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KIPAC

@kipac.bsky.social
31 followers 6 following 46 posts

Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology 📍Stanford, SLAC 🔗https://kipac.stanford.edu

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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
A single weird particle just lit up the world's biggest dark matter detector, buried nearly a mile underground. 🕳️ Not a discovery yet (2.6σ) — but physicists can't explain it away. 🔗 www.science.org/content/arti... #DarkMatter #KIPAC
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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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
KIPAC's Tina Cartaro just helped flip the switch on one of the world's most sensitive dark matter hunts. 🌌 Dark matter makes up 85% of everything in the universe — but no one has ever directly detected it. That's about to change. news.stanford.edu/stories/2026...
news.stanford.edu
Scientists hunt for dark matter deep underground
A SLAC-led experiment more than a mile beneath a Canadian mine has begun collecting early scientific data ahead of a full-sensitivity search next year.
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Totality in action! ☀️🌑 KIPAC grad student Pam Stark and fellow Invisibles26 Workshop attendees caught the total solar eclipse while in Spain — during a workshop on invisible matter in the Universe. A reminder there's always more to learn about our Sun!
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
New from Stanford/SLAC-KIPAC: a single number predicts whether an intense radio wave survives or gets torn apart passing through electron-positron plasmas — relevant for conditions thought to exist surrounding magnetars, the likely source of Fast Radio Bursts.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 27/07/2026
Today, we're kicking off the 2026 Rubin Community Workshop at SLAC National Accelerator Lab! #RCW2026 Over the next five days, hundreds of scientists and engineers will come together for collaboration and conversation about big-data astrophysics with Rubin. Here's to a week of sharing ideas! 🔭🧪
Banner for the Rubin Community Workshop displayed outdoors with trees and a building in the background.Modern building with large windows and an entry sign reading 'SLAC Science and User Support Building' surrounded by landscaping.Volunteers at a registration table in a spacious lobby assisting attendees checking in.Rubin Director Bob Blum giving a status update at the 2026 Rubin Community Workshop in a lecture hall filled with attendees on their laptops.
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Two stars. One binary system. Both exploded as supernovas — tens of thousands of years apart. 16 years of NASA Fermi LAT data (built at @stanford.edu / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) just confirmed the first known "sibling" supernova remnants, hiding in the glare of the Jellyfish Nebula.🔗👇
kipac.stanford.edu
All in the family: Fermi data links supernova siblings
A study led by KIPAC members and using Fermi/LAT data has uncovered compelling evidence that two neighboring supernova remnants (SNRs), the debris left behind after stars explode, are actually the rem...
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The Kavli Foundation @kavlifoundation.org · 16/06/2026
Risa Wechsler started as a Hubble Fellow and is now director of @kipac.bsky.social , known for her work on some of the world's most ambitious sky surveys. See how her career has evolved within the Kavli network: www.kavlifoundation.org/news/the-kav...
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 24/07/2026
📢 Calling educators who teach intro astronomy: help us better understand what you need and want when it comes to astronomy education resources! 🌌🍎 Your feedback will help us design effective tools. 🔭 🔗: research.rockman.com/s/educator-sur… 📷: A. Allen/Rockman et. al
Two people collaborate on a laptop displaying an Rubin online education investigation during a group workshop in a conference room.
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
We are thrilled to welcome Einstein Fellows Frank Qu and Dhayaa Anbanjagane to KIPAC! science.nasa.gov/missions/hub...
science.nasa.gov
NASA Awards Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships for 2026 - NASA Science
The highly competitive NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) recently named 24 new fellows to its 2026 class.
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
We kicked off our 2026 Rubin Series with a talk at College of San Mateo. One of our grad students, Theo Schutt brought the universe to 70+ people with stunning First Look images from @VRubinObs. Stay tuned for our next stop at De Anza College on April 23! kipac.stanford.edu/news/kipacs-...
kipac.stanford.edu
KIPAC's Rubin Observatory Public Engagement Series Kicks Off in San Mateo!
The first in our 2026 lecture series kicked off with a sold out event at the College of San Mateo Planetarium
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
What an exciting moment for all of us here @kipac.bsky.social and SLAC! Decades of contributions from our members current and past have made this new engine for astrophysical discovery possible. We can't wait to see what's waiting to be uncovered in the @vrubinobs.bsky.social alert stream!
