Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 1d

Some stuff I did for the first 3 days of @morgandenman.bsky.social's #SpacetoberChallenge! Been too busy with college so I can't do these on time blehhhh

(I'll post these individually later)

#SpacetoberChallenge Day 2: Planet (Uranus & Cordelia)

#SpacetoberChallenge Day 3: Space Weather (Black Widow Pulsar)

4 16

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 6d

(update)
This teeny meter-wide asteroid C15KM95 was officially announced with the new name "2025 TF" today! minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25...

(and a neat photo of the asteroid by @filipp-romanov.bsky.social over at: bsky.app/profile/fili...)

Now to wait an hour until this gets on Wikipedia...

2 1 14

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 6d

nyoooom

Tony Dunn @tony873004.bsky.social · 6d

An #asteroid passed just 300 km above Antarctica earlier today. It was not discovered until hours after close approach.

1 13

Reposted by astrafoxen

Melina Thévenot🏳️‍⚧️ @melina-iras07572.bsky.social · 7d

Dwarf Planet #Quaoar and its moon #Weywot with #Hubble WFC3/UVIS filter F350LP. Quaoar is located in the Kuiper Belt (beyond planet Neptune).

I combined different epochs and oriented them with north being up. I removed stars. The moon changed position during its orbit around the #DwarfPlanet.

A moderate bright point-source in the middle and smaller sources around them, labeled with dates.

1 2 21

Reposted by astrafoxen

Daniel Machacek @danielmachacek.bsky.social · 7d

My new color photographic map of Pluto is now online.

Full resolution image version (~322Mpix) is available on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/10958...
PDF version (~73MB) is available here: drive.google.com/file/d/1EW-x...

🧵 1/5

Small preview of color photographic map of Pluto in Mollweide oblique projection. It contains one large global map with four small hemispheric maps and basic description. Full version of this map is available for download in links in the main post.
Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI/Marc W. Buie/ESA/Daniel Machacek.

5 61 280

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 10d

More attention, views, & clicks = more ego and money (ad revenue i guess?)

I only look for astro news from places that I know are reliable (phys.org, arxiv, anton petrov, space.com, etc.), so idk what weird stuff ppl are saying elsewhere. From experience, reddit and tiktok are absolute garbage lmao

2 2

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 10d

ooooo hypeeee!!

Morgan Denman | Space-Focused Designer & Illustrator @morgandenman.bsky.social · 14d

It’s almost time for the 2025 edition of the #SpacetoberChallenge! I haven’t created an account for the challenge here on this app yet, but please still share your art here with the hashtag. I would love to see all your cosmic creations! 🧡

#SciArt #SpaceArt

Graphic showing the Spacetober challenge prompt list for 2025. The background is an orange gradient with a black box on top, with the number of each day and the corresponding prompt for each in white text on top. 1: Launch, 2: Planet(s), 3: Space Weather, 4: Moon, 5: Voyager, 6: Constellation, 7: Space Agency, 8: Propulsion, 9: Nebula, 10: Artemis II, 11: Asteroid, 12: Eclipse, 13: Near or Deep Space Network, 14: Spacecraft, 15: Black Hole, 16: Parachute, 17: Historic Person(s), 18: Mars/Mars Mission, 19: Crew Capsule, 20: Telescope, 21: Star, 22: Lunar Landing, 23: Space Station, 24: Jet/Plane, 25: Historic Mission(s), 26: Earth, 27: Habitat, 28: Astronaut/Cosmonaut, 29: Orbit, 30: Galaxy, 31: Future

4

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 10d

yeah... genuinely sad that there's actual fearmongering. Personally I find 3I/ATLAS super fricking awesome!

(tho not as weird as the nitrogen & carbon monoxide-rich blue comet C/2016 R2 and the explodey comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann... I've been hyperfixating on these two and THEYRE SO WEIRDDD)

1 1

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 10d

As one of the people (who had been) actively updating the 3I/ATLAS Wikipedia article, thanks! :D

1 4

Reposted by astrafoxen

Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 27d

Mike Kelley describes spectra of the icy surface of comet Hale-Bopp, taken at a distance of 46 AU (!!) with JWST 🔭 : similar to Water-type TNOs but with organic features

1 4 31

Reposted by astrafoxen

Caz @timberwind.bsky.social · Jul 16

3 43 140

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 27d

heck yeah Makemake getting that makeover from JWST!
So now we have evidence of geochemical activity, a cryovolcanic hotspot, and a potential atmosphere.

I swear if Makemake turns out to also have rings or a second moon, it's gonna become my 4th favorite dwarf planet

Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 28d

Silvia Protopapa talks about first JWST methane gas detection on dwarf planet Makemake. Third large KBO body with volatile release (Pluto and Triton - it's a captured dwarf planet orbiting Neptune are the other two). This is either an expanding coma or a bound atmosphere! Wow! #EPSCDPS2025

1 7

Reposted by astrafoxen

Dr. Adeene Denton @spacewhalerider.com · 29d

Mimas science is serious business

Nola Taylor Tillman @astrowriter.bsky.social · 29d

Also I must share this slide from @spacewhalerider.com

#EPSCDPS2025
#EPSCDPS

4 1 17

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 29d

The IAU announced official names for Donaldjohanson's surface & shape features 2 weeks ago, but nobody has mentioned the news. They're all named after archeological sites and hominin fossils, which is fun and awesome haha

(Afar Lobus = small lobe, Olduvai Lobus = big lobe, Windover Collum = neck)

Lucy image of asteroid Donaldjohanson, with features labeled with their formal names approved by the IAU

A screenshot of the IAU's announcement of 11 new names for Donaldjohanson's surface+shape features. The text reads:

11 Names Approved for (52246) Donaldjohanson: Afar Lobus, Olduvai Lobus, Hadar Regio, Minatogawa Regio, Luzia Dorsum, Boxgrove Saxum, Kennewick Saxum, Cashel Saxum, Mungo, Narmada, and Windover Collum
08/27/2025
The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the names Afar Lobus, Olduvai Lobus, Hadar Regio, Minatogawa Regio, Luzia Dorsum, Boxgrove Saxum, Mungo, Narmada, Kennewick Saxum, Cashel Saxum, and Windover Collum for eleven features on the asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson. For more information, please see the Donaldjohanson nomenclature map in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.

4 6

Reposted by astrafoxen

Chara @astrochara.bsky.social · 29d

Today on arXiv: The recent JWST TRAPPIST-1 e papers.

They are somehow not even the biggest news in the list. Today's arXiv day's absolutely stacked.

3 2 12

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 29d

bwehh i haven't gotten to reading it yet lol

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 29d

frickkkkkkkk

1

astrafoxen @astrafoxen.bsky.social · 29d

ikr holy crap, the Makemake papers are insane (though I already knew about the Makemake moon orbit beforehand, I've been talking with the author about this)

2 1 4