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Hilding Neilson

@astrojipjawej.bsky.social
346 followers 352 following 132 posts

St. John’s #yyt, Mi’kmaw, astronomer at #munl, trying to understand stars and their stories. Indigenizing astronomy and STEM. views are my own. He/him. hildingneilson.com

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Reposted by Hilding Neilson
NTV News @ntvnewsnl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Student union demands halt to cuts at Memorial University ntv.ca/news/student...
ntv.ca
Student union demands halt to cuts at Memorial University - NTV: Newfoundland and Labrador's Most Trusted News Source
The Memorial University Students’ Union is fighting back against job and program cuts at MUN. The union is calling on university administration to halt those cuts immediately. NTV’s Marykate O’Neill r...
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Larry Savage @profsavage.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Invisible cuts to contract academic staff are everyone’s problem www.caut.ca/bulletin/inv... #canlab #cdnpse
caut.ca
Invisible cuts to contract academic staff are everyone’s problem | CAUT
Despite an increase of $17 million to its provincial operating grant for the 2026-2027 academic year, Memorial University of Newfoundland is taking aggressive austerity measures.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
MUN: we need to cut math instructors and a lot of other jobs to balance our budgets. Also MUN: “The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers has been commissioned to do the work at a cost of nearly $200,000.” vocm.com/2026/09/24/3...
vocm.com
MUN Developing Strategic Plan to Address Enrollment Rates
Memorial University says it's developing a strategic plan to address dropping enrollment rates. The institutio...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
After my talk today at Signal Hill Nation Historic Site I received the best feedback ever - “I will look at the night sky differently from now on”. Made my day. #Astronomy #Darksky #Space
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
MUN has some great students doing great science #physics nserc-crsng.canada.ca/en/pioneerin...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Application for tenure submitted. Now to relax with a pisco sour.
Pisco sour
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SNOLAB @snolabscience.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove spent a day SNOLAB senior research scientist Dr. Erica Caden underground to learn more about the lab and the elusive subatomic particles she has dedicated her professional life studying. #ParticlePhysics #STEM #GirlsInSTEM www.snolab.ca/news/mission...
snolab.ca
Mission Unstoppable Shines a Light on Groundbreaking Science of SNOLAB | SNOLAB
(SUDBURY) — One of North America’s most popular television and YouTube educational series paid a visit to SNOLAB recently to learn about solar neutrinos, and the people who research them.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
If you’re in St. John’s tomorrow Sept 12 come celebrate 75 years of Signal Hill National Park and #astronomy #yyt www.facebook.com/share/p/19S1...
facebook.com
Facebook
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
2nd class of astrophysics done. A fun hour of trying to image and observe the Sun, looking for granulation and sunspots. A good way to finish the week though we were supervised by Prof. Duck. #WeAreMUN #Astrophysics #DucksofMUN
Astrophysics students with the telescopeImage of the solar disk with sunspotsA duck chilling and watching the telescope
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
First day of classes - Astrophysics at Memorial U #WeAreMun
Selfie in front of my intro slide
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New paper day!! arxiv.org/abs/2609.08065 written by Galina Sherren that was their undergraduate honours project. This was an exceptional work that includes research from another undergraduate in the summer after their first-year! #wearemun
arxiv.org
Investigating the Light Curves of 5 Long Period Variable Stars: A Study Cross-Harmonics using VStar, MESA, and GYRE
Long Period Variables (LPVs) are Asymptotic Giant Branch stars with periods >100 days. Around one third to half of LPVs display a Long Secondary Period (LSP) that is 5-10 times the length of the main ...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Signal Hill is celebrating 75 years as a national park and this month they’re hosting Cosmology and Dark Skies events on Sept 12 and 19 parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/s....
parks.canada.ca
75 years of Signal Hill as a national historic site
We are very excited to celebrate with you to mark Signal Hill National Historic Site's 75th anniversary, stay tuned to this page to discover all the opportunities there will be to get involved through...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
New paper day arxiv.org/abs/2609.00459! This work is submitted for publication and led by former MUN undergraduate Sashwat Prasadh that was their honours thesis. #WeAreMUN
arxiv.org
Age Discrepancy in Three Galactic Cepheid Binaries
SV Per, RW Cam, and KN Cen are Galactic classical Cepheids found in binary systems along with B-type companions. Each system exhibits an ``apparent age discrepancy", where the Cepheid appears signific...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Along with today being my first day as associate prof, it is also my first day serving on our Faculty Union’s executive committee. So I’m following in the footsteps of Chief O’Brien’s ancestors. #StarTrekDS9
Meme of Chief O’Brien telling Rom about his ancestors.
