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Niamh Shaw

@irishspacegal.bsky.social
1.3K followers 497 following 69 posts

👩🏻‍🚀Earth & Space explorer 📇 Writer, Science Communicator 🧭 Fellow @the_explorers_club 🚀ESA Champion 🪐 Educator, Keynote Speaker

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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Out today in The Irish Times: a long conversation at IAC about ESA Strategy 2040, Ireland’s role as a member state, and how this moment fits into something much bigger than us. #space #irelandinspace 🔗 www.irishtimes.com/science/spac...
irishtimes.com
Ireland has chance to go boldly as European Space Agency aims higher with record funding
Revised National Space Strategy could decide whether we continue on a steady path or match the ambition Europe has now embraced
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Love Mitch’s TikToks parodying the theatre world. Worked in ‘The Arts’ for about 10 years and it is ‘on.point’!! Cringeingly marvellous! Waving from Ireland, dahling!! 🇮🇪☘️
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Curiosity doesn’t start with confidence. It starts w belonging. Thinking of the Young Scientists this week & the power of finding your people. 1986 was my year. It’s where science cultures are built. Community is the infrastructure. Here’s how I try to help with that. youtu.be/jVp7IDPE2gA?...
youtu.be
Town Scientist 🎬 Family Space Day 2025
YouTube video by Dr. Niamh Shaw, Space Reporter and Adventurer
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Ever wondered why New Year is celebrated at different times across the world? Why does it happen sooner in Australia than in Ireland? Check out this video I made back during COVID which explains it all. youtu.be/SWNHhfUjyAw?fe… #NYE2026 #timezones #livingonearth
youtu.be
Why do the New Year Celebrations happen at different times across the world?
YouTube video by Dr. Niamh Shaw, Space Reporter and Adventurer
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night - it’s the precise moment when the Sun reaches its lowest point before the light returns. Why care? Because it reminds us that pauses matter, and even at our darkest point, the direction has already changed. #wintersolstice
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Day at ESO’s Paranal Observatory: VLT, desert light, a sea of clouds at sunset, and lasers in the night sky. Unreal. ✨ #ESO #VLT #AtacamaDesert
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
From baking meringues to meeting an ESA astronaut — What a weekend! Baking in Space came to Dublin & Dundalk, ending with a packed house and families in awe as @ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan took the stage. This is why we do what we do. 💫 #TownScientist #STEMForAll #ScienceWeek2025 #DreamBig
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
🌐 Tomorrow. 4.30pm-we’re LIVE from Antarctica. Jac Madsen joins us from Antarctica to share what it’s like living at the edge of the world… where the climate crisis is unfolding in real time. Part of #ScienceWeek Town Scientist 🔗 Webinar link bit.ly/3LVrI1n #Antarctica #TownScientist #COP30
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
My latest piece in today’s Irish Times- @esa.int’s John McFall challenges who gets to go to space. www.irishtimes.com/science/spac...
irishtimes.com
Who gets to go to space?
Orthopaedic surgeon and former British paralympian John McFall was chosen for a bold experiment to see whether a lower-limb amputee could meet the demands of space flight
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
I was in Texas and can confirm that the birds responded to the darkness & thought it was bedtime for those 4.5mins under the Moons shadow!! A phenomenal experience to witness
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Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · 15/10/2025
🌒 Eclipse confuses birds into dawn songs During the 2024 total solar eclipse, over half of bird species briefly sang as if it were morning, revealing how light shifts shape behaviour. 🔗 doi.org/10.1126/scie... #Birds #SciComm 🧪
doi.org
Total solar eclipse triggers dawn behavior in birds: Insights from acoustic recordings and community science
On 8 April 2024, a total solar eclipse disrupted light-dark cycles for North American birds during the lead-up to spring reproduction. Compiling more than 10,000 community observations and artificial ...
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
From Arctic ice back to Dundalk 🌍 This Sunday (19 Oct, 12 p.m.) join me for a walk & talk honouring Dundalk’s own polar explorer, Leopold McClintock, and hear stories from my Arctic mission. 🎟️ Free via Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.ie/e/dundalk-mc...
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
On this day in 2021, William Shatner took part in the flight of Blue Origin NS-18 and became the oldest person to fly in space at 90 years 205 days. That record has since been surpassed. Shatner described experiencing the overview effect seeing the Earth from space.
A person wearing a blue flight suit with "W. Shatner" and "Blue Origin" written on it, standing with hands clasped in front of a plain brown background. The suit features a patch with "NS-18" and a logo.
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Earlier this morning SpaceX completed the 11th test flight of the Starship mega rocket. A successful landing of the heavy rocket, deployment of test satellites & splashdown of the Starship rocket. A good mornings work by team SpaceX but the pressures on- all eyes on Lunar launches soon.
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NASASpaceflight.com @nasaspaceflight.com · 14/10/2025
LAUNCH!!! Starship Booster 15-3 and Ship 38 have launched on Flight 11, the final light of V2 of Starship and the last flight to launch from Pad 1 at Starbase.
