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Heidi B. Hammel

@hbhammel.bsky.social
4.3K followers 336 following 991 posts

planetary astronomer | nearly famous | jwst interdisciplinary scientist | looks just like an ordinary mom | oboist (thoughts expressed here are my own)

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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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Compound Interest | Chemistry infographics @compoundchem.com · 23/09/2026
It's the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere 🍂 Here's the chemistry behind the foliage colour changes we'll be seeing over the coming months: www.compoundchem.com/2014/09/11/a... #ChemSky 🧪
Infographic on the chemistry of the colours of autumn leaves. Green is caused by chlorophyll, carotenoids and flavonoids give yellows, and oranges come from carotenoids, which also contribute to reds along with anthocyanins.
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Nice overview of the JWST Chariklo paper by David Chandler in @skyandtelescope.bsky.social ... Last quote by me is a foreshadowing of JWST's capabilities for the suite of Uranus occultations coming in the coming decade! skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org
Webb Telescope Discovers Surprising Changes in an Asteroid’s Rings
Painstaking observations have revealed unexpected evolution in the rings around Chariklo, a tiny outer-solar-system object.
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Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC) @iaacsic.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🗣️ Declaración de Pablo Santos-Sanz, investigador del IAA-CSIC que lidera el estudio ‘JWST stellar occultation reveals unexpected changes in Chariklo’s ring system’ www.youtube.com/watch?v=caTF...
youtube.com
"El telescopio espacial James Webb descubre que los invisibles anillos de Chariklo están cambiando"
YouTube video by IAA - Comunicación
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Hot off the press! JWST 🔭 reveals surprising changes in the double-ring system surrounding distant Chariklo! The data were part of my JWST GTO time, and the awesome international team was led by @psantossanz.bsky.social. Congrats, Pablo and all! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
JWST stellar occultation reveals unexpected changes in Chariklo’s ring system
Ring systems have been found around several small bodies in the outer Solar System through stellar occultations. While such observations provide constraints on ring geometry and dynamical interactions...
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 08/09/2026
Observations from Hubble have revealed a huge decagon encircling Saturn’s south pole! This giant, evolving 10-sided atmospheric wave is remarkably similar to Saturn’s famous hexagon at its northern pole, but is also distinctly different. Read more 👉 esahubble.org/news/heic2612/ 🔭 🧪
Side-by-side comparison of two views of the gas giant Saturn, labeled “August 29, 2025” at the top left corner. At left is a straight-on view of Saturn, a globe with pale yellow horizontal bands at the equator and orange and pink at the mid-latitudes. Some bands towards the north and south pole have a light blue hue. There are prominent horizontal rings circling at the equator. At right, labeled “Saturn’s south pole,” the south-polar view of Saturn shows concentric bands in its atmosphere, mostly tan and orange, surrounding a dark central region that has a 10-sided outline. A small, dashed circle at the very center of the pole with an “X” inside denotes missing data.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 02/09/2026
Meet Saturn’s decagon, seen in recent images from Hubble. The new 10-sided atmospheric wave at the planet’s southern pole resembles the famous hexagon at the Saturn’s northern pole, but is also distinct: news.stsci.edu/4g9Gm1U
Side-by-side comparison of two views of the gas giant Saturn, labeled “August 29, 2025” at the top left corner. At left is a straight-on view of Saturn, a globe with pale yellow horizontal bands at the equator and orange and pink at the mid-latitudes. Some bands towards the north and south pole have a light blue hue. There are prominent horizontal rings circling at the equator. At right, labeled “Saturn’s south pole,” the south-polar view of Saturn shows concentric bands in its atmosphere, mostly tan and orange, surrounding a dark central region that has a 10-sided outline. A small, dashed circle at the very center of the pole with an “X” inside denotes missing data.
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Today is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, and I sure do appreciate this ginger Metatron!
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Where is the Roman Space Telescope heading? The Sun-Earth Lagrange 2 point ("L2"), where it will occupy a different orbit than its big brother, JWST. See image (which cites me as a content consultant). More at: www.scientificamerican.com/article/wher...