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The Astro Society @astrosociety.org · 28/07/2026
A featured panel in this track: "Knowing the Sky: Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the Many Ways We Came to Understand the Cosmos," and so far includes: host Jameeka Marshall, Dr. Ka'iulani Murphy, & Dr. Hilding Neilson. We are very much looking forward to their insights and thoughtful discussion! 🌠
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The fog is some thick today #yyt
Picture of the fog in St. John’s as seen from across a parking lot.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
A day later, I’m still weirded out by Star Trek strange new worlds season 4 premiere where they conclude that genocide is cool if it’s (manifest) destiny. I miss Starfleet Academy.
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ZoeSTodd (Dr Fish Philosopher Todd) @zoestodd.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
It's wild that we're encouraged to embrace 'Indigenous AI', but imagine if I phrased it as 'Indigenous nuclear war'. "Indigenising" is not the same as decolonising or abolishing systems of harm. Fanon (1961) warned us the native/colonized petit bourgeoisie would align with capital + empire.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
What a telling article about the attack on universities in Canada and Australia first and how consults seems to be creating a rigged process breachmedia.ca/a-notorious-... @breachmedia.ca
breachmedia.ca
A notorious consulting firm is selling austerity. Canada’s universities are buying ⋆ The Breach
The Nous Group, an Australian consulting firm, has raked in millions for “fixing” universities in financial freefall. Their solution? Corporatization
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I received a message from a former student from one course about a decade ago!, expressing appreciation for a reference letter and telling me a little about the path they’re now on. That message made my week, and it’s so amazing seeing students pursue their goals and dreams.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This is a fantastic article summarizing many of the current issues around the space broligarchy theemancipator.org/2026/07/02/n...
theemancipator.org
Colonizing the Cosmos
America’s oligarch-driven space race revives foundational sins of imperial conquest.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I have been working for the past five years or so trying to better understand the issues around the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI, and how many of the underlying ideas are built in the western systems of understanding.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Sunspots today, taken with an Unistellar EVscope.
Image of the Sun showing a handful of small sunspots
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
It’s official, I’m being promoted to associate professor starting in September. It’s big accomplishment after such a long bumpy time in academia. #WeAreMUN #DucksOfMUN
Picture of a duck waddling on the road judging passersby.
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 29/05/2026
NEW: A lot of bad has happened to American science over the last year but nothing comes even close to what’s about to happen if we don’t speak out in opposition to the OMB rule changes and I hope @aaas-socsci.bsky.social @apsphysics.bsky.social and others will launch public campaigns about this. 🧪🔭⚛️
news.chanda.science
It's the End of American Science As We Know It
We have 45 days to express our opposition to catastrophic changes.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Why is writing so hard? I’ve a bunch of deadlines and I keep procrastinating or just stare at a screen . It’s been a challenge for a while now even though I’m writing a number a fair bit. It just seems to take a lot to get over whatever barrier to do it.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
NASA is proposing an ambitious plan to build a permanent base on the Moon but underlying it is resource extraction and colonialism. www.cbc.ca/news/science...
cbc.ca
NASA reveals first plans for a moon base | CBC News
NASA has provided the first look at its plans for its moon base, which include several robotic missions to the surface of the moon as early as this year.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I’m excited to announce that new courses at @memorialu.bsky.social @memorialuscience.bsky.social were approved. They are Science 2155: Indigenous Astronomies and Worldviews and Science 3155: Outer Space and Society. These courses are a big part of building astronomy at MUN.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
One of those rare beautiful days in St. John’s NL #yyt where I get to see the ducks of Memorial U and do a little solar imaging with a lot of sunspots. #duckstonomy
Image of the Sun with multiple sunspotsA duck grooming itself next to a pondTwo ducks sitting next to a pond
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Sevtap Savas, PhD🫐 🇨🇦🍁 @savaslab.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Folks, I plan to create an Introduction to Cancer Public Course for free access (using videos, streamlined public meetings/forums, etc.) Topics will span the entire story (from basic biology to advocacy), my 20+ yrs of learnings What do you think? #NewfoundlandAndLabrador #PublicOutreach #Cancer
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Faculty of Science, Memorial University @memorialuscience.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
On #EarthDay we often look at our actions on earth to create solutions. But what about our activities among the stars? 🛰✨ Read more from @astrojipjawej.bsky.social on outer space governance, sustainability, the space industry, ethics and Indigenous ways of knowing. gazette.mun.ca/res.../susta...
gazette.mun.ca
Sustainability and satellites
When thinking about environmental protection and sustainability, we often look at our actions on earth to create solutions. But what about our activities among the stars? According to Dr. Hilding Neil...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Proud supervisor moment with some of the grad students chatting with CBC’s On the Go about the Artemis II return. The students did an amazing job. #Astronomy #WeAreMUN @memorialu.bsky.social @memorialuscience.bsky.social
Me and three astrophysics grad students standing in front of the CBC sign.The graduate students sitting in the radio studio with the host.
