iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

The @axisprobe.bsky.social team learned that the phase A concept study report of AXIS (the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite) will not be reviewed because the lost personnel at NASA Goddard and government shutdown impacted our schedule and budget. 🔭 Here is the PI's e-mail with the explanation.

Indeed, the AXIS Phase A work had major successes with furthering the key technologies. GSFC’s Next Generation X-ray Optics (NGXO) team successfully demonstrated iridium-coated, stress-compensated mirror segments that meet AXIS baseline requirements (i.e. segment-level performance at sub-arcsecond level). NGXO also built the first AXIS demonstrator mirror module, learning critical lessons about mirror alignment, mounting and bonding. On the detector side, MIT quickly moved to fabricate AXIS-like CCDs and, working with our colleagues at Stanford, recently demonstrated that they achieve the required readout rate and spectral resolution.

Similarly, NASA’s decision was NOT a judgment of the importance of AXIS science. The AXIS science case was rated excellent in the Step 1 review, and it only became stronger during our Phase A study. The AXIS Community Science Book, which many of you contributed to, is an extremely powerful demonstration of the relevance and importance of high-resolution X-ray observations to all areas of astrophysics. The Science Book is one of the most important legacies of the AXIS Phase A study and, I believe, will help define future mission concepts for many years to come. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of your work on this.

AXIS has been a long journey; we started under the leadership of Richard Mushotzky more than nine years ago. During that time, it’s been an enormous privilege to work with amazing people; the AXIS science team, the incredible/brilliant GSFC and Northrop Grumman engineers, and the wider astrophysics community. I am, quite frankly, livid that AXIS ultimately fell victim to the programmatic chaos of 2025. The astronomical community deserves better. I hope that NASA leadership, especially at GSFC and HQ, can have an honest discussion about how to better support and protect programs during extraordinary times.

For now, as a community, we must look forward. There is still one excellent mission under consideration for the Probe program, PRIMA, and we wish them a smooth and speedy path to selection and flight. In X-ray astronomy, the SMEX and MidEX programs represent concrete pathways for focused, high-impact missions, and the scientific case we built for AXIS provides a strong foundation for those concepts. The technologies we advanced in Step 1 and Phase A, particularly the NGXO mirror work and the MIT/Stanford detector demonstrations, can anchor the next generation of proposals. Most importantly, the AXIS Community Science Book, representing more than 500 scientists across, is a living document and a powerful signal to NASA leadership that this community is organized, serious, and not going anywhere. I encourage everyone to use it actively, as a resource for future concept development, for Astro2030 engagement, and for building the next mission that will deliver high angular resolution X-ray imaging to address the fundamental questions about black hole growth, galaxy evolution, and the hot universe that motivated AXIS from the beginning. This community built something remarkable over nine years and that doesn't end here.

Thank you again for your support of AXIS over these times.

Best

Chris and the AXIS leadership team

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Lisa Will @dustchick.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Join us at San Diego City College this Thursday, March 5, for information about STARTastro, a great opportunity for transfer students to UCSD and SDSU. This is also your chance to learn about astronomy research at both institutions, as well as enjoy City's newly upgraded planetarium.

Graphic about STARTastro info session being held at San Diego City College, Room S-316, at 4PM on Thur, March 5.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Hamid Hassani @hamidhassani.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

My recent PhD paper, titled “The Hidden Life of Stars: Embedded Beginnings to AGB Endings in the PHANGS-JWST Sample. I. Catalog of Mid-IR Sources”, is out! The paper presents a catalog of JWST MIRI 10 µm and 21 µm sources across 19 nearby galaxies. arxiv.org/abs/2509.16459

arxiv.org

The Hidden Life of Stars: Embedded Beginnings to AGB Endings in the PHANGS-JWST Sample. I. Catalog of Mid-IR Sources

We present a multiwavelength catalog of mid-infrared-selected compact sources in 19 nearby galaxies, combining JWST NIRCam/MIRI, HST UV-optical broadband, H$α$ narrow-band, and ALMA CO observations. W...

