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Andrew J. Steinmetz

@ajsteinmetz.com
1.7K followers 1.2K following 867 posts

Physics Ph.D., Academic Professional at #GeorgiaTech, and #UniversityOfArizona alumnus. I love ⚛️ physics, 🌌 astronomy and all 🧪 sciences! (views my own) ajsteinmetz.github.io

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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 26/09/2026
My thanks to the #GeorgiaTech Montgomery Machine Mall (www.me.gatech.edu/montgomery-m...) for giving a tour to new #GT1000 #Physics students and showing them all the equipment (mills, lathes, CNC machines, etc) that they could be trained on to build and design for projects and experiments. #EduSky
Students on a tour of a machine shop.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 24/09/2026
Guess I ain't buying a house anytime soon. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/b...
nytimes.com
Mortgage Rates Hit 7% as Iran War Fallout Crushes a Weak Housing Market (Gift Article)
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the United States jumped to 7.03 percent, putting pressure on housing affordability.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 21/09/2026
I know it's a marketing stunt, but golly, it's too darn cute. #Space
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 15/09/2026
Yikes. #Science #AcademicSky #Physics #EduSky #GRFP #NSF www.aip.org/fyi/nsf-grad...
aip.org
NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Expected to Fall Next Year
The program solicitation estimates a sharp decline in awards for 2027 despite recent signals of support from the White House.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 13/09/2026
I missed out on this newly discovered #Spinosaurus mirabilis from this paper in #Science in February. This animal has me an amazing crest/horn on it's head. So cool. #Dinosaurs #AcademicSky #Fossils #PaleoSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Scimitar-crested Spinosaurus species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation
We describe a close relative of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the sail-backed, fish-eating giant from nearshore deposits of northern Africa. Spinosaurus mirabilis sp. nov., discovered in the central Sahara...
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 13/09/2026
I had fun at the Provost's Welcome Dinner for New Faculty with my wife Sandy at #GeorgiaTech last Wednesday. Met a lot of new faculty and acquaintances. #Atlanta
Portrait of two people in front of Georgia Tech wallpaper.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 08/09/2026
It's in the news that #OpenAI solved the Navier-Stokes Millennium problem, but everyone should read cims.nyu.edu/~tristanb/st... by another team who were working alongside a similar solution strategy. Terrible situation which sours what should be an exciting moment. #Math #Science #AcademicSky #AI
cims.nyu.edu
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 03/09/2026
New #arXiv preprint! I very much enjoyed making some of the figures for this paper about different #nuclear #fusion processes. Here's the CNO "bicycle", responsible for ~2% of solar energy, with branching at solar core temperatures. #Science #AcademicSky #Physics #Astronomy arxiv.org/abs/2609.01366
The carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) “bicycle,” showing the catalytic hydrogen-burning cycles CNO-I (yellow) and CNO-II (green).
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 31/08/2026
Our department is hiring! We're a pretty nice place if I do say so myself. #Science #Physics #AcademicSky #AcademicJobs #GeorgiaTech #GaTech #AI #MachineLearning www.physicsworldjobs.com/job/32794/op...
physicsworldjobs.com
Open-Rank, Tenured/Tenure Track Position in Physics - Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning - Atlanta, Georgia, US job with Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Physics | 32794
Open-rank tenured/tenure-track faculty position at the interface between machine learning and physics.
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Brett Morris @brettmorr.is · 30/08/2026
Baby photo of our now grown up spacecraft:
Smiling nerd in front of the incomplete Roman Space Telescope at NASA Goddard.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 14/08/2026
Amazing potential measurement of vacuum birefringence, which is a prediction that strong EM fields can polarize light in the vacuum. #Science #Physics #Astronomy www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Vacuum birefringence and the polarized X-ray emission from a radio magnetar - Nature
Polarization measurements of the magnetar 1E 1547.0−5408 provide strong evidence that vacuum birefringence shapes X-ray propagation, offering an important observational test of quantum electrodynamics...
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Prof. Sam Lawler @sundogplanets.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/07/2026
Science communication pro-tip I learned from setting up my telescope+solar filter on the sidewalk outside the library in a nearby small town this afternoon: you get much more positive reaction from asking "Do you want to look at sunspots?" than "Do you want to look at the Sun?" Also, everybody […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 19/07/2026
Congratulations #Spain!!! Well deserved. #WorldCup #Soccer
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 12/07/2026
This semifinal is going to be amazing. Sad to see #Norway go though. #WorldCup #Soccer www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv...
nytimes.com
Argentina 3-1 Switzerland
Argentina struck twice late in extra time to beat 10-man Switzerland in the final quarter-final of the 2026 World Cup.Switzerland forced the game into extra time despite being reduced to 10 men in the...
