Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · 1d

my favorite weatherman on channel 0136 @evertnasedkin.bsky.social

a scientist presenting in front of a slide show, which displays a diagram of variability in the brightness of a planet

Reposted by William O. Balmer

Paul T. Levin @paultlevin.bsky.social · 4d

““They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist ErsinÇelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.”+

Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags

Activist tells Swedish officials she has been subjected to harsh treatment, including insufficient food and water

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 5d

Over 2 million people across Italy have rallied in more than 100 cities for a one-day general strike.

2 million rally in Italy for Gaza as general strike halts key services

Over 2 million people across Italy have rallied in more than 100 cities for a one-day general strike.

bit.ly

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · 5d

first fellowship submitted. brain hurts

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · 7d

truly elegant paper!

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

Aurelien Mondon @aurelmondon.bsky.social · 12d

Let that sink in

"Despite its extreme population density, Gaza was mostly self-sufficient in vegetables and poultry, and met much of the population’s demand for olives, fruit and milk. But last month the UN reported that just 1.5% of its agricultural land now remains both accessible and undamaged."

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 12d

When you consider the *ecocide* alongside the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza, you begin to grasp the totality of the Israeli state’s attempt to eliminate both the Palestinians and their homeland.
My column today.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here | George Monbiot

Consider the annihilation of agricultural land alongside the genocide – and grasp the chilling totality of this attempt to eliminate all life, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

Evert Nasedkin @evertnasedkin.bsky.social · 13d

🔭 It's paper day! Today I'm sharing the latest in a series of papers looking at the weather on other worlds, in this case bringing you the weather report from a nearby T-dwarf, SIMP-0136. 🪐

🧵 to follow...

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · 15d

so cool!

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · 17d

morgoth sends hellfires to assist the bacteria roasting

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Aug 26

awesome! at a great separation for lots of instruments too

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Aug 15

need to take a break from fellowship drafts because i think im driving myself crazy

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Aug 13

surely the others will be different, right guys

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · Aug 13

The TRAPPIST-1 d exoplanet may be Earth-sized 🌍 but it has no Earth-like atmosphere.

Webb’s #NIRSpec has found no traces of molecules that are common in Earth’s atmosphere.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪

Illustration of a planet silhouetted in front of a star. The star shows a large eruption on one side and more wisps of red coming from its southern hemisphere. Two more planets appear in the background.

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Aug 11

i have always explained something approximating this to people who ask me my opinion on three body. classic cosmic mirror of a writer who grew up in the cold war. glad others seem to agree!

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein.bsky.social · Aug 2

About half of Americans say they've put off healthcare services due to cost barriers, with Millennials most affected by far, per new study by Madaket Health.

Percent of age groups who've put off getting care:
Millennials: 78%
Gen X: 56%
Baby Boomers: 30%
www.morningstar.com/news/busines...

New Study from Madaket Health Reveals Nearly Half of Americans Delay Healthcare Due to Cost and In-Network Barriers

www.morningstar.com

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 30

the question is not "when will you finally write the 51 eri b GRAVITY paper" the question is "when will the observations work twice in a row"

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X) @markanthonyneal.bsky.social · Jul 29

Amazon Union Leader Chris Smalls detained, beaten, and choked in Israel during humanitarian aid trip

#ChrisSmalls was among 21 others when he was singled out, detained, and beaten by Israeli forces on Saturday.
thegrio.com/2025/07/29/a...

Amazon Union Leader Chris Smalls detained, beaten, and choked in Israel during humanitarian aid trip

Chris Smalls was among 21 others when he was singled out, detained, and beaten by Israeli forces on Saturday.

thegrio.com

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

The Real News Network @therealnews.com · Jul 25

“Brothers, sisters, siblings, we stand here now on the precipice of oblivion… This isn’t just about fighting for better wages and working conditions… This is about who is willing to fight for life itself?” by @maximillianalvarez.bsky.social

What good is a union in Hell?

“Brothers, sisters, siblings, we stand here now on the precipice of oblivion… This isn't just about fighting for better wages and working conditions… This is about who is willing to fight for life its...

therealnews.com

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Reposted by William O. Balmer

Chara @astrochara.bsky.social · Jun 13

The recent news of #JWST imaging of 14 Herculis c prompted me to draw my own depiction of the planet. A superjovian planet with water clouds kept warm by internal heat, it has thin haze due to low radiation, making it white-blue due to methane.

#astronomy #space #art #exoplanet #14Herculis

The image shows a white giant planet with blue-coloured bands. The planet is very slightly tinted orangish by both the thin haze, as well as the parent star's light, but is still overall blueish-white.

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 19

i told jwst what to do today

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 17

me when i make believe with my toys

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 17

saw one finally

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 10

my student just tipped me off that my first jwst observations as PI were scheduled! fingers crossed for clear skies (on the other planet, i mean)

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 9

don't forget the gravity fringes! this was a very fun target to observe. welcome to the fold HD 135344 A b

and, in the paper, finally a happy use case for backtracks.readthedocs.io (we used the code to reject the null hypothesis that this source is a distant background star)

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 9

have to say, not exactly an exciting year to be applying for postdocs

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William O. Balmer @balmer.bsky.social · Jul 8

let the record state that i called most of the jumbos as background sources day one, and that the fragmentation predicted binary fraction would hold up

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