iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 11h

Nope nope nope not looking at thoes propposal numbers and very low odds of time. 😶‍🌫️🫣

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András Gáspár @andrasgaspar.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This was posted on LinkedIn. Looks like a new record, possibly 3500 proposals. Good luck everyone on the JWST roulette. We really should have made two.

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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This growth is wild & completely unsustainable. [For those who aren't adjacent to this, arXiv is a public repository where many / most authors post their scientific papers, sometimes simultaneous with submission to a journal and sometimes after acceptance.]

Open access repositories across the board are seeing a sharp increase in the number of submissions

per author, per month. In September of 2016, arxiv received 9,869 submissions. In September of 2024, arXiv received 20,569 submissions. This September, arXiv received 40,363 submissions, which

in turn generated almost 9,000 support tickets for arXiv staff and moderators. In only the past two years, submissions have doubled.

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Science Magazine @science.org · 30/09/2026

NASA has selected a far-infrared space telescope to explore the faint, cool glow of gas and dust that fuel star formation and coalesce into planets. scim.ag/4z0OZ5m

scim.ag

New space telescope will reopen astronomers’ view of the far-infrared

NASA’s $1.2 billion PRIMA will explore how galaxies evolve and how planets emerge from disks of gas and dust

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Absolutely over the moon that PRIMA has been selected for NASAs next mission. So happy for the team and the science that is going to be done. 🎉🎉🎉 🔭🍾🧪 www.nasa.gov/news-release...

nasa.gov

NASA Selects Far-Infrared Telescope as First in New Mission Class - NASA

NASA announced Wednesday a mission to explore the history and evolution of the universe, PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), is advancing to

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Reporting History @reporting-history.com · 17/09/2026

Just brilliant!

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Dr. Amber Straughn (she/her) @astraughnomer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This is one of my all-time favorite astronomy graphics. The coffee you drank this morning came from the Big Bang ☕💥 Yesterday's #apod Read more: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap26091...

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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

What is a Rube Goldberg machine and why is it so fascinating?

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Joumana Medlej @majnouna.com · 09/09/2026

This Four Candles Christmas card is the NICHEST BRITISHEST greeting card I've ever seen. shopping.rspb.org.uk/christmas-sh...

shopping.rspb.org.uk

RSPB Shop

RSPB - Progressive Web App - PWA

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

That was a v fast-paced debate on the STFC funding cuts! Good things: * The minister did not trot out the infuriating "there are no cuts" line * Lots of MPs there passionately standing up for their constituents who are directly impacted * Everyone there seemed to genuinely love the work we do!

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Like something out of an other-world futuristic sci-fi movie .... but it's 100% real, not AI, and totally and utterly 🤩 FYI the ELT (extremely large telescope) building is about the size of the Munich football stadium. Go big or go home is the usual mantra of all astronomers... 🔭

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

@astromeg.bsky.social watching the launch on bbc. Love that you are the expert voice for all these things. 🚀🙌

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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

LAUNCH at 1125 UTC Aug 30 of a Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center with NASA's Roman Space Telescope

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 24/08/2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has been enclosed inside the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket’s fairing in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida: go.nasa.gov/4xZRgNM #NASARoman 🔭 🧪

The image shows two individuals in blue protective suits observing the Roman Space Telescope inside a facility. The observatory is positioned between two sections of a payload fairing, which are held by large blue structures. The scene is set in a clean room environment, with a white floor and walls.

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ESO @eso.org · 24/08/2026

A bubbling Betelgeuse ⭐️ 🫧 This ALMA image is one of the most detailed views yet of the surface of the iconic star Betelgeuse. The surface is uneven & lumpy, with peaks and troughs originating from giant bubbles of hot gas rising from deep within the star to its surface. 🔭 🧪 1/2

A star’s almost circular shape in various shades of orange, centred against a black background. The edge of the shape has smoothed bumps and extensions, and is a darker orange compared to most of the shape’s interior which is orange to light orange.

