. 29-30 - Asteroid Blog, c Phlo...

The Japanese space agency (ISAS department) is hosting an open, online meeting on the OPENS mission proposal: www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/researchers/info/004084.htmlSep 17, 2025The First OPENS International ...

cphlo.net

Reposted by c Phlo- Future Engineering

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @vrubinobs.bsky.social · 16d

From mining⛏️, to construction🦺, to leading observatory safety operations👷‍♀️

Meet Sandra Romero, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Safety Lead. 🔭

Her job? Keeping Rubin safe for everyone who works here, from construction activities to science operations✨

🎥 Meet Sandra: https://youtu.be/3gJMxs2nFnQ

Meet Sandra Romero, Safety Lead | Rubin Construction Archives

Meet Sandra Romero, Safety Lead for NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, who shares why she loves her work and the unexpected journey that brought her to Rubin...

youtu.be

4 22

c Phlo- Future Engineering @cphlo.bsky.social · 15d

Ceres: may have been habitable inside for ~a billion years

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 16d

Next #SETILive: Hidden Habitability on Ceres
Thursday, 2 October 2025, 2:30 pm PDT

Join @planetarypan.bsky.social and Dr. Sam Courville as they dive into the possibility that the dwarf planet Ceres could have been more habitable than ever imagined. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

WATCH LIVE: buff.ly/meM0tnH

c Phlo- Future Engineering @cphlo.bsky.social · 15d

So it's come to this.

Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 16d

JWST Cycle 5 deadline extensions may be granted to submitters affected by an upcoming government shutdown. See the link for details: 🔭

jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportu...

JWST Call for Proposals for Cycle 5 - JWST User Documentation

STScI solicits proposals for JWST General Observer (GO), Survey, and Archival Research (AR) programs. This document establishes the goals, requirements, and po

jwst-docs.stsci.edu