Brandon Lawton
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astroblawton.bsky.social
Brandon Lawton
@astroblawton.bsky.social
310 followers 240 following 7 posts
Project Scientist, Roman Science Communications, at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Views here are my own.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
In the event of a U.S. government shutdown, STScI will extend the James Webb Space Telescope Cycle 5 proposal submission deadline for affected scientists. Details: https://www.stsci.edu/contents/news/jwst/2025/jwst-cycle-5-deadline-extension-in-case-of-government-shutdown #NASAWebb 🔭 🧪 ☄️
Logo of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) over a vibrant cosmic background with the tagline "Expanding the Frontiers of Space Astronomy."
September 29, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
aas.org
What do you do with 30,000 photographs?

Last year, the AAS donated over 30,000 born-digital photographs of member meetings from 2010 to 2024 to the @aip.bsky.social Niels Bohr Library & Archives. www.aip.org/library/ex-l... 🔭
September 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
What appears to be a craggy, starlit mountaintop kissed by wispy clouds is actually a cosmic dust-scape being eaten away by the blistering winds and ultraviolet light of nearby, massive, infant stars. What else did #NASAWebb find in Pismis 24? https://bit.ly/4mr3cmt
A blue and black sky filled with brilliant stars covers the upper two-thirds of the vertical image. The stars are different sizes and shades of white, beige, yellow, and pale orange. Across the bottom third of the scene is a craggy, mountain-like vista of dust and gas with spire-like peaks and deep, misty valleys. The peaks appear in varying shades of orange, yellow, and brown. Above their soaring spires is a wispy, ethereal white cloud that stretches horizontally across the scene. What looks like steam appears to rise from the mountaintops and joins this cloud. At the top right corner, a swath of orange and brown structure cuts diagonally across the sky.
September 4, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
As of July 2025, @mast-news.bsky.social contains nearly 300 million astronomical observations!

These new wallpaper images depict MAST’s View of the Sky. Download yours now: https://spacetelescope.github.io/mast-blog/mast-heatmap.html 🔭 🧪
August 21, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
Hubble observations of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS show that it looks like a comet. It has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off a solid icy nucleus. The nucleus is roughly no wider than 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers): go.nasa.gov/3UenJhD 🔭 🧪
At the center is a comet that appears as a teardrop-shaped bluish cocoon of dust coming off the comet’s solid, icy nucleus, which is almost white, all against a black background. The comet appears to be heading to the bottom left corner. About a dozen short, light blue diagonal streaks are scattered across the view, which are from background stars that appeared to move during the exposure because the telescope was tracking the moving comet.
August 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
janiceleeastro.bsky.social
what a week for our future✨ #HWO25
🧵coming soon🔭🧪☄️
@mmacgreg.bsky.social @hbhammel.bsky.social @bmacastro.bsky.social @dawngelino.bsky.social
@aussiastronomer.bsky.social @stsci.edu @aura-astronomy.bsky.social @justtheletteru.bsky.social @vividreams.bsky.social @leefeinberg.bsky.social +500 others
August 1, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
scottwfleming.bsky.social
Ever wondered what the "MAST Sky" looks like, from our ~6 PB of data spanning 3 decades...check this out! spacetelescope.github.io/mast-blog/ma...

Really fun project led by the very talented Julie Imig at MAST, showing mission coverage sky-projected! They make VERY good video backgrounds, btw. 🔭
MAST background in "standard" sky projection, in hues of blue. Lighter blue areas mark lots of observations, while darker areas are less. Numerous patterns are visible, like the continuous viewing zones as ovals in the lower-left and upper right, patterns from overlapping TESS FFIs, or the Kepler footprint shapes stamped along the ecliptic and in the original Kepler field in the upper-right. A grid of 16 images, 4x4, showing the sky background only for specific missions to get a sense of where in the sky and how much of it each mission observed to at least some depth.
July 31, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
niais.bsky.social
Brian Fleming is giving us a grand tour of UV instrument possibilities. It is delightful. #HWO2025

It is useful to hear from an instrument designer what is possible/likely. Hopefully people are taking notes.

Remember, we can have gen 2 instruments for harder stuff.
A man on a stage in front of a slide about integral field spectroscopy.
July 29, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
STScI's Jason Tumlinson spoke this morning about seeking our origins in the universe with the Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Scientists from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C., to discuss the search for signs of life on planets orbiting other stars. #HWO2025 🔭 🧪 ☄️
Audience seated in an amphitheater-style lecture hall, attending a presentation about space exploration, featuring visuals of a spacecraft on a large screen.
July 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
Dr. Julia Roman-Duval delivers a talk on how the Habitable Worlds Observatory's anticipated ultraviolet capabilities will help astronomers understand the cosmic build-up of dust in the universe. Dr. Roman-Duval is the Hubble mission office head at STScI. 🔭 🧪 ☄️ #HWO2025 #HWO25
Presentation titled 'Understanding the Cosmic Build-up of Dust and Molecules with HWO-UV Spectroscopy' by Julia Roman-Duval, who is standing at the podium. An image of a galaxy is displayed on a large screen above the speaker, who is addressing an auditorium full of attendees.
July 28, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
startswithabang.bsky.social
What we’ve learned after 35 years of NASA’s Hubble

NASA's Hubble turned 35 this year.

