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Malena Rice

@malenarice.bsky.social
979 followers 131 following 58 posts

Planetary astrophysicist • Assistant Professor, Yale Astronomy • exoplanets & solar system

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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Yale's Institute for the Foundations of Data Science (FDS) is accepting postdoctoral applications: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32396 Applicants should list at least one potential mentor who is a member of the institute—which hosts several astronomy faculty members at Yale (including myself!)
academicjobsonline.org
Yale University, Institute for the Foundations of Data Science
Job #AJO32396, Postdoc in Foundations of Data Science, Institute for the Foundations of Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US
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Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP) @paspjournal.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A recent open-access invited review published in @paspjournal.bsky.social presents an analysis of the physical mechanisms underlying planetary ejection that results in free-floating planets. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1....
Schematic overview of instability-inducing mechanisms through which planets may be ejected from a system.  From Rice, DeRocco, & Raymond (2026).
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
My second article as a Public Voices Fellow, inspired by the CycloAstro geophysics-astrophysics project for which I'm delighted to spend the next five years collaborating as a PI: www.commondreams.org/opinion/astr... The CycloAstro Project: sites.google.com/view/cycloas...
commondreams.org
What Astrophysics Has Taught Me About Changing the World | Common Dreams
Meaningful impact need not be bold and flashy. Our small, everyday choices seed change.
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Sean Raymond (planetplanet.net) @planetplanet.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Published version of our new review on planetary ejection (led by @malenarice.bsky.social, and with Will DeRocco) is out now! iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
iopscience.iop.org
The Dynamics of Planetary Ejection
The Dynamics of Planetary Ejection, Rice, Malena, DeRocco, William, Raymond, Sean N.
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
This year's New York Area Exoplanets Meeting (NYAEM III) will take place at the American Museum of Natural History on Friday, May 15th. Abstracts are due March 10th (1 month from today!) and registration is due April 15th - see the conference website for more information: nyexoplanets.github.io
nyexoplanets.github.io
New York Area Exoplanets Meeting
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
some musings on the pursuit of passion, and reflections on my journey into astrophysics: sciencepolitics.org/2026/01/30/t...
sciencepolitics.org
The Accidental Astrophysicist - Science Politics
She never imagined she would reach the stars.
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Research Corporation for Science Advancement @rescorp.org · 16/11/2025
The 2nd meeting of #Scialog: Early Science with the #LSST closes with pitches for team projects to ignite discovery with @vrubinobs.bsky.social. Initiative cosponsored with @heisingsimonsfdn.bsky.social, with additional support from Leinweber Foundation and Kevin Wells.
Group photo of participants at Scialog LSST
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Trent Dupuy @trentdupuy.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Astro PhD applications for Edinburgh are open! Deadlines are: * 24 Nov: Career Development Scholarship (for students of Black heritage) * 5 Dec: Bell Burnell Scholarship (for all URM students) * 5 Jan: all applications Come to beautiful Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Applying is free! 🔭🧪 ifa.roe.ac.uk/phds-jobs-fe...
Picture looking up at the sky, with the Royal Observatory Edinburgh East Tower in the lower right-hand corner and stars overhead surrounded by the pink/purple glow of the Northern Lights.
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Trent Dupuy @trentdupuy.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Astrophysics applications for this scholarship are open and due 24 November! ifa.roe.ac.uk/phds-jobs-fe...
ifa.roe.ac.uk
PhD Studentships
PhD studentships at the IfA
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Pedro Bernardinelli @pbernardinelli.com · 21/07/2025
New paper on arXiv, analyzing Rubin Observatory data of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. This is the first science paper with data from LSSTCam!!!!! arxiv.org/abs/2507.13409
arxiv.org
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1)
We report on the observation and measurement of astrometry, photometry, morphology, and activity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, also designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin ...
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Sharena Rice, PhD @sharenarice.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Enjoyed a rowboat and conversations with @malenarice.bsky.social over the weekend!
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Applications for the 2025-2026 cycle of the 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship in Planetary Astronomy are now open! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you are interested in applying with Yale as a host institution :) www.hsfoundation.org/programs/sci...
hsfoundation.org
51 Pegasi b Fellowship
The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship provides exceptional postdoctoral scientists with the opportunity to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy.
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Emily Hunt @emily.space · 26/06/2025
Finding out about Gaia at #EAS2025Cork! ☄️ Just announced: Gaia DR4 will be released in December 2026!
