iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Sloan Digital Sky Surveys @sdssurveys.bsky.social · 17h

Check out the newest art exhibit featuring SDSS! “Firmament,” an exhibition at the University of Virginia created by artist William Wylie and astronomer Nitya Kallivayalil, turns retired SDSS plug plates into striking white and blue prints.

173

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Congrats to the whole PRIMA team on the selection of NASA's first Probe Explorer mission!!!!!! @caltechipac.bsky.social will be PRIMA's science center, and we look forward to working with everyone over the next decade on this exciting project! 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

47812

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Dr Shanika Galaudage @astronerdika.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

It’s time for a tour through the Universe to meet some iconic neutron stars: pulsars, magnetars, mergers & more! ✨ We’ll start 130 million light-years away, with two neutron stars that are no more… 👀 #NeutronStars #Astronomy #Astrophysics

Infographic introducing a tour of iconic neutron stars. Large white text reads, “Meet some iconic Neutron Stars:” with orange handwritten text below reading, “pulsars, magnetars & mergers across the cosmos!”

A pale-blue neutron star with looping magnetic-field lines and a curved dotted beam appears at lower right.

The background is a map of the Universe, with faint dashed, logarithmically spaced distance contours labelled in light-years.

Created by Shanika Galaudage.

1248

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Caltech IPAC @caltechipac.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Hands-On Science: OpenUniverse2024 Roman and @vrubinobs.bsky.social Simulations Learn how Fornax and Python Jupyter notebooks can be used to develop scalable workflows for combining complementary survey data. 🔭 📅 Sept. 15, 2026 | 10 am PDT 🪙Free! 🔗Register by Aug. 31 at forms.gle/pcR5QkbTfpXrqJKp9

This graphic provides information about an upcoming event. Yellow text in the top third says Hands-On Science With Roman & Rubin Simulations; blue text in the bottom third says "Free Virtual Workshop, Sept. 15, 2026, 10 am PDT, Register by Aug. 31, 2026." In the middle third is a partial screenshot image of the Fornax science platform showing different datasets and workflows. The background image of the graphic is an image of outer space punctuated with stars and galaxies.

132

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 08/08/2026

It's #InternationalCatDay, so we just have to share these Gatos Andinos again 🐈 These two were spotted down the ridge from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. 🔭🧪 Because they live in such remote mountain terrain, seeing them up close like this is an incredibly rare treat 🐱 📷: SOAR Day Crew

A small wildcat with dark spots and stripes walks among gray rocks and dry vegetation in a sunlit natural habitat.

A small wildcat sitting among large rocks in a dry, rocky desert landscape with sparse vegetation.

A small wildcat mid-leap over rocky terrain with dry bushes in the background under bright sunlight.

26812

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Black In Astro @blackinastro.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Reminder that our art competition is open and tomorrow is the last day for submissions!! Send us all your beautiful artwork asappppp 💌💌

02311

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 17/06/2026

We've been "Roman" around this week's American Astronomical Society meeting in Pasadena, California. 😂 In case you missed the big news, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch on August 30, 2026! #AAS248 #NASARoman

04012

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

The corresponding science talk on this source will be on Wednesday at 2pm for anyone at #AAS248!

121

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I participated in a press conference for the first time! Maybe in a few weeks I'll be brave enough to see what I sounded like in the recording. Check it out to learn about a new candidate huntsman binary millisecond pulsar we have discovered 🔭

181

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

From Kaz Gary: As part of Black Space Week 2026, Astrobites is highlighting members of the Black in Astro community who will be presenting at the 248th AAS meeting starting next week! If you’ll be attending, we encourage you to check it out. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪 astrobites.org/2026/06/12/bia-highlights-for-aas/

astrobites.org

Black Space Week 2026: BiA Highlights for AAS

As part of Black Space Week 2026, Astrobites is highlighting members of the Black in Astro community who will be presenting at the 248th AAS meeting starting next week! If you'll be attending, we enco...

13615

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Black In Astro @blackinastro.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

A little under 3 weeks left for #BlackSpaceWeek2026!! We have so many exciting events lined up for you all, we can’t wait to see you there 🥰🥰 As always registration link is in the bio!

