Keith Smith
@drkeithsmith.bsky.social
PhD, occasional astronomer, talking head, science geek, cynic. Senior Editor at @Science.org, responsible for research papers in astronomy and planetary science. Views own, duh. Bio: https://www.science.org/content/author/keith-t-smith
Settings -> accessibility -> display -> reduce transparency
Doesn’t fix things entirely, but it’s better
Doesn’t fix things entirely, but it’s better
January 18, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Settings -> accessibility -> display -> reduce transparency
Doesn’t fix things entirely, but it’s better
Doesn’t fix things entirely, but it’s better
A major loss. Don York is best known for leading SDSS, which brought optical astronomy into the era of big data.
I met him through his work on the diffuse interstellar bands. Every time we interacted, he was kind, encouraging, and happy to chat with a then-young PhD student (me). 🔭☄️
I met him through his work on the diffuse interstellar bands. Every time we interacted, he was kind, encouraging, and happy to chat with a then-young PhD student (me). 🔭☄️
Donald G. York, co-founder of Sloan Digital Sky Survey and ‘visionary’ astronomer, 1944-2025
news.uchicago.edu/story/donald... 🧪🔭
news.uchicago.edu/story/donald... 🧪🔭
Donald G. York, co-founder of Sloan Digital Sky Survey and ‘visionary’ astronomer, 1944-2025
UChicago professor emeritus helped transform modern astronomy, mapped interstellar medium
news.uchicago.edu
January 16, 2026 at 12:51 PM
A major loss. Don York is best known for leading SDSS, which brought optical astronomy into the era of big data.
I met him through his work on the diffuse interstellar bands. Every time we interacted, he was kind, encouraging, and happy to chat with a then-young PhD student (me). 🔭☄️
I met him through his work on the diffuse interstellar bands. Every time we interacted, he was kind, encouraging, and happy to chat with a then-young PhD student (me). 🔭☄️
Li et al. monitored a repeating fast radio burst (FRB). They identify a transient excursion of its rotation measure (RM), which increases by orders of magnitude for 2 weeks. Possible causes include a coronal mass ejection from a binary companion star. ☄️ #radioastro
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
January 15, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Li et al. monitored a repeating fast radio burst (FRB). They identify a transient excursion of its rotation measure (RM), which increases by orders of magnitude for 2 weeks. Possible causes include a coronal mass ejection from a binary companion star. ☄️ #radioastro
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Keith Smith
Undergraduates: Curious about a career in astronomy? 🔭
Take your first step with @cambridgeastro.bsky.social’s Summer Internship Programme and gain 8 weeks of research experience.
Applications from underrepresented groups in astronomy are encouraged.
Apply by 27 February 👇
https://bit.ly/4qYR0LD
Take your first step with @cambridgeastro.bsky.social’s Summer Internship Programme and gain 8 weeks of research experience.
Applications from underrepresented groups in astronomy are encouraged.
Apply by 27 February 👇
https://bit.ly/4qYR0LD
January 14, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Undergraduates: Curious about a career in astronomy? 🔭
Take your first step with @cambridgeastro.bsky.social’s Summer Internship Programme and gain 8 weeks of research experience.
Applications from underrepresented groups in astronomy are encouraged.
Apply by 27 February 👇
https://bit.ly/4qYR0LD
Take your first step with @cambridgeastro.bsky.social’s Summer Internship Programme and gain 8 weeks of research experience.
Applications from underrepresented groups in astronomy are encouraged.
Apply by 27 February 👇
https://bit.ly/4qYR0LD
Out of curiosity, do cosmologists generally follow the distinction between:
- ‘the Universe’ the specific case, the one we live in and observe
vs
- ‘a universe’ as a wider class, being an examples that is hypothetical, simulated or has different properties from the real one
?
- ‘the Universe’ the specific case, the one we live in and observe
vs
- ‘a universe’ as a wider class, being an examples that is hypothetical, simulated or has different properties from the real one
?
January 11, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Out of curiosity, do cosmologists generally follow the distinction between:
- ‘the Universe’ the specific case, the one we live in and observe
vs
- ‘a universe’ as a wider class, being an examples that is hypothetical, simulated or has different properties from the real one
?
- ‘the Universe’ the specific case, the one we live in and observe
vs
- ‘a universe’ as a wider class, being an examples that is hypothetical, simulated or has different properties from the real one
?
