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Karen Masters

@karenlmasters.bsky.social
10K followers 2K following 2.7K posts

Prof. of Astronomy and Physics, Haverford College. PI of Galaxy Zoo. Radio astronomer. Check out my latest book “The Astronomers Library” about books, libraries and astronomy - three of my favourite things. Brit/US.

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Reposted by Karen Masters
ProPublica @propublica.org · 06/10/2026
The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“Before the organizations building AI can teach a superintelligence to treat humanity well, they’ll need to remember how to do it themselves.” www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
theatlantic.com
I Quit OpenAI Because Its Culture Is Broken
The industry’s approach to safety will guarantee more failures unless something changes.
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jess m. ☕🍂 @jametc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Something AI is responsible for that doesn't get enough talk: How, when it scrapes a website to illegally steal everything on it, it uses up a ton of its bandwidth allotment, crashing it or racking up massive fees for site owners.
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Luxomancer 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @luxomancer.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
#PSA, if any of y'all bought the Hot Hands brand rechargable hand warmers, they are subject to a safety recall 😑 hothands.com/recall-notic...
hothands.com
Recall Notice-Rechargeable - HotHands
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NPR @npr.org · 03/10/2026
Beloved for its dinosaurs, Philadelphia's storied Academy of Natural Sciences closed down this week, amid an intense fight by local residents, politicians and scientists to save it. n.pr/4y2SrM3
n.pr
Just short of its 200th birthday, a landmark natural history museum shuts down
Beloved for its dinosaurs, Philadelphia's storied Academy of Natural Sciences closed down this week, amid an intense fight by local residents, politicians and scientists to save it.
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Catherine Ryan Hyde @catherineryanhyde.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The moon this morning #Astronomy #Astrophotography
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Paul Kingsley @paulkingsley7.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
🧪 “The National Science Foundation, one of the biggest sources of federal research funding, withheld $1.4 billion that Congress had intended for research over the course of the past year, according to internal data reviewed by The New York Times.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...
nytimes.com
National Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress (Gift Article)
The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants.
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Street Art Utopia @streetartutopia.com · 01/10/2026
📱 “Hands” / Photo Tunnel — By Kerry Wilson in Glenrothes, Scotland, UK 🇬🇧 Under Bridges (8 Photos) streetartutopia.com/2026/10/01/stre…
Hands by Kerry Wilson at the Napier Road underpass in Glenrothes, Scotland: two painted hands frame the real tunnel and path beyond like a phone screen.
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Most Americans are pro-immigrant,” Talarico says. “Throughout US history, immigrants have always made us richer and stronger.” Trump's barbarities have opened the way to a new consensus. Talarico is giving voice to it in moral language that Dems can learn from. 5/5 newrepublic.com/article/2160...
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I’m off to MIT Haystack Observatory for tomorrow and Friday for a meeting of the NASEM Committee on Radio Frequencies (CORF). Looking forward to learning more about current research at Haystack. 🧪🔭📡👩‍🔬
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Justin Walsh @jstpwalsh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Shane Ross at Virginia Tech created a simulation of what 500k orbital data centers, as proposed by SpaceX, would look like from your home latitude sdross0.github.io/orbital-data...
sdross0.github.io
What would orbital data centers look like from your sky?
500,000 satellites from SpaceX's FCC filing, two published brightness models and the real stars, for any latitude, date and time. Computed in your browser.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I get a Saturday of science in the beautiful Vermont mountains with the 37th annual Keck Northeast Astronomy consortium undergraduate research symposium (1/?) 🔭🧪
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Driving north to Vermont today for our annual Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium undergraduate research conference.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Proud to see this paper come out from UMalaya student Danial Lee - our first from his PhD work: arxiv.org/abs/2609.28030 🔭👩‍🔬
arxiv.org
The Neutral Hydrogen Gas Content of Star-forming and Quiescent S0 Galaxies
Lenticular (or S0) galaxies that remain actively star-forming (SFS0s) are a unique transition population among galaxies. We investigated the HI (21cm) neutral hydrogen content of a sample of lenticula...
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Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
germainekoh.com/works/fair-w...
germainekoh.com
Germaine Koh work
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Galaxy Zoo @galaxyzoo.org · 23/09/2026
Announcing the Overlap Zoo project! (on the Galaxy Zoo blog): blog.galaxyzoo.org/2026/09/22/a... 🔭
blog.galaxyzoo.org
Announcing the Overlap Zoo project!
