Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
@ahrensscience.bsky.social
Planetary scientist, lunar exploration and sustainability policy. Lunar architecture nerd! UMD-CRESST-II Asst. Research Scientist at NASA GSFC. Science Outreach! Ten Outstanding Young Americans 2018. WVU alum. Views are my own.
Pinned
Goal for #AcWriMo week 3:
*continue review comments on Paper 1 (nearly finished!!!)
*Discussion section Paper 2 (maybe???)
*continue review comments on Paper 1 (nearly finished!!!)
*Discussion section Paper 2 (maybe???)
Oooof. Got behind on that discussion section. These reviewer comments are taking up my brain waves 🧠
Goal for #AcWriMo week 4:
*Paper 1 reviewer comments are DONE ✅
*Discussion section Paper 2 still ongoing! 😮💨
*Paper 1 reviewer comments are DONE ✅
*Discussion section Paper 2 still ongoing! 😮💨
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
This is a great video from @tomvanderlinden.bsky.social on why films often don't feel as real any more and the (haptic) elements that trick your body into thinking you are actually there. It explains why I move in my seat so much during the test run scene in Top Gun: Maverick #films #science 🧪
Why don't movies feel "real" anymore? My deep dive into the first principles of cinematic immersion is out now on YouTube: youtu.be/tvwPKBXEOKE
November 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
This is a great video from @tomvanderlinden.bsky.social on why films often don't feel as real any more and the (haptic) elements that trick your body into thinking you are actually there. It explains why I move in my seat so much during the test run scene in Top Gun: Maverick #films #science 🧪
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
A giant impact between proto-Earth and a planet called Theia produced the Moon. Hopp et al. use isotopic measurements of lunar samples and cosmochemical modelling to show that Theia formed in the inner Solar System, probably closer to the Sun than Earth. ☄️ #planetsci
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The Moon-forming impactor Theia originated from the inner Solar System
The Moon formed from a giant impact of a planetary body, called Theia, with proto-Earth. It is unknown whether Theia formed in the inner or outer Solar System. We measured iron isotopes in lunar sampl...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 8:52 PM
A giant impact between proto-Earth and a planet called Theia produced the Moon. Hopp et al. use isotopic measurements of lunar samples and cosmochemical modelling to show that Theia formed in the inner Solar System, probably closer to the Sun than Earth. ☄️ #planetsci
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Come and hear from Dr Fabio Silva and Professor Clive Ruggles as they take their audience on a journey into the world of archaeoastronomy.
📅 27 Nov
⏰ 5-6pm
📍 Burlington House, London
🎟️ www.sal.org.uk/event/ras-le...
📅 27 Nov
⏰ 5-6pm
📍 Burlington House, London
🎟️ www.sal.org.uk/event/ras-le...
Robust Methodologies in Skyscape Archaeology: Case Studies from Malta and Peru - Society of Antiquaries of London
Evening lecture organised jointly with the Royal Astronomical Society. Learn about the thirteen towers of Chankillo which form part of a monumental complex built in the Peruvian coastal desert in the…
www.sal.org.uk
November 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Come and hear from Dr Fabio Silva and Professor Clive Ruggles as they take their audience on a journey into the world of archaeoastronomy.
📅 27 Nov
⏰ 5-6pm
📍 Burlington House, London
🎟️ www.sal.org.uk/event/ras-le...
📅 27 Nov
⏰ 5-6pm
📍 Burlington House, London
🎟️ www.sal.org.uk/event/ras-le...
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Hong Kong University plans to launch the "Moon Flash" lunar orbiter ~2028 to detect lunar impact flashes, being the brief optical flashes produced when micrometeoroids impact the Moon’s surface. Mission would be in collaboration with the mainland. content-static.cctvnews.cctv.com/snow-book/in...
November 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Hong Kong University plans to launch the "Moon Flash" lunar orbiter ~2028 to detect lunar impact flashes, being the brief optical flashes produced when micrometeoroids impact the Moon’s surface. Mission would be in collaboration with the mainland. content-static.cctvnews.cctv.com/snow-book/in...
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
We are hiring a new Assistant Professor in Astrophysics at Trinity College Dublin!! ☘
Job ad here: aas.org/jobregister/...
Deadline: Jan 02 2026
Please share widely! 🪐🔭
Job ad here: aas.org/jobregister/...