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If this detection is confirmed as evidence for dark matter, this could be a Very Big Deal . . .
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 30/08/2026
A new set of eyes is heading for the cosmos! 🚀🔭 Congrats to NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute (our sister org in AURA Astronomy), and all on the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope! 🎉 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory and Roman together will give us complementary views of the cosmos🌟
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Nominal launch, nominal trajectory. Next up: awesome science!
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Gorgeous launch 🚀 of the Roman Space Telescope 🔭 !
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
NASA live stream starts soon - Roman Space Telescope launch is 7:26 am US eastern if nominal! Fingers crossed. . .
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Roman’s wide field and coronograph will complement JWST and Hubble. But JWST still rules with unparalleled sensitivity & spectra, and Hubble is still utterly crucial for science that requires blue & UV wavelengths (including detection of Neptune’s highly variable Great Dark Spots).
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
We are going to launch a new space telescope tomorrow (weather permitting) - a great wide-field complement to JWST and Hubble
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 26/08/2026
➡️ Follow @stsci.edu for the most up-to-date information on this weekend's scheduled launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. 🔭 #NASARoman Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab.
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Jason Perry @volcanopele.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Ontario Lacus is a hydrocarbon lake near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Titan. Measuring 235 kilometers long by 75 kilometers across, Ontario Lacus is slightly smaller than its terrestrial counterpart, Lake Ontario. Lakes on Titan are named after lakes on Earth that are roughly the same size.
RADAR SAR image of Ontario Lacus. Ontario is a dark, footprint-shaped feature in the middle of the frame. Hills surround Ontario Lacus to the north, marked by bright, rough terrain in this SAR image.
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I was not prepared to hear about Dolly Parton 💔 death don’t have no mercy. We deperately need more good humans like her. RIP
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Forecast for Uranus and Neptune: cloudy with a chance of diamonds (if you are at the planets’ cores) www.llnl.gov/article/5480...
llnl.gov
Melting diamond could unlock triple fusion gain and the secrets of ice-giant planets
Diamond is more than a dazzling gem — the extremely hard form of carbon makes up the pellet that encases fuel for inertial confinement fusion, and scientists believe it rains down deep inside ice gian...
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
New science from the world’s largest solar telescope 🔭
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Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Today is the day the story There Will Come Soft Rain is set. An amazing and heartbreaking work of fiction for our modern age. Read it here:
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Carla @cwalworth.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Very good post and article at so many levels. “Joy and struggle can co-exist.” Find a little joy.
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Awesome to see JWST doing such great 🔭 work in the outer Solar System! Phyllosilicates on small Neptune moons!! Whodathunkit?
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This is one of the key radio dishes in the Deep Space Network (DSN) which we use to communicate with distant spacecraft throughout the Solar System
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
!!!
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Nice 🧵 about the power of Rubin Observatory, the newest big telescope 🔭 in the portfolio managed by @aura-astronomy.bsky.social
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Happy First Birthday to Kit Charlemagne!
Charlemagne is a handsome black tuxedo cat with a white blaze on his nose, white bib, long white whiskers and white toes. He stands atop a green cat furniture gazing up to the sky. Behind him is a bit of the JWST Cosmic Cliffs image printed on silk.
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Charlemagne shows some beanage during lap time
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 10/07/2026
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is seeking a Human Resources Division Head to serve as a senior leader responsible for aligning HR strategy with STScI's institutional vision and goals: bit.ly/4bmi9CD
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
No way was I going into hot DC this July 4th weekend, so I made this celebratory puzzle instead - better than being there!
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AURA Astronomy @aura-astronomy.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Happy 250th U.S.A. from AURA! In patriotic red white & blue, from NASA’s Hubble, this is the largest protoplanetary disk ever observed circling a young star. 📷 NASA, ESA, STScI, Kristina Monsch (CfA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) 250 years of American astronomy!
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Say what you want, but Cape Verde made Argentina work for that win
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Cape Verde WHAT!