We are excited to announce the launch of Overlap Zoo, a new project under the Galaxy Zoo umbrella! Among the several million galaxies classified in previous Galaxy Zoo projects, a small number of t…
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Galaxy Zoo @galaxyzoo.org · 23/09/2026
We're happy to have a new "friend" (project) in the Zooniverse - introducing Overlap Zoo.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hi professional astronomer friends - is the CADC website still the best place to find an overview of future conferences/meetings? (www.cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/en/meetings/). And if so, is it working for you - I just get blank pages.... 🔭👩‍🔬
cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
International Astronomy Meetings - Canadian Astronomy Data Centre
Enabling the next astronomical discoveries
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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026
For millions, Terry Pratchett opened the door to a lifelong love of reading. The passage below, from Reaper Man, has always struck us as one of his most moving – a humanist meditation on death and legacy that continues to be read at humanist funerals today. #GNUTerryPratchett
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Nobody will remember: -Your job -How busy you were -How many hours you worked. People will remember: -Fun shark facts you taught them. Here’s my favorite: Greenland sharks, which can live to be over 400 years old, eat (probably scavenging) polar bears and reindeer.
Photo of a Greenland shark by Doug Perrine
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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I feel like this shouldn't be news, because of course class matters in academia. But there is a unique American resistance to taking class seriously if at all that Ive not seen in other parts of the world Ive lived.
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
It ys tyme for Tulip skeptics to face some difficulte trouthes. Tulips are the waye of the future. Yf you do not invest yn Tulips you are way behinde. Yf you do not teache your children about Tulips thei will not be able to compete on the jobbe market. Onlye Luddites dislyke Tulips.
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Sarah Tuttle @niais.cryptoanarchy.network · 20/09/2026
this is so spectacular.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Got to spend a bit of time with my little neighbours (5 and 2) this afternoon. Came away with a glittery star field tattoo. And watch a new show about “Monster Trucks”.
An arm with a silver glittery star on it.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I visited this with my son’s Cub Scout group a long time ago. The waters in the Solent can be dangerous. This is very sad. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Lifeboat station in Portsmouth forced to temporarily shut after far-right action
RNLI facility had been targeted by activists trying to stop asylum seekers landing in boats from the Channel
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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
a lot freaks me out about AI but 0% of my anxiety is about AGI. i think this is the part that freaks me out the most right now -- the many many indications that no one is at the wheel and no adults are present
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Dr. Kristina Hill ☠️ 🏳️‍🌈 thinks this is a bad timeline @kzhill.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
What could go wrong?? Just because our whole planet is in “Surprise Mode” 🌍 … it’ll be fine. (Irrepressible twitching begins in earnest…)
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Scott St. George @scottstgeorge.paleohydrology.com · 16/09/2026
I am just *thrilled* scientists are using AI to make slides for their research talks. It's now so easy to make overstuffed, incomprehensible slides that are totally ineffective as visual aids. Anybody who tries to communicate clearly with simple visuals is going to look even better by comparison.
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Marlo Garnsworthy @icebird.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Good morning! Here are your 3 minutes of peace & calm from Cape Cod National Seashore. #OceanDevotion
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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The rule they are overturning was predicted to give $120 billion in public health benefits by 2047, with projections that by 2035, it would would prevent up to 1,200 premature deaths, 870 hospital and emergency room visits, 360K asthma attacks, 48K school absence days and 57K lost workdays each year
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Peter Coles 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇮🇪 @telescoper.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Space Warps Needs You! The Space Warps Euclid project is entering the closing stages, but there is still about a week in which you can help with refining the final sample.
telescoper.blog
Space Warps Needs You!
The Space Warps Euclid project is entering the closing stages, but there is still about a week in which you can help with refining the final sample.
