Ward Howard
@wardhoward.bsky.social
Husband to Kate, father, follower of Jesus. NASA Sagan Fellow at CU Boulder in the department of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences working on stellar flares, exoplanets, and extragalactic foregrounds.
Website: https://www.wardshowardastronomer.com
Website: https://www.wardshowardastronomer.com
Pinned
Ward Howard
@wardhoward.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Preparing for the Early eVolution Explorer: Characterizing the photochemical inputs and transit detection efficiencies of young planets using multiwavelength flare observations by TESS and Swift
Ultraviolet flare emission can drive photochemistry in exoplanet atmospheres and even serve as the primary source of uncertainty in atmospheric retrievals. Additionally, flare energy budgets are not w...
arxiv.org
🔭🧪 1/n Our flare science paper on the Early eVolution Explorer (EVE) is accepted and on the arXiv:
arxiv.org/abs/2411.08092
EVE is a NASA astrophysics Small Explorer concept led by PI
@mmacgreg.bsky.social, being proposed by JPL to explore how young stars drive their planets' early evolution.
arxiv.org/abs/2411.08092
EVE is a NASA astrophysics Small Explorer concept led by PI
@mmacgreg.bsky.social, being proposed by JPL to explore how young stars drive their planets' early evolution.
Voyager needs to avoid Vidiian space?
Problematic phage gap.
Problematic phage gap.
Forgot exactly where in the book you found the details you’ve cited?
Problematic page gap.
Problematic page gap.
Your Thanksgiving stuffing is bland? Problematic sage gap.
November 20, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Voyager needs to avoid Vidiian space?
Problematic phage gap.
Problematic phage gap.
Reposted by Ward Howard
✨ Exoplanet Atmospheres 2026 registration & abstract submission are officially open! Join us in Denver (16-20 March 2026) for an unforgettable AAS Topical Conference Series!
👉 Abstracts due 19 December: aas.org/meetings/exo...
👉 Early registration ends 13 January:
aas.org/meetings/exo...
👉 Abstracts due 19 December: aas.org/meetings/exo...
👉 Early registration ends 13 January:
aas.org/meetings/exo...
November 19, 2025 at 4:29 PM
✨ Exoplanet Atmospheres 2026 registration & abstract submission are officially open! Join us in Denver (16-20 March 2026) for an unforgettable AAS Topical Conference Series!
👉 Abstracts due 19 December: aas.org/meetings/exo...
👉 Early registration ends 13 January:
aas.org/meetings/exo...
👉 Abstracts due 19 December: aas.org/meetings/exo...
👉 Early registration ends 13 January:
aas.org/meetings/exo...
Reposted by Ward Howard
Nature published a research highlight on our RZ PSc exocomet paper: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
A host of ‘exocomets’ swarms a distant star
Dimming of the starlight from RZ Piscium reveals that 24 unseen bodies are whizzing around the star.
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Nature published a research highlight on our RZ PSc exocomet paper: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
An attempt to stitch together my images of the aurorae above Longs Peak last night to show their dynamic and changing nature. Images are spaced about 10 seconds apart 🔭🧪
November 12, 2025 at 8:56 PM
An attempt to stitch together my images of the aurorae above Longs Peak last night to show their dynamic and changing nature. Images are spaced about 10 seconds apart 🔭🧪
So uh, the sky above Boulder got better. A lot better, including some beautiful columnar structure 🧪🔭
November 12, 2025 at 5:34 AM
So uh, the sky above Boulder got better. A lot better, including some beautiful columnar structure 🧪🔭
Just took these of the sky above Boulder right now. Longs Peak in the foreground🧪🔭
November 12, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Just took these of the sky above Boulder right now. Longs Peak in the foreground🧪🔭
Reposted by Ward Howard
I recommend this article by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @leebillings.bsky.social for folks who are looking for *factual* information about why 3I/ATLAS is of interest to planetary astronomers: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
The Race to Study an Interstellar Comet from Deep Space
Astronomers are hustling to use interplanetary spacecraft to study the interstellar comet dubbed 3I/ATLAS while the sun is hiding it from Earth
www.scientificamerican.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I recommend this article by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @leebillings.bsky.social for folks who are looking for *factual* information about why 3I/ATLAS is of interest to planetary astronomers: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