Deadline: Jan 02 2026
Please share widely! 🪐🔭
Assistant Professor in Astrophysics | American Astronomical Society
The School of Physics at Trinity College Dublin invites applications for a position at the level of Assistant Professor in the field of observational or theoretical astrophysics. We seek motivated ind...
aas.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
We are hiring a new Assistant Professor in Astrophysics at Trinity College Dublin!! ☘
Job ad here: aas.org/jobregister/...
Deadline: Jan 02 2026
Please share widely! 🪐🔭
Job ad here: aas.org/jobregister/...
Deadline: Jan 02 2026
Please share widely! 🪐🔭
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Hydrogen is often touted as a ‘green’ fuel — but a new analysis indicates that the benefits vary considerably from sector to sector
go.nature.com/4rnsgh6
go.nature.com/4rnsgh6
Hydrogen fuel isn’t always the green choice
Using hydrogen to power road transportation and heat homes doesn’t save more carbon emissions than direct electrification.
go.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Hydrogen is often touted as a ‘green’ fuel — but a new analysis indicates that the benefits vary considerably from sector to sector
go.nature.com/4rnsgh6
go.nature.com/4rnsgh6
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Looking for a fully-funded three year PhD, starting in April 2026?
The University of Portsmouth and The Mary Rose Trust are looking for PHD students to undertake correlative multimodal materials analysis of the Mary Rose hull! #PHDOpportunities
Interested? - maryrose.org/about-the-tr...
The University of Portsmouth and The Mary Rose Trust are looking for PHD students to undertake correlative multimodal materials analysis of the Mary Rose hull! #PHDOpportunities
Interested? - maryrose.org/about-the-tr...
Jobs and volunteering - Mary Rose
Jobs, academic placements and volunteering opportunities at the Mary Rose Trust.
maryrose.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Looking for a fully-funded three year PhD, starting in April 2026?
The University of Portsmouth and The Mary Rose Trust are looking for PHD students to undertake correlative multimodal materials analysis of the Mary Rose hull! #PHDOpportunities
Interested? - maryrose.org/about-the-tr...
The University of Portsmouth and The Mary Rose Trust are looking for PHD students to undertake correlative multimodal materials analysis of the Mary Rose hull! #PHDOpportunities
Interested? - maryrose.org/about-the-tr...
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
At @astro4edu.bsky.social we had an astrophotography contest with a category of smartphone pictures some years back. Really good entries. astro4edu.org/news/fc412AS/
Winners of the Third IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest Announced
39 New Free Images and Videos Released to the Community
astro4edu.org
November 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM
At @astro4edu.bsky.social we had an astrophotography contest with a category of smartphone pictures some years back. Really good entries. astro4edu.org/news/fc412AS/
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Barnard 10 - a dark nebula in the Taurus constellation. This is a LRGB image with around 20 hours integration time. #astrophotography #astronomy #space #nebula
November 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Barnard 10 - a dark nebula in the Taurus constellation. This is a LRGB image with around 20 hours integration time. #astrophotography #astronomy #space #nebula
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Formations in Context (or, what is it?) - From NASA Marshall Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/HPgZx3
November 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Formations in Context (or, what is it?) - From NASA Marshall Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/HPgZx3
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Geologic Core Sample
xkcd.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Goal for #AcWriMo week 4:
*Paper 1 reviewer comments are DONE ✅
*Discussion section Paper 2 still ongoing! 😮💨
*Paper 1 reviewer comments are DONE ✅
*Discussion section Paper 2 still ongoing! 😮💨
Goal for #AcWriMo week 3:
*continue review comments on Paper 1 (nearly finished!!!)
*Discussion section Paper 2 (maybe???)
*continue review comments on Paper 1 (nearly finished!!!)
*Discussion section Paper 2 (maybe???)
Oooof. Got behind on that discussion section. These reviewer comments are taking up my brain waves 🧠
November 23, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Goal for #AcWriMo week 4:
*Paper 1 reviewer comments are DONE ✅
*Discussion section Paper 2 still ongoing! 😮💨
*Paper 1 reviewer comments are DONE ✅
*Discussion section Paper 2 still ongoing! 😮💨
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
A very close view of the craters that cover the surface of Saturn’s icy moon Rhea. NASA’s Cassini mission made this flyby in January 2011, passing within 76 kilometers (47 miles) at a speed of 8 km/sec (18,000 mph). This image had a resolution up to 22.6 meters per pixel towards the closer terrain.
