Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 4h

It seems you prepared them early for this reality.

Reposted by Brett Morris

Shea (she/her) @solarshea.bsky.social · 19h

Shared with permission from Carl Stahle, Retired, Vice President of Goddard Retirees and Alumni Association, NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center

Link in the document text: www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...

(Original LinkedIn post: www.linkedin.com/posts/carl-s...)

@roguenasa.altgov.info

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 2d

No interferometry necessary. Cheater.

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Reposted by Brett Morris

James Tuttle Keane @jtuttlekeane.bsky.social · 4d

US’s trajectory in space science leadership in a nutshell

Michele Bannister @astrokiwi.bsky.social · 5d

"ESA plans to release imagery by next week. NASA will not be able to release any of its data, or even comment on it, until the U.S. federal government ends the shutdown."

Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 5d

Interstellar comet 3I/Atlas is flying past Mars today. Might get some cool views!

skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 4d

I'll be leading this winter's @astropy.org workshop at AAS in Phoenix. 🔭 #astrocode

If you advise a student, encourage them to register for the workshop! If you are a student, ask if that's ok 👉👈

astropy @astropy.org · 4d

Register yourself or a student for the 'Python and Astropy for Astronomical Data Analysis' workshop at @aas.org on January 4, 2026. 🔭 #aas247 #astrocode

You'll get a broad overview of the astropy functionality that powers astronomy, taught by the @astropy.org team.

github.com/astropy/astr...

Photo from the back of a presentation room at a previous Astropy workshop at AAS, showing many folks on laptops and a presenter in an astropy t-shirt.

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 4d

(For the uninitiated: jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-astrono...)

JWST Astronomer's Proposal Tool Overview - JWST User Documentation

The Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) is a stand-alone GUI-based software package used by proposers to write, validate, and submit proposals for the James Webb S

jwst-docs.stsci.edu

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 4d

Colleague: how do I submit a proposal for JWST time? 🔭

Me:

a man and a woman wearing sunglasses with stars on them are standing next to each other on a pink background .

ALT: a man and a woman wearing sunglasses with stars on them are standing next to each other on a pink background .

media.tenor.com

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 6d

One from years passed still lives on my lamp.

A small koala stuffed toy holds onto a thin lamp stand.

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 7d

Another tour de force from @astroshashank.bsky.social.

Mapping stellar surfaces helps us understand that star’s planets, since the planets are illuminated by splotchy stars. 🧪🔭

Somebody hire @astroshashank.bsky.social!

Shashank Dholakia @astroshashank.bsky.social · 7d

New paper by me and @benjaminpope.bsky.social! How well can we map a star using optical interferometry?

This is just a submitted preprint at the moment--comments and questions welcome! (1/N)

arxiv.org/abs/2509.25433

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Reposted by Brett Morris

Benjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · 7d

Super happy about this paper today led by the brilliant @astroshashank.bsky.social - equations and information theory about what an interferometer really encodes about a stellar surface.

Shashank Dholakia @astroshashank.bsky.social · 7d

New paper by me and @benjaminpope.bsky.social! How well can we map a star using optical interferometry?

This is just a submitted preprint at the moment--comments and questions welcome! (1/N)

arxiv.org/abs/2509.25433

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Reposted by Brett Morris

David Grinspoon @drfunkyspoon.bsky.social · 9d

“The Destruction of NASA’s Mission” Whistleblowers reveal OMB’s Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency

New from Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation Ranking Member Maria Cantwell.

NOTE: This is indeed what I have seen going on inside NASA.
🧪🔭

www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 7d

Federally funded observatories give you the universe. 🧪🔭

Matthew Kenworthy @mattkenworthy.bsky.social · 8d

Cugno and Grant @sierragrant.bsky.social with “A Carbon-rich Disk Surrounding a Planetary-mass Companion” detected using #JWST - an impressive detection of several different carbon molecules that are very promising for #exomoon formation around the directly imaged #exoplanet CT Cha b ☄

An image of the planetary companion CT Cha b shown as a red dot next to its parent star, with a spectrum from 12 to 16 microns from JWST showing several rotational and vibrational bands in emission for several carbon molecules.

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 8d

Astronomers: we approach the precipice at the edge of the brink of the shutdown, here's a reminder. 🔭

Non-astronomers: directly or indirectly, most of the astrophysics done in the USA is funded by federal grants, and/or done by federal employees and contractors. Send love.

Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 12d

JWST Cycle 5 deadline extensions may be granted to submitters affected by an upcoming government shutdown. See the link for details: 🔭

jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportu...

JWST Call for Proposals for Cycle 5 - JWST User Documentation

STScI solicits proposals for JWST General Observer (GO), Survey, and Archival Research (AR) programs. This document establishes the goals, requirements, and po

jwst-docs.stsci.edu

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Reposted by Brett Morris

Sarah Kendrew @sarahkendrew.bsky.social · 11d

Delighted to be getting tons of questions about our new Wide-Field Slitless Spectroscopy mode on MIRI; available for the first time in #JWST Cycle 5. Remember the fastest way to get answers is the Helpdesk hosted by @stsci.edu >> stsci.service-now.com/jwst

JWST | Service Portal - JWST Service Portal

James Webb Space Telescope Help Desk, for answering your questions about observations, science, and processes for the JWST

stsci.service-now.com

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 11d

New feature released in the @jupyter.org Sidecar package: set new sidecar locations relative to other sidecars. Make dashboards/default arrangements of multiple widget outputs!
Thanks for the help, @martinrenou.bsky.social. 🧪

Install: pip install sidecar

Demo code: gist.github.com/bmorris3/b3e...

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 12d

JWST Cycle 5 deadline extensions may be granted to submitters affected by an upcoming government shutdown. See the link for details: 🔭

jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportu...

JWST Call for Proposals for Cycle 5 - JWST User Documentation

STScI solicits proposals for JWST General Observer (GO), Survey, and Archival Research (AR) programs. This document establishes the goals, requirements, and po

jwst-docs.stsci.edu

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 14d

Ah she’s here! Proper attribution to: @emilyscartoons.bsky.social

Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 14d

Snape flounce, from Background Slytherin (@emilyscartoons)

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 14d

sun feeling ~flouncy~ 🔭

Dr Adam J. Finley @adamfinley.bsky.social · 14d

Beautiful double erruption in 304A observed by GOES/SUVI and Solar Orbiter over the east-limb (slightly later) in the low-latency data.

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Reposted by Brett Morris

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 14d

You've likely seen the new $100,000 penalty on high-skill immigrant workers.

Here's the next, separate bomb the White House is dropping on high skill immigration, to be officially published *tomorrow*.

tl;dr: Most H-1Bs now inaccessible for entry-level jobs, e.g. new grads from US universities.

public-inspection.federalregister.gov

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Reposted by Brett Morris

Sarah Kendrew @sarahkendrew.bsky.social · 14d

This sounds fantastic. Amongst all the noise & chaos, we are still making incredible progress. Top work, science 🧪🧬

Patch Thompson @patchthompson.bsky.social · 14d

Anyway, here is some actually incredible news

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time

One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 16d

America has never lived up to its ideals for justice. Are we going to accept this too?

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...

Trump Demands That Bondi Move ‘Now’ to Prosecute Foes

www.nytimes.com

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 16d

My child grew up in close proximity to coffee, so we’re currently listening on repeat to “cake pop demon hunters.”

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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 20d

We're looking for atmospheres on rocky planets. Like scifi, but real. Here's the data, go learn from it! 🌎🔭🧪

MAST - Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes @mast-news.bsky.social · 20d

New HLSP: First results from the Rocky Worlds DDT program are now available at MAST! This release includes calibrated light curves, model fits, preliminary eclipse depth estimation, and auxiliary data for GJ 3929 b. archive.stsci.edu/hlsp/rocky-w... #HLSP #RockyWorlds #JWST #HST #Exoplanets #MAST 🔭

An example fit to a JWST/MIRI F1500W eclipse observation of GJ 3929b collected by the Rocky Worlds DDT Program.

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Reposted by Brett Morris

James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 21d

On the 🔭🧪 postdoc job market? Excited about science with Rubin and big surveys? Come join us at DiRAC. I’m so excited that we’re able to offer a few of these Fellowship positions this year!

Please share, LMK if you have Q’s!

aas.org/jobregister/...

Postdoctoral Scholar - Institute for Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics & Cosmology | American Astronomical Society

We invite applications for the 2026 DiRAC Fellowship in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Washington. These up to 3-year full time postdoctoral positions are available to promising earl...

aas.org

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