Sign in

Guy Watkins

@guywatkins.bsky.social
1.3K followers 2.1K following 1.4K posts

🪐 MPhys Astrophysics with Space Science student at The Open University. 🪐 Aspiring astrobiologist/planetary scientist. FRAS. 🪐 guywatkins.space 🏃 Novice trail runner

PostsRepliesMedia
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 23h
Astrophotography and telescope control complete suite for Apple Mac: no longer do you need to rely on Windoze or Linux. macobservatory.com/indigo-a1-ma...
macobservatory.com
INDIGO A1: CloudMakers' All-in-One Mac Astrophotography Suite
CloudMakers' all-in-one native Mac astrophotography suite: camera control, autoguiding, mount control and plate solving. Free, with three $24.99 modules.
231
Reposted by Guy Watkins
The Orkney News @theorkneynews.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Anne H. Cruickshank Observatory Opens in Aberdeen A new observatory at the University of Aberdeen has opened giving students, researchers and the public the opportunity to explore the night sky using an advanced, AI-controlled telescope....
theorkneynews.scot
Anne H. Cruickshank Observatory Opens in Aberdeen
A new observatory at the University of Aberdeen has opened giving students, researchers and the public the opportunity to explore the night sky using an advanced, AI-controlled telescope. The Anne H Cruickshank Observatory was officially opened by Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, on Wednesday September 30 marking the first new observatory in Aberdeen for more than 200 years. Located in Cruickshank Botanic Garden, the observatory houses a 16-inch John Cruickshank telescope equipped with advanced imaging technology.
192
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Astrobiology @astrobiology.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
astrobiology.com/2026/10/01/n... #astrobiology #biosafety #PlanetaryProtection #Mars
astrobiology.com
NASA Planetary Protection Handbook
This handbook provides guidance to mission providers and Planetary Protection (PP) practitioners on implementing PP measures for both robotic and crewed space missions.
043
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
‘I like mathematics largely because it is not human and has nothing particular to do with this planet or with the whole accidental universe – because, like Spinoza’s God, it won’t love us in return.’ (Bertrand Russell)
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Come on! 🇪🇺 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
No 10 gathering evidence on public support for UK rejoining EU
Senior Downing Street officials reach out to thinktanks and pollsters as they look to test backing for reversing Brexit
010
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Brilliant, #ESAJuice got itself an XKCD! #planetsci
0203
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Just 292 days until my deferred Gower Peninsula 50km. I’ve got a few half-marathons and 25km events planned beforehand to get me ready…
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I’m rather tired now…
Picture of my race bib and medal for the Chiltern Challenge Ultra. I walked 25km.Picture of green trees and low hills behind with a blue sky and clouds.Picture of green woodsPicture of a pedestrian bridge going across the river Thames, with trees on the horizon and a blue sky with clouds
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
“Microbes may survive at the Moon’s South Pole” #astrobiology physicsworld.com/a/microbes-m...
physicsworld.com
Microbes may survive at the Moon's south pole – Physics World
Crewed missions to the lunar polar regions must limit the unintended transfer of Earth life forms, say scientists
000
Reposted by Guy Watkins
ESA Technology @technology.esa.int · 24/09/2026
When a satellite runs out of fuel, its mission is over ❌⛽ That's why @esa.int is working towards a future where spacecraft can rendezvous, dock, refuel, repair, recalibrate and even be repurposed for new missions indefinitely: www.esa.int/Enabling_Sup...
02410
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Truly timeless and magical. youtube.com/watch?v=2WJh...
youtube.com
Henrik Chaim Goldschmidt plays "Gabriel's Oboe"
YouTube video by henrik chaim goldschmidt
010
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I feel this sound, Coming up from the underground. We break it down, Coming up from the underground . youtu.be/Iv6tgrQ0Srk
youtu.be
Deadly Guns - From The Underground (Rave Core)(Official Videoclip)
YouTube video by Deadly Guns
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
“The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”
001
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
10381422831
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Astrobiology @astrobiology.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
astrobiology.com/2026/09/22/p... #astrobiology #Gaia #ClimateChange
astrobiology.com
Planetary Health Check 2026 Finds Mounting Pressures Across Earth’s Life Support Systems - Reports And Proceedings
Seven breached Planetary Boundaries continue to worsen
042
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In all the grandiose discussion about colonising Mars, I don't see much about how the soil is poisonous to us. This was only discovered in 2008. It contains perchlorates, which are environmental toxins here on Earth. Any human contact with Mars dust? Super-bad news in the long run. 1/
NASA image from the surface of Mars, showing its red dusty surface with rover tire-tracks running across it.
1461368432
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Blue Marble Space @bluemarblespace.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Being able to quickly recognize a real message from space and decide whether the pattern buried in the noise is a real message or nothing at all is an important challenge in SETI. planetaryperspectives.substack.com/p/teaching-m...
planetaryperspectives.substack.com
Teaching Machines to Recognize a Message From the Stars
John Elliott on The Technosignature Toolbox for IAUS404
011
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 23/09/2026
I said I'd do a thread about my new Space Science Reviews paper, so here it is! This is part of a collection of papers arising from a meeting at the International Space Science Institute in Bern in 2024: a workshop to better understand rocky extrasolar planets. A 🧵:
Interior structure models of Earth, Venus, Mercury, Mars, the Moon, and Io, all shown to scale and key elements labelled.
220055
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Blue Marble Space @bluemarblespace.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Save the date for Life and Space 2026 Tomasz Zajkowski and the Polish Astrobiology Society invite schoalrs globally to consider joining Life and Space 2026 (LAS26), the Society's international online astrobiology conference, taking place December 4–6, 2026. Full details at astrobio.pl/LAS26.
123
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) @iacastrofisica.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
🔭 El Telescopio Nazionale Galileo celebra hoy en el Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos 30 años de ciencia, descubrimientos e innovación. Tres décadas estudiando el Universo desde La Palma y mirando hacia el futuro de la astronomía. 🌌 👉 ow.ly/goM950ZQ6No
062
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Mark Marley @markmarley.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
LPL alum honors Weird Al.
Newspaper screen shot of article, headline “UA grad helped name asteroid after Weird Al' Yankovic”
35514
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/the...
music.apple.com
The Judgement Day by Members of Mayday on Apple Music
Song · 2007 · Duration 4:47
011
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Nereide @drnereide.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
For the 1st time, an extrasolar planet has left a radio fingerprint of its own, distinct from its star’s. 🔭 That fingerprint also tells us how strong its magnetic field is.⚛️ The planet is called β Pictoris b.🧪 Illustration Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org) #planetsci #astronomy
Artist’s impression (not a photograph) of the young giant planet β Pictoris b. A large, banded gas world fills the foreground, lit in warm orange-reddish and brown, with a bright young star  farther back against a starry sky. 
Artwork from 2014, made for the first measurement of the planet’s spin, not for the radio detection. 
 
