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SETI Institute

@setiinstitute.bsky.social

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Our mission is to lead humanity’s quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge.

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

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SETI Institute Merchandise Survey

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 12h

Read the full stories: buff.ly/esT6NfT

SETI Institute In the News 2025: September Roundup

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 12h

From Martian rocks that may hold traces of past life, to fragile asteroids that explode in Earth’s atmosphere, to bold ideas about AI-driven “astronauts,” SETI Institute scientists are at the forefront of discoveries shaping planetary science and humanity’s future in space. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 14h

This citizen science campaign, developed in partnership with the SETI Institute, invites astronomy fans around the world to observe comets over 10 nights in October and November, to record data on C/2025 R2 (SWAN) and other notable objects such as 3I/ATLAS, C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), and C/2025 K1 (ATLAS).

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 14h

PRESS RELEASE: www.seti.org/news/10-nigh...

@unistellar.bsky.social, the company behind the world’s most advanced, user-friendly smart telescopes and the inventor of the ENVISION Smart AR Binoculars, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with “10 Nights Under the Stars.” 🧪 🔭

Unistellar and SETI Institute logos. Background: Photo of comet C/2023 A3. Text: Unistellar marks its 10th anniversary with a call to stargazers: observe 10 comets this autumn in partnership with the SETI Institute.

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 16h

In our latest #SETILive #podcast, @planetarypan.bsky.social learned that the potential biomass for Saturn's moon, Titan, according to @aaffholder.bsky.social, is very small — only a couple of kilograms, if it existed at all. Listen to the full interview: www.seti.org/outreach/set... 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 18h

Next #SETILive: Birth of Planets: Caught!
TODAY, 9 October, 11:00 am PDT

How do planets start? Host Simon Steel (SETI Institute) speaks with Melissa McClure (Leiden University), lead author of a new study that caught the earliest spark of planet formation. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

WATCH LIVE: buff.ly/iKWPqEM

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 20h

Latitude and longitude lines and arrows indicate the names of various features on the surface, which are named after significant paleoanthropological sites and discoveries. The NASA Lucy spacecraft flew past the asteroid on April 20, 2025.

Learn more: www.swri.org/newsroom/pre...

Features on asteroid visited by SwRI-led Lucy spacecraft given official names | Southwest Research Institute

The NASA spacecraft visited the asteroid Donaldjohanson on April 20, 2025

www.swri.org

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 20h

#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).

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Not Just Aliens is the SETI Institute’s weekly series featuring scientists exploring astrobiology, heliophysics, planetary science, and more — expanding the search for life beyond Earth.

Learn more about Franck: www.seti.org/people/franc...

Franck Marchis

Senior Planetary Astronomer

www.seti.org

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

His research includes notable discoveries such as the first triple-asteroid system, the binary Trojan asteroid Patroclus, the direct imaging of a Jupiter-like exoplanet, and major advancements in adaptive optics, as well as citizen science using networks of small telescopes.

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

@allplanets.bsky.social is a senior astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of @unistellar.bsky.social, and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of @skymapper.bsky.social. 🧪 🔭

#PlanetaryScience #SpaceScience #SETI #NotJustAliens

Text: #notjustaliens. Franck Marchis, planetary astronomy. Background: Starry night sky. Inset: Photo of person.

Text: Dr. Franck Marchis is a senior astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Unistellar, and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SkyMapper. Background: Starry night sky with graphics of a star and exoplanets in front of it.

Text: His research includes notable discoveries such as the first triple-asteroid system, the binary Trojan asteroid Patroclus, the direct imaging of a Jupiter-like exoplanet, and major advancements in adaptive optics, as well as citizen science using networks of small telescopes. Background: Starry night sky with graphics of a star and exoplanets.

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Reposted by SETI Institute

SkyMapper @skymapper.bsky.social · 2d

Moments like this don’t happen every day 💫

Our CEO @allplanets.bsky.social met the legendary Jill Tarter - founder of @setiinstitute.bsky.social - as she received the @calacademy.bsky.social Fellows Medal.