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

IAU Office of Astronomy for Education @astro4edu.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Galactic bubbles like never before! @eric-koch.bsky.social introduced BubbleZoo, a citizen science project cataloging JWST’s mesmerizing voids in galaxies, at the JWST session on galaxies at the 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop! 🔭 #astroedu www.youtube.com/watch?v=726s...

youtube.com

Blowing Bubbles in Galaxies - A Zoo of Bubbles from JWST: E. Koch at the OAE’s 6th Shaw-IAU Workshop

YouTube video by IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

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Karin Sandstrom @karinsandstrom.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Sitting here at UCLA medical center while some of the best doctors in the world have their research grants cancelled in between saving people’s lives. Preventing them from doing their work and training the next generation of doctors is in nobody’s best interests.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 23/06/2025

Introducing...your sneak peek at the cosmos captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory! Can you guess these regions of sky? This is just a small peek...join us at 11am US EDT for your full First Look at how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos! 🔭🧪 #RubinFirstLook ls.st/rubin-first-look-livestream

A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. The image focuses on a collection of interacting galaxies connected by delicate streams of stars. At top center lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. Like delicate spider silk or stretched taffy, these stellar bridges link the large elliptical to the few larger galaxies beneath, evidence of past collisions.

All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, and blues, crisp against the velvet black.

A cosmic tapestry of glowing tan and pink gas clouds with dark dust lanes. In the upper right, the Trifid Nebula resembles a small flower in space. Its soft, pinkish gas petals are surrounded by blue gas, and streaked with dark, finger-like veins of dust that divide it into three parts. It radiates a gentle, misty glow, diffuse and soft like the warmth of breath on a cold hand. To the lower left, the much larger Lagoon Nebula stretches wide like a churning sea of magenta gas, with bright blue, knotted clumps sprinkled throughout where new stars are born. Both nebulae are embedded in a soft tan backdrop of gas that is brighter on the left than on the right, etched with dark tendrils of dust and sprinkled with the pinpricks of millions of stars.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Nature Astronomy @natastron.nature.com · 20/06/2025

This month we highlight a score of Black astronomers trying to pursue their ambitions without fear, and Black In Astro, an organization supporting predominantly early-career Black people working in the space sciences. Editorial: www.nature.com/articles/s41... #BlackSpaceWeek #EquityInSTEM 🔭

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Grace Telford @ogtelford.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Delighted that the first paper from our Cy2 JWST program was published today, reporting the discovery of molecular hydrogen in the 3% Solar metallicity galaxy Leo P. This was a very fun project with @karinsandstrom.bsky.social strom.bsky.social and fabulous co-authors! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Molecular hydrogen in the extremely metal- and dust-poor galaxy Leo P - Nature

Observations from the JWST MIRI-MRS instrument reveal the detection of rotational emission from molecular hydrogen near the only O-type star in the 3% solar metallicity galaxy Leo P, providing confirm...

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 31/05/2025

How bad will it be? Catastrophic. Proposed cuts to #NSF, #NIH, and #NASA will set the US R&D landscape back 25 yrs+, cause economic and job loss now, and undermine innovations to come. But, this is the WH's *proposed* budget. Speak up now before it is too late. (inflation adjusted $-s below)

NSF, NASA and NIH budgets per year, inflation adjusted from 2000-2025 along with the proposed cuts. NSF includes research component only. Massive cuts across all sectors, well below support spanning 25 years.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

The CfA SPARK program offers a one-year postbaccalaureate research opportunity where you will contribute to current and on-going CfA research, and develop essential skills designed to strengthen your graduate school applications and prepare you for a successful career in astrophysics

aas.org

SPARK: A Postbaccalaureate Internship | American Astronomical Society

Are you a recent graduate passionate about astrophysics and eager to gain hands-on research experience? Are you interested in continuing your education in astronomy graduate school but need additional...

