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Eric Agol

@ericagol.bsky.social
338 followers 167 following 69 posts

Astrophysicist, exoplanet enthusiast.

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Reposted by Eric Agol
Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Cycle 6 JWST 🔭 Call for Proposals deadline has been extended to October 1, at 5 pm Eastern Time (US) due to APT server issues. For updates, please check: “Late Breaking News” at the Call for Proposals jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportu...
static.klipy.com
Me Using James Webb Telescope To Find Who Asked
ALT: Me Using James Webb Telescope To Find Who Asked
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 10/01/2026
In Opinion “We definitely have an attention problem, but it’s not just a function of the digital technology that pings and beeps and flashes and nudges us ever closer to despair,” write D. Graham Burnett, Alyssa Loh and Peter Schmidt. “It starts with the way we think about attention.”
nyti.ms
Opinion | The ‘Attention Economy’ Is a Lie
It started in a laboratory. No one could have predicted where it would end.
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Nice discovery of a Saturn-mass microlens using the different perspectives of Earth and the GAIA telescope @gaiamission.bsky.social, and a nice animation to boot! arxiv.org/src/2601.000... www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
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The Onion @theonion.com · 06/01/2026
NASA Discovers Distant Planet With Conditions That Could Sustain Rocks theonion.com/nasa-discovers-distant…
NASA Discovers Distant Planet With Conditions That Could Sustain Rocks
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 19/11/2025
These are shells of dust coming off a pair of tightly bound stars, newly imaged by #JWST. There is such beauty in the universe.
A bright, central, curved shape similar to a yin yang symbol sits in the centre of the image, surrounded by fainter, larger, but similarly shaped structures. The background is wispy, against a starfield (with one prominently bright star at lower left).
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Nature Astronomy @natastron.nature.com · 18/11/2025
Our special November issue, celebrating 30 years of exoplanets, is now here! bit.ly/483MH9I #astronomy #exoplanets
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Andrew Mann @amann.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
New paper from my group! Stars aren’t born alone—they form in massive associations. If we want to understand how stars and planetary systems form, we need to figure out where today’s clusters came from… and where all their long-lost siblings ended up. arxiv.org/abs/2511.07533
arxiv.org
Lost Sisters Found: TESS and Gaia Reveal a Dissolving Pleiades Complex
Most star clusters dissolve into the Galaxy over tens to hundreds of millions of years after they form. While recent Gaia studies have honed our view of cluster dispersal, the exact chronology of whic...
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Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
My talk is tomorrow! FEAR: the impact of killer whales on baleen whales. Streaming: hmsc.oregonstate.edu/main/science...
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Jonathan Fortney @jjfplanet.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
My most important service to solar system planetary science was being a part of the Science Definition Team (SDT), nearly a decade ago, that made the science case for an NASA Ice Giants Orbiter and Entry Probe. Check out our 2017 document: arxiv.org/abs/2511.13946
arxiv.org
Ice Giants Pre-Decadal Survey Mission Study Report
The Ice Giants Study was commissioned by NASA to take a fresh look (as of 2017) at science priorities and concepts for missions to the Uranus and Neptune systems in preparation for the third Planetary...
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Andrew Mann @amann.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
🧪🔭⭐ #exoplanets #exoplanet #youngplanets New paper from our group and @madysonbarber.bsky.social today! We report a brand-new planet around a <50 Myr star—adding to a very small (but rapidly growing!) population of the youngest known transiting planets. Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2511.10734
arxiv.org
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Chris Rackauckas @chrisrackauckas.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
#SciML fact of the day: automatic differentiation fails to give the correct derivative on a lot of very simple functions 😱 😱 😱 . #julialang #automaticdifferentiation youtube.com/shorts/KTguZ...
youtube.com
Automatic differentiation is incorrect on very simple functions??? 😱 😱 😱
YouTube video by Chris Rackauckas
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
RIP George Smoot. My first project in astrophysics was with George's group at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. That summer I showed that the COBE temperature fluctuations were consistent with a Normal distribution, which I did not realize at the time was a confirmation of a prediction of inflation.
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Yvette Cendes @whereisyvette.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Congratulations to @kelbadry.bsky.social for becoming a McArthur genius!!! 🤩🥳 www.caltech.edu/about/news/k... 🔭🧪🎢
caltech.edu
Kareem El-Badry Named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow
Kareem El-Badry Named a 2025 MacArthur Fellow
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gully @gully.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Yall check this out, it’s the top coolest thing I’ve seen in a while, closed form autodiffable representation of optical interferometry, enormously powerful. Yes!!
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JazzReads📚🏀 @jazzreads.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
So exhausting..
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
The statue of Pasteur in Paris faces the Invalides where Napoleon is buried. This is apt as one fought germs, while the other fought Germans.
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Excellent review paper on prospects for high-precision photometry of exoplanet systems with JWST by Sarah Millholland & Joshua Winn: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Not only did this paper get published, but the author, Thomas Count Dracula, received the “Best Author of the Month” award. www.easpublisher.com/article/arti... h/t @bluewhalenews.bsky.social