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Benne W. Holwerda @benneholwerda.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Yeah the process of writing the results often clarify how to interpret them. It’s an under-appreciated aspect in the hard sciences to begin with and this is not helping.

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

This is Fabulous 🤩 @jengupta.bsky.social you have just sorted my Christmas shopping for some small people. :) Congratulations on your first book!

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Oh now the bloody sun comes out from behind the clouds. 😶‍🌫️🤬😡 #eclipse

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Suspect I might be a woman yelling at clouds later. Oh to be an astronomer in Scotland. #Eclipse

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Excited to see our paper out today! 🎉 MIRI has revealed dust & water surviving astonishingly close to the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Some of the most challenging Webb data I've worked on, but it was great fun figuring out the fate of this dying Sun-like star🔭🧪 esawebb.org/news/weic2617/

esawebb.org

Webb reveals dust and water surviving in the extreme environment around the Milky Way’s central black hole

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at th...

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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 07/08/2026

Antiques Roadshow xkcd.com/3281/

Comic. [Two people with tiny star floating above display on table.] PERSON 1 with ponytail: Now, your grandmother said this was a relic low-mass population III star, from the first generation of stars. Unfortunately, the high iron content shows that it formed much later, after several rounds of supernovas. I’m afraid it’s a population I star. PERSON 2: Aw, darn. Well, it still has sentimental value. [banner for Antiques Roadshow]

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Wow. Look at how much we are spending on article charges!

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ESO @eso.org · 28/07/2026

The conclusion of a century-long quest 😲 Our VLT obtained firm evidence that Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star in the Orion constellation and one of the most famous stars in the night sky, is not alone! 🔭 🧪 1/4

A collage of various astronomical images. The background image shows a wide view of a starry night sky, with blue lines connecting the stars of the Orion constellation. An inset image zooms into the star Betelgeuse, showing its orange surface. A second inset shows a bright companion next to the star. Image by ESO/M. Montargès et al. Background: N. Rissinger (skysurvey.org).

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I wouldn’t be a professional astronomer today if not for a school trip to Jodrell Bank as a kid. It’s hard to overstate how much inspiration this place gives future scientists. Devastating news. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

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RAS Journals @rasjournals.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Seb Oliver is speaking at NAM26 on "The Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics: PRIMA". Seb is second author on academic.oup.com/mnras/articl... "An almost NIRCam-dark dusty star-forming galaxy at z = 6.63" #MNRAS @royalastrosoc.bsky.social

Near-IR to millimetre images of 6 x 6 arcsec size centred on AC-2168. Please see the paper for the full caption.

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Im absolutely fuming. Sitting back for 30 min is bloody stupid. What a joke

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

One of my absolute favourite parts of my job is seeing students succeed. Huge congratulations to @conornally.bsky.social who celebrated his PhD graduation on Saturday & whose final thesis paper is on arXiv today: arxiv.org/abs/2607.11682 🎓 The science behind our #JWST press image 👇🧵 🔭🧪

arxiv.org

JWST NIRCam and MIRI Reveal the Dust-Producing AGB Population of NGC 6822

We present a photometric catalogue of the Local Group dwarf galaxy NGC 6822 based on deep JWST observations obtained with the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Point-sp...

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Harry Maguire would be dealing with this better. England defence looks so porous.

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Peter Grindrod @petergrindrod.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I wish I hadn't made this - it's grim. STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship success rates over time. I found conflicting data on the STFC website, so there could be a mistake, but last year the success rate was <4%

A plot showing 3 lines, over the time period of 2014 to 2025. Applications have risen from 166 to 186. Funded applications has decreased from 12 to 7. And so success rates have decreased from 7.2 to 3.8%.