November 23, 2025 at 1:31 AM
A very close view of the craters that cover the surface of Saturn’s icy moon Rhea. NASA’s Cassini mission made this flyby in January 2011, passing within 76 kilometers (47 miles) at a speed of 8 km/sec (18,000 mph). This image had a resolution up to 22.6 meters per pixel towards the closer terrain.
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Lovely article by Nicky Jenner in the latest issue of Astronomy Now all about 80 years of @jodrellbank.bsky.social.
Other great pieces about the latest interstellar visitor & planets beyond Neptune too.
@proftimob.bsky.social
@teresa-anderson.bsky.social
#JodrellBank
Other great pieces about the latest interstellar visitor & planets beyond Neptune too.
@proftimob.bsky.social
@teresa-anderson.bsky.social
#JodrellBank
November 23, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Lovely article by Nicky Jenner in the latest issue of Astronomy Now all about 80 years of @jodrellbank.bsky.social.
Other great pieces about the latest interstellar visitor & planets beyond Neptune too.
@proftimob.bsky.social
@teresa-anderson.bsky.social
#JodrellBank
Other great pieces about the latest interstellar visitor & planets beyond Neptune too.
@proftimob.bsky.social
@teresa-anderson.bsky.social
#JodrellBank
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
🎉🥳
'Challenging the standard cosmological mode' in Philosophical Transactions A is now one of @royalsocietypublishing.org's most highly cited and widely read issues. 👏
It was edited by 2025 @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Gold Medal winner James Binney, Roya Mohayee, John Peacock and Subir Sarkar.
⤵️
'Challenging the standard cosmological mode' in Philosophical Transactions A is now one of @royalsocietypublishing.org's most highly cited and widely read issues. 👏
It was edited by 2025 @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Gold Medal winner James Binney, Roya Mohayee, John Peacock and Subir Sarkar.
⤵️
November 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
🎉🥳
'Challenging the standard cosmological mode' in Philosophical Transactions A is now one of @royalsocietypublishing.org's most highly cited and widely read issues. 👏
It was edited by 2025 @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Gold Medal winner James Binney, Roya Mohayee, John Peacock and Subir Sarkar.
⤵️
'Challenging the standard cosmological mode' in Philosophical Transactions A is now one of @royalsocietypublishing.org's most highly cited and widely read issues. 👏
It was edited by 2025 @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Gold Medal winner James Binney, Roya Mohayee, John Peacock and Subir Sarkar.
⤵️
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Excellent informative thread from Andy🔭 🧪
OK, so. Below a certain size, the atmosphere takes care of the problem--objects below 10 meters in size, say, are going to give a great showy fireball but not do any damage on the ground unless you're really personally unlucky, like the teenager who owned this car.
meteoritecar.com
meteoritecar.com
The Peekskill Meteorite Car Official Website
The official website of the Peekskill Meteorite Car, the most famous object to ever be struck by a meteorite.
meteoritecar.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Excellent informative thread from Andy🔭 🧪
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Open position: Scientific Editor for The Planetary Science Journal
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Scientific Editor for The Planetary Science Journal | American Astronomical Society
Established in 2020, the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Planetary Science Journal (PSJ) has grown to one of the most impactful journals focused on planetary science in the world. To continue th...
aas.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Open position: Scientific Editor for The Planetary Science Journal
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Note that this is a paid position via a stipend.
As a current PSJ editor, I’d be happy to answer questions.
aas.org/jobregister/...
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
MIND BLOWN. Ugh I love thinking about geologic time. I literally switched my major at the last minute in college because of it. Such an odd duck I am, looking always for other odd ducks in the universe, and so happy when I find them.
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
November 22, 2025 at 1:03 AM
MIND BLOWN. Ugh I love thinking about geologic time. I literally switched my major at the last minute in college because of it. Such an odd duck I am, looking always for other odd ducks in the universe, and so happy when I find them.
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
For nine months in 2022, moss lived in space.
Moss survived in space for nine months, study finds
The moss was attached to the International Space Station, fully exposed to the harsh environment of the cosmos. Not only did the spores endure, they could still reproduce after returning to Earth.
nbcnews.to
November 20, 2025 at 11:40 PM
For nine months in 2022, moss lived in space.