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 07/07/2026
#Belgium deserves the win after the recent shenanigans. Sad for #USMNT. My team loyalty transfers to #Norway. #WorldCup #Soccer www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
World Cup 2026: See How a Series of U.S. Mistakes Led to Belgium’s Third Goal (Gift Article)
View in 3-D how the U.S. men’s soccer team failed to stop Belgium from scoring a crucial goal in a match that ultimately knocked the United States out of the World Cup.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 06/07/2026
Look, I think the Balogun red card was dumb, but the overturn smells so dirty. #Belgium has every right to be furious. Maybe #UEFA should consider leaving #FIFA. I'd rather #USMNT wins cleanly without Trump's thumb on the scale. Ridiculous. #WorldCup #Soccer www.uefa.com/news-media/n...
uefa.com
UEFA statement on the Balogun case
Statement on decision related to Folarin Balogun
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 04/07/2026
I was struggling to find a good post for #July4th, but then stumbled on DSCOVR and thought it was perfect. Happy #America250 #Science #Space
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 04/07/2026
Absolute respect to #CapeVerde for a world class showing against #Argentina. Best game of the #WorldCup so far. #Soccer
nytimes.com
Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2
Argentina saw off a spirited Cape Verde side in one of the most incredible World Cup knockout matches in recent memory.Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez struck in extra time for Argentina, either ...
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 02/07/2026
I love Pochettino and #USMNT #USA That was a tough game and they did it. Congratulations! #WorldCup (VAR can suck it)
Screenshot of World Cup victory score.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 30/06/2026
Should have been 9-0. "Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
nytimes.com
Live Updates: Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 26/06/2026
Watching #Norway vs #France at the #FIFAFanFest in #Atlanta!
Portrait of two people Crowd watching soccer Fifa fan fest sign
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Corey S. Powell @coreyspowell.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Comet 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar visitor that blew through our solar system, might have been a truly ancient relic. A new analysis of its unusual composition suggests the comet could be up to 12 billion years old, dating from the earliest era of our galaxy. 🧪🔭 esawebb.org/news/weic2613/
Measurements of specific element varieties by Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument show how different the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is from comets originating in our own Solar System. Researchers used NIRSpec to measure carbon-13, which contains an extra neutron, relative to the more common carbon-12. They also measured the abundance of heavy hydrogen, which is a hydrogen atom with an added neutron.

Webb’s NIRSpec found a surprisingly large amount of heavy hydrogen, with a low abundance of carbon-13, indicating that 3I/ATLAS came from a place very different from our own Solar System. Researchers say early analysis of these results indicates that 3I/ATLAS was ejected from its origin system billions of years ago.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 21/06/2026
Even now as we drown in the dark, and my heart is buried underneath the weight ... God, I swear even now I CAN STILL FEEL THE SUN ON MY FACE #Protomen #ActIII Part 2 #Music #RockOpera
reddit.com
From the Protomen community on Reddit: New ARG code dropped, here is the decoded message
Explore this post and more from the Protomen community
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Douglas Reyes-CeroÑ @dreyesceron.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
At this point, this is what Japan is doing to Tunisia
static.klipy.com
Godzilla Monster Leap
Alt: Godzilla Monster Leap sliding on his tail
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 20/06/2026
Give me a DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde round of 16 for the sheer entertainment value. #WorldCup #Soccer
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 20/06/2026
Also eliminated was Haiti by Brazil, but at least they took it like champs. Made solid plays and attempts the entire way through. This game was... not that. Ouch.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 19/06/2026
Good job #USMNT especially Freeman for 3 WC goals so far! Didn't know y'all switched to playing rugby in the second half lol. Still less chaotic than that 6-0 Canada/Qatar game. #WorldCup #Soccer
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 17/06/2026
The Croatian goalkeeper Livakovic' deserves props for that onslaught of saves he did in like 2 minutes. Great game. #WorldCup #England #Croatia #Soccer
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 13/06/2026
Watching the #WorldCup at the #DecaturGA watch party! #Soccer #Football
Man with USA scarf smiling.Two people smiling Crowd sitting on a lawn
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 11/06/2026
I had a wonderful time today at the GT 1000 & GT 2000 Instructor Development Conference. Thank you #GeorgiaTech OUESS. I'm looking forward to teaching #GT1000 this upcoming Fall.
A man is smiling in a conference room.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 30/05/2026
Unintentional recreation lol #Disney #Epcot
V-Day kiss photo next to couple kissing at Epcot park.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 18/05/2026
I'm moving all my course materials into quarto.org #Quarto and I kind of love it. #Science #EduSky #AcademicSky
quarto.org
Quarto
An open source technical publishing system for creating beautiful articles, websites, blogs, books, slides, and more. Supports Python, R, Julia, and JavaScript.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 18/05/2026
Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World remains eternally relevant: “I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; ... (1/4)
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 08/05/2026
@hankgreen.bsky.social Hey Hank, I just watched your video. Yes, #Artemis II was capturing the reflected #Moon e.g. a "moon glint" in the ocean. Check out the analogous "sun glint" reflections captured by #DSCOVR epic.gsfc.nasa.gov/galleries/20... #Science #NASA #Space
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 08/05/2026
It occurs to me that having everything centralized on the cloud might has some downsides. #EduSky #AcademicSky 🙃
Ransom note by hacker group.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 02/05/2026
I have a wild idea. Let's take all the private student loan lenders, liquidate them, and jail the C-suites? If I have to read one more desperate post by an 18 year old thinking their life is over because they signed a predatory Sallie Mae loan, I'll scream. #EduSky #AcademicSky #StudentLoans
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 30/04/2026
This is not an expanding supernova, but a "light echo" as light (from V838 Monocerotis) travels through an already present nebula illuminating it over several years. #Science #Space #Astronomy See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V838_Mo... This is similar to the #MIT light-camera: youtu.be/EtsXgODHMWk?...