And she loved the idea of @skymapper.bsky.social and decentralized astronomy! 🌌

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

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

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

The galaxy's core is unique for its stunning 2,400 light-year-wide circle of infant star clusters, called a "circumnuclear" starburst ring. Starbursts are episodes of vigorous formation of new stars and are found in a variety of galaxy environments.

Learn more: science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble...

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512 in Many Wavelengths - NASA Science

In this view of the center of the magnificent barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512, NASA Hubble Space Telescope's broad spectral vision reveals the galaxy at all wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared.…

science.nasa.gov

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

Located 30 million light-years away, relatively "nearby" as galaxies go, it is bright enough to be seen with amateur telescopes. The galaxy spans 70,000 light-years, nearly as much as our own Milky Way galaxy.

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

The colors (which indicate differences in light intensity) map where newly born star clusters exist in both "dusty" and "clean" regions of the galaxy.

NGC 1512 is a barred spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Horologium.

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 1d

#PPOD: In this view of the center of the magnificent barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's broad spectral vision reveals the galaxy at all wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared. Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Maoz (Tel-Aviv University and Columbia University) 🧪 🔭

The image shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512, located in the constellation Horologium. The galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy, which means its spiral arms do not twist all the way into the center. Instead, they are attached to a straight bar of stars that encloses the nucleus. The galaxy is known for its extended ultraviolet disc and double-ring structure, with a ring around the galactic nucleus and another further out in the main disk.

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Host Dave Schlom of Blue Dot is joined by two guests from the SETI Institute: Simon Steel for an inside look at the Institute's role as a science advisor for the Disney/Pixar film Elio, and Sophia Sheikh for a thought-provoking discussion of the Fermi Paradox. 🧪 👩‍🔬

www.mynspr.org/show/blue-do...

Blue Dot: SETI Institute: it's role in the Disney/Pixar animated film Elio and The Fermi Paradox

Host Dave Schlom is joined by two guests from the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, for a fun and thought-provoking program. Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for…

www.mynspr.org

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

#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... 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Next #SETILive: Space Weather Alert
TODAY, 7 October 2025, 2:30 pm PDT

Heliophysicist Dr. Becca Robinson joins host Simon Steel to explain what coronal holes are, how they form, and what their impacts mean for both our technology and our understanding of the Sun. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

WATCH LIVE: buff.ly/P9Xk2M4

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

WATCH LIVE: www.youtube.com/live/aw0-Jat...

A search for life beyond Earth - How it works, where it stands, why it matters. With Bill Diamond

Abstract:The Search for Life Beyond Earth - How It Works, Where It Stands and Why It Matters, explores the science and technology of humanity’s efforts to un...

www.youtube.com

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Starting in one hour!
7 October @ Noon - 1:30 pm PDT

Bill Diamond, President and CEO of the SETI Institute, will take us inside the search for life beyond Earth, covering not only the founding concepts, current status, and perspectives of the search, but also its organizational aspects. 🧪 🔭

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

We're curious to see if there is a market hungry for merch featuring the SETI Institute brand. Let us know by answering a few simple questions. Thanks!

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

SETI Institute Merchandise Survey

We're curious to see if there is a market hungry for merch featuring the SETI Institute brand. Let us know!

docs.google.com

2 6 13

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Learn more: science.nasa.gov/resource/cur...

Curiosity's 'Postcard' of 'Marker Band Valley' - NASA Science

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas of "Marker Band Valley" at two times of day on April 8. Color was added to a combination of both panoramas…

science.nasa.gov

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SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

Trailing behind Curiosity are rover tracks, and beyond those is "Marker Band Valley," a winding region where the rover discovered unexpected signs of an ancient lake. Further below are two hills – "Bolivar" and “Deepdale” – that Curiosity drove between while exploring "Paraitepuy Pass."

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