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Manda Banerji

@mandabanerji.bsky.social
190 followers 137 following 26 posts

Prof. in Astronomy & Associate Dean EDI @Uni.Southampton. Quasars and galaxies research. Diversity & inclusion in academia. Science mum.

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Reposted by Manda Banerji
University of Southampton @unisouthampton.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Revolutionary new space telescope @4most-eu.bsky.social has captured its first data from the universe. Our scientists are part of the team behind the super-scope and say it’ll reveal how galaxies and black holes formed. Read more 👉 tr.ee/ba4NEs
The VISTA 4MOST, a large, intricate astronomical device, housed inside an industrial facility. The structure features a prominent circular component with visible wiring and metal framework, supported by a sturdy blue frame with stairs and a raised platform for access.The VISTA mountain top observatory stands on rocky terrain under a clear night sky, with the Milky Way stretching across and a bright planet shining above.
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 10/07/2025
Supermassive black holes weighing millions (or billions) the mass of our sun, far from being rare, are in fact everywhere in our universe. Professor Manda Banerji explores how we are uncovering these giants and what they're telling us about the cosmos: #SummerScience www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxll...
youtube.com
Lates: Unveiling a universe full of black holes
Supermassive black holes weighing millions to billions of times the mass of our Sun, are among the most fascinating astronomical sources in our Universe. In ...
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
University of Southampton News @uosmedia.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Could the first images from the #VeraCRubin telescope change how we view #space for good? Read what our experts @mandabanerji.bsky.social and @astro-pwise.bsky.social think in our latest ‪article on @uk.theconversation.com 🚀🌌☀️ theconversation.com/could-the-fi...
theconversation.com
Could the first images from the Vera Rubin telescope change how we view space for good?
The new observatory can take very high resolution images of distant objects in space.
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
An absolute privilege to represent the @lsstuk.bsky.social team on the iconic BBC breakfast couch this morning showing off stunning images from @vrubinobs.bsky.social This is just the beginning of our quest to #CaptureTheCosmos and bring the night sky to life. Stay tuned - so much more to come!!
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 22/06/2025
If there's one thing you should know about NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, it's this: ✨It's going to build the greatest time-lapse movie of the cosmos ever made✨ And tomorrow is the world's first preview of how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos in the coming decade! 🔭🧪
The glowing band of the Milky Way emanates from Rubin Observatory's boot-shaped silhouette at lower left. The brighter, dense stars of the Milky Way are crisscrossed by clouds and lanes of dark dust. The lower left horizon has an orangey hue, while the pinpricks of stars speckle the rest of the sky.
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Delighted to be part of the Royal Society summer science exhibition this year. Come hear me speak about finding black holes with big telescopes and how collaborative research and diverse perspectives drive new innovation in astrophysics. Tue 1st July: 6:15pm in London (and streaming on YouTube)
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
A great week in Munich discussing all things black holes and galaxies and how the current ‘golden era’ of large astronomical surveys will advance our understanding of these systems. Leaving with lots of ideas for new projects and collaborations.
munich-iapbp.de
Schedule | Miapbp
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Also my favourite April 1st paper this year (perhaps ever?!). A+ for the brilliantly sarcastic writing, the excellent figure choices and the frankly genius acronym
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
So many fantastic results already from just 0.4% of the Euclid sky. Looking forward to continuing to explore the Euclid sky with an amazing team of early career researchers at Southampton @ec-euclid.bsky.social @eucliduk.bsky.social #ESAEuclid #Q1release
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
The world’s largest digital camera is almost set to open its eyes to the sky! Excited about the amazing scientific discoveries this experiment will enable and actively planning what we will lead and deliver as part of @lsstuk.bsky.social
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
As one of the many international researchers personally invested & ultra proud of what the US Vera Rubin Observatory has and will achieve this👇 is not OK. My heart is sinking for my amazing 🇺🇸-based colleagues. For decades you've led the way for STEM DEI initiatives - time for Europe to step up. 🧪🔭👩‍🔬
