Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilNSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 08/10/2026Spooky vibes for spooky month 👻🌌 The more you look at this region of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s Ocean of Stars, the more emerges. Wispy galactic cirrus veils stars and distant galaxies, while thousands of spiral galaxies, smooth galaxies, shell galaxies, & more lurk in the depths. 🔭🧪 25511
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilPaul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 18/07/2026This is Comet Leonard during its approach to the Sun, imaged by Gerald Rhemann on Christmas Day 2021. The comet had been discovered earlier that year, and broke apart in 2022. This photo won the overall prize for Rhemann of the Royal Observatory Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2022. 7803240
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilPaul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 25/06/20261) Open this image up 2) Find the small, blue feature in the very middle Congratulations, you've spotted the Perseverance rover on Mars, photographed from orbit! 3) Trace the rover tracks as they wend their way across the surface 411149388
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilChris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 22/06/2026New favourite paper title? IIb or not IIb: A Catalog of ZTF Kilonova Imposters in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific by Barna et al. 🔭 iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1... 5372
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilJohn Lewis @astrojthe3.bsky.social · 21/04/2026Excited the Nance Grace Roman Space Telescope is Complete!? Pan + Zoom see how much of your favorite object will be captured within a single Roman field of view projects.cosmicds.cfa.harvard.edu/roman-view-f... #astronomy #dataviz 071
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 19/02/2026Why do we need Roman if we already have Webb? ➡️https://science.nasa.gov/roman-and-webb/science.nasa.govRoman and Webb - NASA ScienceNASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will conduct rapid surveys of wide swaths of the universe, unveiling new worlds and clues to mysteries like 010
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 19/01/2026So glad all the trauma was worth it. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...nytimes.comHow Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little? 012
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilScientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 27/12/2025From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depthsscientificamerican.com6 Otherworldly Deep-Sea Images from 2025From the first sighting of a colossal squid in the wild to a seriously goofy octopus, 2025 delivered some astounding photos from the ocean’s depths 9855202
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 19/12/2025Shout out to @chrislintott.bsky.social for teaching me what the thick disk is a few months ago. Now we included it in a new diagram of the Milky Way! nasa.tumblr.com/post/8033060...nasa.tumblr.comMilky Way AnatomyIf we could see our galaxy, the Milky Way, from the outside, it would look like an enormous, bedazzled pinwheel. Vast sprays of stars form spiral arms that curl outward from a bright center that... 020
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Paper: mapress.com/zt/article/v...mapress.com Systematics and biogeography of tube-nosed bats, Murina (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), from the Philippines with descriptions of six new species | Zootaxa 000
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 06/11/2025They looked so similar to other species that even when scientists did find them, they lumped them in with others. Genetic sequencing and an ultra-close look at their teeth, fur, and skull shapes revealed them as separate species. (Photo credit: J. Sedlock) 100
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 06/11/2025Meet six new species of itty-bitty bats! They’re only about the size of a walnut and as light as a AAA battery, and their leaf-like wings help them blend right in with the trees. Researchers found them lurking in the shadowy forests of the Philippines. 110
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilScientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 03/11/2025An orca pod has been spotted for the first time repeatedly targeting and flipping young great white sharks onto their backs to paralyze and dismember themscientificamerican.comFirst-Ever Footage Shows Killer Whales Attacking Great White Shark NurseryAn orca pod has been spotted for the first time repeatedly targeting and flipping young great white sharks onto their backs to paralyze and dismember them 24410
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 27/10/2025For the first time, astronomers have confirmed a tidal disruption event, dubbed AT2024tvd, located outside its galaxy’s core. Now, astronomers are trying to understand what the black hole is doing 2,600 light-years from where they expected it to be. www.astronomy.com/science/blac...astronomy.comBlack hole caught snacking on star far from host galaxy’s centerAstronomers are wondering why a recently discovered supermassive black hole is some 2,600 light-years from where it’s supposed to be. 020
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 27/10/2025Check out the toads that transform from chocolate pudding brown to lemon meringue yellow, not to attract females but deter other males: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...nationalgeographic.comScientists reveal the secret of toads that can turn neon yellowThe color change, driven by hormones, seems aimed at preventing males from accidentally mating with each other. 000
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 13/10/2025@leebillings.bsky.social’s book Five Billion Years of Solitude has ruined science writing for me, because how is anything I write ever supposed to compare to this line? 🤩 020
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilDouglas Main @dmain.bsky.social · 30/09/2025new gecko just dropped via @ashleybvigil.bsky.social @andreatweather.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/six-...scientificamerican.comMildly Menacing Mating Calls Lead to Discovery of New Gecko SpeciesScientists found new gecko species hidden in plain sight in pristine deserts of southern Africa, thanks to their loud, barking mating calls 162
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 21/09/2025I saw it earlier and saved it to read when the kids are asleep! 😊 check the hashtag for another question from a while back lol 120
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 03/08/2025#askethan Would you consider pop II and I stars to be enriched or contaminated by metals? 110
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 01/08/2025I think it might be broken…it didn’t play any music when I opened it? But fr we freelancers should each have a top 8 clients section we regularly update lol 110
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilNSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 23/07/2025Happy birthday, Vera Rubin! 🥳✨ What better way to celebrate than with NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view of galaxies SHE studied? NGC 4343, 4526, 4535, and 4378 are just a few gems from our Cosmic Treasure Chest. Explore them and more at skyviewer.app 🔭🧪 418253