I’m sceptical, and don’t see why that would affect a standard rule of English grammar: proper nouns are capitalised, common nouns are not.
Consider some examples from outside astronomy:
‘the Hoover machine’ became ‘a hoover’
‘Wellington’s boots’ vs ‘wellingtons’
‘Stliton’ gave us ‘stilton cheese’
Consider some examples from outside astronomy:
‘the Hoover machine’ became ‘a hoover’
‘Wellington’s boots’ vs ‘wellingtons’
‘Stliton’ gave us ‘stilton cheese’
January 11, 2026 at 6:36 PM
I’m sceptical, and don’t see why that would affect a standard rule of English grammar: proper nouns are capitalised, common nouns are not.
Consider some examples from outside astronomy:
‘the Hoover machine’ became ‘a hoover’
‘Wellington’s boots’ vs ‘wellingtons’
‘Stliton’ gave us ‘stilton cheese’
Consider some examples from outside astronomy:
‘the Hoover machine’ became ‘a hoover’
‘Wellington’s boots’ vs ‘wellingtons’
‘Stliton’ gave us ‘stilton cheese’
This is the very short version 😜
January 11, 2026 at 6:28 PM
This is the very short version 😜
Yeah, Cepheids is the best counter-example I can think of. But that’s an abbreviation of ‘Delta Cepheid-type variable star’. Same with TTSs = ‘T Tauri-type variable star’.
Better analogies are the Moon vs a moon, the Galaxy vs a galaxy, the Solar System vs other planetary systems etc.
Better analogies are the Moon vs a moon, the Galaxy vs a galaxy, the Solar System vs other planetary systems etc.
January 11, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Yeah, Cepheids is the best counter-example I can think of. But that’s an abbreviation of ‘Delta Cepheid-type variable star’. Same with TTSs = ‘T Tauri-type variable star’.
Better analogies are the Moon vs a moon, the Galaxy vs a galaxy, the Solar System vs other planetary systems etc.
Better analogies are the Moon vs a moon, the Galaxy vs a galaxy, the Solar System vs other planetary systems etc.
In principle it *should* be lowercase, as a common noun. But in practice it’s usually capitalised, like a proper noun.
I would prefer the field to switch to the grammatically correct ‘hot jupiter’, ‘mini neptune’ etc. Capitals should indicate the specific prototype, not a general class.
#exoplanets
I would prefer the field to switch to the grammatically correct ‘hot jupiter’, ‘mini neptune’ etc. Capitals should indicate the specific prototype, not a general class.
#exoplanets
January 11, 2026 at 3:42 PM
In principle it *should* be lowercase, as a common noun. But in practice it’s usually capitalised, like a proper noun.
I would prefer the field to switch to the grammatically correct ‘hot jupiter’, ‘mini neptune’ etc. Capitals should indicate the specific prototype, not a general class.
#exoplanets
I would prefer the field to switch to the grammatically correct ‘hot jupiter’, ‘mini neptune’ etc. Capitals should indicate the specific prototype, not a general class.
#exoplanets
What should a major scientific project do if one of its grants is cancelled or an unexpected budget over-run occurs? @cyberlyra.bsky.social draws on the history of NASA space missions to examine which approaches work, and which make things worse. 🧪⚛️🔭🛰️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Weathering budget cuts: Lessons from NASA
The current uncertainty and cuts to science funding affect universities, research facilities, and laboratories across the United States, but this situation is not unprecedented. Under pressure to fund...
www.science.org
January 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM
What should a major scientific project do if one of its grants is cancelled or an unexpected budget over-run occurs? @cyberlyra.bsky.social draws on the history of NASA space missions to examine which approaches work, and which make things worse. 🧪⚛️🔭🛰️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Kader, @justtheletteru.bsky.social et al. use multi-wavelength observations to show a precessing jet in an active galaxy is driving a gas outflow. This galactic feedback is removing enough material to affect the star formation rate.
☄️ #extragalactic #AAS247
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
☄️ #extragalactic #AAS247
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
January 8, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Kader, @justtheletteru.bsky.social et al. use multi-wavelength observations to show a precessing jet in an active galaxy is driving a gas outflow. This galactic feedback is removing enough material to affect the star formation rate.
