Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisKevin Hardegree-Ullman @kevinkhu.bsky.social · 21/08/2026In recent years, Astronomy on Tap events have grown, hopefully reaching audiences that wouldn't normally go to public talks. However, as an astronomer who doesn't drink and has exactly zero interest in doing outreach at bars, are there other creative outlets you've seen for non-standard outreach? 🔭 4122
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisGalaxy Map @galaxymap.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Here we go! Gaia DR4 now has an official release date: 2 December 2026. If you have been following the Gaia Mission closely, you will know that DR4 has had a sliding release date, from the end of 2025, to mid 2026 to "end of 2026". But now the date is locked. www.cosmos.esa.int/web/gaia/dat...cosmos.esa.intData Release 4 - Gaia - Cosmos 2216
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisKatie Mack @astrokatie.com · 23/04/2026When Einstein developed general relativity the closest thing to a practical application that could even be imagined at the time was a slightly more precise description of where to look for the planet Mercury in the sky, and yet now we’d all be literally lost without it. Anyway: fund basic research. 5362841670
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 07/04/2026I went to bed crying last night because I was so proud of seeing women leading science and so many women at Mission Control! This motivates me a lot for my future as an astrophysicist! 🥹 #Artemis 🌑 020
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 13/03/2026Really proud to announce that my #JWSTCycle5 program as PI to observe a really unique dead planetary system has been accepted!! 🔭🪐 0120
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisÉrika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 10/03/2026Couldn’t resist the urge to open a poll: www.menti.com/alci2gt3qrsm #JWSTCycle5 202
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisMatt Bothwell @mattbothwell.com · 25/02/2026This is so cool! You can see that at solar maximum (around 2002, 2013, and 2024 ish) HST drops more rapidly, because the increased solar activity puffs up the atmosphere, increasing drag on orbiting satellites 🧪🔭 0234
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisSantiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 31/12/2025Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2026, Canada is in 2025, and the United States is in 1939. 184116233297
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 30/12/2025Rumor has it that (me) discovering a super old, super massive and super active zombie planetary system made the list of the most exciting exoplanet (yes, exoplanet!!) discoveries of 2025! Yay white dwarfs! 🥹🔭space.comThe most exciting exoplanet discoveries of 2025New discoveries and fresh looks at familiar worlds show how far exoplanet science has come — and how much remains unknown. 0153
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 18/12/2025The search for planets around stellar remnants is a really interesting quest!! Glad to offer some tiny help to @mustaric.bsky.social and @johndebes.bsky.social on this project! 🔭🪐 131
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 04/12/2025Really important thread! Most importantly: stop comparing yourself to others and focus on yourself! 010
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisDr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 22/11/2025It’s Friday night. I’ve done enough this week. You’ve done enough this week. 37515
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisAndrew Mann @amann.bsky.social · 12/11/2025One day the universe will contain only dark energy and JWST proposals. 0285
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 07/11/2025Super interesting project I’ve been working on lately where we try do detect exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars! My colleague John explains here one of our recent results! 🔭 080
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisMarc Kuchner | Author @marckuchner.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Congrats to NASA Citizen Scientist @melina-iras07572.bsky.social! In 2019, Melina discovered the oldest white dwarf with a debris disk. Now this white dwarf is in the news again. @astroerika.bsky.social et al. suggest it may have recently engulfed a rocky planet. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...iopscience.iop.orgRadware Bot Manager CaptchaTo ensure we keep this website safe, please can you confirm you are a human by ticking the box below. 0172
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisSpace Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 23/10/2025A dead star has been spotted ripping a planet apart! “Something clearly disturbed this system long after the star’s death,” said co-investigator John Debes of the Space Telescope Science Institute. (1/4) 🔭 🧪 🧵 322952
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisGordon Hundley @drgoon.bsky.social · 23/10/2025This is very cool - LSPM J0207+3331 was discovered by citizen scientist Melina Thévenot while searching ESA's GAIA catalog for brown dwarfs. blog.backyardworlds.org/2019/02/19/t... Here's the paper that STScI quotes: iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...blog.backyardworlds.orgThe Crystal Ball White DwarfToday is a big day at Backyard Worlds: Planet 9! We’re celebrating our 2nd anniversary, our reboot, and announcing our second paper, published in the Astrophysical Journal letters. (You ca… 021
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisCorey S. Powell @coreyspowell.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Astronomers have determined that an elderly white dwarf star, 3 billion years into its final stage of life, is still busily crushing and devouring its planets. Scientific data on the left. Artist's interpretation on the right. 🧪🔭 keckobservatory.org/white-dwarf/ 49110
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Want to know more about my recent paper about this cool geriatric white dwarf eating its planets? 🤩 It’s all detailed in this news article by @stsci.edu ! 🔭 25711
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 16/10/2025#JWSTCy5media.tenor.coma woman is covering her mouth with her hand in a field .ALT: a woman is covering her mouth with her hand in a field . 2224
