iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm absolutely devastated for colleagues at Jodrell Bank who found out this morning that funding for the UK's e-MERLIN radio telescope array will be terminated. This is a short-sighted move, to save a tiny fraction of the overall UK science budget. #SaveJodrellBank 🔭🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands

Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

We have a PhD project opportunity starting in September 2026 led by @lukebarnard.bsky.social, supported by me and @mathewjowens.bsky.social It's on Solar Wind - Magnetosphere Coupling at the Giant Planets. Deadline is June 12th. You can apply here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

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CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 07/05/2026

Happy B’day today to one of the greatest science communicators of our time! Sir David Attenborough! 100 today! He has inspired millions along the way with his excellent work — nearly every person you know has watched him and learned something new about our world at some point. 📸 People mag

Two tile image showing Sir David Attenborough in his current age and when he was younger

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American Astronomical Society (AAS) @aas.org · 06/05/2026

🔭 The AAS Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) has named its prize winners for 2026. Congratulations to Mark Marley, Catherine Neish, Tad Komacek, Ali Bramson, Casey Dreier, Jack Kiraly, James O’Donoghue, and Robin George Andrews! aas.org/posts/news/2...

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

I'm happy to share that I've been awarded the 2026 Carl Sagan Medal! As someone who has enjoyed investing lots of time in communicating science, and as an enormous fan of the work of Dr. Sagan, this means a great deal to me. Big thank you to my colleagues! www.reading.ac.uk/news/2026/Un...

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Dr Luke Barnard @lukebarnard.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Looking for a PhD position in solar system science? Consider coming to work with me, @interplanetary.bsky.social and @mathewjowens.bsky.social! We have a project on Solar Wind - Magnetosphere Coupling at the Giant Planets. www.findaphd.com/phds/project... #heliophysics#aurora#spaceweather

findaphd.com

Solar Wind – Magnetosphere Coupling At The Giant Planets at University of Reading on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Solar Wind – Magnetosphere Coupling At The Giant Planets at University of Reading, listed on FindAPhD.com

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

To the Moon and back. What a phrase to be able to say in our lifetime.

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

My take on a Universe Size Comparison. On and off, this took several months to make! Check it out of you have 10 minutes and be sure to put your 🎧 on for the full experience youtu.be/2D9vHQOaauM (New and improved, reupload!)

youtu.be

Universe Size Comparison | 3D Animated By A Space Scientist

YouTube video by Interplanetary

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Tony Dunn @tony873004.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Artemis II is scheduled to launch on Wednesday evening.

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

We have a PhD opportunity at the University of Reading focused on analysing Jupiter and Saturn auroral observations! Title: Investigating Earth-like responses to the Solar Wind in Gas Giant Upper Atmospheres Supervisor: me! Full description/application portal: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

crocus-dla.ac.uk

Crocus DLA

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Royal Astronomical Society @royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Thanks to everyone who has joined us in person and online for our Early Careers Event. 👏 It's been a hugely successful day! This afternoon saw several speakers, including @interplanetary.bsky.social and Dr Affelia Wibisono, talking about their experiences in science communication. 🪐🔭🗣️

Dr James O'Donoghue speaks to the audience at the Early Careers Event.

Dr Affelia Wibisono discusses science communication.

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Mathew Owens @mathewjowens.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Most forecast centres (including us!) got that first CME arrival bang on. The big differences are for the subsequent CMEs. SPWC predict >1400 km/s at Earth. HUXt around 850-950 km/s. It must be different assessments of the CME initial speeds; the models themselves aren't that different.

The SWPC forecast, speeds over 1400 km/s

HUXt forecast, speeds topping out around 850-950 km/s

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Robert McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays #OTD in 1895 when he noticed that emanations from a Crookes tube caused a platino-barium screen to fluoresce. The rays exposed photographic plates but were blocked by bone and metal. This early plate shows his wife's hand. 🧪 ⚛️ Image: Wellcome Trust

One of the first X-ray photographs, an exposure of the left hand of Rontgen's wife. You can see her four finger, the dark mass of a ring on her ring finger, and the faint shadow of the soft tissue.

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Light speed is fast, but space is vast...

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Emily Lakdawalla 🏳️‍⚧️ Uranus Expert @elakdawalla.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

In somewhat terrifying but hopefully positive personal news, I've decided to purchase an extremely expensive 10x10 booth in the exhibit hall at the American Geophysical Union meeting in December. I'll be selling my gemstone and wire jewelry and art. I hope you'll come find me there.

Me, standing behind my table of wares at a recent craft show. I'm standing, facing the camera, hands folded in front of me, wearing a dark gray button-down shirt. My name badge is hanging at mid-chest from a chain of beads that look like planets. In the foreground, trays of colorful bracelets. To my right, stands with necklaces. Behind me, a sign with photos of planets says "Emily's Space Craft."