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 25/02/2026
The largest spot-the-difference effort EVER has begun!🚨 On the night of Feb 24, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially released its first ~800,000 public alerts of detected changes in the night sky!🔍 A new era of discovery is here✨ 🔭🧪☄️ 🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
Illustrated graphic with the boot-shaped Rubin Observatory atop its site on Cerro Pachón beneath a sparkling night sky and the glowing band of the Milky Way stretching from lower left to upper right. Sprinkled throughout are many "Data alert!" popups, labeled with icons that represent supernovae, asteroids, hungry black holes, and more.A 3-by-4 grid of grayscale astronomical images zoomed in on single objects. From left to right, the columns are labeled Template, New image, and difference. From top to bottom, the rows are labeled supernova, variable star, active galactic nucleus, and solar system object.
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Ever wondered how we study the very beginning of the Universe? Join us tomorrow at 7:00 PM PT to learn how information from galaxies helps scientists infer the infant stages of the Universe! Attend in person or online — register for free at bit.ly/cosmology-feb11
bit.ly
Public Lecture: Galaxies & The Early Universe
How did the Universe begin, and how do we know? Join us to learn how galaxies reveal clues about the origin of the cosmos!
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Congratulations to our very own Berni Ried-Guachalla on taking 1st place in the Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science 2025 Video Contest! Check out the video here: m.youtube.com/watch?v=kna3...
m.youtube.com
Neutrino Masses: From ghost particles to cosmological tensions
YouTube video by Bernardita Ried
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Ever wondered how we study the very beginning of the Universe? Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 PM PT to learn how information from galaxies helps scientists infer the infant stages of the Universe! Attend in person or online — register for free at bit.ly/cosmology-feb11
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to quantum technology, which can revolutionize many fields of research. In her upcoming public lecture, Dr. Chelsea Bartram will discuss how quantum sensing is being used to detect dark matter candidates. bit.ly/quantum-dec2
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
We welcomed over 50 students from high schools in East San José to campus for physics demonstration activities, a catered lunch, and a tour of campus, all led by our volunteers! This field trip was part of our ongoing partnership with the ESUHSD!
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
On Tuesday, we went to Independence High School in East San José as part of our ongoing partnership with the East Side Union High School District. We had a great time talking to many students and families about our outreach programs!
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AAS Press Office @press.aas.org · 26/08/2025
Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Collaboration: DESI Collaboration Wins 2026 Berkeley Prize www.desi.lbl.gov/2025/08/25/d...
desi.lbl.gov
DESI Collaboration Wins 2026 Berkeley Prize
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Excited to announce that we were just awarded 3 KICK grants from the @kavlifoundation.org to work on new materials to detect dark matter, test pulsar radiation effects om detectors in space, and constrain inflation in the early universe! www.kavlifoundation.org/news/variety...
kavlifoundation.org
Variety is the Spice of Science: Kickstarting New Scientific…
Leveraging complementary scientific skillsets across the Kavli Institutes
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 30/07/2025
☄️ Say hello to Comet 3I/ATLAS, just the third interstellar object ever seen in our Solar System! NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory didn’t discover the comet, but even during testing, it caught a glimpse. Imagine what we'll find once full science operations begin later this year! 🔭🧪
youtu.be
Interstellar Object Comet 3I/ATLAS as seen by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory!
☄️ Say hello to Comet 3I/ATLAS as seen by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! Comet 3I/ATLAS is just the third interstellar object ever spotted in our Solar System. Rubin Observatory didn’t discover it, but…
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
We were seeing red (in a good way) last week during our stargazing event at the Stanford Student Observatory:
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Vera Rubin, the namesake of @VRubinObs.bsky.social was a trailblazer and prolific astronomer born on July 23rd, 1928. If you're interested in learning how she inspired @risawechsler.bsky.social, check out her 2017 article for @teenvogue.com: www.teenvogue.com/story/how-pr...
teenvogue.com
How Princess Leia Inspired Me to Become an Astrophysicist
On the enduring legacies of Carrie Fisher and Vera Rubin.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 21/07/2025
It's like the holidays in July...our first week-long workshop after the first NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory image reveal! 🎁 We're one week out from the Rubin Community Workshop in Tucson, and we can't wait for five days of rich discussions & observatory updates! #Rubin2025 🔭🧪
Aerial view of a boot-shaped observatory with long white service building and an open dome revealing its telescope atop a rocky mountain during golden hour with distant hills. Credit: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/T. Matsopoulos
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
KIPAC scientists are excited to get our hands on data from @VRubinObs.bsky.social and we had an event last week to help us analyze it! Our Rubin Data Exploration Day event had speakers and workshops for scientists of all career stages. Check out some photos from the event:
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
@pbs.org SpaceTime just featured Noémie Globus and Roger Blandford's paper, "The Chiral Puzzle of Life" which suggests that Cosmic Rays could contribute to homochirality of RNA molecules: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wZP...
youtube.com
Why Is All DNA Right Handed?