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NASASpaceflight.com @nasaspaceflight.com · 14/10/2025
With Flight 11 in the history books, the Pad 1 Chopsticks lower for the final time, as the sun sets on another day at Starbase, and this Era of the Starship program, with the deluge system giving Pad 1 a watery sendoff. Launch livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bcp...
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 09/10/2025
🚀It’s almost time to shape the next chapter of Europe’s journey in space. The European Space Agency’s Council Meeting at Ministerial Level, known as #CM25, will take place in Bremen, Germany, on 26 and 27 November 2025. Journalists register here 👉 www.esa.int/Newsroom/Pre...
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ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 13/10/2025
Check out the new trailer for @esa.int's proposed Ramses mission! 🍿📽️ Ramses would escort the cruise-ship-sized asteroid Apophis through its safe but exceptionally rare flyby of Earth in 2029: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
esa.int
Ramses: ESA’s mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
🚀 Just 2 sleeps till our Family Space Day in Dundalk! So proud to bring this together with @researchireland.ie, Louth CoCo, Dundalk Credit Union, ABC & County Library. If you’re in town Saturday, drop by — we’re full, but we’ll make ‘space’ for you! 🌌✨
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 09/10/2025
The Poems of Seamus Heaney review – collected works reveal his colossal achievement
theguardian.com
The Poems of Seamus Heaney review – collected works reveal his colossal achievement
The complete works, including previously unpublished poems and expert notes, are brought together in one volume for the first time
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Maria Farrell @mariafarrell.eurosky.social · 09/10/2025
As always, I hope Yuri Herrerra gets the nod. But either way it's a win. Unless of course they follow last year's science winners' sweep and just award the literature prize to an LLM..
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Rocket Lab @rocketlabcorp.com · 07/10/2025
We’ve signed another Electron multi-launch agreement: three dedicated missions for Japan-based Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (@iQPS_Inc)! This latest bulk buy brings the total number of upcoming missions for iQPS to seven. More info: bit.ly/4o7a2hd
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 07/10/2025
🌎 🛰️ Check out the first data from the METimage instrument on board EUMETSAT's MetOp-SG-A1 satellite! This advanced instrument observes clouds, land, sea and ice, providing key insights into weather forecasting, nowcasting, and climate monitoring. eumetsat.int/metimage-del... 📸 @eumetsat.int
Captured between 10:43 and 10:59 CEST on 24 September, METimage’s very first image shows clouds connected with a cold weather front sweeping across central Europe and signs of convective storm activity developing over the Adriatic and central Mediterranean seas. High altitude, wispy cirrus clouds hint to potential turbulence over the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, while thin aircraft contrails are clearly visible over cloud-free western Denmark.

Where skies are clear, the Earth’s surface is revealed in fine detail: shimmering lakes can be seen in Türkiye, including the bright white salt flats of Lake Tuz, as well as the green landscapes of the Carpathians and Balkans, and Libya’s Waw an Namus volcanic caldera. Compared with AVHRR’s ~1 km resolution, METimage’s 500-metre view delivers about four times more detail, making it possible to pick out narrow cloud streets, thin valley fog and subtle coastal colour changes with far greater clarity.
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 07/10/2025
☄️ 🔭 #3I/ATLAS comet update! On 3 October, our ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) turned its eyes towards interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed close to Mars. Read more: esa.int/Science_Expl...
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NASAWATCH @nasawatch.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Space Science Goes To Congress nasawatch.com/activism/spa... Big space space science thing on Capitol Hill today. Last minute media event. announced. So much for making sure that this whole save space science thing gets exposure. #NASA #NSF #SaveNASAScience #WorldSpaceWeek #WorldSpaceWeek2025
nasawatch.com
Space Science Goes To Congress
There's a big space space science thing on Capitol Hill today
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
I love how you harvested that talk I gave- thanks for sharing!! Happy Space Week #spaceweek2025 👏🏻👏🏻
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Back from #IAC2025 in Sydney — capturing the human stories shaping our future in space. My North Star is to bridge those rooms with the world beyond. Next stop: home to Dundalk for Family Space Day, Oct 11 — bringing space down to Earth. 🚀🌍 #SpaceWeek
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Good morning from Sydney excellent public transport! After a short 33hr hop from Dublin, I’m excited to share the best space stories this week from IAC, the largest annual gathering of all the major space players, incl our very own @esa.int. Looking forward to the week ahead. #australia #iac2025
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wonderingfree.bsky.social @wonderingfree.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
I don't know where my road is going, but I know that I walk better when I hold your hand. -Alfred de Musset Friendships whatever form they take are everything, no? Happy weekend friends💕 #BlueSkyArtShow #TheRoad #Bluesky #Photography #Nature #Quotes
The capture is of a tree lined lane in the fog. The sun above casts a curious orange hue.