Source: https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1414a/
211233
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
youtube.com/shorts/8FPPv...
youtube.com
BOOYAKASHA
YouTube video by Dazed Muzic
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/enj... All I ever wanted, All I ever needed Was here in my arms. Words are very so unnecessary, They can only do harm.
music.apple.com
Odyssey - Single by Romantik. on Apple Music
Album · 2026 · 2 Songs
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/chr... The mighty BICEP. Can anyone better Moray’s finest?
music.apple.com
CHROMA 005 A.L.O.E by Bicep & Benjamin Damage on Apple Music
Song · 2024 · Duration 5:10
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/bli...
music.apple.com
Blinded by 33 Below on Apple Music
Song · 2023 · Duration 4:00
000
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Caltech IPAC @caltechipac.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Huge congratulations to the NExScI team on launching AstroFetch! This new tool makes it easier than ever to query #exoplanet science data. 🔭 Give it a spin at exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu!
0156
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Do professional scientists suffer from social anxiety, and if so, what are your coping strategies? I’d be interested to learn how you navigate the fear/phobia of public speaking, networking and presenting your work.
100
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Throwing cold-water on shooting for the Moon. physicsworld.com/a/moons-wate...
physicsworld.com
Moon's water reserves insufficient to sustain a lunar city, astronomers find – Physics World
While energy usage could be met, water would cause some issues
100
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I’m doing this soon, except just the 25km challenge.
Green poster with boot print background with a countdown timer and the words: “Chiltern 50 Ultra Challenge”.
120
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Is this a good thing?
000
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Más allá del relato @masalladelrelato.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
🌄 Una vez al año, durante apenas unos minutos, Yosemite (EEUU) se enciende como fuego. El sol cae justo en el ángulo perfecto y esta cascada parece lava fundida bajando por la roca. 🔥 🌄 Once a year, for just a few minutes, Yosemite lights up like fire. #eeuu #cascadas #naturaleza #maravillas
78929
Reposted by Guy Watkins
David Grinspoon @drfunkyspoon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Fun conversation with @starstryder.space on @cosmoquest.org about searching for life on Mars and elsewhere and the legacy, and fond memories, of the Viking missions. youtu.be/dKrgLRCe9H8?...
youtu.be
Viking: Chasing Astrobiology then and now with David Grinspoon
YouTube video by CosmoQuest
0155
Reposted by Guy Watkins
AstrobiologyOU @astrobiologyou.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
In our latest blog, Alexandra Evenson shares her six-week AstrobiologyOU internship, involving Icelandic basalt, field spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Mars analogues and the mystery of “Red Boi”. Read the full story: buff.ly/ejkuEze #Astrobiology #Mars #Geology #StudentResearch
Image of a blonde woman, with their hair clipped back, kneeling side on to the camera using a some field kit, that consists of a large grey back pack, a black, handheld sensor and a tablet screen