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Linnea Hartspooker @linneaharts.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
You know how you can tell this never happened? Because political figures from this time are still trying to prevent Mayor Mamdani from attending 9/11 memorials. Only true if "All Americans" excludes Muslims and anyone not moved to cheer for bloodthirsty vengeance and paranoid surveillance #uspoli
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Reposting this. The deadline is Sept 15th.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I keep my own (private) refereeing diary. I have done this since 2006, almost exactly 20 years ago. Apparently I have refereed 51 papers in that time - my most common journal to referee for being MNRAS (18 papers refereed). 👩‍🔬🔭
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Help! Parton Community Council has 60 days to raise £70k to buy Parton Kirk (resting place of James Clerk Maxwell). They plan to turn it into a visitor centre celebrating our great hero! The other buyers could turn it into long-term storage 😬 Even £5 would help 🙏🧪⚛️ www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...
justgiving.com
Help raise £70000 to Save Parton Kirk – JustGiving Crowdfunding
Iʼm raising money to Save Parton Kirk. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 09/09/2026
Not to brag, but our product has been foldable since 1828.
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Crumplings 🐌 @crumplings.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Another large humpback sculpture - this time in a more whimsical colour scheme I've wanted to try for a while! Handmade from coarse paper mache, painted with acrylics, mounted on a wood & metal stand.
A large paper mache humpback whale sculpture photographed against a neutral background. It is painted in blue, turquoise, and purple hues, and has a clouded eye which gives it a mystical, ancient look.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The nomination deadline is coming up fast for @franklininstitute.bsky.social NextGen Award for 2028, which will be for Physics & Astronomy. Details for how to nominate excellent early career scientists: fi.edu/en/awards/no... 👩‍🔬🔭
fi.edu
The Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award - Nominations
The Franklin Institute invites you to nominate candidates for the Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award, presented to an early-career investigator for a transformative discovery, development, innovation, or...
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We're still learning how to use our new Celestron Origin telescope, but I am impressed at the deep sky images it can capture, even on a pretty cloudy evening in our light polluted skies. This is the lagoon nebula from last night. 🔭👩‍🔬
Image of the lagoon nebula. Has the Origin logo at lower right. Says taken Tue Sept 8 at 20.52 at Strawbridge Observatory, Haverford PA. 420s exposure.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Exciting - my first "major" contributions to OpenStax Astronomy just got published (I am in conversation about joining the Senior Contributing Author team). I mostly contributed captions for some new JWST images and content about new results from JWST: openstax.org/details/book... (Ch28). 🔭👩‍🔬
openstax.org
OpenStax | Free Textbooks Online with No Catch
OpenStax offers free college textbooks for all types of students, making education accessible & affordable for everyone. Browse our list of available subjects!
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Fun to discover this morning Astronomers Library now available in Polish. Publishers link to the book: www.quarto.com/books/978071... 🔭👩‍🔬
Book cover showing astronomical themed cover. Words say "Biblioteka Astronomow. Ksiazki, ktore ujawnity tajemnice wszechswiata. Karen Masters." (that's Polish I'm told).
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
We actually started last week at @haverfordcollege.bsky.social but today felt like the first day of school as both my kids now back at school/college also. Started my day with some reading outside in the sunshine. Nice view.
A stone observatory surrounded by trees.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
So we want to livestream the rally tomorrow from the Save The Academy instagram account, but the accounts needs 1000 followers to allow livestreaming. Please please please can everyone go follow this instagram account? www.instagram.com/savetheacade...
instagram.com
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
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Karen Masters @karenlmasters.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Labor day catch up of some urgent work tasks (don't worry not all day!) and just had the distinct pleasure of refereeing a really excellent paper. Almost no comments. That's rare!
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Stefan @stefan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Hello - could anyone who knows me vote for the moon rock? It’d make a NASA nerd very happy. Although this wasn’t found on my favourite mission (Apollo 12) it was found by their backup crew (Apollo 15). Vote!!!
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👻 Saavik ‘Spooky Season’ Ford 🎃 @saavikford.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
People! HOW is a MOON ROCK losing to the ‘treacherous’ mineral?!?! Wake up and vote #Anorthite!!! Send #Sphalerite home to contemplate its treachery—IN DEFEAT!!! #MinCup26
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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson @ayanaeliza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
ICYMI: Season 5 of the What If We Get It Right? podcast has an incredible new co-host! I’m teaming up with OG climate legend @billmckibben.bsky.social to cover everything you need to know about environmental issues leading up to Election Day. Subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧
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Michael Greshko @michaelgreshko.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
BREAKING: The world's most sensitive dark matter detector has announced it has spotted something it can't easily explain: a single event that's tantalizingly consistent with a type of theorized dark matter particle. Very early days yet, but pretty wild. 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
World’s biggest dark matter detector spots a single weird particle
It’s far too early to declare a discovery, physicists with the LZ detector say
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