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 14/01/2025
When you turn it on and it works spectacularly! The Rubin team has successfully completed the first on-sky engineering tests using the 144-Mpx engineering camera. Up next: installing the largest digital camera in the world, LSST Camera! 🔭🧪 rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-completes-comcam-tests
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
Rubin LSST:UK @lsstuk.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Good to see @vrubinobs.bsky.social listed among the @nytimes.com key events in space and astronomy for 2025: www.nytimes.com/2025/01/01/s... 🔭
nytimes.com
Big Rockets, a Big Telescope and Big Changes in Space Await in 2025
Here are some key events to look forward to in space and astronomy in the year ahead.
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
2025 is the year of Rubin first light! It is an amazing, groundbreaking experiment as @astroroyalscot.bsky.social explains. I’ve been hearing about Rubin since my PhD days and cannot wait to work with my wonderful research team on the brand new data from this fantastic observatory.
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
The Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA www.eso.org/public/teles...) 🔭 is 15 years old this December! It’s a particularly special telescope to me having spanned and shaped my entire research career. Some personal highlights in this thread:
eso.org
Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy
VISTA ― the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy ― is part of ESO’s Paranal Observatory. It works at near-infrared wavelengths and is the world’s largest survey telescope.
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Please share widely: Fantastic opportunity for UK Black and mixed-Black students to pursue PhDs. Additional Black Futures scholarships also available to support research in Engineering, Physical and Mathematical Sciences with bespoke training and support www.southampton.ac.uk/study/fees-f...
southampton.ac.uk
Black Futures Scholarship
Discover the Black Futures Scholarships at the University of Southampton, supporting UK-domiciled Black and Mixed-Black heritage students pursuing a PhD.
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 03/01/2024
Some fantastic Astro PhD opportunities available at Southampton this year and we have fee waivers for EU/Horizon students as well as new scholarship opportunities for UK Black students!
astro.soton.ac.uk
Southampton Astronomy Group - Postgraduate Opportunities 2024
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 21/11/2023
Come join our fantastic team at Southampton. We have an opportunity for a research software engineer to work on infrastructure for the Rubin Observatory and Euclid mission. 🔭 jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 16/11/2023
Always such a privilege to be at The Royal Society, this time talking to new Research Fellows about what to expect from their fellowships. A fantastic, inspiring day hearing about exciting research, listening to great speakers and enjoying amazing food & wine!
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 27/10/2023
Looking at this figure the first year that a major telescope deadline has passed me by almost unnoticed and thinking about it in the context of what is keeping me busy these days - namely worrying about inequities in research resource allocation (telescope time for astronomers)
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
EDI Caucus @edicaucus.bsky.social · 23/10/2023
This thread is deeply disturbing. The article is USA-focused but we are studying culture in the UK's research and innovation ecosystem. If you work in research or innovation in the UK, please complete our survey and add to our dataset. go.hw.ac.uk/EDICa/Covid1... If done it already, share 😉
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Reposted by Manda Banerji
EDI Caucus @edicaucus.bsky.social · 12/10/2023
📢Call for participants! Pls share 📢 We seek people to interview about problematic menstruation and perimenopause / menopause in research & innovation careers. If you're based in UK and work in R&I ecosystem, click here to learn more. edicaucus.ac.uk/menstrual-he...
edicaucus.ac.uk
Menstrual health study – EDI Caucus Homepage
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 21/09/2023
Trip to the Royal Observatory in Madrid. Got to see a replica of the telescope used by William Herschel to discover Uranus. Same telescope also used by his sister Caroline - the first female professional astronomer - to find comets and catalogue stars
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Manda Banerji @mandabanerji.bsky.social · 20/09/2023
Having a super fun week at a workshop at the European Space Agency discussing all things AGN and galaxy evolution. Hats off to the organisers for bringing together a really friendly, diverse and engaging bunch of researchers and especially ECRs doing fabulous, interesting work! 🔭
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