iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Didn't realize that the original image had a transparent background and Bluesky would render that as black, making the axes unreadable. Anyway, here is a diagram showing the opacity of the Earth's atmosphere by wavelength of light.

Plot of atmospheric opacity vs. wavelength. On the y-axis, values range from 0% opacity to 100% opacity. On the x-axis, values range from 0.1 nm to 1 km. Gamma rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet light are blocked by the upper atmosphere (best observed from space). This wavelength range, from about 0.1 nm to 100 nm, is shown at 100% opacity. Visible light is observable from Earth, with some atmospheric distortion. Visible light is represented by a rainbow at around 300 to 700 nm. From about 100 nm to 10 microns, the opacity dips to near zero, with some narrow bands, shown as spikes, which reach near 100% opacity. Most of the infrared spectrum is absorbed by atmospheric gases (best observed from space). From about 10 microns to 1 cm, the atmosphere is mostly at 100% opacity. Radio waves are observable from Earth. From about 1 cm to 10 m, the atmospheric absorption is 0. Long-wavelength radio waves are blocked. From about 10 m to 10 km, the atmospheric opacity is 100%.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Smile's Ultraviolet Imager works at 160–180 nm, observing a band of ultraviolet emission from collisions between molecular nitrogen and energetic electrons from the solar wind that are channeled along the Earth’s magnetic field lines. Credit: ESA

Infographic presenting the different parts of Earth's magnetosphere and its interaction with the solar wind. At the centre of the graphic is Earth, with magnetic field lines emanating from the north/south poles. On the Sun-facing side of Earth, a large shield labelled bow shock seems to protect Earth from the solar wind. On the space-facing side of Earth, the magnetic field lines stretch out into space.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Here is a diagram showing the opacity of the Earth's atmosphere by wavelength of light. There are only a few windows where we can see in or out, where the opacity drops to near 0%. Luckily for our DNA, the Earth's atmosphere blocks most ultraviolet and all X-ray and gamma-ray light. Credit: NASA

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

My first thought when looking at this: very cool, but what planet is it? It's the Earth🤦‍♀️ Why does the Earth look smooth and featureless, other than the auroral ring? It's because Smile is an ultraviolet telescope, and Earth's atmosphere is opaque at ultraviolet wavelengths shorter than ~300 nm.

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 29/09/2026

Astronomers theorize that the black hole at the center of Centaurus A influences the region as it feeds and launches powerful outflows. Learn more about the impact of its central black hole with a printable poster of this observation from #NASAWebb: go.nasa.gov/4hwsDlf

A horizontally oriented poster with an image of Centaurus A against a black background. The galaxy is brightest at its center, where a brilliant white and pink glow radiates outward. Wispy, ‘S’-shaped ribbons of pink arc above and below the center of the image. A parallelogram-shaped band of gray and white dust cuts across the middle of the galaxy. The galaxy’s outer edges fade into soft textures that stretch toward the left and right sides of the image. Along the bottom is a series of thin vertical bars ranging from purple at left to blue, green, yellow, orange, and red at right. Bars are separated slightly, with black in between. Bar colors are brightest at the bottom, fading up to black. Brightness varies from bar to bar, giving the array an undulating feel. At upper right is text that reads, “National Aeronautics and Space Administration” and NASA’s blue, white, and red meatball insignia. Title text appears at lower left that says, “James Webb Space Telescope: Centaurus A.”

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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 28/09/2026

A successful Earth flyby improves Juice’s course to Jupiter Earlier today, Juice flew just 8640 km above the Indian Ocean and snapped these images with its onboard monitoring cameras. 1️⃣Africa, by Juice monitoring camera 2️⃣Madagascar, by Juice NavCam 3️⃣Moon, by Juice NavCam 🔭 🧪 #planetsci

Mostly black space, most of Earth visible at the top right of the image. Part of a spacecraft visible on the left.

Part of the island of Madagascar in black and white.

A crescent Moon, with about a quarter of the Moon showing. Many craters are visible.

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PRIMA probe @prima-probe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

PRIMA has been selected as NASA's first Probe Explorer mission! www.nasa.gov/news-release...

Rendering of PRIMA spacecraft against astronomical nebula background

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STARtorialist @startorialist.com · 26/09/2026

New Roman Space Telescope designs from Cepheid Studios have recently launched! Pin (shown below), necklace, earrings, and cufflinks in three colors of shiny acrylic, laser-cut with solar (and goat) power in France! shop.startorialist.com/products/nan... Psst @nancyromansci.bsky.social 🤩

shop.startorialist.com

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Acrylic Pin

Widen your gaze with carefully crafted pin representing the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch on 30 August 2026! This version is an approximate scale of 1:2000, perfect for celebr...