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Let's unravel the mystery of Saturn's polar hexagon. A jet stream speeds around the pole at 320 km/h (200 mph). That’s common among planets, but what's not is that it oscillates up and down *very* stably. Each low point of this sine wave becomes a corner of a hexagon, when projected onto a sphere:

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Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 19/10/2025

This is what democracy looks like. #NoKings

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Sarah Hörst @planetdr.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Everyone writing about Perseverance today should be asking how many of the scientists and engineers who were involved in this discovery no longer work for NASA bc of Trump.

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Peter Lewis @peterlewis55.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Lunar Eclipse - An hour after rising! #astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Worst video ever, but go check out the lunar eclipse going on right now 🙂

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Peter Lewis @peterlewis55.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

Good luck UK Lunar Eclipse hunters. The Moon rises in the east in one hour!

The complete Total Lunar Eclipse as captured by me in September 2016.

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Join us for International Observe The Moon Night in-person (registration required) or online!🔭 Held and organized by the @uniofreading.bsky.social alongside Reading Astronomical Society, @royalastrosoc.bsky.social, Troodos Observatory (Cyprus) and supported by STFC www.reading.ac.uk/news/2025/Un...

reading.ac.uk

Observe the Moon Night University of Reading - University of Reading

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CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 05/08/2025

Time nerds! This is def. one for you! Today was/is one of the shortest days of the year. @interplanetary.bsky.social has got you covered as to many of the reasons why this is likely happening. Bonus - how quasars, and #RadioAstronomy lead to precision timing, orientation, etc. that gives us GPS!

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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

💯.

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Bart B @bart22.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Tiny black dot on Saturn. Early this morning, I photographed a rather rare astronomical event, a shadow transit of Saturn’s largest moon Titan across its parent planet. This is a composite of two frames. Questar telescope /Olympus camera. Observed from metro Chicago. #astrophotography

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The Planetary Society @planetarysociety.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Our global petition to save NASA science closes this Thursday, and we’re just shy of 15,000 signatures! Every name counts, this petition will be hand-delivered to members of Congress. Add yours today, Save NASA Science. planet.ly/petition

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

The auroral oval seen from space during the early morning on June 1 - captured by the NOAA-21 satellite flying over North America

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Austrian Space Weather Office @aswogeosphere.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Update on the ongoing geomagnetic storm: the main magnetic core of the 31 May #solarstorm has arrived at Earth starting around 1 June 12 UTC, BUT it is one of those kinds that are VERY unfavorable for #aurora - the field is entirely northward and very likely to remain so for the next few hours.

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Mathew Owens @mathewjowens.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Looks like that fast CME is here already, about 2.5 hours before our predicted window. Funnily enough, we've *just* worked out why fast CMEs are often earlier than predicted and will be rolling this into the forecast soon! agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Implications of Using Spheroidal “Cone Model” CMEs in Solar‐Wind Models

Slow spheroidal CMEs produce much longer transit times to 1 AU than observed Wide spheroidal CMEs produce much faster speeds at 1 AU than observed Fixed-duration CMEs, which mimic observed CME e...

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eileen @espiegler.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

The WH proposes $6 billion cut in NASA budget, an overall 24% reduction from previous year – and a shocking 47% cut in funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate [reductions to to NASA’s fleet of spacecraft already in space, or proposed], an extinction-level event for the Earth & space sciences.

earthsky.org

Proposed NASA cuts to space science: “Staggering”

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Mathew Owens @mathewjowens.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

There's a fast CME heading into some fast solar wind and some pre-existing slower CMEs. We're currently putting arrival at noon-to-midnight tomorrow, but this forecast may change as more observations become available. Updates here: research.reading.ac.uk/met-spate/hu...

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Kevin Hardegree-Ullman @kevinkhu.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

Please, please, please contact your representatives. Jobs like mine are on the line. 🔭🧪☄️ www.planetary.org/save-nasa-sc...

planetary.org

Save NASA Science - Action Hub

NASA science faces record cuts. Take action to stop it—we'll show you how.

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The Planetary Society @planetarysociety.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

BREAKING: The president's budget request just hit Congress, which could usher in a dark age for NASA space science. Congress has the final say, but you can help shape the outcome by adding your name to our global petition. This is just the start of our fight. Sign the petition: planet.ly/petition

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James Tuttle Keane @jtuttlekeane.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

The NASA planetary science fleet chart if the president’s budget is enacted.

The NASA planetary science fleet chart. It shows two spirals with missions to Moon/Mars and the Solar System. I’ve crossed off all of the missions that will be cancelled in the president’s budget… and there are a lot of them.

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

The proposed NASA and NSF cuts feel like when ISIS destroyed the monuments of Palmyra with sledgehammers. These things not only pay for themselves, they return several dollars for every $1 spent. Kill the science, kill the spin-offs, startups, patents, talent pool and global influence.

