Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Judy Schmidt @geckzilla.bsky.social · Aug 13

Worked on this yesterday with my new found free time with the kid starting school.

From HST Proposal 17067,
The diversity of protoplanetary disks: Imaging a complete sample of edge-on disks in four nearby star-forming regions

Principal Investigator: Gaspard Duchene

flic.kr/p/2rnisMm

A serene celestial scene with soft and subtle blue clouds and a scattering of stars. The three brightest stars are nestled within a central hollow of the nebula. Their light gently reflects from the nearby cloud rim, shadowing into a vignette at the periphery. A few of the stars stand out with an orange glow. There is a tiny but noteworthy orange "hamburger" of an accreting star in the left half of the image. Looking closer, one can see the "buns" are actually broad cones of light and the "patty" is the shadow of the accreting disk of dust. The star itself is unseen. This is actually the subject of study for the image.

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · Aug 8

I realize broad science-literacy problems cannot generally be solved just by shoving more facts at people but I really wish more people understood that the entire purpose and mechanism of a vaccine is to educate your OWN immune system, making it about the most "natural" medical intervention possible

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Eos @eos.org · Aug 3

Driving a rover was a dream come true for @tanyaofmars.bsky.social. Story by @BowlerHatScience.org.

buff.ly/IhAhhKr

Read more in our August issue, out now: bit.ly/Eos-Aug2025

Tanya Harrison: Roving on Mars - Eos

This planetary geologist has worked on nearly every Mars rover while connecting government, universities, the private sector, and the public.

eos.org

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Aug 3

Thanks for sharing a bit of my career story! 🧡

Free Łink - Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org · Aug 1

oh hey, need a short break? Read my profile of @tanyaofmars.bsky.social in @eos.org ! eos.org/features/tan...

Tanya Harrison: Roving on Mars - Eos

This planetary geologist has worked on nearly every Mars rover while connecting government, universities, the private sector, and the public.

eos.org

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Dr. Sian Proctor @drsianproctor.bsky.social · Jul 23

I love my SpaceX Inspiration4 spacesuit & can’t believe she’ll be on display in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum next week in the new Futures in Space exhibit. I’ll be there Monday from 11-12 for a Q&A with Space History curator Emily Margolis. Come say hi! 👋🏾👩🏾‍🚀🚀🙏🏽

airandspace.si.edu/whats-on/eve...

In Conversation with Sian Proctor

airandspace.si.edu

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Dr Space Junk (Alice Gorman) @drspacejunk.bsky.social · Jul 20

It's International Moon Day! Since the 1950s, humans have been sending missions to the Moon. This rich archaeological record is under threat from proposed mining and settlement activities.
#InternationalMoonDay 🧪 🏺 #SpaceArchaeology

Who is responsible for heritage in outer space?

A new international agreement raises questions about what counts as cultural property in space, how it should be protected and who should do the protecting

apollo-magazine.com

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Dr. Davey F. Wright ⛏️🦕🧬 @daveyfwright.bsky.social · Jul 18

"i asked grok" "i asked chatgpt" yeah well i asked carl sagan and he said the greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge 🧪

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · Jul 17

Improve your surroundings with #sciart
Latest paintings: artologica.etsy.com

12 different ink and watercolor paintings in various science-related themes

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jul 17

😊

Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jul 17

I never used one when I lived there either for that very reason. 😂 But these days it comes in handy when I have to travel for work carrying around a bag with electronics gear in it. And with the annoyance of wearing glasses in the rain.

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Maggie McNeill @maggiemcneill.bsky.social · Jul 16

"...anyone who actually understands LLMs knows that it can’t achieve new ways of thinking. It’s just putting together words in the most statistically likely way, forming connections that may sound like a well-thought-out argument but are actually not...'intelligence' as humans would define it."

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · Jul 15

Billionaires are convinced AI is on the verge of making new scientific discoveries because they don't understand how AI chatbots work.

Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Is Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

gizmodo.com

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

John Scalzi @scalzi.com · Jul 16

Creative work in general pays far less than people think it does, especially relative to the notability one can have. The correlation between "fame" and "income" is rather shaky, especially the further down you go on the fame power curve. Lots of "world famous" creators are broke as hell.

Mike Wiser @drmikewiser.bsky.social · Jul 16

Even though I *know* authors don't earn as much as it seems like they should, it's always mildly disappointing that even wildly popular authors make less than a lot of the rank and file in many industries that provide less value to actual people.

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jul 16

I got one of these the first time around and can say, being from the rainy Pacific Northwest, it's legit the best umbrella I've ever owned. 10/10 would recommend if you're in the market for an ultra-nerdy umbrella! ❤️

Daniel | ScienceSocks et al. @sciencesocks.bsky.social · Jul 16

Please help me bring back the #DareMightyThings umbrella inspired by the Perseverance rover parachute! 🪂🤖

Sold out, but I really want to reorder them. To do that we need 25 pre-orders! ✨

Pre-order yours here:
sciencesocks.co/prod...