And it's a wrap: one PI and six co-I proposals submitted (and then a nice Boulder autumn run!) #JWSTCycle5
October 16, 2025 at 4:17 AM
And it's a wrap: one PI and six co-I proposals submitted (and then a nice Boulder autumn run!) #JWSTCycle5
Reposted by Ward Howard
Gibson et al. “TESS Discovers a Second System of Transiting Exocomets in the Extreme
Debris Disk of RZ Psc” showing 24 exocomet transits and the existence of a broken power law for the sizes of these exocomets, unlike Beta Pic’s exocomet distribution #exoplanet #astrodon #astrosci
Debris Disk of RZ Psc” showing 24 exocomet transits and the existence of a broken power law for the sizes of these exocomets, unlike Beta Pic’s exocomet distribution #exoplanet #astrodon #astrosci
October 14, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Gibson et al. “TESS Discovers a Second System of Transiting Exocomets in the Extreme
Debris Disk of RZ Psc” showing 24 exocomet transits and the existence of a broken power law for the sizes of these exocomets, unlike Beta Pic’s exocomet distribution #exoplanet #astrodon #astrosci
Debris Disk of RZ Psc” showing 24 exocomet transits and the existence of a broken power law for the sizes of these exocomets, unlike Beta Pic’s exocomet distribution #exoplanet #astrodon #astrosci
Reposted by Ward Howard
The GRFP announcement from NSF cuts out an entire cohort of 2nd year students from consideration, without warning. This is so deeply unfair that it warrants a formal protest from the scientific community. If someone wants to work with me to craft an open letter and solicit signatures, LMK.
New: After a long wait, the GRFP solicitation is live! Deadlines have been extended to early November, so applicants have a bit over a month to submit. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
September 26, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The GRFP announcement from NSF cuts out an entire cohort of 2nd year students from consideration, without warning. This is so deeply unfair that it warrants a formal protest from the scientific community. If someone wants to work with me to craft an open letter and solicit signatures, LMK.
Great breakdown of the new T1e results:
We observed the habitable zone planet TRAPPIST-1e with JWST to search for an atmosphere.
You've seen the headlines, now let's dive into the science! 🧪
THREAD (1/N)
#Exoplanets 🔭
You've seen the headlines, now let's dive into the science! 🧪
THREAD (1/N)
#Exoplanets 🔭
A rocky planet in its star’s ‘habitable zone’ could be the first known to have an atmosphere – here’s what we found
The largest telescope in space has been trained on a rocky exoplanet.
theconversation.com
September 9, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Great breakdown of the new T1e results:
Reposted by Ward Howard
Paper #1 led by @jhuartssciences.bsky.social graduate student Jay Chittidi here: arxiv.org/abs/2509.02825
High Resolution ALMA Data of the Fomalhaut Debris Disk Confirms Apsidal Width Variation
We present long-baseline observations of the Fomalhaut outer debris disk at 223 GHz (1.3 mm) from ALMA Cycle 5, which we use along with archival short-baseline observations to produce a 0".57 resoluti...
arxiv.org
September 4, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Paper #1 led by @jhuartssciences.bsky.social graduate student Jay Chittidi here: arxiv.org/abs/2509.02825
Reposted by Ward Howard
New HLSP: OWLS, a long-term spectroscopic stellar activity monitoring program with the ARC 3.5 m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory led by @brettmorr.is . OWLS produces time series Ca II H & K emission measurements to probe activity levels + search for activity cycles. archive.stsci.edu/hlsp/owls
August 20, 2025 at 3:47 PM
New HLSP: OWLS, a long-term spectroscopic stellar activity monitoring program with the ARC 3.5 m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory led by @brettmorr.is . OWLS produces time series Ca II H & K emission measurements to probe activity levels + search for activity cycles. archive.stsci.edu/hlsp/owls
Reposted by Ward Howard
Neat! @flarelord.bsky.social used ground-based photometry to measure the flare temperature on an M7 dwarf.
How do you measure temperature without spectroscopy? Trick question! You use the Earth's atmosphere as a prism and watch the star appear to jump across the sky. 🔭🧪
arxiv.org/abs/2507.19584
How do you measure temperature without spectroscopy? Trick question! You use the Earth's atmosphere as a prism and watch the star appear to jump across the sky. 🔭🧪
arxiv.org/abs/2507.19584
July 29, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Neat! @flarelord.bsky.social used ground-based photometry to measure the flare temperature on an M7 dwarf.