A photo of the slide with the December 2026 release date
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Bart Bonikowski @bartbonikowski.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Essential reading (by @jasonstanley.bsky.social) for every American. The media, aided by a handful of reactionary academics and compliant university administrations, has sold the public a huge lie about wokeness on college campuses, enabling the extreme right. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The mainstream media has enabled Trump’s war on universities | Jason Stanley
For the past decade, the US press has fueled a moral panic over leftists on campus while failing to report on the right’s assault
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Julien Girard @juliengirard.space · 10/06/2025
Please watch the @aas.org Press Conference where @balmer.bsky.social presented this thrilling result: THE NEW(even if expected from astrometry)LY IMAGED, COLD (~2ºC), MATURE giant exoplanet 14 Her c with JWST/NIRCam!!! Congrats Daniella, William and the whole team 😀 www.youtube.com/live/Z7niXAH...
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Join us for NASA's ExoPAG 32 Meeting on June 3rd! This free virtual meeting is open to all, but please register to receive the access link: exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/... #exoplanets #astronomy
exoplanets.nasa.gov
Exoplanet Program: Registration
NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Delighted that Yan Liang will be joining us at Yale this fall as our newest 51 Pegasi b Fellow, leveraging AI to disentangle planetary signals from stellar spectra! Our 51 Peg family grows 💜 news.yale.edu/2025/04/04/y...
news.yale.edu
Yale’s newest 51 Pegasi b fellow will sort through stellar ‘noise’ with AI
The fellowship provides up to $450,000 in support over three years.
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
We are excited for a fantastic program that is coming together for NYAEM, which will take place on May 22nd at the CCA! We will be accepting additional poster abstracts on a first-come, first-serve basis up through the registration deadline (April 22nd). #exoplanets
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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Paper day! I introduce a new all-in-one tool to generate and drizzle/resample space-based point spread functions for more accurate photometry 🔭🧪 arxiv.org/abs/2503.02288
arxiv.org
spike: A tool to drizzle HST, JWST, and Roman PSFs for improved analyses
Point spread functions (PSFs) describe the distribution of light for a pure point source in an astronomical image due to the instrument optics. For deconvolution, as for point source photometry and fo...
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Adrian Price-Whelan @adrian.pw · 03/03/2025
Applications are open for our visiting grad student program (pre-doc program) at the CCA @flatironinstitute.org! Reach out if you're a student interested in: - Preparing for Gaia DR4 - Stellar streams - Data-driven methods for spectroscopy (and want to apply!) docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... 🔭
docs.google.com
CCA Pre-Doc Program Stage 1 Applications (2025)
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Nominations to the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) Executive Committee, including nominations for the ExoPAG Chair, are due March 7. ExoPAG is a community-based forum coordinating input to NASA Astrophysics. Reach out with any questions! 🔭🪐 exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/...
exoplanets.nasa.gov
Exoplanet Program: ExoPAG Overview
NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.
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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Tomorrow! Join us — in person or online at 6:30pm Chicago time — for the last Picture an Astronomer public lecture with galactic archaeologist Anna Frebel (MIT), who will describe the cosmic origin of the heaviest elements. More (incl. registration) at pictureanastronomer.github.io 🔭🧪👩‍🔬
Flyer for Anna Frebel’s Picture an Astronomer public lecture at the University of Chicago. Tomorrow at 6:30pm on campus and online.
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Abstract deadline for this year's New York Area Exoplanets Meeting (NYAEM II) is coming up in just under 2 weeks (March 10th)! It'll be a 1-day regional meeting at the CCA, bringing together astronomers in the greater New York area working on exoplanets + adjacent topics 🔭🪐 nyexoplanets.github.io
nyexoplanets.github.io
New York Area Exoplanets Meeting
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Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
From Huei Sears @starlights.bsky.social and Jessie Thwaites @jthwaites.bsky.social: Today we highlight the “Picture an Astronomer” Symposium at UChicago, created primarily by grad student Ava Polzin, with lectures and events in February/March! Registration ends 2/15.✨🔭 astrobites.org/2025/02/11/t...
astrobites.org
The “Picture an Astronomer” Symposium
Today we highlight the "Picture an Astronomer" Symposium, with lectures and events happening in February and March!
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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Registration ends Feb. 15! 🔭🧪👩‍🔬 We encourage *all* professional astronomers/astrophysicists to attend (in person or remotely)! More at pictureanastronomer.github.io/symposium
Flyer advertising our Picture an Astronomer symposium, March 4 -6 in Chicago, IL and online.
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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Here's an e-mail that just went out to NASA agency wide. 🔭
Letter reading, "Dear agency employees,
We are taking steps to close all agency DEIA offices and end all DEIA-related contracts 
in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive 
Orders and Actions.
These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in 
shameful discrimination. 
We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to 
DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days. 