Black In Astro calendar describing a list of events for the week of Juneteenth (June 14-20). The backdrop is a dark purple with stars, a CD, and a cassette tape. The title of the flyer reads as follows: “Space Rhythms: Voices of a Shared Cosmos.” The events are then listed in chronological order with the dates going down vertically and to the right is the corresponding day of the week and a bullet point to summarize the event. From top to bottom, left to right, they read: June 14 Volume 1: Sunday #StellarSoundcheck. Social Media Roll Call, “Meet the Team” Virtual Mixer. June 15 Volume 2: Monday #BroadcastingtheStars. STEM Education and Outreach Panel. June 16 Volume 3: Tuesday #RaiseYourVoice. Policy and Advocacy Panel. June 17 Volume 4: Wednesday #CelestialCompositions. Undergraduate and Graduate Research Showcases. June 18 Volume 5: Thursday #CosmicRemix. Astro art competition and Fireside Chat with Shaniya Jarrett. June 19 Volume 6: Friday #UniversalAccess. Lets talk accessibility in science. June 20 Volume 7: Saturday #OutInOrbit. Perspectives of the Artemis generation and Sally’s Night.

01610

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Huei Sears, PhD 🌟 @starlights.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

mulling over some very nice experiences over the last several weeks and I just very grateful today for the career and life i have; what a joy and gift it is to be alive, and what a joy and gift it is to study the stars

041

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 19/05/2026

We need you to help classify shapes and features of galaxies detected by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🔭🧪 Join Rubin scientists and the @galaxyzoo.org team on @zooniverse.bsky.social in the new citizen science project, Galaxy Zoo: Rubin 🌌 www.zooniverse.org/projects/zoo...

Promotional graphic for Galaxy Zoo: Rubin edition

13212

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Black In Astro @blackinastro.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Our Undergraduate and Graduate Research Showcase is back! Cash prizes to be won: 1st place - $1000.00 2nd place - $750.00 3rd place - $500.00 Register to present your research using the links in the thread below! #BlackSpaceWeek2026 #BlackInAstro

179

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 01/05/2026

This is wonderful! A video from CSIRO about #RadioAstronomy in Australia in the mid-1900s -- even before Murriyang was built. They call galaxies "spiral nebulae" - it's that long ago. It's ~17mins long but very much worth it - like a time capsule! (HT George Hobbs via internal comms) 🔭📡🧪

youtube.com

Radio astronomy in Australia (1958)

YouTube video by CSIRO

74716

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

American Astronomical Society (AAS) @aas.org · 03/04/2026

You can also encourage your Senators to sign letters in support of robust funding for our science agencies: NASA Science: aas.org/urge-your-se... NSF: aas.org/urge-your-se...

aas.org

Urge Your Senators to Support NASA Science | American Astronomical Society

0116

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Julianne Dalcanton @dalcantonjd.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Please spread the word! In addition to becoming an important part of the MESA project, the person in this role would have opportunities to collaborate on scientific software across CCA, which has a vibrant, interactive community of scientists and code developers.

11420

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Roman for Scientists @nancyromansci.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🛍️ The Roman merch store is OPEN again, featuring the New Launch Logo for Limited Time! 🎉 From t-shirts & sweatshirts to jackets, dress shirts, and even kids’ clothes and fun accessories— gear up for launch in style. ✨ 👉 Order now through March 29: bit.ly/4cLnx3U

122

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

The @axisprobe.bsky.social team learned that the phase A concept study report of AXIS (the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite) will not be reviewed because the lost personnel at NASA Goddard and government shutdown impacted our schedule and budget. 🔭 Here is the PI's e-mail with the explanation.

Indeed, the AXIS Phase A work had major successes with furthering the key technologies. GSFC’s Next Generation X-ray Optics (NGXO) team successfully demonstrated iridium-coated, stress-compensated mirror segments that meet AXIS baseline requirements (i.e. segment-level performance at sub-arcsecond level). NGXO also built the first AXIS demonstrator mirror module, learning critical lessons about mirror alignment, mounting and bonding. On the detector side, MIT quickly moved to fabricate AXIS-like CCDs and, working with our colleagues at Stanford, recently demonstrated that they achieve the required readout rate and spectral resolution.

Similarly, NASA’s decision was NOT a judgment of the importance of AXIS science. The AXIS science case was rated excellent in the Step 1 review, and it only became stronger during our Phase A study. The AXIS Community Science Book, which many of you contributed to, is an extremely powerful demonstration of the relevance and importance of high-resolution X-ray observations to all areas of astrophysics. The Science Book is one of the most important legacies of the AXIS Phase A study and, I believe, will help define future mission concepts for many years to come. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of your work on this.

AXIS has been a long journey; we started under the leadership of Richard Mushotzky more than nine years ago. During that time, it’s been an enormous privilege to work with amazing people; the AXIS science team, the incredible/brilliant GSFC and Northrop Grumman engineers, and the wider astrophysics community. I am, quite frankly, livid that AXIS ultimately fell victim to the programmatic chaos of 2025. The astronomical community deserves better. I hope that NASA leadership, especially at GSFC and HQ, can have an honest discussion about how to better support and protect programs during extraordinary times.