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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Astronomy 🔭 and physics ⚛️ GRFP applications are due Nov 14! Only seniors and 1st-year grad students can apply now (no second years).
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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Today Sept 27, 2025. It marks a special mathematical date because the numerals of the date form perfect squares. Written as 09/27/2025, it becomes 9,272,025, which is the square of 3,045. When written in the European format 27/09/2025, it becomes 27,092,025, the square of 5,205.
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Can an expert tell me if these error bars are accurate? arxiv.org/abs/2509.17454
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Jonathan Fortney @jjfplanet.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Congrats to Univ of Washington's Prof. Josh Krissansen-Totton (former UCSC postdoc!) on being selected for the AGU Ronald Greeley Early Career Award in Planetary Sciences www.agu.org/user-profile...
agu.org
AGU - American Geophysical Union
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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
A High-Precision, Differentiable Code for Solar System Ephemerides (Cassese et al in press) arxiv.org/abs/2509.19549
arxiv.org
A High-Precision, Differentiable Code for Solar System Ephemerides
We present jorbit, a python/JAX library designed to enable modern data-driven numerical studies of the solar system. Written entirely in JAX, an auto-differentiable and optionally GPU accelerated lang...
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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 17/09/2025
On the 🔭🧪 postdoc job market? Excited about science with Rubin and big surveys? Come join us at DiRAC. I’m so excited that we’re able to offer a few of these Fellowship positions this year! Please share, LMK if you have Q’s! aas.org/jobregister/...
aas.org
Postdoctoral Scholar - Institute for Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics & Cosmology | American Astronomical Society
We invite applications for the 2026 DiRAC Fellowship in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Washington. These up to 3-year full time postdoctoral positions are available to promising earl...
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NPR @npr.org · 16/09/2025
Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.
n.pr
On 9/16/25, celebrate a date of mathematical beauty
Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.
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Ethan Vishniac 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇺🇸 @ethan-vishniac.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
youtu.be/Jx5SxWqpjjI 🔭 AAS Journal Author Series: Richard Zeebe and David Hernandez on 2025AJ....170...71Z Richard Zeebe (University of Hawaii at Manoa) and David Hernandez (Yale University) chat about their article on stellar flybys of the solar system and their (lack of) effect on the Earth.
youtu.be
AAS Journal Author Series: Richard Zeebe and David Hernandez on 2025AJ....170...71Z
YouTube video by AAS
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Sorry Google and @wikipedia.org but this is not correct. Half of the Nobel prize was awarded to Penrose for the mathematical theory of black holes; the other half to Genzel & Ghez for their study of Sgr A*. (Thanks @nytgames.bsky.social Connections for alerting me to this!)
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
TIL that I study “space balls” (71 down in Sunday’s NYT crossword).
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Douglas Long @minimillian.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
The Rocky Worlds DDT has published our final target list. Join us for an information session on September 15 to learn more about the 9 targeted planets and the goals of the program. 🔭 #exoplanets
stsci.edu
Rocky Worlds DDT Updates: Final Target List and Virtual Information Session
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
astrobiology.com/2025/09/firs...
astrobiology.com
First JWST Thermal Phase Curves Of Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets Reveal No Thick Atmosphere Around TRAPPIST-1 b and c - Astrobiology
We report JWST/MIRI 15 μm phase curves of TRAPPIST-1 b and c,
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Reposted by Eric Agol
Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Hey #exoplaneteers (and other early career folks) - applications for the 2026 NASA Hubble Fellowship Program are open! www.stsci.edu/stsci-resear...
stsci.edu
Announcement of Opportunity
Find in-depth information about the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) and its requirements.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14/08/2025
The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d intrigues astronomers looking for possibly habitable worlds beyond our solar system because it is similar in size to Earth, rocky, and resides in an area around its star where liquid water on its surface is theoretically possible. (1/5) 🧵 🔭 🧪
Illustration of a planet silhouetted in front of a star. The star shows a large eruption on one side, near 2 o’clock, and more wisps of red coming from its southern hemisphere. Two more planets appear in the background at right. The words “Artist’s Concept” are at the bottom left.
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Michael Busch @michael-w-busch.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
Today on the #arXiv: Santana-Ros et al. 2025, "Temporal Evolution of the Third Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Spin, Color, Spectra and Dust Activity" - arxiv.org/abs/2508.00808 The nucleus of #3I/ATLAS remains confused with the coma.
arxiv.org
Temporal Evolution of the Third Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Spin, Color, Spectra and Dust Activity
We aim to characterize the physical and activity properties of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS through spectroscopic and photometric observations during the first month after its discovery. We perform...
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JWST Observer @jwstobserver.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
We are pleased to announce the release of the #JWST Cycle 5 Call for Proposals for General Observer and Survey time and funding for Archival Research programs. Read more: ow.ly/IjWC50WyF62
