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Jean-Luc Margot

@jeanlucmargot.bsky.social
783 followers 78 following 124 posts

Planetary astronomer 📡 🛰️ and UCLA professor. Interested in dynamics, geophysics, SETI 👽. seti.ucla.edu/jlm

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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I enjoyed running the beautiful Paris-Versailles race, which is infamous for its steep ascent in Meudon.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I had assumed that the separation of church and state was an important concept in the USA. But the French appear to be more committed to this principle. All civil servants are required to take a 2h training on the topic.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Thrilled to be at @Obs_Paris to engage with Nicolas Rambaux, Jacques Laskar, and many others.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
UCLA alumni travel participants enjoyed a spectacular total solar eclipse at a winery near Valladolid, Spain @uclaalumni.bsky.social
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I am delighted to announce that I have been awarded a Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair from the Fulbright Program and an International Francqui Professor Chair from the Francqui Foundation to conduct research and teaching in Europe. physicalsciences.ucla.edu/jean-luc-mar...
physicalsciences.ucla.edu
Jean-Luc Margot Awarded Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair and International Francqui Professor Chair
Prestigious honors will support the planetary scientists’ research and teaching in France and Belgium during the 2026–27 academic year…
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
This phenomenon is not unique to the law school nypost.com/2026/06/25/u...
nypost.com
Exclusive | Disablity scandal erupts at UCLA’s law school — as ex-student reveals shocking tactics to game system
Public records obtained by The Post show almost a quarter of students at UCLA’s elite law school now receive extra time on exams, raising questions about the explosive growth in “disabi…
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A Great University Undermines Its Mission
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Reposted by Jean-Luc Margot
Royal Observatory of Belgium @orb-ksb.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
⚽ #Goalquakes ⚽ Once again, our seismometers perfectly picked up the ⚽️jumping of the Belgian supporters ⚽️during that mad match, which ended 3–2 yesterday! ⬇️
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
​Federal Funding and Visa Uncertainty Reshape Graduate Admissions in Physics and Astronomy jobs.physicstoday.org/article/fede...
jobs.physicstoday.org
Federal Funding and Visa Uncertainty Reshape Graduate Admissions in Physics and Astronomy | Physics Today Jobs
Federal Funding and Visa Uncertainty Reshape Graduate Admissions in Physics and Astronomy - read this article along with other careers information, tips and advice on Physics Today Jobs
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
laist.com/news/educati...
laist.com
LAUSD's new screen time rules: No device time for youngest students, more limits for older grades
The policy sets up guardrails on the amount of time students should spend in front of a digital device.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
UCLA SETI update: IAU Symposium, SETI Principles, coding agents, and Deep Synoptic Array. eepurl.com/4bhZrmyeck
UCLA SETI logo showing transmission from star near galactic plane
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Great work by UCLA astronomy graduate student Tunhui Xie.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Totality at our viewing location in Spain will last 1m38s. @UCLA_Alumni www.cnn.com/2026/06/06/s...
cnn.com
Spain has 3 upcoming eclipses. How to catch the first one this summer | CNN
A total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain and Portugal.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Learn about the true story of MIT/Caltech rocket scientist Qian Xuesen through the play Ascent at the Skylight Theatre until 6/14. Brilliantly produced and executed, the play blends science, history, politics, and the US treatment of immigrant scientists.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
A disturbing piece about NASA science written by one of the foremost experts on NASA's activities spacenews.com/put-science-...
spacenews.com
Put science back in the driver’s seat
Put science back in the driver’s seat
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
One can see a total lunar eclipse from a wide region on Earth. www.usatoday.com/story/graphi...
usatoday.com
How to view the 2026 'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse
In the early hours of March 2-3, a breathtaking 'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse will dazzle skywatchers. We show who will have the best views.
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Reposted by Jean-Luc Margot
AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org · 12/02/2026
The science is clear. The stakes are real. AGU condemns the repeal of the EPA Endangerment Finding — a decision that rejects the overwhelming evidence and undermines climate accountability. We will continue to defend science and advocate for evidence-based policy. buff.ly/wX1BQ2t
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Very excited about the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse before sunset. We will experience 1m38s of totality 8 degrees above the horizon from a winery along the Douro River with UCLA and Stanford alumni. alumni.ucla.edu/travel/tours...
alumni.ucla.edu
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Will Americans continue to project the image of "competent, forward-looking adventurers, forever in search of new wonders"? www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
An Act of Cosmic Sabotage
How Donald Trump tried to ground NASA’s science missions
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Happy new year everyone! Enjoy the latest news from UCLA SETI: eepurl.com/jvQDgw
Megan Li at the Green Bank Telescope
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Ethan Siegel @startswithabang.bsky.social makes a compelling case for searching for life in the universe bigthink.com/starts-with-...
bigthink.com
Why scientists can't stop searching for alien life
There will always be "wolf-criers" whose claims wither under scrutiny. But aliens are certainly out there, if science dares to find them.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
An outstanding PhD dissertation about important, original Venus science. Superbly written, rigorous, spans theory and observation. The public defense was also excellent.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
This week I am showing several scenes from Interstellar (2014) to introduce relativity to UCLA students in the class EPS SCI 2 Science in the Movies.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Carl Sagan was born on this day. Reflections on his legacy: theconversation.com/carl-sagans-...
theconversation.com
Carl Sagan’s scientific legacy extends far beyond ‘Cosmos’
On what would’ve been the astronomer’s 90th trip around the Sun, here’s a look at his legacy as a scientist, advocate and communicator.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
Today from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm, UCLA is hosting its largest science fair for K-12, with nearly 70 interactive science booths staffed by real scientists. Admission is free and open to the public. Map: exploringyouruniverse.ucla.edu/booth-map/