There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, 
failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Janet Petro"
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Eryn Cangi, PhD @planetaryemc2.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
#PlanetaryScience 🔭🧪: GoFundMe for JPL employees and Habitable Worlds Observatory team members suffering amidst the #LAFires. Confirmed organized on the HWO slack by @astrodave2.bsky.social. www.gofundme.com/f/support-na...
gofundme.com
Donate to Support NASA JPL HabWorlds teammates in the Pasadena fires, organized by Jason Tumlinson
We are raising money to assist friends of ours who are displa… Jason Tumlinson needs your support for Support NASA JPL HabWorlds teammates in the Pasadena fires
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 10/01/2025
Folks, a huge number of people at JPL have been affected by the LA wildfires, with many losing their homes. If you can, consider contributing to a fund that's been set up to help them: (Link looks sketch but site is legit) caltech.imodules.com/controls/ema...
caltech.imodules.com
Satellite imagery captured by MAXAR showing the extent of the Eaton Fire in North Pasadena and Altadena.
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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Hey folks - like many people, our friends have lost their house and everything in it. If you are able to help support them through a long, slow recovery, please do. #LAFires gofund.me/a24b7e39
gofund.me
Donate to Supporting Jenn & Sam after the Eaton Fire, organized by Jenn Burt
Hi friends, As many of you already know, the wildfires that tore through Alta… Jenn Burt needs your support for Supporting Jenn & Sam after the Eaton Fire
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Dr. Caprice Phillips @capricephillips.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Towards the Habitable Worlds Observatory: Visionary Science and Transformational Technology www.stsci.edu/contents/eve...
stsci.edu
Towards the Habitable Worlds Observatory: Visionary Science and Transformational Technology
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Dr Gayathri Eknath @drgeoxymorons.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund applications are open! This provides funding for current/prospective PhD students from underrepresented groups in #Physics ⚛️ & Astronomy 🔭 🧪Application deadline is 20th Jan 2025. FAQs: www.iop.org/about/suppor... #WomenInSTEM: www.iop.org/about/suppor...
iop.org
Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund
Apply now to the innovative fund instigated by leading physicist Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell and the Institute of Physics to encourage greater diversity in physics.
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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
In the last year, in addition to work through SIRIUS B and all of the immense response online, hard copies have been shared at five universities, and the book is now being translated into other languages! Here’s to another year of trying to make astro more accessible! 🧪🔭 arxiv.org/abs/2312.04041
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Yesterday was the last day of Fall 2024 classes at Yale, and one of my students gifted me this custom-made lithophane of the HL Tau protoplanetary disk! Look how awesome it is?! 🤩
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Happy holidays from the Rice research group! ♡ 🪐
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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
#Exoplaneteers - NASA's Exoplanet Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG) is recruiting new members! Do you have opinions on what support NASA is providing to the exoplanet community? HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Link to the 2025 recruitment details here: exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/...
exoplanets.nasa.gov
Exoplanet Program: Executive Committee Membership
NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.
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Sarah Blunt, PhD 🇵🇸 @blunt-comma-s.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Reminder: please nominate yourself or others! :) We still have 12 open slots for the winter and spring.
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Ilaria Pascucci @pascucci.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Mark your calendar for the ExoPAG31 on Jan 11 & 12! 🌟 Join us in person or online to explore new exoplanet science and learn how you can get involved and contribute to upcoming missions like Ariel and Roman. Register & view the program here: exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/...
exoplanets.nasa.gov
Exoplanet Program: Overview
NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program, the search for planets and life beyond our solar system.
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Dr. Raphael Marschall @spacemarschall.net · 04/12/2024
One of my favourite #planetaryScience conferences, which I only discovered in 2023, is the Gordon Conference on "Origins of Solar Systems." It brings together observers, theorists, cosmochemists, planetologists, and astronomers. The next one is in 2025! 🧪 Registration: www.grc.org/origins-of-s...
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured this image of the iconic Pillars of Creation, a small region filled with newly formed stars within the vast Eagle Nebula about 6,500 light-years away.
Photograph by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/origins-of-the-universe
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Meg Schwamb @megschwamb.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT is partnering with the Arizona Astrobiology Center to host a workshop 4 US-based science journalists seeking to understand the search for extraterrestrial life & prepare to report its discovery. Funding for travel is available 🔭
ksj.mit.edu
Workshop: Breaking News of Life Beyond
An intensive workshop for science journalists seeking to understand the search for extraterrestrial life and prepare to report its discovery.
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Heidi B. Hammel @hbhammel.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Coming soon! The Inaugural Open Community Conference for NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory 🔭, in DC from 28-31 July 2025! Here, a crew of characters from AURA, STScI, and GSFC scout out site options to share with the good people planning the HWO mtg. Sign up here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
A motley crew of characters from AURA, Space Telescope Science Institute, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center are arrayed on a stage in front of a large screen which displays the word "LEADERS". Left to right: Janice, Jason, Giada, Lee, Heidi, Cristina, Erin, and Jean.
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Chloe Neufeld @chloeneufeld.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Looking for speakers for Yale's Galaxy Lunch! If you're a grad student or postdoc working on galaxy formation/evolution research, we'd love to have you present at our seminar. Reach out to me (chloe.neufeld@yale.edu) or find more information about the seminar here: yalegalaxylunch.github.io/about/
yalegalaxylunch.github.io
Seminar Overview · Yale Galaxy Lunch
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Research Corporation for Science Advancement @rescorp.org · 17/11/2024
#Scialog: Early Science with the LSST wraps up today with pitches for team proposals to ignite discovery with the Rubin Observatory's upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Thanks to everyone for helping get this initiative off to a great start!
Group photo of participants at the 1st meeting of the Scialog: Early Science with the LSST initiative in Tucson.
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Malena Rice @malenarice.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Applications are open for the 2025 Dorrit Hoffleit Research Fellowship program for current undergraduate students to conduct summer research in the Yale Department of Astronomy! Open to 2nd/3rd year undergrads of any nationality — due February 15th 🪐🧪🚀 astronomy.yale.edu/undergraduat...
astronomy.yale.edu
Dorrit Hoffleit Undergraduate Research Scholarship | Department of Astronomy
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Professor Carole Mundell @cmundell.esa.int · 22/11/2024
✅The 2025 ESA internship opportunities are now live! Positions are open in a wide range of fields, including engineering, space science, IT, natural and social sciences, business, economics, and administrative services.🚀 www.esa.int/About_Us/Car...
esa.int
Space is closer than you think: apply now to the ESA Student Internship Programme
The 2025 ESA internship opportunities are now live! Positions are open in a wide range of fields, including engineering, science, IT, natural and social sciences, business, economics, and administrati...
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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
From @aip.bsky.social on the other place -- awards to cover grad application fees!
Image of a post from the American Institute of Physics saying, "Exciting news for NSBP and AIP TEAM-UP scholars! AIP, with support from the Simons Foundation is offering $500 awards to cover grad school application fees. Apply today! bit.ly/GradAppSupport"
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Leigh Fletcher @leighfletcher.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
#Uranus reaches 2024 opposition tomorrow. For more than 30 years, #Hubble has watched the shifting Uranian seasons, from southern summer solstice (seen by Voyager 2 in 1986), through equinox in 2007, and (hopefully) on to northern summer solstice in 2030. #planetaryscience 📸 NASA/ESA/STScI/Fletcher
Hubble WFPC2 and WFC3 obserations of Uranus from 1995 to 2020, showing the changing view of the planet as it went from southern summer to northern spring.
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Astrobites @astrobites.bsky.social · 28/10/2024
Love astronomy, astrophysics, and science communication? Come join the Astrobites team! Applications due November 27th. ✨🔭 astrobites.org/2024/10/27/a...
astrobites.org
Apply to Write for Astrobites 2024!
Love astronomy, astrophysics, and science communication? Come join the Astrobites team! Applications due November 27th.
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Yasmeen Asali @yasmeenasali.bsky.social · 11/11/2024
🔭 The Yale Astro x Data Science Seminar is looking for speakers! Come visit Yale and showcase your work or lead a code demo! Check out our about page for more info: yale-dsaas.github.io/about/ Reach out here or email me at yasmeen.asali@yale.edu if you're interested!
yale-dsaas.github.io
Seminar Overview · Astro x Data Science
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William Thompson @wrtastro.bsky.social · 08/11/2024
New release of Octofitter, the ultra fast 🪐 orbit modelling code for Python and Julia. Version 5 with some nice speed improvements for RV modelling large datasets. Check it out here: - sefffal.github.io/Octofitter.j... - github.com/sefffal/octo... 🔭
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Ava Polzin @avapolzin.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
Perhaps more timely now than ever: We are hosting a scientific symposium (among other events -- see pic) at UChicago, focused on promoting and retaining women in astrophysics. Symposium registration (link in next tweet) is open through Jan. 30 and we offer hybrid attendance. 🔭👩‍🔬🧪
A calendar showing the Picture an Astronomer events:
January 30 - Kick-off event
February 3 - Dara Norman Public Lecture
February 7 - Katie Mack Public Lecture
February 19 - Jocelyn Bell Burnell Public Lecture
February 25 - Anna Frebel Public Lecture
March 4 - 6 - Symposium
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