Michelle Collins
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runningastronomer.bsky.social
Michelle Collins
@runningastronomer.bsky.social
5.9K followers 910 following 900 posts
✨Astronomer searching for and studying the faintest galaxies in the Universe ✨co-host of the @starxiv.bsky.social podcast ✨ Enthusiastic-but-mediocre runner 🏃🏻‍♀️ vegan 🌱 She/her
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runningastronomer.bsky.social
A short video of our space musicians and astro simulation stands
October 12, 2025 at 7:36 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Yesterday's high Street takeover for world space week was amazing! Satellites, space, telescopes, music, arts and crafts, and some fabulous astronomers to entertain the crowds 🔭🧪👩🏻‍🚀🛸🛰️👽
A blue sign on a wooden a frame board with and astronaut on it. It says works space week and has a description of our events A gazebo stands on the cobbled high Street with a large pull up sign beside it. The sign has an astronaut on it with a speech bubble saying "Ask an astronomer" on it An array of telescopes stand on the cobbled high street with people wandering around
October 12, 2025 at 7:34 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Cordoba is lovely, by the way 🤩
Me and Duncan Forbes, posing amidst the red and white striped arches of the Mesquita The main altar of the cathedral found within Cordoba's mosque. A wider view of the arches and pillars of the Mesquita
October 6, 2025 at 5:43 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
I'm listening to episode 19 of mine and @payeldas.bsky.social podcast (where we talk about the latest papers from the arXiv) from a balcony in Greece 🤩 where are you listening from? 😉🧪🔭☄️
A view of the sea and a little harbour town from my holiday balcony. The sky is a perfect blue, and the sea looks still and inviting.
September 1, 2025 at 9:10 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Can you believe that ultra diffuse galaxies have been some for 10 years? Neither can I, they're actually typically billions of years old after year. But we are having a conference anyway #10yearsUDGs
A view of the sunrise over the mountains. In the foreground you can see a river surrounded by hedges and trees Jonah Gannon showing us pictures of himself from 10 years ago! Back then he designed funny t-shirts for the maths society, including triganom nom nometry A histogram of papers and citations to udg papers in the last 10 years. Hundreds of papers and 18000 citations
August 18, 2025 at 7:52 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
I'm in Benasque for the 10 years of UDGs meeting. It's quite lovely.
The town centre roundabout with a deer statue atop a rock. It is lit up. A view down one of the main streets. You can see the mountains in the background and a street lined with restaurants.
August 17, 2025 at 8:48 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Spending my evening the way all the coolest people do: talking to people about the best galaxy, Andromeda 🔭
My laptop can be seen, displaying a slide from Ben Williams, comparing Andromeda and the Milky Way. Above is my monitor, showing the first of my slides, which will be about Andromeda's dwarf galaxies and streams
August 7, 2025 at 7:36 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
More telescope pics! The butterfly nebula and a deeper dive on the supernova hosting NGC 7331 galaxy 🦋✨🔭
A star filled background hosts a pinkish orange cloud of gas in its centre. The nation body is shaped like a butterfly, with wings open as if in flight. The NGC 7331 galaxy sits within a star field. It's disk is inclined and it is angled at about 45 degrees. Just to the north, you can see a faint dwarf companion galaxy. Below, on the other side of the galaxies bulge, you can make out a slight circular excess of light which is the supernova.
August 6, 2025 at 8:33 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
While I slept, Shakira snapped a few more pics. Check out another globular cluster, M92, and NGC 7331, a galaxy that recently had a supernova! Can't really make it out... But I convinced myself I can 😂🔭
A dense ball of stars in the centre of the image makes up M92, which falls off gradually in the outskirts NGC 7331 is a disk galaxy, oriented at about 45 degrees in the centre of this image. The central bulge looks slightly brighter than usual (she says, optimistically) because of a star that recently exploded there.