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Requiring an insecure back door to faculty computers is one of the worst ideas at the University of California. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
University of California faculty push back against Big Brother cybersecurity mandate
School officials defend software as bulwark against ransomware, but professors fear potential surveillance of their devices
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
I had a great time on the Search for Life panel sponsored by the UCLA Space Institute yesterday. I described four advantages of the search for technosignatures: cost, search volume, certainty of interpretation, and potential information content. arxiv.org/abs/1903.05544
arxiv.org
The radio search for technosignatures in the decade 2020-2030
Advancing the scientific frontier in the search for life in the universe requires support of searches for both biosignatures and technosignatures. A modest budgetary increment can expand the search fo...
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
We discussed planetary atmospheres and climate change this week in my Science in the Movies class, with an assist from The Day After Tomorrow (2004).
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
This week in Science in the Movies, I showed three scenes from Jon Amiel's The Core (2003) to illustrate planetary interior properties.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Dr. Fred Ramsdell (UCLA PhD 1987) is the ninth UCLA alum to receive a Nobel prize. Eight UCLA faculty have also earned the prize.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
This unflattering opinion of Brussels is hard to reconcile with my monthlong stays there in 2024 and 2025. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | My City Is the Heart of Europe, and It’s Not Doing Well
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
It felt like extortion when federal grants to UCLA were suspended. This NYT opinion piece reinforces the feeling. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
I had the privilege of presenting a brief report on UCLA SETI activities at the annual IAA SETI Committee meeting yesterday, with updates to the search volume values in our paper bit.ly/AJ23
Search volume metrics for historical surveys and UCLA SETI
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
The first week of my class Science in the Movies went well. Lots of fun demos and a few scenes from the movie Gravity to illustrate Newton's laws.
Covers of nine blockbuster movies used in the class Science in the Movies
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Science Magazine – NSF held captive www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagaz...
sciencemagazinedigital.org
Science Magazine - NSF held captive
In April, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its latest class of graduate research fellows, a storied program dating from the agency’s earliest days that has fueled the careers of 50...
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
The Evpatoria radio telescope was used in occasional planetary radar studies, including the detection of asteroid Golevka (Gol-Ev-Ka), named after three radio telescopes. www.space.com/astronomy/dr...
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
www.astronomy.com/science/to-f...
astronomy.com
Targeted SETI approach to find alien life
Targeted SETI approach listens for alien radio 'spillover' during planetary alignments, using Earth's deep space communications as a guide.
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Reposted by Jean-Luc Margot
ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 12/09/2025
Venus is a Solar System enigma. Although Venus is similar in size and distance from the Sun to Earth, it has evolved very differently from our planet. Our #Envision mission will aim to solve some of the puzzle by thoroughly studying our closest neighbour. www.esa.int/Science_Expl... 🔭
esa.int
Top five Venus mysteries Envision will solve
Venus is a Solar System enigma. Similar in size to Earth and orbiting the Sun at a similar distance, it is remarkable how the two planets evolved so differently. While conditions on Earth allowed life...
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump’s Policies Are Endangering Your Health
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Basic astronomy lesson courtesy of the New York Times www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Your Zodiac Sign Is 2,000 Years Out of Date (Gift Article)
Over millennia, our view of the stars has shifted, because of Earth’s wobble. It may be time to rethink your sign.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health
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Reposted by Jean-Luc Margot
Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 29/08/2025
It should never be easier to access a gun than a vaccine.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
“They’re afraid that basic knowledge will expose their false claims.” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/s...
nytimes.com
Historians See Autocratic Playbook in Trump’s Attacks on Science
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
This excellent piece describes the deceptive practices used by quacks to advance false claims. Beware! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Playbook Used to ‘Prove’ Vaccines Cause Autism (Gift Article)
Data can easily be manipulated to show a causation that doesn’t exist.
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Reposted by Jean-Luc Margot
SpacePolicyOnline @spacepolicyonline.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
David Grinspoon confirms that his term appointment as NASA's Senior Scientist for Astrobiology Strategy will not be renewed and the position itself is being eliminated. He'll participate in Wednesday's Astrobiology Update (which is listed on our Calendar).
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Geometry Solves Gerrymandering
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Los Angeles Times op-ed from colleague Steven Furlanetto enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/art...
enewspaper.latimes.com
The true cost of abandoning science
The true cost of abandoning science
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Good conversation about the position in which US universities find themselves: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Universities Have Woken Up to Find They’re in Bed With an Ogre
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
The Belgians have created a superb walking/biking trail around Brussels. Highly recommended! environnement.brussels/citoyen/lenv...
environnement.brussels
La Promenade verte : visitez Bruxelles à pied ou à vélo
La Promenade verte est un parcours encerclant la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale. Profitez, à pied ou en vélo, d’un itinéraire de 60 km divisé en 7 tronçons.
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Jean-Luc Margot @jeanlucmargot.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Science Magazine finally recognizes it was wrong to publish arsenic paper. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Fifteen years later, Science retracts ‘arsenic life’ paper despite study authors’ protests
Belated decision on widely disputed 2010 study pleases some critics but puzzles and dismays others
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