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 14/10/2025My latest paper is finally out! 🎊 Turns out that that odd white dwarf discovered by @melina-iras07572.bsky.social is accreting a MASSIVE rocky planetary object, hinting that planetary systems can stay active billions of years after the death of their star! 🌟 🪨🪐 For more: arxiv.org/abs/2510.08676arxiv.orgTracing Planetary Accretion in a 3 Gyr-old Hydrogen-Rich White Dwarf: The Extremely Polluted Atmosphere of LSPM J0207+3331We report the detection of 13 heavy elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Sr) in the photosphere of LSPM J0207+3331, a ~3 Gyr old hydrogen-rich white dwarf with an effective te... 052
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 04/10/2025Thank god, one of the rare cool things in this world is not a carb. 000
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 22/09/2025Did you know that white dwarfs were the coolest stars? I’m totally unbiased here 😌 051
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisKatie Mack @astrokatie.com · 01/09/2025 Americans Astronomers watching watching US politics Betelgeuse 🤝 “It could happen at any time” 1035386922
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 31/07/2025I love studying these systems as we keep finding new things! 🪨🪐 The paper I just submitted has one of these super exciting discoveries for a super duper old white dwarf and I can’t wait to tell everyone about it! 😁 Hint: Planetary systems can hang around a LONG time after their death 🙊 120
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 15/07/2025The replies made this insecure #WomanInSTEM smile. I love unsolicited mentions of women pioneers ❤️ Also, the main post says a lot about the state of journalism these days. 000
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisExoClimesVII @exoclimes.bsky.social · 07/07/2025Exoclimes VII has officially begun!! 👽🧑🚀👩🚀🚀🚀 Things have kicked off with some welcoming words from our fearless leaders Lisa Dang @astrolisadang.bsky.social & Romain Allart! And now off to our first review talk from Nicolas Cowan about Exoplanet atmospheric Dynamics 🪐☄️ 0124
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisExoClimesVII @exoclimes.bsky.social · 05/07/2025ExoSLAM is done!!! 🔭🪐☄️The summer school has been a great success and we learned so much! Special thank you to the organizers, lecturers and of course participants for making it such a great time!! Onto ExoClimes! 💫🤩 0113
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 29/03/2025This white dwarf astrophysicist (me) loves it when the field gets media attention 🥰 I always tell this story to my exoplaneteers colleagues: The first trace of exoplanets were found INSIDE a white dwarf!! ☄️ 010
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisExoClimesVII @exoclimes.bsky.social · 21/03/2025FOR ADMITTED PARTICIPANTS: Registration is going to open next week!!! 🚀 For all Applicants, results were sent a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't heard anything and its not in your junk mail please reach out to our gmail! (find the email address and details here: exoclimes.org/index.html)exoclimes.orgExoclimes VII 022
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 27/02/2025Had an absolute blast last week observing at @keckobservatory.bsky.social for the MEAD Collaboration led by the amazing @johndebes.bsky.social!! Super interesting results about white dwarf planetary systems to come, stay tuned! 🔭 0151
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisDr Sho Jacobs 🍁 @shoshanahjacobs.ca · 06/02/2025USA #HigherEd colleagues, What can Canadian academics do to help you sustain your research programs? Let's find the loopholes! 🌎🧪🧑🔬 03211
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 08/01/2025📣 Reminder that pre-registration for #ExoClimesVII is open until January 24, 2025 11:59 PM EST! This year’s edition is held in Montreal on July 7–11, 2025. The #ExoSLAM summer school on low- and high- resolution data analysis will be on July 3–5. 🔭 If you have questions and/or comments, DM me!forms.gleExoclimes Application FormWe are now opening application for the 7th edition of the Exoclimes conference series, organized by the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, will take place in Montreal, Canada, on July 7–11... 041
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 13/12/2024Pre-registration for #ExoclimesVII is now open! 🪐 This edition will be held in the world’s bagel hot spot, Montreal (Canada), from July 7 to 11, 2025. There will also be a joint summer school for early career researchers (ExoSLAM) on July 3–5. Pre-registration ends on January 24, 2025 11:59PM EST.docs.google.comExoclimes Application FormWe are now opening application for the 7th edition of the Exoclimes conference series, organized by the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, will take place in Montreal, Canada, on July 7–11... 010
Reposted by Érika Le BourdaisDr Zoë Ayres @zjayres.bsky.social · 04/12/2024It's been an honour to work on this project. Please do check out the posters. 1299
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 27/11/2024Ngl, this is what many conference talks feel like to me, lol. They are not even hiding that they don’t care about others’ work. 130
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 26/11/2024I’ve seen so few detailed images of galaxies that are not the Milky Way that I need time to process what we’re seeing here lol 020
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 25/11/2024Petition to name the astronomy community #NightSky. I mean, it’s right there. 000
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 20/11/2024I think one of my favourite fun fact about astronomy is that the Cosmic Microwave Background, direct proof of the Big Bang, was discovered by mistake by two scientists trying to tune a radio antenna. 📡 250
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 20/11/2024Hello new friends! 👋🏻 I’m Érika, a PhD at Université de Montréal studying polluted/dusty white dwarfs and what they can tell us about exoplanet interiors! 🪨 ☄️ I’m currently working on solving many detected unknowns in the UV spectra of polluted white dwarfs. Hopefully, I’ll soon have answers! 1162
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 15/11/2024Thought I’d ride the algorithm’s obsession with cats by showing you this 17 years old diva! ✨🐈 030
Érika Le Bourdais @astroerika.bsky.social · 13/11/2024I totally forgot what it felt like to be on an app without ads and bots. 170