Caltech IPAC
@caltechipac.bsky.social
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IPAC at Caltech partners with NASA, NSF, JPL, and the worldwide research community to advance the exploration of our Universe. www.ipac.caltech.edu
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caltechipac.bsky.social
The official number of exoplanets has surpassed 6,000! And you can access data on all 6,007 of them right here at IPAC 📈 🪐

Watch the video & read all about the center of the exoplanet universe (also known as NExScI!) here:
www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/the-nas...
caltechipac.bsky.social
The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) is celebrating 20 years of high school teachers & students doing astronomy research at IPAC!

“NITARP changed my life,” said one teacher who participated in the program.

Read more great quotes here:
www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/20-year...
caltechipac.bsky.social
These images, taken a year apart, show how supernova SN2018gv faded over time. The High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey by NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will spot 1000s of supernovae, including a type that can be used to measure the universe's expansion.
roman.ipac.caltech.edu/news/nasa-ro...
caltechipac.bsky.social
Happy to have you at IPAC! 🎉
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
stsci.edu
NEWS: Will you be my neighbor? #NASAWebb has found strong evidence of a gas giant planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, a star in the stellar system closest to our own sun: webbtelescope.pub/4oyLiQa 🔭 🧪
Three panels, each showing a different view of the binary star system Alpha Centauri. The panel on the left is a Digitized Sky Survey image showing a single bright blue point source at the center of a black image with stars scattered throughout. The center of this source is outlined with a vertical box, tilted slightly to the left, with two diagonal lines leading to the second panel. The 2nd panel is a Hubble image that shows 2 white stars with 4 diffraction spikes each against a black background. The top star is labeled Alpha Cen B and the bottom Alpha Cen A. Alpha Cen A is outlined with a white square with 2 diagonal lines leading to the 3rd panel at the furthest right, which shows a Webb image of the star. An orange star icon and central black circle outlined in white marks the location of Alpha Cen A. A large white circle outlines a blurry red-toned field that surrounds the location of the star.  A bright orange blob at 9 o’clock in relation to the star is labeled “S1” and circled.
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
aussiastronomer.bsky.social
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, ALPHA CEN A b!!!

First hinted at in Wagner+21, now Chas Beichman, Aniket Sanghi and team have published new JWST images of alpha Cen A showing another hint of this Saturn-sized planet candidate!

exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/overview/alp...
Screenshot of the NASA Exoplanet Archive homepage for the alpha Cen system.
caltechipac.bsky.social
IPAC scientist finds evidence for a planet in the same star system as #Avatar 's Pandora!

If confirmed by additional observations, "Its very existence [...] would challenge our understanding of how planets form, survive, and evolve in chaotic environments."

www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/nasa-s-...
caltechipac.bsky.social
“We’re immensely disappointed that our spacecraft didn’t get to the Moon, but the two science instruments we developed, like the teams we brought together, are world class,” said Bethany Ehlmann, the mission’s principal investigator at Caltech.

Read more:
www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/nasa-s-...
NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Moon Mission Ends
NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer ended its mission to the Moon on July 31. Despite extensive efforts, mission operators were unable to establish two-way communications after losing contact with the spacecraft...
www.ipac.caltech.edu
caltechipac.bsky.social
After losing contact with the spacecraft and several months of a global effort to listen for a signal, Lunar Trailblazer concluded its mission to the Moon on July 31.

Read more:
www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/nasa-s-...
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
nancyromansci.bsky.social
Join this month's Roman Virtual Lecture Series to learn about observing accreting neutron stars and black holes with Roman. 🌟

Subscribe to tinyurl.com/RVLSsubscr for call-in details!

📅 Thurs July 31

🕐 4-4:30 PM EDT

🔗 bit.ly/4m7MkjY
caltechipac.bsky.social
Registration for #IRSpaceSpectroscopy closes this week!⏱️

If you're planning to attend in person, register by midnight PDT this Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 to secure your spot and avoid a $50 late registration fee. conference.ipac.caltech.edu/IRSpaceSpectroscopy/
caltechipac.bsky.social
Abstract Deadline: July 1⏲️

There is one week left to submit abstracts for IPAC's October 2025 conference: "Infrared Spectroscopy from Space."

Join us in Pasadena to discuss the vast scientific potential unlocked by space-based infrared observations! conference.ipac.caltech.edu/IRSpaceSpectroscopy
caltechipac.bsky.social
Infrared Spectroscopy from Space🌈🛰️

This hybrid conference will highlight how JWST, Euclid, SPHEREx, Roman, & Ariel have or will enable scientific breakthroughs. Save the date to join us in Pasadena Oct. 6-8, 2025!

conference.ipac.caltech.edu/IRSpaceSpectroscopy
caltechipac.bsky.social
Betelgeuse’s Companion Star May Have Been Seen at Last 👯‍♀️
ipac.caltech.edu/news/betelge...

