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Guy Watkins

@guywatkins.bsky.social

1.1K followers 2K following 890 posts

Studying MPhys Astrophysics with Space Science at The Open University. Aspiring astrobiologist/planetary scientist. FRAS. BSc (Hons) Computing, CertHE Natural Sciences. http://guywatkins.space

guywatkins.space

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · Nov 21

Professor Ulrich Kolb and Dr Janet Sumner give an overview of the OpenScience Observatories.
youtu.be/l-a2Ia8NX0Y?... @osobservatories.bsky.social 🪐🔭🌌⚛️🧪

OpenSTEM Labs: OpenScience Observatories

YouTube video by The Open University's Faculty of STEM

youtu.be

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 13h

Is it Friday yet? 🍷👽

Roger the alien from the cartoon series "American Dad!", sitting on a suitcase, holding a glass of red wine (grape unknown.)

Reposted by Guy Watkins

Sergio Pereira @sergiopereiralema.bsky.social · 20d

I've found a really good Python library to create your own Sky Maps: starplot.dev. Really amazing to prepare observation nights. And great support of his developer, Steve Berardi.

#AstroMethods

Starplot

Star charts and maps of the sky in Python

starplot.dev

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 1d

The NASA Exoplanet Archive.
youtube.com/watch?v=RHbv... #exoplanet #planetsci 🔭

A Quick Tour of the NASA Exoplanet Archive Homepage

YouTube video by NASA Exoplanet Archive

youtube.com

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 1d

That's an epic opportunity!

Reposted by Guy Watkins

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

The best part of the day is when the Sun fucks off

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 3d

😂

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 3d

This (Santa Cruz de Tenerife.)

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 3d

This is sad news.
www.linkedin.com/posts/sten-o...

Today I am officially retired. I was one of the thousands of people dismissed by NASA in what will probably be known historically as the Great Purge. When I woke up on October 1 to have breakfast it… ...

www.linkedin.com

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

Science Explorer (SciX) @scixcommunity.bsky.social · 6d

Our biggest challenges don’t fit neatly into one field - and neither should their solutions. #SciX connects knowledge across disciplines, making it easier for researchers to share insights, combine methods, and spark unsiloed breakthroughs. #InterdisciplinaryResearch #OpenScience

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

ESO @eso.org · 5d

ICYMI, our VLT identified an enormous growth spurt in a rogue planet, which is eating up six billion tonnes of gas & dust a second!

The discovery sheds new light on how such planets form.
Discover more in our video 👇

Full story: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2516/

🔭 🧪 #exoplanets #planetsci

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 4d

I've just joined the "M500 Society", which is The Open University Mathematics Society (and has been going since 1973) m500.org.uk @oumathsstats.bsky.social

M500 Society – The Open University Mathematics Society

m500.org.uk

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 4d

@openuniversity.bsky.social wins £400k UKSA funding for NASA tech project.

The project will focus on developing advanced CMOS detector technology towards the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), NASA’s next flagship space telescope. 🔭⚛️🧪
research.open.ac.uk/news/ou-wins...

The Open University

The Open University has secured over £400,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency to support a project that will enhance the UK's role in future NASA space missions.

research.open.ac.uk

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 5d

Such is the curse of the optical astronomer around the globe, based below cloud inversions.

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 5d

Not a problem with radio telescopes, obviously. I detect sarcasm.

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

Prof Ben Britton @bmatb.expmicromech.com · 5d

I am not surprised about this decision - given what I heard on the ground when I was back visiting.

The health of the UK post secondary sector is a mess, and part of this is due to overwork and underpay of "on the ground" academic staff.

Solidarity to colleagues getting ready for a picket line.

University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 5d

NEW: Staff at Imperial College London will strike for 10 days this autumn over pay and conditions.

Jo Grady: “Staff are the backbone of Imperial and deserve an actual pay rise. Striking is a last resort, but members have had enough and are prepared to fight back”

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1421....

Imperial staff to strike next week in pay and conditions row

Staff at Imperial College London will take ten days of strike action over the next two months in a row over pay and conditions, the University and College Union announced today

www.ucu.org.uk

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks Chris, yes please - I'd be really interested to see what the current state of play is. Much appreciated.

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 7d

"Kenosha astronomer discovers rare telescope missing for decades — the only one of its kind" @celestronuniverse.bsky.social 🔭
bit.ly/46jQTmi

Kenosha astronomer discovers rare telescope missing for decades — the only one of its kind

A Kenosha astronomer has uncovered a piece of astronomy history — a telescope once thought to be lost forever.

bit.ly

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 8d

ADS has given astronomy THE BEST literature tools available anywhere. I almost never have to use the garbage that other academics have to suffer through (GoogleScholar, JSTOR, LexisNexis, WoS, PubMed...)

Literally anytime I have to interface with those tools I weep

Science Explorer (SciX) @scixcommunity.bsky.social · 8d

A natural evolution of ADS, SciX brings its powerful capabilities into new domains. Expanded coverage, intuitive search, smart recommendations, and tools for collaboration. SciX makes research more discoverable, connected, and accessible than ever before. https://scixplorer.org/scixblog/scix-launch

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 8d

Moon formation drama, a bit more understood 🌚

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has found evidence of a ‘construction yard’ for moons around a large exoplanet, CT Cha b, which lies 625 light-years from Earth.

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

This is an illustration of a young planet with a surrounding disc of dust and gas, potentially forming moons. The planet, which appears red, is shown at lower right, enveloped by a cloudy disc. The host star appears at upper left, and glows yellow, with its own reddish disc of debris. The black background of space is speckled with stars. At the bottom of the illustration, graphics of molecules are listed in the following order: Acetylene, Carbon Dioxide, Ethane, Benzene, Hydrogen cyanide.

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

AstrobiologyOU @astrobiologyou.bsky.social · 8d

World Space Week 2025 is nearly here!

Explore space careers, planetary protection & astrobiology ethics through talks & on-demand content.

👉 stem.open.ac.uk/events

#WorldSpaceWeek #SpaceForAll #STEMEvents

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 9d

I've just walked over 12 miles on a couple of beaches. Time for a beer or two 🍻

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 10d

In 2005, this report from @royalastrosoc.bsky.social showed that only 20% of people with a PhD in astronomy/astrophysics get permanent post-doc careers in astronomy.

Is it *still* this bad/will this *ever* improve?

"PhD and careers in astronomy UK" share.google/PJ4N30eJECrG... 🔭

share.google

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Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 10d

Greetings from Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in North Wales - my childhood home. This is Ynys Llanddwyn island & Newborough (Niwbwrch) beach. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Reposted by Guy Watkins

Daniel Pomarède @pomarede.bsky.social · 12d

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows

By Susanne P. Schwenzer @spsmars.bsky.social, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK
science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosi... #Mars 🧪 #PlanetSci

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4661-4667: Peaking Into the Hollows - NASA Science

By Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK

science.nasa.gov

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Reposted by Guy Watkins

Caltech @caltech.edu · 18d

NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology successfully showed that data encoded in lasers could be reliably transmitted, received, and decoded after traveling millions of miles from Earth at distances comparable to Mars.

www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-d...

NASA’s Deep Space Communications Demo Exceeds Project Expectations

The project has exceeded all of its technical goals after two years, setting up the foundations of high-speed communications for NASA’s future human missions to Mars.

www.jpl.nasa.gov

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