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Here comes the Sun
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Benjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
cutting pure science to prioritize applications is fundamentally like asking farmers not to waste time producing grain, cheese, and tomatoes and focus on making pizzas
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
[star] Lights, [huge] Camera, aaaand ... Action! The NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory's @vrubinobs.bsky.social 🔭 Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) has started! Congrats to all who have worked so hard on this project! noirlab.edu/public/news/...
noirlab.edu
Action! NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Begins Capturing the Greatest Cosmic Movie Ever Made - The 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time has officially started, marking the beginning of a new era ...
The wait is over: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, is now capturing the cosmos in unprecedented detail, ...
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Friends in Cambridge/Boston: I'm trying to help a young person looking for a job. Smart, hard worker. They are working remotely but are looking for something new. Please let me know if you have leads, either for a job or a good recruiter who can help them find a job. DM me for details. TIA!
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Pacific Northwest Seismic Network @pnsn1.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
“And the building shakes in Seattle!” PNSN’s seismic stations captured the crowd response to both Alex Freeman’s goal and the VAR decision overturning the offside call. It’s #USMNT 2 to Australia 0 at half-time. #WorldCup2026 #FIFAWorldCup #SportsSeismology
Graphic showing seismogram with two big spikes at "Goal" and "VAR decision."
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
New theoretical study of possible interiors of Uranus and Neptune, though the authors admit "magma" is a fraught term in this context (but props for ~correct colors to illustrate U&N outer atmospheres!) arxiv.org/abs/2606.18219 - my takeaway: we REALLY need a mission to one or both ice giants
A graphic cartoon shows two orbs representing Neptune (right, pale greenish blue) and Uranus (very light grey blue). A cutaway in each orb shows one theoretical model of interior structure: mostly orange representing a hydrogen-rich "magma" enclosed in various transition layers with a color gradient representing density.
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 16/06/2026
Do you know what sounds more believable than “A sophisticated civilization developed impressive construction techniques over centuries”? Apparently: “Space people.”
buff.ly
Notes from a Tired Egyptian Guy Whose Job Is Explaining That Humans Built the Pyramids
A traveler asked: “How could ancient people possibly understand mathematics?” Excellent question. We accidentally invented geometry while trying to avoid car...
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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The recording is now available solarsystem.video/w/bjEKEhgTir...
solarsystem.video
Europlanet webinar: LSST sweeping the skies: an avalanche of new minor bodies expected.
01:44 LSST Sweeping the Skies by Meg Schmamb (Queen's University, Belfast, UK) 21:04 To Near-Earth Space (and Beyond) with LSST by Rosemary Dorsey (University of Helsinki, Finland) 52:16 Q&A Hi...
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
🔭
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
I love learning new things, today’s edition (I knew the concept, just not the phrase): damnatio memoriae
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
This week my siblings and I were together - all three of us at once - for the first time in decades (we think our last time was maybe 1997?)
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
This tracks
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Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
🔭 Q for Astrosky: We got 2024 YR4 with JWST at V > 30, and think it's a new record for faintest Solar System observation. 1) What was the previous record? I've heard of but can't find an HST Halley observation. 2) Did we set the overall record? Looks like the Ultra Deep Field only went to V ~ 29?
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
My bonny boys: Metatron and Charlemagne in a moment of quiet comradery this evening
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
My daughter was in town this weekend and attended our summer band concert in Vienna, VA - she captured an image of the band while I was playing a duet with the trumpet in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “My Bonny Boy”
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SpaceNews @spacenewsinc.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
NASA interested in Hubble reboost if costs can be reduced As NASA prepares an attempt to reboost an astronomy spacecraft in a decaying orbit, it is open to doing something similar for Hubble, if its operating costs can be reduced....
spacenews.com
NASA interested in Hubble reboost if costs can be reduced
As NASA prepares an attempt to reboost an astronomy spacecraft in a decaying orbit, it is open to doing something similar for Hubble, if its operating costs can be reduced.
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