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

One of my physics professors needed a source of alpha particles. Rather than buying it through official channels, he just brought a bunch of smoke detectors on eBay for their americium. So, if you showed up to an interview at his lab with an ionizing smoke detector, it might be a plus.

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Sean Richards | Toitū Te Tiriti | they/she @ordinarystarman.com · 23/09/2026

can't believe I get to say this, but I'm now officially Dr Sean Richards! I got profiled by the University website on my journey -- "from gamer to stargazer", and being the first Sāmoan physicist from the University of Auckland. www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2026...

auckland.ac.nz

From gamer to stargazer: first Sāmoan astrophysicist graduates with PhD – University of Auckland

Dr Sean Richards' research helps astronomers more accurately model the formation of neutron stars and other extreme cosmic phenomena.

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C @spiffyscientist.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I won’t lie, it’s a bit overwhelming to see the work hyperbolized by many press outlets, including the university. We did not discover a new organ, or that you have two consciousnesses, etc! I’m excited for the general positive recognition, (especially the coverage from the Chronicle by Jack Lee)

sfchronicle.com

The brain is a single organ. But it may not start that way, study suggests

A Stanford-led study challenges the idea that the brain develops from one common pool of early cells — and could help researchers model diseases such as ALS.

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026

This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 sits just 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Perseus. Cold clouds of molecular hydrogen gas collapse to form new stars, creating glowing, sculpted scenes like this one. (1/5) 🧵 🔭

A star-forming region. The left two thirds is blanketed in thick clouds of green and yellow gas and dust that form swirling patterns. Some of the gas is spread into thin, thread-like wisps. The right third shows a black background speckled with stars and multi-colored dots that are distant galaxies. Bright stars are scattered throughout the clouds, with the densest cluster situated in the center. Each is crowned with six long spikes and two shorter spikes created by the optics of the telescope’s mirrors. In the upper right, a couple of hidden stars blast out long, glowing jets of material that glow in blue.

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026

#NASARoman activated the Wide Field Instrument—a 300-megapixel infrared camera that will allow it to explore wide swaths of the cosmos quickly. This test image captures the very first photons of starlight to reach the instrument—taken as an initial performance assessment: go.nasa.gov/4rg4qEc

$At the top, a grid of 21 panels shows a series of blue images with tiny neon green and yellow circles. A larger image highlights a section of the grid with circular patterns, and an inset presents a detailed star-like diffraction pattern. The colors consist of blue, green, and yellow.$

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 15/09/2026

“As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations,” said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. #NASARoman 🔭

science.nasa.gov

Fuel Savings Double Potential Lifetime for NASA's Roman Mission - NASA Science

The results are in: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's very accurate first mid-course correction, along with other fuel savings, are expected to more

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US National Gemini Office @usngo.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This week’s image is of the comet C/2025 K1 ☄️! Gemini’s GMOS-N captured this image, where you can see the comet's main body right beside two fragments that broke off! Check out the 🧵 for another paper. #Astronomy 📸 in thread

A color image of Comet C/2025 K1 set against a dark space background dotted with scattered red and blue stars. The comet features a bright, glowing central core (the parent body) with a broad, diffuse white tail sweeping diagonally toward the lower left. Just behind the bright main core, faint, smaller glowing fragments are visible, illustrating the comet breaking apart as it travels through space.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Congrats! They were still doing virtual ceremonies when I got my Canadian citizenship, so I ended up doing it over Zoom from my in-laws living room. Not nearly as much fun.

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US National Gemini Office @usngo.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Six Hawaiʻi Island students helped bring a new Gemini North image to life! They selected the interacting galaxies NGC 7253 and gave them this Hawaiian name: Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola, “The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life” #astronomy 📷 Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

$An astronomical image captured by Gemini North showing NGC 7253, a pair of colliding spiral galaxies set against a dark background filled with distant stars and smaller, faint galaxies. The two galaxies are actively merging near the center of the frame, their structures distorted into sweeping, swooping loops of glowing pale blue and gray gas. Intricate dark dust lanes, along with glowing reddish-orange star-forming regions, trace through the core where the galaxies overlap. Several bright foreground stars with distinct, sharp blue diffraction spikes stand out around the merging pair.$

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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 03/09/2026