Will you help me? Please like and repost! :)
🔭🧪🐡🎨

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Kevin M. Gill @kevinmgill.bsky.social · Jul 7

A large brown barge, a cyclonic region in the North Hemisphere, on Jupiter as it appeared to Juno on Perijove 18.

flic.kr/p/2iV5zCS

A large and long brown cloud system, sorta resembling Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo.

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jul 3

(I want to spread the word about this to as many folks as possible to get this data into the hands of researchers, so any reposts are greatly appreciated!)

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jul 3

🚨🚨🚨 FREE DATA ALERT! 🚨🚨🚨

If you're a federally funded researcher in the U.S., you can access GHGSat's high-resolution methane emissions data for free through NASA's Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program! 🌎

More info on how to apply here: bit.ly/3I4ldrs

Rendering showing GHGSat satellites orbiting Earth with visualizations of plumes in rainbow colour ramps. The GHGSat and NASA logos are visible with the text "Methane Data via NASA CSDA. Learn more on ghgsat.com".

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Dr Space Junk (Alice Gorman) @drspacejunk.bsky.social · Jun 21

Permanently shadowed craters on Mercury: amazing results!

• Older polar craters host more ice, suggesting steady-state processes drive long-term accumulation.
• Younger radar-bright craters imply recent resurfacing
• Two young, ice-rich craters suggest episodic delivery from comets or asteroids. 🧪

New insights into the origin of ice: chronological implication from 14 permanently shadowed craters on Mercury

The polar regions of Mercury are characterised by areas known as permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), which provide stable thermal conditions for wate…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jun 22

Light pollution, both on the ground and from megaconstellations, is cutting us off from one of the only universal things humanity shares across the globe: Visual access to the night sky. And it has serious biological, scientific, and cultural consequences:

www.cbc.ca/newsinteract...

Under attack: How humanity is losing the night sky

Losing the dark isn’t just about the stars. It has dire consequences for human health as well as the natural world.

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

The Traveler | Galaxy Pixels @ekvitki.bsky.social · Jun 20

Another old 2018-ish piece

#pixelart #art

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jun 19

"To associate Mars exploration with the devastation of American space science...to tie it to the alienation of our allies and partners, is to doom the effort to failure. Mars deserves better." - @caseydreier.bsky.social

Humans deserve better too.

spacenews.com/the-administ...

The administration’s anti-consensus Mars plan will fail

spacenews.com

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Nigel J.Hetherington @pastpreservers.bsky.social · Jun 16

🌟🇪🇬 WITNESS HISTORY! Join Dr. Alfredo Carpineti on an 8-day Egypt expedition (July 29 - Aug 5, 2027) for the LONGEST solar eclipse of the century! ☀️🌑 Over 6 mins of totality near Luxor's ancient wonders! ✨
Do not miss it!
pastpreservers.com/witness-hist... #ancientEgypt @drcarpineti.bsky.social

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Dr. Sierra Ferguson @saturnsierra.bsky.social · Jun 13

I was a NASA Space Grant Student in my junior year of undergrad, it was through this program that I really started to see what a career in planetary science could look like and where I could fit within it.

Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jun 12

Under the proposed White House budget, the NASA Space Grant program would be eliminated.

I was a NASA Space Grant recipient during my Masters—it funded my research on water on Mars.

I then went on to work in science & mission ops on multiple NASA Mars missions immediately after graduation. (1/2)

Tanya holding Opportunity rover "sol sheets" in front of the sign for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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Reposted by Dr. Tanya Harrison

Dr. Caitlin Ahrens @ahrensscience.bsky.social · Jun 13

I was a NASA Space Grant recipient for earth sciences (seismology!) and rocket payload systems during my junior year because I wanted to explore more of space.

Opportunities like this MATTER.

Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jun 12

Under the proposed White House budget, the NASA Space Grant program would be eliminated.

I was a NASA Space Grant recipient during my Masters—it funded my research on water on Mars.

I then went on to work in science & mission ops on multiple NASA Mars missions immediately after graduation. (1/2)

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jun 13

I have never been so proud to be a UW Astro alumna. 😂

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Dr. Tanya Harrison @tanyaofmars.bsky.social · Jun 13

At a Star Trek convention ages ago, I was standing at the front of a line to get past a curtain into an event. Mark Alaimo (Gul Dukat) popped his head out of the curtain, looked at me, and asked if I could grab him a coffee if he gave me $5. I absolutely said yes and acquired said coffee.

R.L. Stine Cold Steve Austin @bolt451.bsky.social · Jun 13

Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie

Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction

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