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 27/04/2026
Dead trees remind me of whale-fall, but for forests, as these collapsed titans (pic: fallen White Oak) decompose into soil/humus which sustains future generations of plant and animal life. #Biology #Science #Ecology
Underside of fall oak tree in the forest.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 23/04/2026
What's your favorite particle? I'm particular to the electron. It is a stable, charged fermion with 1/2 spin and a foundational building block to so much of the natural world around us. #Physics #Science
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Astropotamus 🔭🦛 @astropotamus.com · 18/04/2026
I am finally under dark New Mexico skies. Orion, many other things, and the zodiacal light! 🌌🔭🦛
The Orion nebula, many other things, and the zodiacal light
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 11/04/2026
I always get misty eyed watching the splashdown scene in Apollo 13 and seeing the real thing did the same thing... I just got something in my eye, okay? ❤️ Welcome home #Artemis II! #NASA #Science #Space
The parachutes of the integrity space module are deployed.Splashdown of the integrity space module.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 09/04/2026
Lovely pic of myself and onlookers as we view the Orion Nebula during the #GeorgiaTech April 2 Public Night. We also got a nice pic of the #Moon which is fitting given #NASA #Artemis II's journey. Thanks to GT #Astronomy Club! #Science #Physics #Atlanta Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/gtsci...
A crowd gathers to look through a computer screen connected to a small telescope pointed at the stars.A photograph of the nearly full Moon.
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 09/04/2026
Finally, some good #News. "... the pawn immediately in front of a player’s king will be replaced with a sick little hot rod that can move any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or in a circle like it’s doing donuts." theonion.com/internationa...
theonion.com
International Chess Federation Adds Race Car Piece
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND—In what scholars have called the largest shake-up of the game’s rule set in centuries, the International Chess Federation announced Tuesday that it was adding a race car piece to the playing board. “In all officially sanctioned matches played from today forward, the pawn immediately in front of a player’s king will be replaced with […]
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Jasmine 🌌🔭 @astrojaz.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
woke up and still thinking about these
The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon\u2019s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars. Credit: NASAA crescent Earth setting behind the Moon\u2019s horizon. Credit: NASAThe Moon viewed from the Orion spacecraft backlit by the Sun in a solar eclipse. Stars are visible in the background. A crescent Earth setting behind a hemisphere of the Moon. Credit: NASA
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 08/04/2026
When you get cited on @inspirehep.net and it's an error and you gotta remove it! 😭 (And yes, I put in the correct citation) #Science #Physics #AcademicSky
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Swapna Krishna @swapnakrishna.com · 07/04/2026
And here’s the eclipse photo from Artemis II. I am in tears.
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 03/04/2026
😮 Awesome views from Day 2 of #Artemis II this morning. @exploration.esa.int @esaearth.esa.int
Spectacular high-resolution image of our home planet viewed through the Orion Crew Module window by the Artemis II astronauts as they continue their journey to the Moon on Flight Day 2, 3 April 2026 (pic: NASA) A full disc image of Earth, as seen from the Orion Crew Module. The planet is a pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing slightly lighter blue in place from reflected light. At lower left, a large brown landmass is Africa, with Spain and Portugal with twinkling lights where the planet curves. At top right, auroras glow in a thin green glow, just barely separated from the planet's surface. Earth is set against the black of space (pic: NASA/R.Wiseman)
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 03/04/2026
More context on this #Artemis II image: * This is the night side, lit by moonlight. You can see city lights in Spain & Portugal, & a sliver of day at lower right * The Sun is entirely behind Earth, which makes it a kind of solar eclipse, but w/ Earth doing the eclipsing instead of the Moon: ☀️🌍🚀🌕
A full disc image of Earth, as seen from the Orion Crew Module. The planet is a pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing slightly lighter blue in place from reflected light. At lower left, a large brown landmass is Africa, with Spain and Portugal with twinkling lights where the planet curves. At top right, auroras glow in a thin green glow, just barely separated from the planet's surface. Earth is set against the black of space (pic: NASA/R.Wiseman)
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niki grayson @nikigrayson.com · 02/04/2026
right now the astronauts are calling houston because the computer on the spaceship is running two instances of microsoft outlook and they can't figure out why. nasa is about to remote into the computer
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Andrew J. Steinmetz @ajsteinmetz.com · 01/04/2026
LIFTOFF!!! #NASA #Space #Artemis
NasaNasaNasa
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