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 16/03/2025

Call it anecdotal, but my Canadian friends who are cancelling their US travel are not doing it because of tariff worries at all; they’re doing it because the US government is currently actively threatening Canada’s sovereignty and economy and they’re all justifiably furious

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

The mass firing of both new hires and recently promoted senior staff within #NOAA, including mission-critical and life-saving roles at the National Weather Service (#NWS), is profoundly alarming. 1/11

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 26/02/2025

The first measles death in the US in a decade -- the tragic, preventable death of a child whose parents chose not to protect them with vaccination -- should spark an immediate nation-wide campaign to ensure all children are protected against preventable diseases. Anything less is unconscionable.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 24/02/2025

Undergraduate research opportunities are incredibly valuable, both for the students and for the progress of the work. And having undergraduate research experience is a massive help for grad school admission. REU cancellations harm students’ preparedness & career prospects, and slow research progress

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Lisa Will @dustchick.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Very much appreciate the clear directives from the chancellor of our district. Very much aware of how abnormal this all is. youtu.be/j6qvbVESLKI?...

youtu.be

Q and A with Chancellor Smith on Non-Participation in Immigration Enforcement

YouTube video by San Diego Community College District

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

ProPublica @propublica.org · 02/02/2025

As of Jan. 15, a biography of Vera Rubin on the observatory’s website included a section titled, “She advocated for women in science.” That language was gone Monday morning. Some of it was later restored — but not all of it. By @lisalsong.bsky.social

propub.li

The Rewriting of a Pioneering Female Astronomer’s Legacy Shows How Far Trump’s DEI Purge Will Go

The federal webpage for an observatory named for the late astronomer Vera Rubin was edited to omit any recognition of the fact that science remains a male-dominated field or that the observatory was…

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Mordecai-Mark Mac Low @astrocurator.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

This is hitting my research group as well. NSF postdoc fellow can't get stipend paid in time to pay rent this month.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 31/01/2025

It would be fantastic if major federal institutions would acknowledge that the executive branch cannot legally unilaterally cancel or redistribute congressionally appropriated funding on ideological grounds and thus they have no legal obligation to comply with such directives

abcnews.go.com

Trump funding freeze a blatant violation of Constitution, federal law: Legal experts

The Constitution, federal law and court decisions make it clear: President Donald Trump's order to pause federal funding is against the law, legal experts tell ABC News.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 31/01/2025

LAWLESS NSF: Every NSF employee who is following the director on this funding freeze and fishing expedition is in violation of US code. per the post below, this language has been reauthorized twice, most recently by Biden in 2022 as the CHIPS Act. www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/... 🧪

PUBLIC LAW 117-167-AUG. 9, 2022
Subtitle E-Fundamental Research
SEC. 10341. BROADER IMPACTS.
(a) ASSESSMENT.-Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall enter into an agreement with a qualified independent organization to assess how the Broader Impacts review criterion is applied across the Foundation and make recommendations for improving the effectiveness for meeting the goals established in section 526 of the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p-14).
(b) ActIvitiEs.-The Director shall make awards on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or non-profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) to support of resources for reple menting the Broader impasts review criterion, including-
(1) training and workshops for program officers, merit review panelists, award office administrators, faculty, and students to improve understanding of the goals and the full range of potential broader impacts available to researchers to satisfy this criterion;
(2) repositories and clearinghouses for sharing best practices and facilitating collaboration; and
(3) tools for evaluating and documenting societal impacts of research.
136 STAT. 1557
42 USC 19051.
Deadline.
Contracts.
Recommenda-tions.