A happy goodbye is still a goodbye 🥹 Mission accomplished, MTM! 🫡 Thank you for the ride! Thanks to its solar-powered electric thrusters, MTM carried ESA's Bepi and JAXA's Mio to Mercury on the power equivalent of 250 ants! 🐜🐜🐜 🔭 🧪 #planetsci 1/3

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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

This is good news! BepiColombo is a cool mission to orbit Mercury and will be there in less than three months. It flew there as two connected spacecraft, and they just separated successfully! www.science.esa.int/bepicolombo

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 01/09/2026

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the mission’s Coronagraph Instrument, which will block starlight to view planets and dusty disks around nearby stars. #NASARoman 🔭

science.nasa.gov

NASA Roman's Planet Imager Has Powered On - NASA Science

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the mission's Coronagraph Instrument, which will block starlight to view planets and

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 01/09/2026

We need your eyes! 🖥️ Introducing Rubin: Blobs and Blurs, a new citizen science project using NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory data. 🔭🧪 We’re on the hunt for faint, blurry galaxies that are dominated by invisible dark matter & often hard for computers to identify. zooniverse.org/rubin

A promotional graphic in bilingual English and Spanish titled "NEW Rubin Citizen Science Project on Zooniverse." The center features an astronomical image filled with stars and galaxies of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. A large teal ring labeled "RUBIN BLOBS AND BLURS," magnifies a faint, smooth galaxy. Below on a charcoal background, text reads "Help discover some of the faintest galaxies in the Universe! zooniverse.org/rubin" (and also in Spanish).

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 31/08/2026

At 12:02 p.m. EDT, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope began an approximately 3-minute mid-course correction burn to adjust its trajectory toward its final orbit. #NASARoman 🔭

science.nasa.gov

NASA's Roman Completes First Mid-Course Correction Burn - NASA Science

At 12:02 p.m. EDT, Roman began an approximately 3-minute mid-course correction burn to adjust its trajectory toward its final orbit.

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Daniel Pomarède @pomarede.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

in case you missed it: Roman spacecraft separation #Roman 🔭🧪

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Celeste Labedz @celestelabedz.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Lots of things suck lately, but also there's a partial lunar eclipse tonight! Go look! Partial begins at 10:34 PM eastern time, when it'll look like the Moon has a little bite out of it. The peak is 12:13 AM; it's 96%, so it should look reddish! www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/luna...

timeanddate.com

Partial Lunar Eclipse on August 27–28, 2026 – Where and When to See

Partial lunar eclipse on August 27–28, 2026: Where and when is the Moon eclipse visible and what will it look like? Visibility map, animation, and local times.

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Jason Perry @volcanopele.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Ontario Lacus is a hydrocarbon lake near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Titan. Measuring 235 kilometers long by 75 kilometers across, Ontario Lacus is slightly smaller than its terrestrial counterpart, Lake Ontario. Lakes on Titan are named after lakes on Earth that are roughly the same size.

RADAR SAR image of Ontario Lacus. Ontario is a dark, footprint-shaped feature in the middle of the frame. Hills surround Ontario Lacus to the north, marked by bright, rough terrain in this SAR image.

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Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

From @anaviuppal.bsky.social: In 2019, CHIME detected a very unusual fast radio burst (FRB) signal that excited the astronomical community. However, it turns out that the signal wasn’t from an FRB after all… ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪 astrobites.org/2026/08/21/chime-misclassification/

astrobites.org

Everything Going Wrong, All at Once: Pulsar Misclassified as a Fast Radio Burst

In 2019, CHIME detected a very unusual fast radio burst (FRB) signal that excited the astronomical community. However, it turns out that the signal wasn’t from an FRB after all…

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👻 Saavik ‘Spooky Season’ Ford 🎃 @saavikford.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

As a certified astrophysicist, let me just assure you: THIS IS COMPLETELY UNHINGED.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I want someone with a hydro code to simulate this for me. I don't have a good physical intuition about what the details of a neutron star magically appearing over Sydney and ripping apart the Earth would look like if the two were that close. How long would it take? Would it form a disk?

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ESO @eso.org · 20/08/2026

Over the past days, unusually severe weather has affected northern Chile, where our observatories are located. This brought snow to Paranal and to the ELT construction site. It left stunning images, while causing severe flooding and damage to several cities within the Antofagasta Region. 🔭 1/2

Snow-covered view of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope construction site at Cerro Armazones. The telescope dome and cranes rising through low clouds as the Sun shines brightly near the horizon.