YouTube video by PBS Space Time
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
If you're interested in learning more about cosmic neutrino detectors, galactic magnetic fields, or the evolution of the cosmos, come check out our latest research highlight about the role particles play in the universe! kipac.stanford.edu/highlights/bey…
kipac.stanford.edu
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Peter Michelson was just recognized by the European Space Agency for his work on @NASAFermi, an instrument that has completely transformed high-energy astrophysics! news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/0…
news.stanford.edu
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
We had a great time talking to members of the public @calacademy.bsky.social this past weekend about how @VRubinObs.bsky.social is going to transform cosmology over the next decade! Sign up for our mailing list to hear about future events: bit.ly/KIPAC_outreach
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Over 600 people showed up at Hewlett to hear from KIPAC scientists about @vrubinobs.bsky.social at our special public lecture event on Tuesday! The full event is now on YouTube in case you missed it: www.youtube.com/live/9R9lIkQ...
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
KIPAC is teaming up with California Academy of Sciences this Saturday to celebrate the First Look from @VRubinObs.bsky.social! 🤩 Join our scientists for short talks on how Rubin is uniquely poised to transform multiple sub-fields of astronomy. 🔭✨ More info: www.calacademy.org/events/progr...
calacademy.org
Vera C. Rubin Observatory - The First Look
Join us to celebrate and learn about the first images from the Rubin Observatory talks at Science Today.
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The Kavli Foundation @kavlifoundation.org · 26/06/2025
@vrubinobs.bsky.social's first images using the world’s largest digital camera was featured on @kpixtv.bsky.social. @risawechsler.bsky.social, Director of @kipac.bsky.social said, "It makes me very, very excited about the future of astrophysics." bit.ly/4loJ3wi @stanforduniversity.bsky.social
bit.ly
Camera built in the Bay Area captures photos of space like never before
The Rubin Observatory sits on the summit of Cerro Pachón in Chile, with the digital camera scanning the sky to create an ultra-wide, ultra-high definition timelapse of our universe
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Stunned by the first images released from the @Vrubinobs.bsky.social? Join us on July 1 for a special event where key project leads and scientists share why this observatory is so special and how it will help us study the changing sky, and our own Milky Way. RSVP: bit.ly/rubin-july1
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
@vrubinobs.bsky.social was also featured in the @nytimes.com headline podcast (scroll to 8 minutes in to hear about @vrubinobs.bsky.social ): podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
A Fragile Cease-Fire Between Iran and Israel, and Toxic Homes in L.A.
Podcast Episode · The Headlines · 06/24/2025 · 9m
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
@Stanford.edu put together a great video summarizing our watch party for First Look, and the profound impact @vrubinobs.bsky.social will have on cosmology research over the coming decade: news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
news.stanford.edu
Scientists react to first images released by world’s largest digital camera
More than 20 years ago, Stanford and SLAC launched the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, setting in motion a chain of events that helped bring the Legacy Survey of Space and Tim...
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Travis Lange and Phil Marshall sat down yesterday with KQED to talk about their work at SLAC to develop the camera for the @vrubinobs.bsky.social and its implications for cosmology research over the next decade: www.kqed.org/science/1997...
kqed.org
A New Camera, Built in the Bay Area, Brings the Mysteries of the Universe Into Focus | KQED
Over the next decade, the Vera C. Rubin observatory, equipped with a giant camera built at SLAC in Menlo Park, will find billions of new stars, galaxies and asteroids, and shed light on dark matter an...
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Stanford University @handle.invalid · 24/06/2025
Two decades ago, Stanford and SLAC took a gamble on an unproven telescope design that had no funding, no home, and no official backing. Now, with first images in hand and full operations on the horizon, that bet is on the verge of paying off.
news.stanford.edu
The bold bet that built a telescope
Two decades ago, Stanford and SLAC took a gamble on an unproven telescope design that had no funding, no home, and no official backing. Now, with first images in hand and full operations on the horizo...
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Check out this article from National Geographic to hear from @caganze.bsky.social and other scientists who worked hard to make the @vrubinobs.bsky.social and its massive camera a reality: www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
nationalgeographic.com
These are first deep-space images from the Vera Rubin Observatory
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to discover 20 billion new galaxies over the next decade.