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
🚀 Dundalk & Louth families! Join us this Sat Oct 11 for FREE Family Day of Space — part of Space Week! 🌌 🪐 Planetarium shows 👩‍🚀 Space Talks 🎨 Crafts, telescopes & more 📍Dundalk Library & Credit Union 🕚 11–5pm | 🎟️ Free (registration essential) Hosted by #TownScientist supported by Research Ireland
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Kym @ The Evening Sky Map @skymaps.com · 21/09/2025
In 6 hours, a Partial Solar Eclipse will begin in the South Pacific, New Zealand and Antarctica. Greatest eclipse will occur at 19:42 UT on 21 Sept. 🔭 More details including eye safety information and a Live Stream at: www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/sola...
timeanddate.com
Partial Solar Eclipse on September 21, 2025
Partial solar eclipse on Sunday, September 21, 2025: Where and when is the Sun eclipse visible? Shadow map, animation, and local times.
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Peter Lewis @peterlewis55.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
It's a Sunday #Sun Day! Eleven groups of active sunspots. #astronomy #astrophotography @stormhour.com @photohour.bsky.social
11 sunspot groups. 58 individual spots. None are high level flare rated.
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NASAWATCH @nasawatch.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
UPDATE: Save NASA” Protest Expected speakers include: - Rep Suhas Subramanyam - Monica Gorman Area Vice President GESTA - Colette Delwalla Exec Director, Stand Up For Science - Dr Mollie Manier National Institutes of Health - Matthew Biggs President, IFPTE nasawatch.com/activism/ano...
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Just back from a week in Helsinki where I hosted the morning briefings at #EPSCDPS2025 Congress. The city surprised me - quiet beauty, gentle light, and time to walk, think, and reconnect with science, art and family.✨ #SpaceMedicine #WomenInSTEM #DreamBig #Helsinki #IrishScience #AnEngineerLikeMe
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
I wrote my latest Irish Times piece on space medicine while sailing in the Arctic — a place that felt like another planet. What we learn about keeping astronauts alive in space helps us care for each other better here on Earth. 🌍✨ 🔗 www.irishtimes.com/science/spac... #SpaceMedicine #Exploration
irishtimes.com
Medicine’s final frontier: How space is changing what we know about health
A new generation of doctors is working at the intersection of medicine and space
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Thanks so much!
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
A free careers magazine in today’s Independent from Engineers Ireland, all about what it means to be an engineer. Engineering was my foundation and it’s the mindset that fuels my North Star mission: to travel to space and share that perspective with the world. #Engineering #STEM #NorthStarMission
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
I’ve been thinking a lot about why this launch took such a weird about turn in terms of attitudes and opinion- gossip and mean stories about female Celebs is click bait. There was so much more we were all trying to highlight & I’m regretful that the real story of their flight got drowned out.
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 17/04/2025
😶‍🌫️ The MIRI instrument on the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has detected hints of a hidden supermassive black hole in the heart of M83! Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭 🧪
A close-up view of a barred spiral galaxy. Two spiral arms reach horizontally away from the core in the centre, merging into a broad network of gas and dust which fills the image. This material glows brightest orange along the path of the arms, and is darker red across the rest of the galaxy. Through many gaps in the dust, countless tiny stars can be seen, most densely around the core.
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The Independent @the-independent.com · 22/04/2025
Rare ‘smiley face’ planet alignment to light up night sky this week
independent.co.uk
Rare ‘smiley face’ planet alignment to light up night sky this week
Sky watchers anywhere in the world can see the spectacle
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 21/04/2025
After Pope Francis’ death on Monday, Vatican officials sealed the doors to the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace using a red ribbon and wax. Though this was his formal residence, Francis chose to live in a Vatican guesthouse. Read more: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/w...
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Thanks Tom!! It was an awesome day for our understanding of the Universe! 🙏🏻🌎
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
🤪🌗
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Thanks Seirian- it was a great night! Looking forward to the next one already!
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Seirian Sumner @waspwoman.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Another night of celebrating incredible women in STEM. @theexplorersclub.bsky.social #GB&Ireland #FrontlineClub With @irishspacegal.bsky.social , Eloise Moulton #PolarAcademy & Kate Inman @plymuni.bsky.social Hosted by Sophie Redlin & featuring Fanya Rose - 1st female president of Explorers Club.
Get comfortable with being out of your comfort zone
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
SPACENEWS: In today’s @irishtimes.com I went to the @esa.int ’s Astronaut Centre last February to check out their new lunar analogue facility, called LUNA.Irish scientist Aidan Cowley spent 10 years making this happen. www.irishtimes.com/science/spac... #space #spaceinsociety
irishtimes.com
Getting to the moon with the help of an Irish scientist and 900 tonnes of lunar dust
European Space Agency team create accurate replica of lunar surface to assist astronauts
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Happy St Patrick’s Day to Blue Sky peeps across the world!!! Sending shamrock love from Ireland! ☘️❤️ #stpatricksday2025
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Nice one Damien!!! Come on, da town indeed!! 🙏🏻🚀🖐️
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Niamh Shaw @irishspacegal.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Space news! Tune in to @rte One Prime Time from 9.30pm tonight March 13th. We’ll be discussing why a mission for 2 astronauts went from 8 days to 9 months. #spacenews #crew9 #starliner #crew10 #nasa #spacexlaunch #rtept
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