Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 17h

New unified model of equatorial winds on giant planets helps to explain some of the zonal wind observations 🔭 I and my colleagues have made for Neptune and Uranus over the past few decades - www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

From gas to ice giants: A unified mechanism for equatorial jets

A bifurcation in equatorial jet formation can explain the differences between the gas and ice giants.

www.science.org

4 19

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Keith Smith @drkeithsmith.bsky.social · 5d

The phosphine molecule, PH3, has been proposed as a biosignature in rocky planets. In @science.org, Burgasser et al. report phosphine in a brown dwarf atmosphere. "We therefore caution against the use of phosphine as a biosignature". #stellarastro #exoplanet ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Observation of undepleted phosphine in the atmosphere of a low-temperature brown dwarf

The atmospheres of low-temperature brown dwarfs and gas giant planets are expected to contain the phosphine molecule, PH3. However, previous observations have shown much lower abundances of this molec...

www.science.org

5 11 64

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 14d

New JWST Data Shows Rogue Planet With a Colorful Combo of Wavelengths, Strong Storms, and Beautiful Auroras www.discovermagazine.com/new-jwst-dat...

New JWST Data Shows Rogue Planet With a Colorful Combo of Wavelengths, Strong Storms, and Beautiful Auroras

Learn about SIMP-0136, a rogue planet emitting wavelengths that reveal patchy clouds and auroras similar to the Northern Lights.

www.discovermagazine.com

18 58 250

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Evert Nasedkin @evertnasedkin.bsky.social · 15d

🔭 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...

1 18 36

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · 17d

Congratulations!!!

1

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Laura Kreidberg @lkreidberg.bsky.social · 26d

We have job opportunities in the APEx department at MPIA - please spread the word!

Postdocs: aas.org/jobregister/...
Tenure-track staff: aas.org/jobregister/...
Max Planck Research Group Leaders: aas.org/jobregister/...

+ happy to host ERC, Humboldt, and other third-party funds.

1 15 31

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Sep 3

So great to see another incredible JWST variability study by Akhmetshyn et al. on the planetary-mass object SIMP 0136.

These kinds of datasets reveal the most important details about the atmosphere and how they change over time.

We are officially in in the era of exoplanet weather! 🪐☁️

AstroArxiv @astroarxiv.bsky.social · Sep 3

Mapping atmospheric features of the planetary-mass brown dwarf SIMP 0136 with JWST NIRISS. Roman Akhmetshyn et. al. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.00149

11

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Dr Jake Taylor @astrojake.bsky.social · Aug 8

I rarely see Planetarium Astronomer jobs being advertised in the UK, we have a distinct lack of Planetariums. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is currently hiring for one! app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

Planetarium Astronomer | Royal Museums Greenwich

About usRoyal Museums Greenwich is a collection of diverse historical sites. The sites are the National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory, and the Queen’s House. Each of these sites h...

app.vacancy-filler.co.uk

2 10 16

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jul 23

@christinepulliam.bsky.social we won’t stop til we’ve covered the whole spectrum! 🤩

3

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jul 23

Super excited for this accepted HST+VLA program led by Cian O'Toole, who hopes to expand our knowledge of extrasolar aurorae into the UV 🔭

Cian O'Toole @astrotoole.bsky.social · Jul 22

I'm absolutely delighted to share that my Hubble Space Telescope proposal has been accepted! We will search for the first UV detection of an aurora outside the solar system on the brown dwarf 2M1047, using simultaneous observations from HST and the VLA.
Stay tuned for some very exciting science! 🔭📡

2 18

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jul 20

We are so excited for Dr McCarthy @alliemccarthy.bsky.social to join the group @tcddublin.bsky.social 🪐☁️

Philip Muirhead @philipmuirhead.bsky.social · Jul 20

Congratulations to Dr. Allison McCarthy, who successfully defended her PhD “The Physical Basis for L and T Dwarf Variability” on Friday! Allie is now off to Trinity College Dublin for a postdoc with the ExoAimsir group led by Prof. Johanna Vos! 🪐🔭 @alliemccarthy.bsky.social @johannavos.bsky.social

1 18

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Maddie Lam @maddielam.bsky.social · Jul 16

Attended my first ever conference last month at #EASCork! Super inspiring to hear about what’s going on in exoplanets and brown dwarfs!