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

I'll be talking about the Iliad in San Diego Feb 4th. www.eventbrite.com/e/the-annual...

eventbrite.com

The Annual Ranglas Lecture

Annual Ranglas Lecture: The Glory of Violence in the Iliad

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janiceleeastro @janiceleeastro.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

JWST N628 Stamp issued🔭 #extragalactic🧪https://shorturl.at/Xqrtk Easy to forget that this is an actual place, a place w/ billions of ✨ and planets where we cannot travel. Astronomy has guided humanity through the cosmos Humbling to reflect on the role we will play as our presence grows beyond Earth

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 14/01/2025

NEW: #NASAWebb has spotted a reverberating light echo spreading across space. As a light pulse travels through space, it illuminates previously unseen material, revealing intricate structures resembling wood grain: webbtelescope.pub/422ET6Z #AAS245 🔭 🧪

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

👻 Saavik ‘Spooky Season’ Ford 🎃 @saavikford.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

OMG THIS SHOULD BE SHOUTED FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!! Students!!! Heed this advice, please!!! 🙏

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Karin Sandstrom @karinsandstrom.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Happy holidays everyone! As a present, have some Herschel far-IR maps and dust SED fitting results for 1578 nearby galaxies! Now live on IRSA: irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/data/Hersche... And described in detail in: ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025ApJS...

irsa.ipac.caltech.edu

z0MGS_Dust

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

janiceleeastro @janiceleeastro.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

surreal 🔭🧪 #PHANGS-JWST NCG628 imaging is being turned into a US POSTAGE STAMP ✉️ !! ✨The imaging has truly taken a life of its own. Grateful for the amazing village of collaborators, comms folks, USPS for bringing the universe to people's doorsteps.✨ #extragalactic www.space.com/usps-james-w...

space.com

Webb mail: US Priority Mail stamps to again star deep space images in 2025

For the second year in a row, the USPS is giving priority status to James Webb Space Telescope images.

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Karin Sandstrom @karinsandstrom.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Well this is awesome: about.usps.com/newsroom/nat...

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janiceleeastro @janiceleeastro.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

#extragalactic #paperday arxiv.org/abs/2412.07862 ✨🔭🧪 with STScI postdoc Jimena Rodriguez! where we search for dusty star clusters in 19 nearby galaxies using the PHANGS-JWST Treasury Survey, and find a very short timescale (<3 Myr) for the dust embedded phase. Fig 17 & 18 are my favs!

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Ross Andersen @rossandersen.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

I wrote about what happens when astronomy bumps into its shadowy twin in the world of spies and espionage: gift link: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

theatlantic.com

When a Telescope Is a National-Security Risk

How do you know what you’re not allowed to see?

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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Using powerpoint astrometry, here's the JWST Sombrero galaxy image with Chandra X-rays in blue! The X-ray point sources are low-mass X-ray binaries (low-mass stars orbiting neutron stars/black holes); a dim, diffuse hot outflow is apparent too. Chandra data from chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/s...

The JWST image of the Sombrero (showing a dusty ring) has the Chandra X-ray image overplotted in blue. The X-ray point sources are distributed around the disk, and a dim X-ray outflow emanating from the center.

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Jwst Feed @jwstfeed.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

NGC 3521 by NIRCam. Processed by @thocarp.bsky.social www.flickr.com/photos/19746... 🔭 🧪

A celestial beauty: This image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) showcases the spiral galaxy NGC 3521. The galaxy's intricate spiral arms, bright core, and regions of active star formation are highlighted in stunning detail. The image offers a glimpse into the dynamic processes shaping this magnificent cosmic object.

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Karin Sandstrom @karinsandstrom.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Hard to overstate how cool it was to see this image from PHANGS back in July/August 2022. There are now nearly 75 galaxies with similarly awesome observations in the sample (all public!). 🤩

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Reminder that the UCSC Lamat Institute application deadline is early this year, December 1! Lamat is an outstanding program that offers research opportunities and professional development for undergrads, particularly community college students.

Poster for the Lamat summer program at UC Santa Cruz for undergraduates, particularly community college students, to gain research experience in astrophysics. Apply at lamat.science.ucsc.edu

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Reposted by Karin Sandstrom

Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Scholarship for women impacted by incarceration (themselves or their parents). Applications open this week and due by February!

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