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilScientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 20/07/2025The park’s newest hydrothermal feature has an otherworldly milky texture from dissolved silica spklr.ioNew Thermal Hole Opens at Yellowstone National ParkThe park's newest hydrothermal feature has an otherworldly milky texture from dissolved silica 05810
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 18/07/2025If some men feel like they’ve been “reduced to ‘walking wallets’ in romantic relationships,” perhaps they should consider bringing something more to the table. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/b...nytimes.com‘Who Killed Love?’ A Video Game Plays to Male Resentment in China. 031
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilCorey S. Powell @coreyspowell.bsky.social · 11/07/2025NASA's Parker Solar Probe made the closest-ever studies of the Sun -- and got this unprecedented look at multiple solar eruptions piling up on top of each other. 🧪🔭 science.nasa.gov/science-rese... 310340
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 08/07/2025It’s been a month now and I still think about this gif reply sometimes and laugh 😂 010
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 03/07/2025Hi, I would like to include a quote from you in a story I’m writing about this for Astronomy.com — can I email you? Or feel free to reach out to me at ashleymbalzer@gmail.com. Hoping to turn a draft in within the next 8-24 hours! 100
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilEthan Siegel @startswithabang.bsky.social · 02/07/2025American science to soon face its largest brain drain in history The largest brain drain in history was when thousands of scientists left Nazi Germany; it became known as "Hitler's gift." America's current assault on science is set to surpass that. bigthink.com/starts-with-... #space #sciencebigthink.comAmerican science to soon face its largest brain drain in historyOver the first half of 2025, the USA has cut science as never before. This disaster for American science is a gift to the rest of the world. 87743
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilPhil PlAIt @philplait.bsky.social · 26/06/2025Something lost a bit in the amazing images released earlier: Vera Rubin Observatory is a steely-eyed asteroid hunter! It's already found thousands of new ones in just a few nights, and is predicted to find *3.7 MILLION* more. THREE POINT SEVEN MILLION badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/vera-rubin... 🔭🧪badastronomy.beehiiv.comVera Rubin Observatory will find millions of asteroids. Millions.That’s a lot of space rocks. 524045
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/o... 0378
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilJohn F Wu @jwuphysics.bsky.social · 23/06/2025My mind is absolutely blown by these stellar halos nearby NGC 4364! Left: DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys (DR10) Right: Newly released @vrubinobs.bsky.social imaging!!! #AstroSci 🧪🔭 717851
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilJames Davenport @jradavenport.com · 03/06/2025Attn 🔭 fans: the Vera Rubin US Quarter is now available!! www.usmint.gov/american-wom...usmint.govAmerican Women Quarters 2025 Rolls and Bags - Dr. Vera Rubin | US MintCheck out our American Women Quarters 2025 Rolls and Bags - Dr. Vera Rubin and more from US Mint! 13211
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 02/06/2025"For every $100 the US government spent, it put 40¢ in the bucket for NASA. And what do we get for that? ✨The Universe ✨" "One of these bills represents, to scale, the federal budget & the other with NASA’s total budget trimmed off the edges. Can you tell the difference?" @philplait.bsky.social 312159
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 30/05/2025From stargazer to storyteller ✨ www.nasa.gov/people/ashle... 050
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 27/05/2025Totalling around 120 hours of observing time, this is the longest the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has ever focused on a single target. The deep field aims to probe the Cosmic Dawn, when the Universe was only a few million years old. Read more 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed... 🔭 🧪 ☄️ 331303232
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilPaul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 22/05/2025Saturn's icy moons Dione, against a backdrop of the giant planet itself, its rings, and tiny Enceladus at upper right. Goodnight, friends! 1053576
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 14/05/2025Late to the party, but astronomers might have (but probably haven’t) found Planet Nine out in the Kuiper Belt 🪨astronomy.comHave Astronomers Found Planet Nine?Old data may hint at a new world beyond Neptune — but not the one astronomers expected. 162
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 07/05/2025Exciting news! Roman is moving right along, with one half fresh out of a successful thermal vacuum test. We’ll have a complete observatory before the end of the year! www.nasa.gov/missions/rom... 192
Reposted by Ashley Balzer VigilSpace Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 07/05/2025Experience the Cosmic Cliffs like never before! #NASAWebb’s iconic image of dusty “mountains” and “valleys” is featured in a new 3D visualization from NASA’s Universe of Learning: webbtelescope.pub/4jRHIh9 🔭 🧪 11560108
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 26/04/2025Just figure we could all use a little news that isn’t so doom & gloom, and it’s an excuse to share photos of one of my favorite places on Earth! 030
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 26/04/2025Instead of building toward an eruption, the volcano seems to be steadily venting gas through cracks in the rock, which lowers the risk of a catastrophic blow-up. That tracks with chemicals released from some of the park’s geysers and other surface features. 🧵 110
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 26/04/2025This layer is full of bubbles, which could be cause for alarm since the gas could increase pressure and drive an explosive eruption (a real Mentos-and-Diet-Coke situation). But it’s a leaky lid—there appears to be a natural “pressure-release valve” letting gas escape. 🧵 110
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 26/04/2025They set up 600 seismometers around the area and used a powerful new imaging method to identify a gas-rich layer of magma more than two miles underground, capping the caldera. 🧵 110
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 26/04/2025A Yellowstone eruption could be fairly apocalyptic. To get a clearer picture of what’s going on beneath the surface, researchers used a massive vibroseis truck (a heavy-duty machine normally used in oil exploration) to essentially create mini earthquakes to map the subsurface, sort of like sonar. 🧵 110
Ashley Balzer Vigil @ashleybvigil.bsky.social · 26/04/2025A new study shows the Yellowstone supervolcano is bubbling, but not about to blow. Scientists mapped a “pressure relief valve” beneath Yellowstone that may be keeping the volcano calm www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵 194