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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 12h

Did some space talking yesterday at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand!

Reposted by Jonathan O'Callaghan

Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm back in The New York Times, with news that we might have spotted a first magnetic field on an exoplanet! If so it would be more than 2,000 times stronger than Earth's, and could be a key tool in future hunts for habitability. Exciting! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/s...

nytimes.com

Radio Waves Coming From an Alien Planet May Be a Cosmic First (Gift Article)

Beta Pictoris b appears to have an aurora caused by a powerful magnetic field. If confirmed, it would be the first such field known outside our solar system.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

nytimes.com

Radio Waves Coming From an Alien Planet May Be a Cosmic First (Gift Article)

Beta Pictoris b appears to have an aurora caused by a powerful magnetic field. If confirmed, it would be the first such field known outside our solar system.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Next week Perseverance will reach 2,000 Mars sols (days) on the Red Planet. Please bring its samples home 😶

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Reposted by Jonathan O'Callaghan

Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/09/2026

New Horizons is now *three days away* from shutting off its two heliophysics instruments, simply because NASA has not provided the $2M in funding it had promised to the mission last year or this year. There is no science basis for shutting these off. Our earlier coverage:

science.org

NASA’s New Horizons mission may shut down two instruments over lack of funding

Decision risks “incalculable loss” of data from the edge of the Sun’s influence, scientists say

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Pretty wild graph from ESA's latest space environment report, out this month. It anticipates hundreds of collisions in orbit in the coming decades. The report also says that three satellites/rocket bodies enter Earth's atmosphere every day on average at the moment 😶

Graph of cumulative space collisions from ESA environmental report

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This article is infuriating because I presume most of these people are leaving property to their children in the hundreds of thousands of pounds, which is not mentioned once. www.bbc.com/news/article...

bbc.com

Meet the pensioners spending the kids' inheritance

The phenomenon sees retirees spend all their money on enjoying life to the full.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Updated satellite statistics per planet4589.org/space/stats/... Satellites orbiting Earth: 16,810 Starlink satellites: 11,114 Dead satellites: 3,087 Empty rockets: 2,065

Graph of active satellites orbiting Earth

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My debut article for Popular Mechanics! It's all about time travel paradoxes, and the actual experiments and research that have investigated them. Come for the closed timelike curves, stay for the retrocausality. Enjoy 🕙 www.popularmechanics.com/science/a738...

popularmechanics.com

Time Travel May Not Break Reality, Experiments Suggest. It May Reveal That All of Reality Exists All at Once.

Could that mean time travel is technically possible?

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If anyone wants to teach undergradaute cosmology in Thailand, I just heard that Mahidol University in Bangkok has lacked a cosmology lecturer for 8 years but would really like one. Just throwing it out there!

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Hey space people, I need an exoplanet magnetic field expert that could comment on a story in the next hour. If that's you, do let me know. Thanks!

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Momentum is growing for Europe to develop its own sovereign space capabilities, including satellite launches and human spaceflight. Story by me in Nature www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Europe pushes for space independence amid geopolitical rifts

The European Union is easing its reliance on US space infrastructure — and is seeking to grow its satellite and launch operations.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Whoa. New crater on the Moon. Amazing image.

Image taken by NASA's LRO of new Moon crater

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Things that are basically magic to me: neutrino flavours quantum entanglement phased arrays interferometry

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

22 years. I'll be 60 when this stops working. Incredible.

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Reposted by Jonathan O'Callaghan

Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Nice photo but pretty easy to scroll past until you realize it was taken on Mars.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory should be able to spot oceans on Earth-like alien worlds, if the geometry is just right. Plus: rainbows! (maybe) Story by me in New Scientist www.newscientist.com/article/2588...

newscientist.com

NASA’s next major telescope might see alien oceans and rainbows | New Scientist

The upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory should be able to spot the glint of water on habitable planets, and maybe more

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Does anyone know how many human-made craters are on the Moon?

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Double whammy from me in New Scientist. First, Saturn has a bizarre new decagon weather pattern at its south pole. Would I say it's time for our viewers to crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside? Yes I would, Kent. www.newscientist.com/article/2587...

newscientist.com

Saturn has a big, weird decagon around its south pole | New Scientist

A decagon – a geometric polygon with 10 sides and 10 angles – has been found on Saturn, and nobody is quite sure how it got there

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Space people, quick question. Is the Roche limit of Venus roughly 15,000km?

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I did not have "found dark matter" on my 2026 bingo card

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I didn’t even know the Romans were into astronomy

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Yes space telescopes are cool but I was also blown away by this book in my kids school library today

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Reposted by Jonathan O'Callaghan

Derek Newsome @derek.space · 30/08/2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope soars through the morning clouds on its way to space.

A Falcon Heavy rocket with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in front of clouds ahile flying in the sky.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I think, by my count, I've had one Scientific American, one Aerospace America, and one BBC Science Focus cover so far this year. Not bad!

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Only just noticed I had the cover feature of BBC Science Focus magazine in August! Had had quite a few nice covers so far this year...

Cover of BBC Science Focus August issue showing a base on the Moon

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Excited about the Roman space telescope launch? Why not read how it all began in my exhaustive feature for Scientific American tracing back its origins as a spy satellite. Super fun, super interesting, super telescope. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

scientificamerican.com

NASA’s new dark energy telescope has a wild backstory

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon launch to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

For the first time in I don't know how long, I currently have seven deadlines next month all for different publications. No repeats. Neat!

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Didn’t see a rocket launch, but did spend a couple of days exploring China’s cape canaveral

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I've received so many nice comments on this feature, definitely one I'll be submitting in award season. If you want to learn a bit more about Roman before it launches in a few days, do give it a read! www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

scientificamerican.com

NASA’s new dark energy telescope has a wild backstory

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon launch to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I think my plane flew over Typhoon Narra

Image of a typhoon taken from an airplane

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I've had six stories come out in four publications this week, including two large features. Think I deserve a little break this weekend.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

One more article then I'll leave you alone. We've all heard about Reflect Orbital's plans to beam sunlight from space. But a new study shows the beams might be visible up to 80km away, changing the night sky for many. Story by me in MIT Tech Review www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/21/1...

technologyreview.com

This company’s plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many

Reflect Orbital’s giant beams will shine as bright as 10,000 full moons and scatter light over tens of kilometers.

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I'm also back in New Scientist today with the sad news that NASA has called off the rescue effort to save the Swift telescope. Nothing good here – this really sucks. www.newscientist.com/article/2585...

newscientist.com

NASA calls off rescue effort to save doomed telescope | New Scientist

The Swift observatory will now re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in a few months, after a mission to boost it higher failed

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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

In-space manufacturing? In this economy? You better believe it. My latest for BBC Science Focus delves into the companies trying to commercialise space manufacturing. It's digital-only on Apple News+ though, but if you can work out how to read it, here it is! apple.news/AeWONTGC5Rf6...

Image showing front page article of an article in in space manufacturing with a rocket capsule and text

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