For now, as a community, we must look forward. There is still one excellent mission under consideration for the Probe program, PRIMA, and we wish them a smooth and speedy path to selection and flight. In X-ray astronomy, the SMEX and MidEX programs represent concrete pathways for focused, high-impact missions, and the scientific case we built for AXIS provides a strong foundation for those concepts. The technologies we advanced in Step 1 and Phase A, particularly the NGXO mirror work and the MIT/Stanford detector demonstrations, can anchor the next generation of proposals. Most importantly, the AXIS Community Science Book, representing more than 500 scientists across, is a living document and a powerful signal to NASA leadership that this community is organized, serious, and not going anywhere. I encourage everyone to use it actively, as a resource for future concept development, for Astro2030 engagement, and for building the next mission that will deliver high angular resolution X-ray imaging to address the fundamental questions about black hole growth, galaxy evolution, and the hot universe that motivated AXIS from the beginning. This community built something remarkable over nine years and that doesn't end here.

Thank you again for your support of AXIS over these times.

Best

Chris and the AXIS leadership team

2323796

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 01/03/2026

LANSING! Join your local March 7th rally to take back our science! Learn more at standupforscience.net/march7 #March7 #rally #standupforscience #March7Lansing #science

MICHIGAN STATE CAPITOL, EAST LAWN

1:00pm - 3:00pm

STAND UP FOR SCIENCE NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION MARCH 7TH

05020

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 28/02/2026

I know this feels pointless but everyone has to call their congressional reps and say they oppose war with Iran and they oppose Trump illegally starting one without congressional approval — both 5 Calls can help you make the call: 5calls.org/issue/iran-i...

61310793

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Astrobites is partnering with @blackinastro.bsky.social this year for Black Space Week! If you’d like to register to participate as a writer or interviewee you can fill out the Google Form below or in the QR code in the flyer! The deadline is Friday March 6th. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

04123

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

we have a BOUND copy of our community science book and lots of stickers! Come say hi at the #AAS247 AXIS booth!

hard-bound AXIS science book cover and stickers on a table

021

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Huei Sears, PhD 🌟 @starlights.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

sooooooooo cool 🧪🔭

2459

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 05/10/2023

2. Jeff Goldblum as the spider pulsar. Proximity, savage, irradiating.

A man sitting down on a chair wearing white pants and a plush coat made of fake fur. He is wearing glasses and looking at the camera.

1433

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Eventually, NASA will go forward with one (or neither) of these missions. However it ends up, being part of an AXIS working group and collaborating with folks from all over the world has been a really cool experience 💫

010

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

When tMSPs do not host an accretion disk, they are indistinguishable from other "spider" millisecond pulsar binaries. I contributed to another science case in this AXIS white paper that is all about how the proposed probe could enhance our understanding of those systems too.

Simulated X-ray light curve showing orbital modulation as a function of orbital phase.

110

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

We simulated the light curve that AXIS would detect for a moding tMSP at the flux level of 4FGL J0639.1-8009, a candidate tMSP that I published in my first PhD paper. This source was observed by XMM-Newton and was too faint to bin finely enough to see these modes. AXIS would totally detect moding!

Plot of X-ray count rate as a function of time, showing a bimodal emission pattern with most of the time in a high mode and short drops into a low mode which last tens of seconds.

110

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

Some candidate tMSPs in the Galactic field that we already know about are too faint for current X-ray facilities to detect really short timescale variability. Unfortunately, this signature is the "smoking gun" of tMSPs: switches between a high and low X-ray mode that occur within seconds.

110

Rebecca Kyer (they/them) @astrobonk.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

The Community Science Book for the proposed Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS) is out! I was the lead author for a science case showing how AXIS could observe transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) when they have accretion disks arxiv.org/abs/2511.00253

arxiv.org

The Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite Community Science Book

The AXIS Community Science Book represents the collective effort of more than 500 scientists worldwide to define the transformative science enabled by the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite (AXIS), a ne...

140

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

ESO @eso.org · 03/11/2025

Open Sesame! The ELT doors have moved for the first time. This was no small feat, as each door will weigh 650 tonnes once completed. The ELT dome & its doors will guard the telescope from the harsh conditions of the Atacama Desert. www.eso.org/public/videos/potw2544a 🔭 🧪 📹 ESO/ACe

3335107

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Black In Astro @blackinastro.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Join us this Friday for a special workshop from Movement Consulting: "Building Coalitions for Radical Change," presented by founder Dra. Nicole Cabrera-Salazar. For more information about the event, or to register, make sure to check out our website!