☄️ #extragalactic #AAS247
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
☄️ #extragalactic #AAS247
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The rest of Congress' budget is good news for NASA: Trump had requested halving NASA's science spending, which would have killed dozens of existing missions (see this story from last May). Congress disagreed, maintaining NASA science at 99% of last year. #planetsci 🔭🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Dozens of active and planned NASA spacecraft killed in Trump budget request
Proposal would end nearly all new major science missions
www.science.org
January 7, 2026 at 3:58 PM
The rest of Congress' budget is good news for NASA: Trump had requested halving NASA's science spending, which would have killed dozens of existing missions (see this story from last May). Congress disagreed, maintaining NASA science at 99% of last year. #planetsci 🔭🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Mars Sample Return - a planned mission to retrieve the rocks collected by the Perseverance rover and bring them to Earth for lab analysis - has been effectively cancelled by US Congress.
The budget does provide some funding for technology development of a future replacement mission. #planetsci 🔭🧪
The budget does provide some funding for technology development of a future replacement mission. #planetsci 🔭🧪
My latest: The compromise spending bill is mostly full of good news for NASA science. But there is one off note: Mars Sample Return, as it's been currently devised, has no way forward.
NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission is dead
Congress backs Trump administration’s efforts to kill project that would ferry martian rocks to Earth
www.science.org
January 7, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Mars Sample Return - a planned mission to retrieve the rocks collected by the Perseverance rover and bring them to Earth for lab analysis - has been effectively cancelled by US Congress.
The budget does provide some funding for technology development of a future replacement mission. #planetsci 🔭🧪
The budget does provide some funding for technology development of a future replacement mission. #planetsci 🔭🧪
A news report from @danclery.bsky.social discusses a space telescope concept. It could provide resolved images of a rocky #exoplanet, using the Sun as a gravitational lens. The engineering challenges are daunting, as is the required mission duration, but it's a neat idea. 🔭 #instrumentation
The Sundiver mission will show how thin solar sails could accelerate spacecraft to the Sun’s focus, beyond the Solar System. https://scim.ag/4pUlnmf
Sun’s gravitational lens could reveal alien planets’ surfaces
Bold concept calls for sending telescopes 10 times farther than Pluto
scim.ag
January 5, 2026 at 5:26 PM
A news report from @danclery.bsky.social discusses a space telescope concept. It could provide resolved images of a rocky #exoplanet, using the Sun as a gravitational lens. The engineering challenges are daunting, as is the required mission duration, but it's a neat idea. 🔭 #instrumentation
Reposted by Keith Smith
A new type of telescope designed to accelerate a new sort of astronomy was completed this year on a mountaintop in Chile. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will relentlessly sweep across the heavens.
Learn more about Science's 2025 #BOTY and the runners-up: https://scim.ag/3MGESjx
Learn more about Science's 2025 #BOTY and the runners-up: https://scim.ag/3MGESjx
January 2, 2026 at 11:50 PM
A new type of telescope designed to accelerate a new sort of astronomy was completed this year on a mountaintop in Chile. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will relentlessly sweep across the heavens.
Learn more about Science's 2025 #BOTY and the runners-up: https://scim.ag/3MGESjx
Learn more about Science's 2025 #BOTY and the runners-up: https://scim.ag/3MGESjx
In an accompanying Perspective, Gavin Coleman explains how the method works and discusses how this object might have formed. The most likely origin is a gas giant #exoplanet in a binary star system, which was ejected by gravitational interactions. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Two views of a rogue planet
A collaboration between ground and space observations unveils a rogue planet
www.science.org
January 2, 2026 at 12:56 PM
In an accompanying Perspective, Gavin Coleman explains how the method works and discusses how this object might have formed. The most likely origin is a gas giant #exoplanet in a binary star system, which was ejected by gravitational interactions. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
How can astronomers weigh an isolated planetary-mass object that isn't orbiting a star? Dong et al. observe a free-floating planet microlensing event from ground- and space-based telescopes. The time delay indicates it was caused by a Saturn-mass object. ☄️ #exoplanets
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A free-floating-planet microlensing event caused by a Saturn-mass object
A population of free-floating planets is known from gravitational microlensing surveys. None have a directly measured mass, owing to a degeneracy with the distance, but the population statistics indic...