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Just picking up a little reading for the (hopefully) coming Spring in St. John’s. Excited to have Prof. @chanda.blacksky.app new book - one for me and one for my lab. Can’t wait to read this.
Image of the books “Me Tomorrow”, “Who We Are” and two copies of “ The Edge of Space-Time”
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
It was great to talk about the Artemis II mission with NTV and some of the connections with Newfoundland & Labrador #WeAreMUN
A cover of the Newfoundland herald magazine from 1980 featuring the character Captain Newfoundland
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MUNFA President @munfapres.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
This one gave me goosebumps. Any moment could be the one where a young person starts to see what is possible. Every educator lives for that moment! #WeAreMUN #FundMUN @munfaculty.bsky.social Share yours!
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Imagine what the MUN community could deliver if the @govnl.bsky.social and admin funded and supported the mission of the university #WeAreMUN
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Sevtap Savas, PhD🫐 🇨🇦🍁 @savaslab.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
way to go MUN!! why would anyone not invest in you? Not fund you? Despite the cuts since 2016, the MUN community has been delivering ❤️ #MemorialMatters #WeAreMUN @govnl.bsky.social
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Janet Goosney @jgoosney.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
#WeAreMUN #WorthFunding @munfaculty.bsky.social
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
When I was in grade 8 or 9 a professor from the Corner Brook campus organized a math Olympiad event in my town for students. My team did well in the event and it was one of the first times that I knew I could succeed at university and encouraged my path in astronomy. #WeAreMUN
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MUN Faculty Association @munfaculty.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
How to participate: - Screenshot this image, fill with your story, and share with #WeAreMUN  - Print a poster (Link in our bio), write your message, post a photo with #WeAreMUN, OR - Just comment on this post and we will share your #WeAreMUN story
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MUN Faculty Association @munfaculty.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Across Memorial, we are seeing the real impacts of ongoing funding cuts. Programs are changing. Jobs are being lost. Teaching and learning conditions are under pressure. The impacts are not abstract. They affect our classrooms, our colleagues, and our students.1/3 #WeAreMUN
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merschrod (she/they) @merschrod.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
This group did SO much with a small amount of funding, leveraging significant knowledge and other assets from the university to serve the public. This is what we lose with funding cuts at MUN. #WeAreMUN
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
I had such a great experience getting to visit SNOlab earlier this week, an example of an organization doing fantastic science building on the historical measurements of solar neutrinos to the search for dark matter and life science experiments today. #Science #Physics #Astronomy
Picture of me standing in front of to the entrance to SNOlab in the mine
Selfie of me overlooking one of the experiments
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 23/03/2026
Congrats to all the assholes who shit on Starfleet Academy, which had the best first season of a Star Trek show in franchise history, white supremacist homophobic Paramount has cancelled the show and you won and now there is no Trek in production Do you feel like winners? You assholes
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merschrod (she/they) @merschrod.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Contract faculty matter! #WeAreMUN @munfaculty.bsky.social vocm.com/2026/03/17/2...
vocm.com
MUN Math Teacher Worried About Impact of Changes to Contractual Positions
A teacher in the math department at Memorial University says the effect on students will be enormous as the ad...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Faculty have noted that cutting math instructors and increasing class sizes is bad, the instructors have said it’s bad, the dept head said it’s bad and now students are saying it, will the administration and the government @govnl.bsky.social listen? vocm.com/2026/03/20/m...
vocm.com
Math Student Wary About Announced Changes at MUN
A student doing first-year math at Memorial University is not convinced that changes to the program come Septe...
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Hilding Neilson @astrojipjawej.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
It took a minute for me to find the words about why the comments in this article are bad. MUN is planning to eliminate a number of contractual faculty and here leadership is subtly blaming them on the way out. #WeAreMUN vocm.com/2026/03/18/2...
vocm.com
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MUN Faculty Association @munfaculty.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
MUNFA President Dr. Lisa Moores, VP Internal Dr. Russell Williams, and VP External Dr. Erika Merschrod met with the @nlndp.bsky.social caucus today to discuss the current situation at Memorial, including job losses among Teaching Term Appointments and the future of Memorial University. 1/2
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Danny Dyer @lyingb.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
This is my department. I may lose many of my colleagues, who are excellent teachers and have taught almost all of our first year courses for years and years.
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