Event graphic for a workshop titled "Building Coalitions for Radical Change." The text announces it is hosted by Black in Astro and Movement Consulting, taking place online on Friday, November 7th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET. The words "SEE YOU THERE!" are at the bottom.

094

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Roman for Scientists @nancyromansci.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

The countdown is ON. ⏳ We’re one year from launch — and kicking off the Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series! First up: Tools for Exploring Roman’s Core Community Surveys Nov 4 (Tomorrow!) • 1 PM EST Get hands-on with the data that will shape a decade of discovery. bit.ly/4oP3c06

195

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

American Astronomical Society (AAS) @aas.org · 01/10/2025

#AAS247 We're looking for volunteers to fill important positions at the winter meeting. We love getting help from undergrads, grads, postdocs, and local amateur astronomers to help with sessions, registration, special events, and various other essential roles. www.cognitoforms.com/AAS5/AAS247V... 🔭

0133

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Meir Schochet @meirs.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

arxiv.org/abs/2509.14423 ⭐️paper day!⭐️ hey now, we found thousands of stellar variability periods, including ~26k very high likelihood new ASAS-SN rotation periods from cool dwarfs! (also I have missed abt 5 typos in this version already, but it’s only been submitted to ApJS so it’ll get fixed!)..

arxiv.org

200,000+ Deep Learning Inferred Periods of Stellar Variability from The All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae

Stars exhibit a range of variability periods that depend on their mass, age, and evolutionary stage. For space-based photometric data, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have demonstrated success in...

282

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Michigan State University Observatory @msu-observatory.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Join us on tonight from 8:30-10:30pm for public night at the MSU Observatory! Visit our website for FAQs: web.pa.msu.edu/astro/observ... Address: MSU Observatory, 4299 Pavilion Dr, Lansing, MI 48910

011

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

NASAWATCH @nasawatch.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

This is the letter sent by NASA GSFC Associate Center Director to the local Union President regarding cessation of union activities at GSFC. NASA Wallops employees got an identical letter. The wording matches a letter that was sent by the JSC Center Director. More: nasawatch.com/personnel-ne...

nasawatch.com

Goddard and Wallops Union Letters

this is the letter sent by NASA GSFC Associate Center Director to the local Union President

1126

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

LIGO Scientific Collaboration @ligo.org · 26/08/2025

Results from the first part of our fourth LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA observing run are out today! We're pleased to share the largest catalog of gravitational-wave observations with more discoveries of black holes and neutron stars 📰 arxiv.org/abs/2508.18082 🔭🧪⚛️☄️ #GWTC4

New masses in the stellar graveyard plot, showing astronomical observations of black holes and neutron stars. The number of gravitational-wave observations of black holes is overwhelming. The plot is arranged to look nice, the horizontal axis has no meaning, but the vertical one shows masses. We have a significant range of masses from about 1 solar mass to over 200 solar masses for our largest merger remnant. New out today is a neutron star black hole binary GW230518_125908, as well as a lot of binary black holes.

524684

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

From Chloe Klare: Interested in the definitive, absolutely objective ranking of the best differential equations in astronomy and astrophysics?? Read on!! 🔭✨☄️ astrobites.org/2025/08/18/t...

astrobites.org

The Top Ten Differential Equations in Astronomy, Ranked!

Interested in the definitive, absolutely objective ranking of the best differential equations in astronomy and astrophysics?? Read on!!

3227

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 06/08/2025

👀👀👀 #SN1987A pre-print 🔭 New #JWST results (epoch 13500 days post-explosion). The spectra are *unreal*. A new iron signature could be interesting. Q: So, is there (finally) a pulsar? A: Astronomers are still looking, but there is some indirect evidence for it so far! arxiv.org/abs/2508.03395

pixelated image of the ring formed by supernova 1987A. The ring is darker on one side. The central position is marked with an edge and several components, like the ejecta, reverse shock and equatorial ring are annotated.

2529

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Huei Sears, PhD 🌟 @starlights.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

so excited to be presenting at @astronomyontap.bsky.social - Lansing on 8/13 with Laura Chomiuk !!!! hope to see you there : )

An Astronomy on Tap - Lansing poster for 8/13 at the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy. The speakers are Laura Chomiuk and Huei Sears.

082

Reposted by Rebecca Kyer (they/them)

Roman for Scientists @nancyromansci.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Join this month's Roman Virtual Lecture Series to learn about observing accreting neutron stars and black holes with Roman. 🌟 Subscribe to tinyurl.com/RVLSsubscr for call-in details! 📅 Thurs July 31 🕐 4-4:30 PM EDT 🔗 bit.ly/4m7MkjY

043