Magnified view of hexagonal shapes showing various space images illustrating JWST's science themes
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💀Adina Feinstein PhD 💀 @afeinstein20.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
aww yeah ☄️ 🔭 🛰️ arxiv.org/abs/2507.21967
Meme about observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Top row: a picture of muscular SpongeBob next to a very high resolution image of the comet from the Rubin Observatory. Bottom row: a picture of smooth normal SpongeBob next to a very low resolution of the comet from NASA's TESS mission.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Big day for the matriarchy! 🥳 Huge congrats to the awesome Prof. Doughtery, lead on the Jupiter-bound ESA JUICE mission & STFC Exec Chair. If anyone's confused on the astro royal hierarchy: Michele and I are the astro equivalents of 🇬🇧Westminster and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Holyrood 🤗 ℹ️: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 👩‍🔬🔭🧪
bbc.co.uk
UK gets first female Astronomer Royal in 350 years
Prof Michele Dougherty is the first woman to be appointed to the influential post.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 15/07/2025
Scientists have released the closest images ever taken near the sun, captured by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flying 3.8 million miles above the solar surface. See more images of solar eruptions on the sun: wapo.st/3Irm3P3
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Sarah Tuttle @niais.cryptoanarchy.network · 11/07/2025
A tiny ray of light - 51 Peg B postdoc applications just opened, and UW Seattle is a host institution! I'm our new institutional contact - more soon but reach out if you have questions! ☺️
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Mark Marley @markmarley.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
All those cameras at Mars in October....
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Michael Busch @michael-w-busch.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
For any asteroid observers who have not heard about it already: Newly-discovered #A11pl3Z is a candidate interstellar object. cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/scout/#/obje...
cneos.jpl.nasa.gov
Scout: NEOCP Hazard Assessment
NASA's Near-Earth Object (NEO) web-site. Data related to Earth impact risk, close-approaches, and much more.
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Laura Kreidberg @lkreidberg.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
New paper out! This is a review of the published JWST observations of rocky exoplanets so far: arxiv.org/abs/2507.00933 Quick summary of the key points:
arxiv.org
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Sean Raymond (planetplanet.net) @planetplanet.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
@nytimes.com article about Nate Kaib's and my recent paper on the future stability of the Solar System when passing stars are accounted for. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/s...
nytimes.com
This Is Not the Way We Usually Imagine the World Will End
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
I just found the source of dark energy
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Dr. Vera Rubin is the first Astronomer to be featured on a US Coin. Rubin is also the namesake of the new Rubin Observatory in Chile, honored for her discovery of evidence of dark matter in galaxies. rubinobservatory.org www.usmint.gov/news/press-r...
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Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
I'm talking about how the fear of orcas affects baleen whales on Monday at Science on Tap in Seattle, always an incredible audience asking lots of interesting questions www.scienceontap.org
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Eric Bellm @ebellm.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Here it is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIJf...
youtube.com
Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae - VIDEO - EN
YouTube video by Rubin Observatory
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
@plotastro.bsky.social This is a pretty visualization of hydrocarbon opacities in the atmosphere of Titan in arxiv.org/abs/2506.12144
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 23/06/2025
Introducing...your sneak peek at the cosmos captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory! Can you guess these regions of sky? This is just a small peek...join us at 11am US EDT for your full First Look at how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos! 🔭🧪 #RubinFirstLook ls.st/rubin-first-look-livestream
A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. The image focuses on a collection of interacting galaxies connected by delicate streams of stars. At top center lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. Like delicate spider silk or stretched taffy, these stellar bridges link the large elliptical to the few larger galaxies beneath, evidence of past collisions.

All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, and blues, crisp against the velvet black. A cosmic tapestry of glowing tan and pink gas clouds with dark dust lanes. In the upper right, the Trifid Nebula resembles a small flower in space. Its soft, pinkish gas petals are surrounded by blue gas, and streaked with dark, finger-like veins of dust that divide it into three parts. It radiates a gentle, misty glow, diffuse and soft like the warmth of breath on a cold hand. To the lower left, the much larger Lagoon Nebula stretches wide like a churning sea of magenta gas, with bright blue, knotted clumps sprinkled throughout where new stars are born. Both nebulae are embedded in a soft tan backdrop of gas that is brighter on the left than on the right, etched with dark tendrils of dust and sprinkled with the pinpricks of millions of stars.A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. To the lower left is a region filled with the hundreds of golden glittering gems of a distant galaxy cluster. In the foreground, below and right of center, two blue spiral galaxies look like eyes beneath the entangled mass of a triple galaxy merger in the upper right. A few bright blue points of foreground stars pierce the glittering tapestry.

All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, and blues, crisp against the velvet black.
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Eric Agol @ericagol.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
I’m verklimt.
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