"It always amazes me how much we still have to learn. Even stars like Betelgeuse, which we have studied for literally thousands of years, can still surprise us," said David Ciardi.
Betelgeuse’s Companion Star May Have Been Seen at Last
Three IPAC scientists, David R. Ciardi, Catherine A. Clark, and Elise Furlan, were co-authors on this study supporting the claim that Betelgeuse may have a stellar companion after centuries of hypothe...
ipac.caltech.edu
caltechipac.bsky.social
Earth 2.0?? 🤯🌎🌍🌏
Livestream public talk on 7/16 @ 4pm PT 👇
@nancyromansci.bsky.social
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.
caltechipac.bsky.social
Clear Skies Ahead for Another #VGSF😎

IPAC bids farewell to Penn State graduate student Nick Tusay, who has been working with NExScI's @aurorakess.bsky.social to learn more about ultra-hot Jupiters using high-resolution spectroscopy. Best of luck to Nick and his future endeavors!🚀
caltechipac.bsky.social
SPHEREx has delivered its first set of publicly-available data on @irsaipac.bsky.social ! 📊 🛰️

"Almost every area of astronomy can be addressed by SPHEREx data,” said Rachel Akeson, the lead for the SPHEREx Science Data Center at IPAC.

spherex.caltech.edu/news/how-nas...
caltechipac.bsky.social
From Galileo to Galaxies: Astronomy at the Vatican

IPAC Exec Director @tom-greene.bsky.social spent part of his summer guest teaching at @vaticanobservatory.bsky.social Summer School on topics focusing on JWST. He also met Pope Leo XIV!

Read all about it: www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/from-ga...
caltechipac.bsky.social
The #RubinFirstLook has us 🤩

"These images mark the beginning of an avalanche of data," said IPAC Manager David Imel.

At IPAC, we've been developing the Science User Interface and Tools for the Rubin LSST Science Platform.

Read about IPAC & @vrubinobs.bsky.social: ipac.caltech.edu/project/rubin
caltechipac.bsky.social
IPAC's own Andreas Faisst recently appeared on @ktla.com discussing the COSMOS-Web JWST survey, which is shaking up what we thought we knew about the universe 🌀

Read more about COSMOS-Web: www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/cosmos-...

Watch Faisst's interview: ktla.com/video/caltec...
caltechipac.bsky.social
Come work with NExScI Chief Scientist @aussiastronomer.bsky.social and the Roman Galactic Exoplanet Survey Project Infrastructure Team (RGES PIT)!
Perks include RGES PIT membership, time for independent research, and access to observing facilities, including Palomar! aas.org/jobregister/...
caltechipac.bsky.social
Abstract Deadline: July 1⏲️

There is one week left to submit abstracts for IPAC's October 2025 conference: "Infrared Spectroscopy from Space."

Join us in Pasadena to discuss the vast scientific potential unlocked by space-based infrared observations! conference.ipac.caltech.edu/IRSpaceSpectroscopy
caltechipac.bsky.social
Infrared Spectroscopy from Space🌈🛰️

This hybrid conference will highlight how JWST, Euclid, SPHEREx, Roman, & Ariel have or will enable scientific breakthroughs. Save the date to join us in Pasadena Oct. 6-8, 2025!

conference.ipac.caltech.edu/IRSpaceSpectroscopy
This image is an illustration for a science conference called the Infrared Spectroscopy from Space: New Frontiers from Exoplanets to the Early Universe, hosted by IPAC on October 6 through 8, 2025. The illustration depicts five space telescopes: JWST, Euclid, SPHEREx, Roman, and Ariel, in orbit over a desert landscape and the IPAC logo in the night sky. Image credit: Caltech/IPAC-Mel Weiss.
caltechipac.bsky.social
Current IPAC staff members (less than 200 people!) have published over 5,000 research papers! That's a lot of science in one place! 🤯

Dive into the science happening at IPAC here: www.ipac.caltech.edu/science
caltechipac.bsky.social
#AAS246 Preparing for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's First Call for Proposals 📞📄

The first call for proposals is expected to be released in Fall 2025! Stay up to date with @nancyromansci.bsky.social and the Roman Science Support Center @ IPAC: roman.ipac.caltech.edu/page/call-fo...
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
mrjonesspace.bsky.social
Excited to announce the mission patch for our #NITARP research team! Looking forward to spending time with Dr. Rebull at @caltechipac.bsky.social this summer. Thanks to the inimitable and amazing Tim Gagnon for the design!! 🔭
caltechipac.bsky.social
In the #AAS246 Plenary Lecture, IPAC Senior Scientist and NExScI Deputy Director David Ciardi stepped up to the plate to discuss all things exoplanets 🪐

Ciardi took over for Sean Carey, IPAC Senior Scientist and NEO Surveyor Task Lead, who could no longer attend the meeting.
caltechipac.bsky.social
IPACer Wanggi Lim presented at a press conference at #AAS246 ⭐️
The new research, led in partnership with James De Buizer @setiinstitute.bsky.social, revealed surprising results about the rate at which high-mass stars form in the Galactic Center of the Milky Way.
www.youtube.com/live/gJjSZu9...