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
The impact of such a mission could be enormous for Europe & beyond.
The mission would boost European competences in many scientific & technological fields, including in-orbit assembly, operating in extreme environments, landing technologies, and novel scientific instrumentation.
4/ #CM25 🔭
The mission would boost European competences in many scientific & technological fields, including in-orbit assembly, operating in extreme environments, landing technologies, and novel scientific instrumentation.
4/ #CM25 🔭
November 21, 2025 at 1:11 PM
The impact of such a mission could be enormous for Europe & beyond.
The mission would boost European competences in many scientific & technological fields, including in-orbit assembly, operating in extreme environments, landing technologies, and novel scientific instrumentation.
4/ #CM25 🔭
The mission would boost European competences in many scientific & technological fields, including in-orbit assembly, operating in extreme environments, landing technologies, and novel scientific instrumentation.
4/ #CM25 🔭
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Fantastic deëxtinction fiction vs #DeExtinction facts 🧪🐺🦤🦣
The wonderful people at the NZ Science Learning Hub have turned my talk on MythBusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction into a freely available educational resource. You can check it out here www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/my...
Mythbusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction
De-extinction hit the headlines recently with the ‘resurrection’ of the dire wolf and the push to bring back the moa. However, can scientists really bring back extinct animals? And more importantly, s...
www.sciencelearn.org.nz
November 18, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Fantastic deëxtinction fiction vs #DeExtinction facts 🧪🐺🦤🦣
We at the #AGU conference need to be careful yet become a safe haven for scientists
New Orleans, the laid-back city known as the Big Easy, where lavish parades, bead-throwing debauchery and Creole cuisine attract tourists from around the globe, is about to become the next staging ground for the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. https://to.pbs.org/4oZRBfu
Multicultural New Orleans is the next battleground in Trump's immigration crackdown
New Orleans, the laid-back city known as the Big Easy and the birthplace of jazz, is about to become the next staging ground for the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.
www.pbs.org
November 21, 2025 at 12:50 AM
We at the #AGU conference need to be careful yet become a safe haven for scientists
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Great
@astrobites.bsky.social article by @skylargrayson.bsky.social
on OSU astronomy PhD student Sebastian Lopez's paper showing how PAHs (polycyclic aromatric hydrocarbons) follow cold gas in the outflows of M82, with a great classic rock-inspired title! 🔭 astrobites.org/2025/11/20/m...
@astrobites.bsky.social article by @skylargrayson.bsky.social
on OSU astronomy PhD student Sebastian Lopez's paper showing how PAHs (polycyclic aromatric hydrocarbons) follow cold gas in the outflows of M82, with a great classic rock-inspired title! 🔭 astrobites.org/2025/11/20/m...
Dust in the Wind: A New Tool for Understanding Galactic Outflows
The galaxy M82 is host to an extended multiphase wind driven by star formation. Today's paper attempts to use JWST observations of dust in the wind to understand the structure of its cooler gas.
astrobites.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Great
@astrobites.bsky.social article by @skylargrayson.bsky.social
on OSU astronomy PhD student Sebastian Lopez's paper showing how PAHs (polycyclic aromatric hydrocarbons) follow cold gas in the outflows of M82, with a great classic rock-inspired title! 🔭 astrobites.org/2025/11/20/m...
@astrobites.bsky.social article by @skylargrayson.bsky.social
on OSU astronomy PhD student Sebastian Lopez's paper showing how PAHs (polycyclic aromatric hydrocarbons) follow cold gas in the outflows of M82, with a great classic rock-inspired title! 🔭 astrobites.org/2025/11/20/m...
Reposted by Dr. Caitlin Ahrens
Interesting and useful press conf today by ESA and its industry partners building the Argonaut lunar lander. 1500 kg to the lunar surface. Launched by Ariane 6. Targeting 2030 for 1st mission but needs approval by Ministerial mtg next wk. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
ESA’s Argonaut press conference
www.esa.int
November 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Interesting and useful press conf today by ESA and its industry partners building the Argonaut lunar lander. 1500 kg to the lunar surface. Launched by Ariane 6. Targeting 2030 for 1st mission but needs approval by Ministerial mtg next wk. www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...