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AstroArxiv @astroarxiv.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

MICONIC: The spatial relationship between star formation and the AGN in Centaurus A revealed by JWST/MIRI. O. C. Jones et. al. arxiv.org/abs/2607.04942

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

A very good science day: Cen A paper out this morning, and now HST is observing my JWST follow-up program in NGC 6822. We're using WFC3/IR's unique filters to identify stellar dust producers - and the observations are happening right now! 🤩🔭🧪 spacetelescopelive.org/hubble

spacetelescopelive.org

Space Telescope Live

Explore official, up-to-date information on current, past, and upcoming investigations by NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Wow! The @NASAWebb images of Centaurus A are spectacular 🤩 From intricate dust structures to stars revealed in its centre, Webb is transforming our view of this AGN Exciting to see these images as our MICONIC paper goes public after a year+ exploring Cen A w. MIRI arxiv.org/abs/2607.04942 🔭🧪

arxiv.org

MICONIC: The spatial relationship between star formation and the AGN in Centaurus A revealed by JWST/MIRI

Centaurus A (Cen A), the nearest active radio galaxy, hosts a warped dust disc formed in a gas-rich merger. We present JWST/MIRI imaging in three filters, F560W, F770W, and F1130W, of this central dis...

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

If this leaked info is to be trusted, we'll soon be adding #SaveJodrellBank to #SaveUKAstronomy🔭. I fear this is UKRI "rolling the pitch" to prepare us for the official announcement of unpleasant news😔 There is still a little glimmer hope though: A DSIT spokesperson said: "This is speculation".

A gorgeous sunset image of the iconic Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

The prioritisation decisions approved by Dsit are also likely to include the scaling back of several UK-based research facilities supported by STFC, RPN understands.

These include e-Merlin, an array of seven radio telescopes, of which the Lovell is one, headquartered at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire.

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Conor Fitzpatrick @fitzparticle.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

@jodrellbank.bsky.social does amazing science, and is great value for money- the Lovell telescope has been doing great research continuously since 1957. It's of such historic value it is a UNESCO world heritage site, attracting visitors from all over the world to the North. bsky.app/profile/fitz...

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Well the president has been set. If a red card yours till get to play the next match right 😅😆 Talk about a can of worms being opened earlier today.

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Ben Brindle @benbrindle.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

That was one of the best football matches I have ever seen, but also one of the most horrible experiences of my life

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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

WHAT A WIN!!!!!!! Bloody magnificent!! — with only ten men, in the heat, in the altitude, in the intense stadium of home fans… and they bloody did it!

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Dr Libby Jones @anywaythewind.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Well the adrenaline is pumping. I dont think even if i go to bed sleep will happen. What a game. 👋👋🇲🇽

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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I hate Park The Bus!! This is so reckless, you have to have possession to waste time, not play a high stakes attackers vs defenders exercise

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Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Players need half time but I think I need it more

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Um..... so I did a thing 🫣 📽️: youtube.com/shorts/krnxj... Indie 📕: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/how-... Amazon 🔗: www.amazon.co.uk/How-Design-U... 🔭👩‍🔬🎢

youtube.com

Exciting new Announcement!!

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The Life of Sharks @thelifeofsharks.com · 04/07/2026

Saw this ad for a goat on Facebook. It’s perhaps the greatest advert I’ve ever read. It’s just superb.

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Feast your eyes on this beauty BlueSky! 🔭🧪🤩

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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

The crisis in UK higher education is worsening week by week — Exeter University is one of the best in the UK, with superb lecturers (and several You’re Dead To Me guests), but it’s planning massive job cuts in History, Archaeology, Classics — see the petition below to lend your voice in support

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Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I went to visit the LW transmitter at Droitwich in 2011 in my BBC Trust days; we were told then the valves were on their last legs and not made any more

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Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu has a countdown clock for launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope @nancyromansci.bsky.social. Soon!

Countdown clock reading 64:19:37:30. Background is a rendering of the Roman Space Telescope

Countdown clock reading 64:19:38:00. Background is a photo of Nancy Grace Roman

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