Andy Newsam
banner
astroandyn.bsky.social
Andy Newsam
@astroandyn.bsky.social
Astronomer, enthusiast and manic hand-waver. All views my own, etc.
He/Him/His
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Picard perspective tip: Spend some time staring at the stars. It feeds the soul and revives the mind.
December 22, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
I think it’s easy to underestimate just how impressive this new map is. We can now see Europe at night in colour! This is mega!
Europe's nighttime glow from space 🌍

This first colour mosaic of the continent at night was created from 7000+ pictures taken by astronauts on the International Space Station.

www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
December 18, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Reflections on living on a Western coast of northern Europe:

A woman from Galway called Paulin'
Resided under a tarpaulin.
At times she had tried
To venture outside
But the weather was always appallin'.
December 8, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Our Carve Your PhD @ljmudoctoral.bsky.social winners are here! We were blown away by the creativity and carving skills demonstrated by our fantastic entrants! The judges' first choice was: Tom Hyatt, School of Arts & Creative Industries: Electromagnetic Art: A Portrait of James Clerk Maxwell
November 4, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Owen is right to highlight this. As taxpayers, we already paid. All this will do is introduce higher prices to all consumers and businesses.
This GOTT guidance is Treasury-brained and low-key hostile to #opendata – it starts from the premise that organisations in the UK public sector should look to commercially exploit "their" knowledge assets, with no real expectation that they should prioritise the wider public interest.
October 30, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Just Andy today, but I’m all set up for another round of great discussions at Popsy’s. Bring on the questions!
October 17, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
I love it that everyone loves a #supermoon. Tonight is the night so #DoLookUp!

Fine print: this astronomical event comes with a expectation-management disclaimer:
*The Supermoon is only 15% brighter than a normal full moon and I personally can not tell the difference 🤔
*Every moon is SUPER🔭🥳
If you've got clear skies, go outside and wave at our neighbour who is looking particularly stunning tonight. And if you have them, root out the binoculars to get a closer look at the grey maria: ~3.5 billion years ago these were seas of molten lava 🤓 #supermoon 🔭🧪
October 7, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Today's #Muppet GIF of the Day is...
October 7, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
TWO DAYS until 100 Hours starts! If you're out after dark anytime Thurs to Sunday, check out our simple stargazing challenges at 100hours.online . Win badges and put your markers on our UK/Ireland map!
September 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Initial conditions:
m1=13.2 m2=12.9 m3=133.7 (solar masses)
v1x=-1.187 v1y=2.544 v2x=-5.123 v2y=-4.347 v3x=-6.976 v3y=-0.785 (km/s)
x1=7.0 y1=21.0 x2=30.0 y2=21.0 x3=11.0 y3=-15.0 (AU from center)
Music: Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor (Posthumous) – Chopin
July 28, 2025 at 6:20 AM
..is trying to think of a suitable way to celebrate todays (rare) #PythagoreanDay (24^2 + 7^2 = 25^2)...
July 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
This year for π-approximation day, I am πgging-out on a πece of πzza.
July 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Looking forward to chatting tomorrow. We have another special guest as well - the medical physicist Dr Harold Stockdale.
July 17, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025 has just released its shortlist of remarkable images for this year’s competition. See them now:

www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/07/zwo-...
July 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
The Met Office is currently looking for people to suggest up to 5 names for storms...

It would be great if thousands all suggested the same 5 names (in alphabetical order as that's how storm names appear):
BigOil, BP, Equinor, Exxon, Shell.

www.metoffice.gov.uk/forms/name-o...
Name our Storms
www.metoffice.gov.uk
June 25, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
From a simple material, Kendra Haste brings us face-to-face with wild animals. “I try to capture the living, breathing model in a static 3D form and convey its emotional essence without slipping into sentimentality or anthropomorphism," she says.

www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/06/kend...
June 24, 2025 at 3:59 PM
"We need to rewild nature, but we also need to rewild our imagination, rewild our political systems.”
www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/j...
‘Get ready to sweat!’ The animal mega-marathon stampeding from the Congo to the Arctic
Why is a huge pack of puppet animals, from tiny monkeys to towering elephants, making a 20,000km cross-planet odyssey? As The Herds nears the UK, our writer spends a week as an antelope to find out
www.theguardian.com
June 23, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
Excellent conversations on Friday with guest scientist Steve and his beautiful #Orrery.
#QuestionOfTheMonth - How did they know that the planets moved like the Orrery?
June 22, 2025 at 10:14 AM
The former Museum Of Electricity are auctioning off some of their collection: www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auctio...
So many lovely things, so little self-control ;-)
#Auction #MuseumOfElectricity #WantNotNeed
Auctioneum Ltd - East Bristol & Bath | THE MUSEUM OF ELECTRICITY - POWERING THE PAST - BATH - TIMED
Bid Live at Auctioneum Ltd - East Bristol & Bath's THE MUSEUM OF ELECTRICITY - POWERING THE PAST - BATH - TIMED auction
www.the-saleroom.com
June 22, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Reposted by Andy Newsam
We have discovered overnight that our new £400k Smart Window™ system at Kent Campus opens automatically to the sound of thunder.

A clean up operation is currently underway.
June 14, 2025 at 6:21 AM