1 14

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jun 30

@evertnasedkin.bsky.social also gave an excellent talk highlighting time-resolved retrievals on the planetary-mass object SIMP 0136. It turns out that telling that deciphering extrasolar weather is challenging, but we are getting closer with JWST and new retrieval techniques

6

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jun 30

Very proud of Cian O'Toole who gave his very first conference talk at #EAS2025 last week. 🔭

He is investigating the drivers of variability in three brown dwarfs using observations from HST, VLA and a new framework for modelling variable atmospheres. Paper is incoming so watch this space! 📄📄📄

1 2 29

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jun 26

It’s a beautiful day in Cork to kick off our symposium on giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs #EAS2025

4 41

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jun 23

Looking forward to speaking at Astronomy on Tap this Wednesday in Cork! 🍻💫

Tickets available at this link www.eventbrite.ie/e/astronomy-...

Astronomy on Tap Cork: European Astronomical Society Edition

Public talks about astronomy from professional astrophysicists right here in Cork while you enjoy a pint and maybe a pizza too!

www.eventbrite.ie

1

Reposted by Johanna Vos

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @vrubinobs.bsky.social · Jun 23

Introducing...your sneak peek at the cosmos captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory!

Can you guess these regions of sky?

This is just a small peek...join us at 11am US EDT for your full First Look at how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos! 🔭🧪

#RubinFirstLook
ls.st/rubin-first-look-livestream

A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. The image focuses on a collection of interacting galaxies connected by delicate streams of stars. At top center lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. Like delicate spider silk or stretched taffy, these stellar bridges link the large elliptical to the few larger galaxies beneath, evidence of past collisions.

All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, and blues, crisp against the velvet black.

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.

22 330 700

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Jun 16

Super cool work!

1 1

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · Jun 10

NEWS: #NASAWebb has directly imaged a cold exoplanet in an extremely misaligned orbit for the first time. The observations have surprised researchers in more than one way: webbtelescope.pub/3ZSctun #AAS246 🔭 🧪

This image shows the exoplanet 14 Herculis c. The view is mostly black, with very faint red splotches in the central region of the image. At the center of the image, there is a black circle, and in the center of that, there is a star symbol representing a real star. This black circle blocks the light from the host star. To the lower right of the circle is a fuzzy bright orange circle, which is the exoplanet.

2 27 90

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Benjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · Jun 5

Macquarie has put out the call for fully-funded PhD applications in all areas of astronomy, to start January 2026: aas.org/jobregister/...

Applications due 2 July to [email protected]. International scholarships will be competitive, typically expecting publication and/or excellent GPA.

PhD & Masters of Research Scholarships in Astrophysics | American Astronomical Society

Macquarie University is seeking outstanding candidates for PhD and Masters of Research scholarships commencing between January and June 2026.

aas.org

2 8 12

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Matthew Kenworthy @mattkenworthy.bsky.social · Jun 4

Together with Sebastiaan Haffert our review on “High-Contrast Coronagraphy” is out - writing an ARA&A review has been on my academic bucket list, and I’m very proud of the result. It uses the showyourwork! framework, making it a completely reproducible paper. #FAIR #astrodon #exoplanets

Different telescope mirror apertures and their resultant point spread functions.

4 10 48

Reposted by Johanna Vos

Denis Sergeev @meteodenny.bsky.social · Apr 23

Less than a month till the deadline to apply for this PhD place!

Denis Sergeev @meteodenny.bsky.social · Mar 26

Exciting PhD opportunity at @exeter.ac.uk: Forecasting Martian Dust Storms (funded by @ukspaceagency.bsky.social)! Please share widely!

More details: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

3D visualisation of dust and wind currents in the atmosphere of Mars as simulated by the UK Met Office Unified Model. Image credit: Danny McCulloch (U. Exeter).

4 6

Reposted by Johanna Vos

RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · Apr 18

The Minister for Heritage has announced that the Historic Astronomical Observatories of Ireland have been added to the World Heritage Tentative List, in a bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Irish historical observatories seek UNESCO status

The Minister for Heritage has announced that the Historic Astronomical Observatories of Ireland have been added to the World Heritage Tentative List, in a bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

www.rte.ie

2 8 50

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Apr 11

Thank you so much for coming Anna, great to have you!

2

Johanna Vos @johannavos.bsky.social · Apr 10

Looking forward to speaking at the @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Highlights Meeting tomorrow at @ria.ie 🔭☘️

Free tickets available here: ras.ac.uk/events-and-m...

April A&G Highlights Meeting

RAS Meetings | Friday, 11 of April 2025 - 16:00 | April A&G Highlights Meeting

ras.ac.uk

2 9