Even as funding threatens to end its operations, here are the highlights of what it's brought to our Universe.
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #hubble #nasa #astro #physics #science
bigthink.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
Hooray for three years of paw-sitively amazing #NASAWebb science! To celebrate, the telescope examined a singular “toe bean” of the Cat’s Paw Nebula, a massive star-forming region. Webb reveals gas, dust, and massive young stars: webbtelescope.pub/4khJK9T 🔭

Reply with an image of your pet’s paws! 🐾
A section of the Cat’s Paw Nebula, a local star-forming region composed of gas, dust, and young stars. Four roughly circular areas are toward the center of the frame: a small oval toward the top left, a large circle in the top center, and two ovals at bottom left and right. Each circular area has a luminous blue glow, with the top center and bottom left areas the brightest. Brown-orange filaments of dust, which vary in density, surround these four bluish patches and stretch toward the frame’s edges. Small zones, such as to the left and right of the top-center blue circular area, appear darker and seemingly vacant of stars. Toward the center are small, fiery red clumps scattered among the brown dust. Many small, yellow-white stars are spread across the scene, some with eight-pointed diffraction spikes that are characteristic of Webb. A few larger blue-white stars with diffraction spikes are scattered throughout, mostly toward the top left and bottom right.
July 10, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
JULY 16, 7 p.m. ET: #NASARoman is NASA’s next large strategic mission. STScI's Dr. Kristen McQuinn will tell us how Roman is set to chart the depths of space and time and forge the path towards Earth 2.0: www.youtube.com/live/2NpN8ae... 🔭 🧪
Promotional image for Deep Space Dialogues featuring the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, with a cosmic background. Event speakers include Dr. Kristen McQuinn and Dr. Robyn Sanderson.
July 7, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
vrubinobs.bsky.social
Want to see NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Cosmic Treasure Chest for yourself?

Explore using Rubin's Skyviewer! There are billions of pixels to explore, and you might be the the first to lay eyes on a small, distant galaxy! #RubinFirstLook #CaptureTheCosmos

skyviewer.app
Skyviewer
skyviewer.app
June 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
vrubinobs.bsky.social
A new view of two old friends 🤩

Feast your eyes upon NSF–DOE Rubin's view of the Trifid & Lagoon Nebulae!

This image shows what makes Rubin unique: its wide field of view, & speed that allows it to take lots of big images quickly. 🔭🧪

rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-first-look/trifid-lagoon
A cosmic tapestry of glowing tan and pink gas clouds with dark dust lanes. In the upper right, the Trifid Nebula resembles a small flower in space. Its soft, pinkish gas petals are surrounded by blue gas, and streaked with dark, finger-like veins of dust that divide it into three parts. It radiates a gentle, misty glow, diffuse and soft like the warmth of breath on a cold hand. To the lower left, the much larger Lagoon Nebula stretches wide like a churning sea of magenta gas, with bright blue, knotted clumps sprinkled throughout where new stars are born. Both nebulae are embedded in a soft tan backdrop of gas that is brighter on the left than on the right, etched with dark tendrils of dust and sprinkled with the pinpricks of millions of stars.
June 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
nancyromansci.bsky.social
Meet Roman experts to learn more about the mission (and get some stickers)! 👾

Come visit the SOC (STScI) and SSC (IPAC) booths in Dena'ina Convention Center Exhibit Hall, Mon-Wed 9 AM - 6:30 PM, and Thurs 8:30 AM - 2 PM!

#AAS246 #ExpandOurView #NASARoman
June 9, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
nancyromansci.bsky.social
🚨Get Ready for #AAS246!🚨

Follow us daily for your dose of #NASARoman at AAS: talks, posters, booths, sessions (and stickers) —we’ve got it all. 🔭📡📸
June 6, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
We’re thrilled to welcome the 32nd cohort of the Space Astronomy Summer Program (SASP) at STScI, now under the leadership of our new chair, John Maple. 🔭 🧪
A group of 12 people stand on the right side of the photo, smiling at the camera. To their left is a sign on the STScI building that says "Space Telescope Science Institute, Operated by AURA for NASA."
June 4, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
nancyromansci.bsky.social
🚀The #NASARoman Coronagraph Instrument will demo cutting-edge tech to mature NASA’s ability to build a next-generation exoplanet characterization mission.

Submit tech and science observing ideas by Aug 7 to shape the Community Participation Program.

🔗https://bit.ly/45Bv0i8
June 4, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
In addition to wonders of the distant universe, #NASARoman will explore our cosmic backyard, the Milky Way galaxy. Discover our home in the universe with Roman. 🔭 🧪
May 21, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
nancyromansci.bsky.social
🚀We are ready for launch...of the official social media account for doing science with #NASARoman!

This account will keep researchers informed about opportunities for preparing for and participating in Roman science.

Follow us to stay involved. #ExpandOurView
May 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
Astronomers will use #NASARoman to improve our understanding of the universe. See the bigger picture with Roman. Credit: NASA, STScI, Caltech/IPAC. 🔭 🧪
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Mapping the Universe
YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute
youtu.be
April 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
#NASARoman will track cosmic changes over time in unprecedented scale and clarity. Discover the dynamic universe with Roman. Credit: NASA, STScI, Caltech/IPAC. 🔭 🧪
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Tracking Change Over Time
YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute
www.youtube.com
May 2, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
stsci.edu
Experience the Cosmic Cliffs like never before! #NASAWebb’s iconic image of dusty “mountains” and “valleys” is featured in a new 3D visualization from NASA’s Universe of Learning: webbtelescope.pub/4jRHIh9 🔭 🧪
May 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Brandon Lawton
chrislintott.bsky.social
Thoughts on last week's alien-finding kerfuffle, including mention of spaghetti, and a golden rule for institutional press releases. Let me know what you think: www.lastwordonnothing.com/2025/04/21/a... (PS Thanks to @annfinkbeiner.bsky.social & LWON for hosting me) 🔭 🧪
The Last Word On Nothing | Guest Post: A golden rule for publicity seeking aliens
www.lastwordonnothing.com
April 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM