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Leigh Fletcher

@leighfletcher.bsky.social
2.4K followers 512 following 461 posts

Planetary scientist, Dad-in-training, space enthusiast, Professor based at the University of Leicester linktr.ee/leigh.fletcher orcid.org/0000-0001-5834-9588

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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Happy #Saturn #opposition 2026. From the UK it's about 40 degrees above the horizon just after midnight. Saturn's southern hemisphere is in early spring, and the rings will be opening up over the next few years. in-the-sky.org/news.php?id=...
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
That was a lot of fun - #Silverstone Equipe Super Sprint in the October sunshine - the Swiftune Mini was a highlight - classic!
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Simeon Schmauß @stim3on.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I hinted that there would be more images from the Juice flyby, so here is the timelapse of the full event! It's always amazing to get these views of our fragile Blue Marble from the spacecraft we send out to explore the solar system! 🔭🧪 #planetsci
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Cycle 6 JWST 🔭 Call for Proposals deadline has been extended to October 1, at 5 pm Eastern Time (US) due to APT server issues. For updates, please check: “Late Breaking News” at the Call for Proposals jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jwst-opportu...
static.klipy.com
Me Using James Webb Telescope To Find Who Asked
ALT: Me Using James Webb Telescope To Find Who Asked
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 30/09/2026
Inspector Smile is ready for science! 🫡 This is Smile’s first ultraviolet view showing an auroral substorm. With the ultraviolet camera now operational, Smile becomes the first spacecraft since 2008 to capture the full ring of northern lights around the north pole in ultraviolet light. 🔭 🧪 ☀️
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Beatriz Sánchez-Cano @bscredrojo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.space-park.co.uk/2026/09/aste...
space-park.co.uk
Leicester planetary scientists receive out of this world honour
Two Leicester planetary scientists have had asteroids named after them, recognising their contributions to planetary science.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Brilliant, #ESAJuice got itself an XKCD! #planetsci
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
And because we live in an age of wonders, here at the images taken from #ESAJuice taken just a few hours ago... look at Madagascar! bsky.app/profile/scie...
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
#ESAJuice is somewhere above the skies of Australia around about now... www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUsM...
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Happening today: #ESAJuice inbound! Our Jupiter-bound spacecraft will fly high over the Indian Ocean in a few hours, picking up speed, with closest approach at 1145UT = 1245BST = 1345CEST = 0745EDT
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Long week. Happy Friday. Make it so.
Star trek beer can with a next generation glass.
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 25/09/2026
arstechnica.com
NASA green-lights billion-dollar infrared observatory for launch in early 2030s
NASA's PRIMA mission will use spare parts from Webb to do major science at a lower cost.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
There was a moment of many equations on a chart... and the bats finally won. Time for a glass of wine.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Trying to divide my attention between a Juno team meeting, an OPAG meeting, and the bats circling my back garden on a warm autumnal equinox evening. It's late, the bats may be winning.
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Lee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: As NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope opens its cosmic eye, its home base on Earth is spiraling. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center built Roman, but workers there say deep cuts threaten Goddard’s ability to handle future big space science projects.
scientificamerican.com
NASA Goddard built the Roman Space Telescope. Workers there worry it couldn’t happen again
2025 was a brutal year of budget cuts and workforce attrition at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the home base for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Experts worry Goddard—and NASA’s space sci...
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Everything you needed to know about #ESAJuice returning to Earth for a flyby next week! Our spacecraft is now 41% of the way through its long journey to Jupiter. #planetsci
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Jonathan Fortney @jjfplanet.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
*8* postdoctoral positions in atmospheric physics, from the Earth to Exoplanets: aas.org/jobregister/... This is part of the Multiscale Physics of Clouds Across Planetary Atmospheres collaboration, funded by the Simons Foundation, led by Prof. @astrocaroline.bsky.social!
aas.org
Postdoctoral Researchers — Multiscale Physics of Clouds Across Planetary Atmospheres | American Astronomical Society
The Multiscale Physics of Clouds Across Planetary Atmospheres collaboration, funded by the Simons Foundation, is seeking 8 postdoctoral researchers to develop new approaches to understanding clouds ac...
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Royal Astronomical Society @royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Calling all early-career scientists!🧑‍🔬 We're delighted to announce that we're now accepting applications for two RAS Research Fellowships. The fellowships provide up to three years of support, with an expected start date of 1 October 2027. Find out more at www.ras.ac.uk
Graphic promoting the RAS Research Fellowships with text on a starry background.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
'At the start of the year, Elsevier said it would close Researchfish in July 2027, leaving the scores of funders who rely on it for tracking grant outcomes scrabbling for alternatives. UK Research and Innovation, one of the biggest users of Researchfish, renewed its contract in July 2025.'
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Marc Delcroix‘s ”Detect” software for impact flashes on Jupiter has now been running since 2012: 0.5 million videos analysed, from 300 observers in 50 countries, equivalent to 500 days of continuous obs. Stats suggest there should be ~20 flashes/year… but we haven’t seen one since 2023 #EPSC2026
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The #EPSC2026 meetings have always had a strong presence of amateur astronomers, and a session dedicated to pro-am collaboration. Right now, Ricardo Hueso is sharing our hopes for observational support for #ESAJuice in the 2030s, following the success of Juno collaborations.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A lot of the coffee-discussion here at #EPSC2026 has been about European-led future exploration of the outer solar system, for Saturn and beyond. This would be a game-changer.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
When #EuropaClipper arrives at Jupiter, #ESAJuice will still be in its cruise. But from April 2030, JUICE could serve as a great “upstream monitor,” tracking the solar wind before it reaches Clipper within Jupiter‘s complex magnetic environment. We just have to switch on the payload early. #EPSC2026
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Both of these Jupiter-bound spacecraft are heading back to Earth to gain speed for the slingshot to Jupiter. #ESAJuice flys past on September 28th, #EuropaClipper on December 3rd, giving them both the opportunity to test instruments and hopefully do some new science. #EPSC2026
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Incredibly, despite their different paths and development times, #ESAJuice and #EuropaClipper will both fly by Europa within 4 hours of each other in 2032… a first for studying the potential ocean world, with synergistic opportunities being developed by an international team. #EPSC2026
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
As someone involved in EJSM nearly 20yrs ago, sitting in #EPSC2026 talks and learning how #ESAJuice and #EuropaClipper are now doing science during cruise is pretty mind-bending: tracking solar ejections, radar scans of Mars, detecting Earth’s lightning from above, and even an interstellar object.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
<Waves> I’m an atmospheres guy, but I’ve learned to love these Uranian moons - northern hemispheres in total darkness when Voyager flew by, so we‘ve never seen those terrains before. And maybe ancient (or current) ocean worlds.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The @physicsuol.bsky.social planetary team headed for #EPSC2026 in the Hague. This was the view near the immense Europoort Rotterdam and the Hook of Holland. Looking forward to catching up with colleagues this week
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AAS Nova @aasnova.org · 04/09/2026
The original plan for an upcoming flagship mission to Uranus called for a slingshot around Jupiter. Now that the planet won’t be in the right position at launch time, the spacecraft will need to follow a different path. aasnova.org/2026/09/04/w... 🔭🧪
aasnova.org
Who Needs Jupiter?
The original plan for an upcoming flagship mission to Uranus called for a slingshot around Jupiter. Now that the planet won't be in the right position at launch time, the spacecraft will need to follo...
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 03/09/2026
Mercury Transfer Module separation confirmed! 📡 ✅ Signal acquired via our Cebreros deep-space antenna confirms the spacecraft is healthy and operating as expected. The MPO and Mio spacecrafts are now on their way to Mercury orbit insertion on 21 November. Farewell, MTM. Mercury awaits. ☀️🛰️
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ESA Operations @operations.esa.int · 03/09/2026
📶Preliminary #BepiColombo Doppler separation signal detected. Initial tracking data are consistent with the planned MTM separation sequence. Now awaiting acquisition of signal at 15:53 CEST for full confirmation. @esa.int #JAXA #Mercury
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
First noted by amateur observers, then traced back to 2023 in Hubble data, and characterised by a pro-am team of Saturn experts, this new 10-sided decagon wave is a new (and slightly unstable) phenomenon around Saturn's south pole. bsky.app/profile/stsc...
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Glowing #Saturn in the thermal infrared from the @eso.org VLT/VISIR instrument last August, a few months after equinox and ring-plane crossing. These data were used to derive Saturn's temperatures and windshear near the newly-discovered #decagon wave pattern, published today: doi.org/10.1126/scia...
