iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 5h

LEDA 1313424, nicknamed the Bullseye, has 9 rings. Hubble has confirmed 8 rings, and data from the W. M. Keck Observatory confirmed a 9th. Hubble and Keck confirmed which galaxy drove through the Bullseye, creating these rings: the blue dwarf galaxy immediately center-left.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 5h

Today is October 2. On this date in 1917 biochemist Christian de Duve was born. He discovered lysosomes (digestive organelles of the cell) and peroxisomes (organelles that are site of metabolic processes with hydrogen peroxide). Received the 1974 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The ultraviolet camera on the European-Chinese Smile mission captured the formation of the full ring of northern lights around the north pole in ultraviolet light.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Today Oct 1. On this date in 2025 primatologist Jane Goodall passed away. Regarded as a pioneer in primate ethology,and described by many as "the world's preeminent chimpanzee expert", was best known for more than 6 decades of field research on social and family life of wild chimpanzees.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A gorgeous Hubble image (using also ground-based data) of the dramatic shape and color of the Ring Nebula, formally known as Messier 57.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Today is Sep 30. On this date in 1882 physicist Hans Geiger was born. Known as the inventor of the Geiger counter, a device used to detect ionizing radiation, and for carrying out the Rutherford scattering experiments, which led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The two galaxies in this Hubble image are not actually very close. The large blue galaxy MCG-02-05-050 is located 65 million light-years from Earth; its brighter smaller companion MCG-02-05-050a, at 675 million light-years away.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Today Sep 29. On this date in 1901 physicist Enrico Fermi was born. Developed mathematical statistics required to clarify a large class of subatomic phenomena, explored nuclear transformations by neutrons, and directed 1st controlled chain reaction. Awarded 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This ESO image shows the nebula surrounding AB7, a binary system consisting of one WR-star — highly evolved massive star - and a mid-age massive companion.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Today is Sep 28. On this date in 1895 microbiologist Louis Pasteur passed away. Renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. His research led to remarkable breakthroughs in understanding the causes and prevention of diseases.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

A beautiful ESO image of the spiral galaxy NGC 986, which is about 56 million light-years away from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Today is Sep 27. On this date in 1918 radio astronomer Martin Ryle was born. He developed revolutionary radio telescopes and used them for accurate location of weak radio sources. Observed some of the most distant known galaxies of the universe. Received Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A Hubble image of the emission nebula NGC 2313. The bright star V565 — surrounded by four prominent diffraction spikes — illuminates a silvery, fan-shaped veil of gas and dust, while the right half of this image is obscured by a dense cloud of dust.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Today is Sep 26. On this date in 1888 poet T.S. Eliot was born. A leader of the Modernist movement in poetry with such works as The Waste Land (1922) and Four Quartets (1943). He exercised a strong influence on Anglo-American culture from the 1920s until late in the 20th century.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This ESO image shows NGC 7098 — a spiral galaxy that lies about 95 million light-years away. It has a duo of distinct ring-like structures that loop around the galaxy’s center. The central region itself hosts a second double feature--a double bar.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today is Sep 25. On this date in 1866 evolutionary biologist Thomas Hunt Morgan was born. In 1933, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on the role of chromosomes in heredity.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The Twin Jet Nebula, or PN M2-9, in this Hubble image, is a striking example of a bipolar planetary nebula.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today is Sep 24. On this date in 1501 polymath Gerolamo Cardano was born. His interests and proficiencies ranged through mathematics, medicine, biology, physics, and music. One of the most influential mathematicians of the Renaissance. See my book "The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved."

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This ESO image shows a rare case of a triple merger of galaxies. This system, which astronomers have dubbed 'The Bird' - although it also bears resemblance with a cosmic Tinker Bell - is composed of two massive spiral galaxies and a third irregular galaxy.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Today is Sep 23. On this date in 1877 mathematician Urbain Le Verrier passed away. He specialized in celestial mechanics and is best known for predicting the existence and position of Neptune using only mathematics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This Hubble image features the giant nebula NGC 2014 and its neighbor NGC 2020 which together form part of a vast star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Today is Sep 22. On this date in 1791 Michael Faraday was born.Contributed vastly to study of electrochemistry and electromagnetism. Main discoveries include principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism,and electrolysis. One of the most influential scientists in history.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In this ESO image, NGC 6769 (right) NGC 6770 (left), together with NGC 6771 (down), are sometimes called "The Devil's Mask."

