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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her)

@astraughnomer.bsky.social

2.9K followers 230 following 490 posts

Black Lives Matter. NASA Astrophysicist for #JWST. From Arkansas. Hiking, yoga, Great Dane mom, pilot, Pearl Jam superfan. #FirstGen Personal account - my views

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · Nov 21

👋 About me!

I'm an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. I study how stars and black holes form in distant galaxies, and how those processes change over time. Yep, I study the universe for a living 😀✨

I'm also a Project Scientist for #jwst! science.nasa.gov/mission/webb

James Webb Space Telescope - NASA Science

Space Telescope

science.nasa.gov

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 8d

govt shutdown

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 8d

govt shutdown

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 8d

people leaving nasa today like

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 9d

This #jwst story is full of weirdness: 1) auroras were found on a rogue planet (a planet w/o a star) 2) BILLIONS - TRILLIONS of rogue planets could exist in our Milky Way 🤯 3) this planet is 20 light-years away & ~12.7x the mass of Jupiter (pic is illustration) www.universetoday.com/articles/jam...

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 14d

absolutely.

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 14d

Stunning new #jwst images reveal new insights into what's going on in the most massive and active star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy. Read the article for more, and a fun slider that shows 2 different versions of this image ➡️ science.nasa.gov/missions/web...

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Reposted by Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her)

Eric Alper @thatericalper.com · 15d

On this day in 1977, David Bowie released his timeless anthem “Heroes.” A song about love, hope, and defiance that still gives chills nearly 50 years later.

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 17d

Trying a new thing! 😀 Just got back from my first backpacking trip! An easy/short 1-nighter. It was fun to test my gear and be sung to sleep by crickets and cicadas #getoutside

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 19d

Here's a video describing this really interesting science result! www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKCp...

White Dwarf Eating Pluto-Like Object

YouTube video by NASA Goddard

www.youtube.com

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 19d

The universe is wild, y'all! "NASA’s Hubble Sees White Dwarf Eating Piece of Pluto-Like Object" In several billion years, when our Sun collapses into a white dwarf, it might munch on actual Pluto, too! More here: science.nasa.gov/missions/hub...

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 19d

When astronomers talk about dust, they are mainly talking about silicates and carbon based stuff. Here's a good primer on the subject: science.nasa.gov/universe/dus...

Dust in the Stellar Wind: A Cosmological Primer - NASA Science

The handsome Horsehead Nebula, rearing up against glowing red gas, is sculpted from dust.

science.nasa.gov

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 20d

hahaha that is VERY much like how I explain the deep field images in my public talks! How did it all happen? Great question that we're still trying to figure out!

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 20d

The spaces in between stars in the Milky Way aren't empty – they're sprinkled with gas and dust that are both the seeds of new stars and the leftover stuff from dead stars. The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help us understand this better! www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM5x...

Our Interstellar Medium

YouTube video by NASA Goddard

www.youtube.com

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 21d

Dead Pioneers @deadpioneers.bsky.social

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Reposted by Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her)

Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 21d

Great tweet today, oh, hold on, this is from two months ago

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · Jul 18

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 21d

The beauty of the universe still takes my breath away ✨ Star birth, star death - it's all here in today's stunning #apod Read more: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25091... 📸: J. De Winter, C. Humbert, C. Robert & V. Sabet

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 22d

#icymi #JWST Exoplanet Research Sounds Like Sci-Fi—But It's Real. Listen to Curious Universe wherever you get your podcasts! www.nasa.gov/podcasts/cur...

Webb's Exoplanet Research Sounds Like Sci-Fi—But It's Real

Some exoplanets sound like sci-fi, but they’re real. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is revealing new details about planets orbiting distant stars.

www.nasa.gov

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 23d

How does your favorite planet spin? 🤔 This great animation shows the tilt and spin rates of the planets in the Solar System side-by-side! Gotta be honest - I did not realize Jupiter was so fast! apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25091...

APOD: 2025 September 14 – Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins

A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.

apod.nasa.gov

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 26d

In spite of it all, life is beautiful.

Happy Friday, friends. Here's a stunning image of Jupiter, taken from the #nasa Juno spacecraft, one of the missions slated for cancellation in the 2026 budget request. Quote/lyric from @idlesband.bsky.social (🔥 last night in Bmore) Info from: nasa.gov/juno)

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 27d

Stunning! A gigantic jet of gas from a newly forming huge star. The size of this jet is about *8 light-years* - that's TWICE the distance b/n the Sun and the next closest star 🤯 #jwst Read more: science.nasa.gov/missions/web...

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · Sep 5

5500 light years from us, new stars are being born ✨ This stunning new #jwst image showcases 2 of the brightest & most massive stars known - weighing in at over 60x the mass of our Sun! Data like this are helping us understand how stars are born. Read more: science.nasa.gov/missions/web...

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · Aug 28

Have y’all listened to the new Deftones album?! Wheeeew 🔥🔥🔥 #newmusic #deftones

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · Aug 28

Happy birthday to two of the very best 💜🖤 @pearljam.com #pearljam

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · Aug 26

Ahh sorry you missed Ohana! Fingers crossed they do another US solo tour soon

Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · Aug 25

SOOO GOOD. Have you seen them live?! Absolute fire. They're touring w/ Deftones rn and I'm counting down the days until they play Baltimore 🔥