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The Kavli Foundation @kavlifoundation.org · 24/06/2025
💫 Breaking: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory just released its first images using the powerful LSST camera and they are spectacular! @kipac.bsky.social played a major role in building the camera that will uncover dark matter, dark energy & more. 🔗: bit.ly/40fnFBs #KavliAstro @vrubinobs.bsky.social
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Twenty years ago, Stanford and SLAC took a big gamble. Today, it's finally starting to pay off, as the world's largest digital camera opened it's shutter for the first time. news.stanford.edu/stories/2025...
news.stanford.edu
The bold bet that built a telescope
Two decades ago, Stanford and SLAC took a gamble on an unproven telescope design that had no funding, no home, and no official backing. Now, with first images in hand and full operations on the horizo...
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
The first images from @vrubinobs.bsky.social are stunning! It took 7 hours to take this image of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas, and this is a great sign of things to come for Rubin over the next decade! Check out this story to learn more: www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2025-06...
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Tune in on YouTube for the full reveal 👀 www.youtube.com/live/Zv22_Am...
youtube.com
First Images from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory | #RubinFirstLook
YouTube video by Rubin Observatory
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Turning on the world's largest camera @vrubinobs.bsky.social is much more complicated than just flipping a switch -- it's the culmination of years of meticulous planning and takes a large team making sure that everything is mission ready for first look tomorrow: rubinobservatory.org/news/prepari...
rubinobservatory.org
Preparing for the greatest cosmic movie ever made | Rubin Observatory
Now that NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST Camera has been installed, what’s next?
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Check out this article from the @nytimes.com to learn more about the camera our scientists at SLAC helped make for the @vrubinobs.bsky.social , which we expect will he able to catalog 20 billion galaxies and 17 billion stars over the next decade starting this Monday: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Earth’s Largest Camera Takes 3 Billion-Pixel Images of the Night Sky (Gift Article)
At the heart of the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory is a digital camera that will create an unparalleled map of the cosmos.
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 21/06/2025
‼️We're just TWO DAYS from Rubin's first images! #RubinFirstLook‼️ So let's talk images📷 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's LSST Camera — the largest digital camera ever built — produces 3200-megapixel images... 🔭🧪 But what does that mean, exactly? 🤨 📷: J. Orrell/SLAC Lab
A view looking into the LSST Camera's huge opening. The camera opening is a large black donut shape, with reflections of ceiling light revealing the presence of glass lenses. In the center of the opening is the camera's focal plane detector, which is made of 189 square CCD chips arranged in a roughly square shape. The camera is suspended on a white metal frame with white handrails. The completely white room gives the image an overall sterile feel.
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Congratulations to Risa Wechsler on being elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na...
nasonline.org
National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS
WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Sciences announced today the election of 120 members and 30 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original res...
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The Kavli Foundation @kavlifoundation.org · 28/04/2025
At the frontier of discovery—inside our own galaxy. Members of the Via Project gathered at Yale for an all-hands meeting. We are proud to support this groundbreaking effort to unlock new insights into dark matter, cold gas, and the structure of our galaxy. #KavliAstro via-project.org
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The Kavli Foundation @kavlifoundation.org · 28/04/2025
Pictured 👆: Kavli Program Officer Greg Mack with Risa Wechsler (KIPAC), Marla Geha (Yale), and Charlie Conroy (Harvard/CfA, Project PI along with Ana Bonanca of Carnegie, not pictured). @kipac.bsky.social @harvard.edu @carnegiescience.bsky.social
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KIPAC @kipac.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Thousands of people joined us for our KIPAC + Friends Community Day this past weekend, checking out dozens of activity booths and talks hosted by KIPAC and our partners! Sign up for our mailing list to hear about future events: bit.ly/KIPAC_outreach
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 17/04/2025
Now the team has an intense period of testing and tuning work to ensure the system functions reliably at its full capabilities to #CaptureTheCosmos. We’re on track for our grand reveal coming mid-2025! 🔭🧪 For more technical details: ow.ly/A4wu50VCIB4
A view from outside a group of people in a circle. The person facing the camera at far center is wearing a black shirt and has one arm raised in celebration. A person with short dark hair and glasses faces us, smiling at a computer screen facing away from us. In the background, a group of around 7 people stand watching and listening to something out of view to the right.Close up of a few people sitting at a desk. The nearest person has long dark hair and glasses, and is wearing a gray long sleeved shirt and orange construction vest. She has both hands covering her mouth in suspense.
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