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Sarah Hörst @planetdr.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

The Presidents Budget Request for NASA is out. It’s a bloodbath Canceled are DAVINCI, VERITAS, Juno, OSIRIS-APEX, US participation in ExoMars and EnVision… Huge cut to R&A. No funding to begin development of the Uranus Orbiter. If you’ve ever cared about NASA, time to contact congress.

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Dr Robin George Andrews @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

NEW: Mars, like any world with an atmosphere, has aurora—but they’re ultraviolet, invisible to the human eye. Scientists wondered if visible, green, aurora did exist though. And thanks to Percy the rover, they’ve finally seen them! 🤩 Me @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/s...

nytimes.com

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Spotted a Northern Lights-Like Green Glow

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Dr. Ryan French @ryanjfrench.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

We’ve just had the largest #SolarFlare of 2025! Is the Sun waking up? Newly appeared active region AR 14087 has been very active today, producing an X2.7-class event (alongside two other M-class flares) in the past 12 hours. This region will rotate to face Earth in coming days.

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David Blanchflower BSc @davidbflower.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Waxing Gibbous Moon. 2002UT 7 May 2025. 🔭 🧪 🎨 #astrophotography #SciArt #photography #StormHour #ThePhotoHour

The Moon at waxing gibbous phase on a dark background.

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IFLScience @iflscience.com · 05/05/2025

With the Trump administration's proposed budget we could be saying goodbye to long-planned space missions, new weather satellites, and crucial life-saving treatments. 🧪🔭 www.iflscience.com/trump-admini...

iflscience.com

Trump's Proposed 2026 Budget: Here's What's Set To Be Cut

We could be saying goodbye to long-planned space missions, new weather satellites, and crucial life-saving treatments.

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Peter Lewis @peterlewis55.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

Tonight's Moon, still in waxing crescent mode at 42.9%, looking great in a clear London sky! #astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social

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Kevin Earp @astrokev.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

My first image of the Sun in a while, taken this morning from my back garden. The large sunspot group is AR 4079. Esprit 100. x2 Barlow. Herschel wedge. ASI17MM. Continuum filter. Colourised to make it look like we're conditioned to think it should look like! 🙂 🔭

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Chris Scott @profchrisscott.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

That big sunspot is getting bigger!

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Dr James O'Donoghue 🪐 @interplanetary.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

If you have eclipse glasses handy, check out the Sun today and you'll see a Sunspot without a telescope (if you've got modestly good vision). This is a quick pic with my phone, through eclipse glasses

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Dr Ryan MacDonald @distantworlds.space · 01/05/2025

The K2-18b saga deepens with a great new paper out today by @luiswel.bsky.social (arxiv.org/abs/2504.21788). Turns out hydrocarbons can explain K2-18b's new JWST MIRI spectrum *without* the need to invoke DMS or DMDS as biosignatures. Read on to find out more! 🧵 #Exoplanet 🔭🪐

The Challenges of Detecting Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres by Luis Welbanks et al.

Abstract: Claims of detections of gases in exoplanet atmospheres often rely on comparisons between models including and excluding specific chemical species. However, the space of molecular combinations available for model construction is vast and highly degenerate. Only a limited subset of these combinations is typically explored for any given detection. As a result, apparent detections of trace gases risk being artifacts of incomplete modeling rather than robust identification of atmospheric constituents, especially in the low signal-to-noise regime. We illustrate these challenges using the sub-Neptune K2-18~b, where recent claims of a potential biosignature detection vanish when the considered model space is expanded. We show that numerous alternative models without potential biosignature gases provide equivalent or better fits to the observations. We demonstrate that the significance of a claimed detection relies on the choice of models being compared, and that model preference does not necessarily imply the presence of any specific gas.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.21788

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University of Reading @uniofreading.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Oh hello 👋 I bet you were wondering when ol’ #ReadingUni were going to join you?! Who are we? We're the UK’s Sustainable University of the Year (thanks @thetimes.com 🎉), located in 130 hectares of historic and award-winning parkland, 30 mins from London. And we live with this lot ♥️ #Introduction

A gaggle of baby geese huddled together on the banks of Reading's Whiteknights lake.

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Research at Reading @uor-research.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Join us at the #CommunityFestival2025 to see live images of the #Sun through a solar telescope (weather permitting!). Learn how solar activity drives auroras, disrupts technology and impacts other planets. Book now: rdg.ac/3AUYDdZ @interplanetary.bsky.social @unirdg-met.bsky.social (Image: NASA)

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Dr Ryan MacDonald @distantworlds.space · 17/04/2025

𝗡𝗼, 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝟮-𝟭𝟴𝗯'𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. K2-18b is back in the news, now with a bold claim that biosignature molecules (DMS and/or DMDS) have been 'detected at 3σ'. Most exoplanet astronomers are extremely sceptical about these claims, let's see why (1/n). 🔭🧪🪐 #exoplanet

Artist's impression of the exoplanet K2-18b.
Credit: A. Smith, University of Cambridge.

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