www.science.org
January 2, 2026 at 12:45 PM
How can astronomers weigh an isolated planetary-mass object that isn't orbiting a star? Dong et al. observe a free-floating planet microlensing event from ground- and space-based telescopes. The time delay indicates it was caused by a Saturn-mass object. ☄️ #exoplanets
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Keith Smith
🔭🕰️⌛ ** Reminder ** ⌛🕰️🔭
The closing date for applications to be the next Editor-in-Chief of MNRAS is Friday week: 9th January 2026. Interested? Visit ras.ac.uk/mnras-eic for more information. @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
The closing date for applications to be the next Editor-in-Chief of MNRAS is Friday week: 9th January 2026. Interested? Visit ras.ac.uk/mnras-eic for more information. @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
Call for applications: Editor-in-Chief, MNRAS
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is seeking to appoint a new Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS) to
provide outst...
ras.ac.uk
December 31, 2025 at 8:35 AM
🔭🕰️⌛ ** Reminder ** ⌛🕰️🔭
The closing date for applications to be the next Editor-in-Chief of MNRAS is Friday week: 9th January 2026. Interested? Visit ras.ac.uk/mnras-eic for more information. @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
The closing date for applications to be the next Editor-in-Chief of MNRAS is Friday week: 9th January 2026. Interested? Visit ras.ac.uk/mnras-eic for more information. @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Keith Smith
Sun’s gravitational lens could reveal alien planets’ surfaces | Science | AAAS @science.org 🔭🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
Sun’s gravitational lens could reveal alien planets’ surfaces
Bold concept calls for sending telescopes 10 times farther than Pluto
www.science.org
December 22, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Sun’s gravitational lens could reveal alien planets’ surfaces | Science | AAAS @science.org 🔭🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Keith Smith
“Is Europa truly dead?” a planetary scientist asked himself after some disheartening results for the moon. “Or should we broaden our perspective on other mechanisms that can sustain life?” (Spoiler: he chose the latter)🌱🦠
Read my last #AGU2025 story (for now!) at @science.org: tinyurl.com/4dd67hhw
Read my last #AGU2025 story (for now!) at @science.org: tinyurl.com/4dd67hhw
Life in Europa’s ocean could feed on rocks’ radioactive decay
After series of bleak findings, theory sparks hope for alternative energy source within Jupiter’s intriguing moon
tinyurl.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:37 AM
“Is Europa truly dead?” a planetary scientist asked himself after some disheartening results for the moon. “Or should we broaden our perspective on other mechanisms that can sustain life?” (Spoiler: he chose the latter)🌱🦠
Read my last #AGU2025 story (for now!) at @science.org: tinyurl.com/4dd67hhw
Read my last #AGU2025 story (for now!) at @science.org: tinyurl.com/4dd67hhw
Interesting. I was not aware of those publications, and apparently nor were Freeman or the referees.
The Observatory article is a reprint of the Pop Ast piece, and says it is an 'abstract' of the AAS talk - but is paper length. Was Pop Ast peer reviewed in those days?
The Observatory article is a reprint of the Pop Ast piece, and says it is an 'abstract' of the AAS talk - but is paper length. Was Pop Ast peer reviewed in those days?
December 21, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Interesting. I was not aware of those publications, and apparently nor were Freeman or the referees.
The Observatory article is a reprint of the Pop Ast piece, and says it is an 'abstract' of the AAS talk - but is paper length. Was Pop Ast peer reviewed in those days?
The Observatory article is a reprint of the Pop Ast piece, and says it is an 'abstract' of the AAS talk - but is paper length. Was Pop Ast peer reviewed in those days?
Reposted by Keith Smith
Breaking news: U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R–KY) has asked Science to divulge a range of confidential information about its scholarly articles and external private communications on that family of viruses.
U.S. senator asks Science to provide its coronavirus manuscripts, emails
Rand Paul has blasted government science officials and scientists over COVID-19’s origin
www.science.org
December 19, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Breaking news: U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R–KY) has asked Science to divulge a range of confidential information about its scholarly articles and external private communications on that family of viruses.
The nearby star Fomalhaut is orbited by a dust belt. Kalas et al. use coronagraphic imaging to identify a transient source at the edge of the belt. They interpret it as a dust cloud, generated by a collision between two planetesimals. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
December 19, 2025 at 6:23 PM
The nearby star Fomalhaut is orbited by a dust belt. Kalas et al. use coronagraphic imaging to identify a transient source at the edge of the belt. They interpret it as a dust cloud, generated by a collision between two planetesimals. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...