August 5, 2025 at 6:33 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
It's been a while, but Shakira the seestar is back in action, collecting photons in my garden 🤩🔭 First up, the M13 globular cluster
A dense ball of stars is positioned in the centre of the image. Other stars are scattered around it. At the top of the image and slightly to the left you can make out the faint smudge of a distant galaxy
August 4, 2025 at 9:13 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Google's opinion of me is 1) brutal and 2) that I am Megan Argo. 😂🔭
Google says: There isn't a single, well-known astronomer named Michelle specifically associated with Godalming. However, there are a few possibilities to consider: Michelle Collins: According to her profile on Mastodon, Michelle Collins is an astrophysicist at the University of Central Lancashire. She runs a distance learning BSc Astronomy program and is involved in radio telescope networks. She also does science communication work. While not in Godalming, she is an astronomer
July 30, 2025 at 7:04 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Tim's back. He can't get enough of @ec-euclid.bsky.social @eucliduk.bsky.social 🔭🧪☄️👨🏼‍🚀
Steve and Tim peake stand Infront of a field of galaxies with the ESA logo in the centre. A mic boom is visible at the top The same as before, now Tim and Steve are in front of galaxies without the ESA logo Now you can see the effect of Steve and Tim lensing the back ground of galaxies, as if they are massive clumps of dark matter
July 12, 2025 at 10:29 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Hanging out at the @eucliduk.bsky.social Future Lab exhibit at Goodwood Festival of Speed. Astronaut Tim peake popped by 🤩🧪🔭☄️
The exhibit from above. You can see the Euclid lensing simulator on the left, and Steve giving an overview on the right Here we have Tim Peake, checking out the future lab. Another shot of our lensing simulation platform with the future lab logo
July 11, 2025 at 2:43 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
I'm on holiday and a couple of days ago we did an epic hike up Mount Baron and Mount Veyrier. Turns out, it was a bit more elevation than I was used to 😂
June 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Great fun recording the @starxiv.bsky.social podcast with @payeldas.bsky.social today! We covered some great papers from across the astro-verse 😍🔭
Payel and I sat in my office in front of our mics. I have my headphones on too, but Payel is too cool for that
June 6, 2025 at 1:39 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
I highly recommend including the pink soup fest! It's huge fun!
May 31, 2025 at 2:10 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
We are in Vilnius and have discovered the pink soup fest is happening! Obviously we joined the pink soup walk this morning 🫜
Jamie and I during the walk, with a hoard of people behind us A beetroot man sits inside a massive soup bowl Me with a cocktail glass of the famous soup
May 31, 2025 at 10:18 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
40+ appreciation post! Reskeet with a pic if you're the right side of 40.

41 here and having a hoot in Latvia. 🦉
I'm in the centre of a feature wall art the apartment we're staying at in Riga. There are 3 giant owls surrounding me. I am posing like a curious owl
May 28, 2025 at 5:43 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Telescopes aren't just for nighttime 🤩☀️ That big ol' sunspot is active region 4079 and it is similar in size to Jupiter 🤯🧪🔭
The sun, imaged with my Seestar. The sun is white and just above the centre is active region 4079, a big complex of sunspots. To the lower right, another smaller sunspot can be seen A zoom in on ar4079 where you can make out small features in the complex
May 3, 2025 at 1:39 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Oh, and did I mention we awarded an honorary doctorate to Dame Jocelyn Bell-Burnell? Here she is, picture with Bell-Burnell scholar and graduate Joanna Sakowska, and Noelia Noël, who introduced her. 🔭
From left to right we have Joanna Sakowska in her Surrey graduate robes,Dame Bell-Burnell and Dr Noelia Noël
April 30, 2025 at 2:58 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
So many newly minted astronomy doctors today! 🔭🧪 Congratulations to your all including bsky's @madastro.bsky.social @astroeth.bsky.social 🤩 And three of my students (the two tagged plus Noushin Karim) ❤️
The astro cohort, along with proud supervisors. From left to right: Tariq Hilmi, Kate Attard, Ethan Taylor, Madison Walker, me, Payel Das, Noushin Karim, Paula Gherginescu, Denis Erkal and Justin Read! Me in my jaunty cap and wizards gown+alright, Cambridge robe, which is black with red trim) Denis, Madison and me in our caps and gowns by a few trees
April 30, 2025 at 12:40 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Happy Easter! I have spent the day pulling up dandelions 😂
A giant green bucket stands on a green lawn. It is full to overflowing with pulled up dandelions. In the background, more dandelions can be seen, mocking me with their little yellow faces.
April 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Last night I used the Seestar to image M101, the Pinwheel galaxy. Lush. 🤩🔭✨
M101 is a face on spiral galaxy. You can see it's nucleus surrounded with three arms. The outermost one looksa little ragged, like maybe it's been disturbed.
April 17, 2025 at 7:35 AM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
After almost 10 years in my office over in the BC building, I have moved to the space centre! The whole astro group will be here soon. It's a pretty sweet building 🤩
My new office! My desk is by the window, I have a sofa and my IKEA chair. Needs a little decorating... Work in progress
April 15, 2025 at 1:27 PM
runningastronomer.bsky.social
Sunday is bread day in this house 🍞
A delicious, crispy, freshly baked bread. It will not last the day
April 13, 2025 at 9:29 AM