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Thomas Carpentier @thocarp.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
That's the first time that I am happy with my processed image of an observation of Neptune by Hubble, so I am sharing it here too! 🔭 This observation was done yesterday around 6pm UTC. The data come from the 17964 proposal led by Mariarosa Marinelli.
A picture of Neptune as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. The planet appears in dark blue, with some storms near the poles and the equator looking like white spots and streaks.
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Nick Stevens @nick-stevens.com · 29/08/2026
New animation! (Well, heavily updated). Uranus flyby. Camera rotated 90, rings tuned. vimeo.com/1222276261?s... Made with #Lightwave3d More details on the link.
vimeo.com
Uranus Flyby 2 - rotated and tuned.
This is "Uranus Flyby 2 - rotated and tuned." by Nick Stevens on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New video from Nature interviewing members of the @physicsuol.bsky.social team at Perpetual Atomics and Space Park Leicester, working on Americium-based space nuclear power sources for future exploration(RPS for electricity generation, RHUs for heating). www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYb_...
youtube.com
Nuclear waste: space's next power source
YouTube video by nature video
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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
From NASA: It happened again! Here's Phobos passing in front of the Sun as seen by the Perseverance rover from the surface of Mars on Aug. 12. science.nasa.gov/photojournal...
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Lord no :-). There's a European company called BlueBrixx, they have a JWST and a Voyager on there too. Not the real Danish bricks, but still very good.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
It's taken a few weeks, but my new #CassiniHuygens model is finally complete. This was the first mission I got involved with, and I still frequently revisit the datasets from CIRS and other instruments. Now atoms and memories within #Saturn's heart, 9 year on from the Grand Finale.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Nice overview of Swift's achievements, but sad news for the @physicsuol.bsky.social team: @uniofleicester.bsky.social provided the key system designs for the X-ray Telescope, built the low-temperature CCD focal plane camera and Telescope Alignment Monitor, and host the UK Swift Science Data Centre.
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 17/08/2026
OPPORTUNITY: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, is seeking astronomers for the European Space Agency office. These astronomer positions are three-year term contracts, renewable, with salaries and benefits commensurate with those of AURA employees at STScI: bit.ly/4bUlEAE
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Planetary Research Jobs @jobs.planetary-research.org · 14/08/2026
Job Announcement Category: Tenure and tenure-track faculty SENIOR LECTURER IN FLIGHT DYNAMICS. University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK jobs.planetary-research.org/628c-fa…
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Still looping majestically around the inner solar system, gathering speed, until it finally travels across the void to Jupiter between 2029 and 2031.... #ESAJuice
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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics www.theguardian.com/commentisfre.... 🔭
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | Editorial
Editorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans
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Ryleigh Davis @import-astrory.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
My new paper is out in Science Advances! Neptune's inner moons preserve clay minerals from the deep interiors of ancient icy worlds, exposed by Triton's catastrophic arrival. Here's the story and what it tells us about the violent history of the Neptunian system. 🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Neptune’s inner moons and rings are exposed icy body interiors
Triton’s destructive wake exposed clay-like minerals from within ancient icy worlds, now reaccreted as Neptune’s inner moons.
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Richard Alexander @richardalexander.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
It's going to be very hard for UKRI to stick to their mantra that there aren't any cuts at STFC, when the impact of "no cuts" includes closing the most iconic telescope in the country.
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Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Short-sighted, stupid cuts to the UKRI budget include shutting down Jodrell Bank, the icon of British astronomy. (Many other cuts too, including 20% to our brand new @vrubinobs.bsky.social). Interesting politically to shut down a major facility in...um..Manchester 🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Jodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understands
Astronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.
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Bleddyn Bowen @bleddb.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
The UK Space Agency had just been folded into DSIT (only as of April!) to merge a lot of backroom admin and cut down on duplication between it and DSIT space directorate. Further changes before the dust has settled for UKSA/DSIT is probably not what most in the space sector wanted to hear.
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Spending a couple of weeks in Denmark 🇩🇰 on holiday, and I just can't escape from some beautiful #AtmosphericPhysics.
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Keith Smith @drkeithsmith.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Are Neptune and Uranus really 'ice giants'? @hannah-richter.bsky.social speaks to researchers who have proposed alternative interior compositions. Current data cannot distinguish between them - a spacecraft mission to Uranus is required. ☄️🔭 #planetsci #exoplanets www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Uranus and Neptune may not be ‘ice giants’ after all
A growing number of theories propose Uranus and Neptune are rocky worlds
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