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Today is September 21. On this date in 1926 physicist Donald Glaser was born. Recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize for Physics for his invention and development of the bubble chamber, an instrument used in high-energy physics laboratories to observe the behavior of subatomic particles.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Calabash Nebula (OH 231.8+04.22) in this Hubble image is an example of the death of a low-mass star like the Sun. This image shows the star going through a relatively rapid transformation from a red giant to a planetary nebula.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Today Sep 20. On this date in 1996 Paul Erdős passed away. One of most prolific mathematicians of 20th century. Pursued and proposed problems in discrete mathematics, graph theory, number theory, analysis, approximation theory, set theory, and probability theory. My Erdős number is 4.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

An ESO image of the magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 7424, which is at a distance of about 40 million light-years from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Today is September 19. On this date in 1908 physicist Victor Weisskopf was born. He worked on the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb in World War II, but later became an ardent advocate of arms control.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This impressive ESO image shows the reflection nebula Messier 78, in Orion.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Today is Sep 18. On this date in 1819 physicist Léon Foucault was born. He invented the Foucault pendulum,a device demonstrating Earth's rotation around its axis. He also made an early measurement of the speed of light, discovered eddy currents, and is credited with naming the gyroscope.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The two interacting spiral galaxies, IC 2163, NGC 2207, in this Hubble image are about 110 million light-years away from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Today Sep 17. On this date in 1826 mathematician Bernhard Riemann was born. His profound,novel approaches to the study of geometry laid the mathematical foundation for the theory of relativity. Also made important contributions to theory of functions, complex analysis, and number theory.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

A beautiful ESO image of the planetary nebula IC 5148, which is located some 3,000 light-years away from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today Sep 15. On this date in 1929 physicist Murray Gell-Mann was born.Played a preeminent role in the development of the theory of elementary particles.Introduced the concept of quarks as fundamental building blocks of strongly interacting particles.Received 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A Hubble image of the interacting galaxies Arp 147. The two galaxies appear to mark the number 10. The left-most galaxy, is relatively undisturbed apart from a smooth ring of starlight. The right- most galaxy exhibits a clumpy, blue ring of star formation.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Today is Sep 14. On this date in 1970 Rudolf Carnap passed away. One of the best-known philosophers of the twentieth century. Notorious as one of the founders, and perhaps the leading philosophical representative, of the movement known as logical positivism or logical empiricism.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This image from Hubble depicts the planetary nebula NGC 6302, commonly known as the Butterfly Nebula. The nebula is roughly 3,800 light-years away from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Today is September 13. On this date in 1886 chemist Rober Robinson was born. Recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1947 for his research on a wide range of organic compounds, notably alkaloids.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A beautiful ESO image of NGC 4565, which for obvious reasons is also called the Needle Galaxy. It is an example of an edge-on spiral galaxy and it is located some 40 million light-years away.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Today is Sep 12. On this date in 1897 chemist and physicist Irène Joliot-Curie was born. She received the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for her discovery of induced radioactivity.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The appearance of the N44 nebula in this Hubble image is dominated by a vast central void and a shell of dense gas. The void is a ‘superbubble’ created by the stars at its center, through their powerful stellar winds and explosive supernovae.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Today is September 11. The image shows the smoke rising from New York City after the horrible attack, as seen from the International Space Station.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

ESO captured this eye-catching image of planetary nebula Abell 33. This beautiful blue bubble is, by chance, aligned with a foreground star, and bears an uncanny resemblance to a diamond engagement ring.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Today Sep 10. On this date in 1892 physicist Arthur Compton was born. Won Nobel Prize for Physics in 1927 for discovery and explanation of the change in the wavelength of X-rays when they collide with electrons. This effect is caused by transfer of energy from a photon to an electron.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A spectacular ESO image of the southern spiral galaxy NGC 300. It is about six million light-years away.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Huge waves are sculpted in this two-lobed planetary nebula, known as the Red Spider nebula, which is some 3000 light-years away (Hubble image).

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Today is September 7. On this date in 1707 naturalist Comte de Buffon was born. He published thirty-six quarto volumes of his Histoire Naturelle during his lifetime, with additional volumes based on his notes and further research being published in the two decades following his death.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The stately sweeping spiral arms of the spiral galaxy NGC 5495 are revealed by this Hubble image. The galaxy lies around 300 million light-years from Earth.

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Today is Sep 5. On this date in 1906 physicist Ludwig Boltzmann died. He developed statistical mechanics, which explains how the properties of atoms (such as mass, charge, and structure) determine the visible properties of matter (such as viscosity, thermal conductivity, and diffusion).

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Mario Livio @mariolivio.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Located about 9,000 light-years away, NGC 3576 in this ESO image, is a gigantic region of glowing gas, where stars are currently forming. The intense radiation and winds from the massive stars are shredding the clouds from which they form, creating dramatic scenery.

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