SETI Institute
@setiinstitute.bsky.social
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Our mission is to lead humanity’s quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe and share that knowledge.
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Not Just Aliens is the SETI Institute’s weekly series featuring scientists exploring astrobiology, heliophysics, planetary science, and more — expanding the search for life beyond Earth.

Learn more about Franck: www.seti.org/people/franc...
Franck Marchis
Senior Planetary Astronomer
www.seti.org
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His research includes notable discoveries such as the first triple-asteroid system, the binary Trojan asteroid Patroclus, the direct imaging of a Jupiter-like exoplanet, and major advancements in adaptive optics, as well as citizen science using networks of small telescopes.
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@allplanets.bsky.social is a senior astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of @unistellar.bsky.social, and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of @skymapper.bsky.social. 🧪 🔭

#PlanetaryScience #SpaceScience #SETI #NotJustAliens
Text: #notjustaliens. Franck Marchis, planetary astronomy. Background: Starry night sky. Inset: Photo of person. Text: Dr. Franck Marchis is a senior astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Unistellar, and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SkyMapper. Background: Starry night sky with graphics of a star and exoplanets in front of it. Text: His research includes notable discoveries such as the first triple-asteroid system, the binary Trojan asteroid Patroclus, the direct imaging of a Jupiter-like exoplanet, and major advancements in adaptive optics, as well as citizen science using networks of small telescopes. Background: Starry night sky with graphics of a star and exoplanets. SETI Institute logo. Graphics: (top) Black hole. (bottom) radio telescope dishes at the Allen Telescope Array. Background: Starry night sky.
Reposted by SETI Institute
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Moments like this don’t happen every day 💫

Our CEO @allplanets.bsky.social met the legendary Jill Tarter - founder of @setiinstitute.bsky.social - as she received the @calacademy.bsky.social Fellows Medal.

And she loved the idea of @skymapper.bsky.social and decentralized astronomy! 🌌
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Every once in a while, our solar system receives a fleeting visitor from the depths of our galaxy. On July 1, 2025, NASA’s ATLAS telescope discovered Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected, following ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

Learn more:
Visitors from the Stars: Understanding Comet ATLAS Without the Hype
Commentary: Nathalie A. Cabrol
www.seti.org
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The galaxy's core is unique for its stunning 2,400 light-year-wide circle of infant star clusters, called a "circumnuclear" starburst ring. Starbursts are episodes of vigorous formation of new stars and are found in a variety of galaxy environments.

Learn more: science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble...
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512 in Many Wavelengths - NASA Science
In this view of the center of the magnificent barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512, NASA Hubble Space Telescope's broad spectral vision reveals the galaxy at all wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared.…
science.nasa.gov
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Located 30 million light-years away, relatively "nearby" as galaxies go, it is bright enough to be seen with amateur telescopes. The galaxy spans 70,000 light-years, nearly as much as our own Milky Way galaxy.
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The colors (which indicate differences in light intensity) map where newly born star clusters exist in both "dusty" and "clean" regions of the galaxy.

NGC 1512 is a barred spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Horologium.
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#PPOD: In this view of the center of the magnificent barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's broad spectral vision reveals the galaxy at all wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared. Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Maoz (Tel-Aviv University and Columbia University) 🧪 🔭
The image shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1512, located in the constellation Horologium. The galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy, which means its spiral arms do not twist all the way into the center. Instead, they are attached to a straight bar of stars that encloses the nucleus. The galaxy is known for its extended ultraviolet disc and double-ring structure, with a ring around the galactic nucleus and another further out in the main disk.
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Host Dave Schlom of Blue Dot is joined by two guests from the SETI Institute: Simon Steel for an inside look at the Institute's role as a science advisor for the Disney/Pixar film Elio, and Sophia Sheikh for a thought-provoking discussion of the Fermi Paradox. 🧪 👩‍🔬