Aerial view of a vast snow-covered mountainous landscape in Chile’s Atacama Desert, with ESO facilities and access roads visible in the foreground beneath a clear blue sky.

Wide view of ESO’s Paranal Observatory after snowfall, with the Very Large Telescope’s four Unit Telescopes visible atop the snow-covered Cerro Paranal under a blue-grey sky.

Snow-covered landscape at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, with the Residencia building stretching along the right and the Very Large Telescope’s Unit Telescopes visible atop Cerro Paranal in the distance under a clear blue sky.

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

This is a pleasing factoid: the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is the same size and weight as a T-Rex! Countdown: 15 days to launch! 🚀 AUG 30, 2026 11:26 UTC ℹ️: science.nasa.gov/mission/roma...

A sketch of a T-Rex dinosaur (big feet, tiny hands) next to a sketch of the Roman telescope.

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Don Davis @ddavisspaceart.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

During the recent Total Solar Eclipse the South Korean Danuri spacecraft obtained a nice view of Earth from Lunar orbit with the Moons shadow just visible on Earth. Here is their image, with attribution added, my colorized version and the nearly simultaneous EPIC-DSCOVR image used for the color.

This is a reduced version of the photo released today by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. Earth is seen from Lunar orbit during the recent Total Solar eclipse. The Moon is barely showing shadows behind the sunlit surfaces, and the shadow of the Moon itself is just at the horizon, or perhaps 'Limb' better suits an orbital view. One very wide shadow shows a fuzzy edge on a distant rise. I added the attribution.

This is my version of the Danuri Lunar orbiter photo, with color added. I combined their Earth photo with a color EPIC-DSCOVR image made at about the same time, rotated a little in 3D to better match the Danuri viewing angle for compositing. The sharpness of the B&W original is preserved with the DSCOVR full Earth photo mostly used for the color values. I also prefer this orientation with the foreground Moon at the bottom.

This is the EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) image from the DSCOVR satellite made at close to the same time as the Danuri image, shown in reduced form but otherwise as released.
The exposure is naturally for the sunlit Earth and clouds. The Moon shadow's wide peripheral zone of gradual darkening, the 'penumbra' is where the illumination decreases as more of the Sun is eclipsed. At this time the outermost shadow area was near the Great Lakes, from this perspective a circular zone of that radius thus surrounds the progressively underexposed zone around the Moon shadow. If the exposure were adjusted to define the actual umbra, or zone of totality, the resulting small black dot in the image , about 30 percent the size of the underexposed portion seen here, would be surrounded by the greatly overexposed fully sunlit rest of the world.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

So I think those in favor of not changing the page name are making an argument that is both anti-american cultural hegemony, and also oppositional to progressive efforts to get rid of names that contain slurs. It reads to me as very conservative European.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

From the talk page: "This page was renamed without any clear consensus after the NASA statement following the media frenzy about BLM ... NASA is not the lone authority in astronomy, as well as the US are not the only english language country, and english culture is not the only culture of the world"

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

But even that was not enough to get the editors to agree to a name change. I think it's mostly a political statement.

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

From the article: "The IAU Working Group on Star Names, NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database, and SIMBAD Astronomical Database discontinued use of nicknames that were perceived as offensive ... and strongly recommended the nebula be referred to by its NGC designation in further publications."

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Past attempts to change the name of that Wikipedia article have not been successful. It's a case of editors with strong opinions who revert all changes, insisting that the older name is still the "common name".

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Kelly Lepo @kellylepo.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

While the eclipse photos taken through a professional setup with a telescope and a solar filter are impressive, my favorites are always the blurry phone pictures taken through eclipse glasses. People want to share the cool thing they saw! I'm glad I get to experience that second hand.

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EUMETSAT @eumetsat.int · 12/08/2026

Where were you when the #eclipse hit today? 🌖✨ While millions watched from the ground across Europe, we had a view from space. 🛰️ Did you catch the total or partial eclipse where you are? Let us know in the comments - and check back tomorrow for more imagery and information! 💬

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National Weather Service @nws.noaa.gov · 12/08/2026

Those in the U.S. may only see a sliver of today's solar eclipse, but GOES-EAST gets a great view of the shadow as it crosses into Europe! 🌑

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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 11/08/2026

TONIGHT at 7 pm ET: Scientists will discuss the engineering behind #NASARoman’s lift-off and the path to its final destination, as well as the science potential to survey the heart of our Milky Way galaxy and find a variety of objects—including isolated black holes—using innovative techniques.

youtube.com

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Countdown to Exploration

YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute

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