From Golden Retriever to Ghostbuster: My Summer Internship with AstrobiologyOU
Written by Alexandra Evenson
Available online NOW!
021
Reposted by Guy Watkins
David Kipping @davidkipping.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The most sensitive search for exomoons ever - moons 2.5x smaller than Europa are excluded! And around a temperate Earth-sized planet to boot. What’s really neat is that, for the first time, we can confidently say another Earth does not enjoy total Solar eclipses. arxiv.org/abs/2609.05301
1335
Reposted by Guy Watkins
ESO @eso.org · 14/09/2026
A starry night, but in another galaxy ✨ Fly over the Magellanic Clouds, two galaxies orbiting the #MilkyWay, and discover a new stellar landscape — completely different from the one we see in our sky here on Earth. 🔭 🧪
13915
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Space Farce. deadline.com/2026/09/spac...
110
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/sou...
music.apple.com
SOUNDS by DJ Jackum on Apple Music
Song · 2026 · Duration 3:19
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/sun...
music.apple.com
Sunshine (Short / Video Version) by Dr. Motte & Westbam on Apple Music
Song · 1997 · Duration 3:43
000
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/enj...
music.apple.com
Enjoy The Silence by Romantik. on Apple Music
Song · 2025 · Duration 2:57
100
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 11/09/2026
25 years ago, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people, including 2,753 New Yorkers. As we remember that terrible day, let us also remember the first responders, office workers and strangers who ran toward danger to help each other.
561328417343
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Utter cowards. Maybe the MPs would change their minds had they or a family member experienced a terminal illness? This is more than just the Hippocratic Oath, this is about quality of life, or lack thereof. Another example of how staid/regressive UK attitudes can be... www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...
bbc.co.uk
MPs vote against fresh move to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales - follow live
The bill would have allowed adults with fewer than six months to live to apply to be given help to end their own life, subject to certain safeguards.
111
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Astrobiology @astrobiology.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
astrobiology.com/2026/09/08/s... #astrobiology #Mars #Genomics #biochemistry
astrobiology.com
Stability Of Uracil In Different Sulphates Under Martian-like UV Irradiation
[Icarus] Mars is one of the most probable and accessible places where life could have evolved beyond Earth. Searching for biosignatures, such as organic molecules directly or indirectly related to […]
064
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Roland Hatzenpichler @environmicrobio.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The new NSF letter is catastrophic. It shifts NSF towards applied research (which is NOT NSF’s mandate), will funnel money to business and away from universities, promises to push even more money to AI, and policital appointments can overrule entire panels. Also, golden tickets overruling everything
13615
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ye... Awesome.
youtube.com
Members Of Mayday - Judgement Day
YouTube video by Members Of Mayday
000
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Jodrell Bank’s e-Merlin network still faces closure in 2028 Government says it will not save telescope network, despite Burnham pledge www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Jodrell Bank’s e-Merlin network still faces closure in 2028 - Research Professional News
Government says it will not save telescope network, despite Burnham pledge
25040
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Tomorrow on 11/09/2026 it will be 25 years since the horrific attacks of 9/11 that changed the world forever. This is a nice commemoration. #TwinTowers #NeverForget911 #911Anniversary #911Day #RememberTheSky #25years www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
bbc.co.uk
Drone display recreates the Twin Towers over New York City
Organisers say each of the 2,977 drones in the display represents a victim of the 9/11 attacks.
021
Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
music.apple.com/gb/album/arm...
music.apple.com
Armed & Dangerous by Oppidan & Cutty Ranks on Apple Music
Song · 2024 · Duration 3:54
000
Reposted by Guy Watkins
Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 09/09/2026
AI companies: This technology we’re developing is dangerous and might destroy humanity and we don’t know how to stop it Other people: So we should strictly regulate it, create legislative guard rails, and monitor its development? AI companies: lol no the opposite of all that & give us more money
512310633