www.mynspr.org/show/blue-do...
Blue Dot: SETI Institute: it's role in the Disney/Pixar animated film Elio and The Fermi Paradox
Host Dave Schlom is joined by two guests from the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, for a fun and thought-provoking program. Simon Steel, Deputy Director of the Carl Sagan Center for…
www.mynspr.org
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#ICYMI: In last week's #SETILive, Dr. Sam Courville explained how and why the dwarf planet Ceres may be the key to understanding astrobiology. Watch the full interview: youtube.com/live/AMxbk9f... 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬
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Next #SETILive: Space Weather Alert
TODAY, 7 October 2025, 2:30 pm PDT

Heliophysicist Dr. Becca Robinson joins host Simon Steel to explain what coronal holes are, how they form, and what their impacts mean for both our technology and our understanding of the Sun. 🧪 🔭 👩‍🔬

WATCH LIVE: buff.ly/P9Xk2M4
SETI Live record button logo.Text: Space weather alert with Simon Steel and Becca Robinson. Background: Infrared picture of the Sun featuring a coronal hole near the two o'clock position. Inset: Photos of Simon Steel and Becca Robinson.
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Starting in one hour!
7 October @ Noon - 1:30 pm PDT

Bill Diamond, President and CEO of the SETI Institute, will take us inside the search for life beyond Earth, covering not only the founding concepts, current status, and perspectives of the search, but also its organizational aspects. 🧪 🔭
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Trailing behind Curiosity are rover tracks, and beyond those is "Marker Band Valley," a winding region where the rover discovered unexpected signs of an ancient lake. Further below are two hills – "Bolivar" and “Deepdale” – that Curiosity drove between while exploring "Paraitepuy Pass."
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Color was added for an artistic interpretation of the scene, with blue representing the morning panorama and yellow representing the afternoon one.

At the bottom right of the postcard is Curiosity. The rover’s three antennas and nuclear power source are visible.
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#PPOD: NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas at two times of day on April 8, 2023. The panoramas were captured at 9:20 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. local Mars time, then merged together. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A panorama image of Mars as seen by NASA's Curiosity rover, which is at the bottom of the image. The panorama is a combination of morning and afternoon views and has been artistically colorize to show the view, with a yellow morning sky on the left and a blue afternoon sky on the right. The rover is looking back at its tracks and down into Gale Crater, with rock outcroppings on either side.
setiinstitute.bsky.social
ONLINE EVENT
7 October @ Noon - 1:30 pm PDT

Bill Diamond, the current President and CEO of the SETI Institute, will take us inside the search for life beyond Earth, covering not only the founding concepts, current status, and perspectives of the search, but also its organizational aspects. 🧪 🔭
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Astronomer @allplanets.bsky.social spoke with @asrivkin.bsky.social about Asteroid 2024 YR4, a near-Earth object discovered in late December 2024. Updated calculations indicate a roughly 4% chance that the asteroid could strike the Moon on December 22, 2032. 🧪 🔭

Learn more:
Lunar Impact? Asteroid 2024 YR4 and the Risk to the Moon
www.seti.org
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A team of heliophysicists and machine learning experts in academia and industry has come together to develop Surya, the first foundation model for heliophysics, representing a new approach to studying and predicting solar activity. 🧪 🔭

Learn more: www.seti.org/news/surya-a...
Surya: A Foundation Model for Understanding Our Sun
www.seti.org
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The little bean-shaped structures in your cells – mitochondria – are the powerhouses of your cells. Are they also the key to overall good health? We consider recent health trends on Skeptic Check from @bipisci.bsky.social 🧪

Listen here: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/ske...
The image shows a mitochondrion, a double-membraned, bean-shaped organelle found in most eukaryotic organisms.
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#PPOD: NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft captured dark streaks produced by geysers visible on the icy surface of Triton's south polar region during its flyby on August 25, 1989. Credit: NASA/JPL 🧪 🔭
An icy moon with dark, arcing streaks at its southern pole seen in detail.