Dr Robin George Andrews
@squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
1K followers 390 following 300 posts
Award-Winning Science Journalist | Volcanology PhD | Stories in @nytimes @sciam @NatGeo etc | Author: SUPER VOLCANOES 🌋 and HOW TO KILL AN ASTEROID 🚀☄️💥☠️
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squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
NEW: It was a delight to contribute to @quantamagazine.bsky.social's stunning new series on climate science! Naturally, my story tended apocalyptic: will Earth ever become a climate hellhole like Venus, the most extreme world in the solar system?

www.quantamagazine.org/why-is-venus...
Why Is Venus Hell and Earth an Eden? | Quanta Magazine
A team of scientists has investigated how Earth’s twin became so inhospitable, and whether the same will happen to our planet.
www.quantamagazine.org
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
BREAKING: ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (which is designed to look at Mars itself) turned to face interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS while it passed relatively close by, at a distance of 30m kilometres.

And it caught it! Look at that adorable little puffy coma.

More here: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
The best part of the day is when the Sun fucks off
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
stim3on.bsky.social
Well, forget what I said, turns out you can process marsrover images on the train too :)

There is a super faint smudge where comet 3I/Atlas should be. The new orbit parameters in Stellarium are a pretty good match. 🔭 #3iatlas
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
Oh and hey, my book about stopping killer asteroids was the runner-up in the NASW Science in Society Journalism Awards in the Books category! Thanks for the nod, @sciencewriters.org. :)
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
Delighted to see I've made the Notable section of the Best American Science and Nature Writing 2025 edition. Third time's a charm, or something. :) (cc: @clarakm.bsky.social)
siric.bsky.social
This was only possible because of @kathlanpher.bsky.social, eternally grateful to her and the @grist.org team for their encouragement on this story. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention my sources, especially folks from IMPACT in the Fifth Ward in Houston who took the time to speak to me.
A list of notable stories in the Best American Science and Nature Writing book, my article, Industry Poisoned a Vibrant Black Neighborhood. Is A Buyout the Solution? Is mentioned at the bottom
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
NEW: Earlier this year, the volcanic island of Santorini was rocked by 28,000 quakes. It didn't end in an eruption—but it wasn't clear what was going on.

Now, in part thanks to AI, we know: two volcanoes were communicating using magma!

Me, for NatGeo. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
NEW: It was a delight to contribute to @quantamagazine.bsky.social's stunning new series on climate science! Naturally, my story tended apocalyptic: will Earth ever become a climate hellhole like Venus, the most extreme world in the solar system?

www.quantamagazine.org/why-is-venus...
Why Is Venus Hell and Earth an Eden? | Quanta Magazine
A team of scientists has investigated how Earth’s twin became so inhospitable, and whether the same will happen to our planet.
www.quantamagazine.org
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
NEW: Earlier this year, the volcanic island of Santorini was rocked by 28,000 quakes. It didn't end in an eruption—but it wasn't clear what was going on.

Now, in part thanks to AI, we know: two volcanoes were communicating using magma!

Me, for NatGeo. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
tony873004.bsky.social
In the last 6 days, 9 asteroids passed inside the Moon’s orbit. Estimated sizes: ~1–38 m. All were discovered this month, a reminder that countless small, faint NEOs slip by unnoticed until they make a close pass.
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
But wait, mini-moons aren't the same as quasi-moons, right?
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
NEW: Earth and the Moon have been best mates for over four billion years. But that doesn't mean they don't want new friends!

Case in point: we just discovered an asteroid that's following Earth around! It's known as a quasi-moon. And it's adorable.

Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/s...
Earth Has a New ‘Quasi-Moon,’ and It May Be Very Tiny
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
sarahexplains.bsky.social
We've reached 6,000 confirmed exoplanets! I talked with @aussiastronomer.bsky.social about where things go from here. (A great graphic by @unamandita.bsky.social visualizes the amazing jumps in planet finds since the first ones were confirmed in the 1990s.)
Want to Get Away? NASA Now Offers More Than 6,000 Alien Worlds to Daydream About
It’s a crowded galaxy, the latest exoplanet tally shows
www.scientificamerican.com
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
Petition for this to be the actual mission patch.
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
Have you seen NEO Surveyor’s unofficial mission patch? :)
squigglyvolcano.bsky.social
Yo, astronomers. Is the difference between a quasi-moon and a trojan this?

- A quasi-moon orbits the Sun in a very similar path to the planet, but is unstable, can shift about, and eventually leaves;

- A trojan either leads or trails the planet, has a stable orbit, and sticks to Lagrange points
Reposted by Dr Robin George Andrews
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
A satellite photo of a volcano taken from space FROM THE SIDE
spacefromspace.com
Just spent some time digging through old Maxar/DigitalGlobe blogs to find a reference image and found this incredible capture of Mt Fuji. Incredible.

The satellite was only three degrees above the horizon when it captured this image.

blog.maxar.com/earth-intell...
A Maxar satellite image of Mt Fuji. The satellite was only 3 degrees above the horizon at the time, so the capture angle is almost directly side on instead of top down.