How do you measure temperature without spectroscopy? Trick question! You use the Earth's atmosphere as a prism and watch the star appear to jump across the sky. 🔭🧪
arxiv.org/abs/2507.19584
How do you measure temperature without spectroscopy? Trick question! You use the Earth's atmosphere as a prism and watch the star appear to jump across the sky. 🔭🧪
arxiv.org/abs/2507.19584
Reposted by Ward Howard
summer project presentations from Ryan and @adalyngibson.bsky.social at the @michiganstateu.bsky.social MidSURE conference today!
July 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM
summer project presentations from Ryan and @adalyngibson.bsky.social at the @michiganstateu.bsky.social MidSURE conference today!
Reposted by Ward Howard
Sixty-four House members have signed a letter to NASA's acting administrator, Sean Duffy, asking him to "ensure no actions are taken at NASA to implement the proposed funding cuts" to science in the FY26 proposal until Congress passes a spending bill. foushee.house.gov/imo/media/do...
foushee.house.gov
July 18, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Sixty-four House members have signed a letter to NASA's acting administrator, Sean Duffy, asking him to "ensure no actions are taken at NASA to implement the proposed funding cuts" to science in the FY26 proposal until Congress passes a spending bill. foushee.house.gov/imo/media/do...
Reposted by Ward Howard
It has coma. No large telescope has seen anything but coma. Paper after paper on the arXiv with this
July 17, 2025 at 3:01 AM
It has coma. No large telescope has seen anything but coma. Paper after paper on the arXiv with this
Is the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS alien technology? No, but it is an exciting addition to the population of exocomets that come to us, enabling a better understanding of these objects usually observed from afar. We should focus our efforts on what these objects really are, not what they aren't.
July 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Is the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS alien technology? No, but it is an exciting addition to the population of exocomets that come to us, enabling a better understanding of these objects usually observed from afar. We should focus our efforts on what these objects really are, not what they aren't.
Reposted by Ward Howard
Here once again for all your exoplanet host star emission spectrum needs.
HLSP Update: Mega-MUSCLES' SEDs for a dozen of stars are now updated with DEM models for the Extreme Ultraviolet and provide model uncertainties. More details in Wilson et al. 2025:https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.07394 or ask @astrodave2.bsky.social. HLSP page: archive.stsci.edu/hlsp/muscles 🔭
July 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Here once again for all your exoplanet host star emission spectrum needs.
Enjoyed the “Let Freedom Run” 10k in Louisville, CO this morning! Too hot for PRs, but lots of fun.
July 4, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Enjoyed the “Let Freedom Run” 10k in Louisville, CO this morning! Too hot for PRs, but lots of fun.
STScI just sent out approvals for NHFP budgets. I hope this means the likelihood of continued funding for STScI guest observer programs on JWST and HST just went up.
July 2, 2025 at 4:18 PM
STScI just sent out approvals for NHFP budgets. I hope this means the likelihood of continued funding for STScI guest observer programs on JWST and HST just went up.
🧪🔭 1/ AU Mic is the very best early M-dwarf. It's got everything: it's bright, nearby, has strongly-observable planets, a debris disk, spots, and flares. Since the system is basically Disneyland for astronomers, I propose renaming it AU Micky, "Oh boy!"
June 27, 2025 at 12:54 PM
🧪🔭 1/ AU Mic is the very best early M-dwarf. It's got everything: it's bright, nearby, has strongly-observable planets, a debris disk, spots, and flares. Since the system is basically Disneyland for astronomers, I propose renaming it AU Micky, "Oh boy!"
Reposted by Ward Howard
Astronomy research just received a major endorsement 🔭 www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/...
Pope Leo: James Webb telescope shows us what the Bible couldn’t
New Pope tells summer-schoolers at the Vatican Observatory that the telescope’s insight into creation brings ‘mysterious joy’
www.thetimes.com
June 18, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Astronomy research just received a major endorsement 🔭 www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/...
Reposted by Ward Howard
....meanwhile, in Chile....the 39-meter (128-feet) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) project is humming along. Note the white pickup truck in the upper left, for scale. Amazing.
June 13, 2025 at 10:52 PM
....meanwhile, in Chile....the 39-meter (128-feet) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) project is humming along. Note the white pickup truck in the upper left, for scale. Amazing.