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Peter Edmonds

@peterdedmonds.bsky.social
852 followers 249 following 166 posts

Australian-American husband, father, professional nerd, astronomy communicator, dog spoiler, cricket fan. Opinions mine. He/him.

PostsRepliesMedia
Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
“Astronomers Horrified by Enormous Mirror Satellite That Reflects Sunlight Back Down to Earth at Night”. Yep! www.yahoo.com/news/science...
yahoo.com
Astronomers Horrified by Enormous Mirror Satellite That Reflects Sunlight Back Down to Earth at Night
It's an "existential threat."
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
“A bold satellite rescue mission came together in record time, but will it work? “I consider this a success already, just from the fact that we’re even going to try this.”” NASA tries to save one of its powerful telescopes. arstechnica.com/space/2026/0...
arstechnica.com
A bold satellite rescue mission came together in record time, but will it work?
I consider this a success already, just from the fact that we're even going to try this."
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Boston Tom Levenson @tomlevenson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
New post up at Inverse Square suggesting that invoking the gold standard as the Trump administration's vision for science doesn't convey quite what they seem to think it does. (With a little extra on how the what they say != what they do applies here, as Trump et al. continue to wreck US science.)
open.substack.com
Gold Standard Science?
Why that's not the flex RFK Jr. et al. seem to believe.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Final plenary of today at #aas248 is by Cara Battersby about the dynamic center of our galaxy. Early on she has emphasized the importance of work-life balance.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I'm here at the final press briefing of #aas248. You can see the program from the @aas.org here: aas.org/meetings/aas... (later they will post pdfs of the talks and any associated press releases) and you can watch the talks starting *right now*: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXil...
aas.org
AAS 248: 2nd Media Advisory (Press Kit) | American Astronomical Society
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Eliza Kempton is giving the first plenary of the day at #aas248, about exoplanets. She points out how much this field has exploded over her relatively early career.
A talk slide showing properties of about 6000 exoplanets now discovered.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I'm at the afternoon briefing of #aas248. The program is here: aas.org/meetings/aas... and you can watch live - starting any minute - www.youtube.com/live/-38ah-b... Any associated press releases will be posted to the press kit later, as will the talk slides.
aas.org
AAS 248: 2nd Media Advisory (Press Kit) | American Astronomical Society
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I just watched a great talk by Kyle Kremer on black holes in globular clusters, including their mergers as gravitational wave source. Globulars are among my favorite objects in astronomy. #aas248
Title slide of talk by Kyle KremerSummary slide of talk by Kyle Kremer with globular cluster image in middle and telescope illustrations around it.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I'm at the second press briefing of #aas248 starting right now. Here's the program for this morning aas.org/meetings/aas... and you can watch the talks live here: www.youtube.com/live/MOPLBJW...
aas.org
AAS 248: 2nd Media Advisory (Press Kit) | American Astronomical Society
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Just listened to a great plenary from Mario Juric on early results from @vrubinobs.bsky.social They’ve already gathered a huge amount of data with exciting results and *much* more to come. AI is becoming increasingly important as some of his slides explain. #aas248
Talk slide about use of AI
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I'm at the 2nd press briefing of #aas248 about supermassive black holes: aas.org/meetings/aas... Two Chandra results are being presented on this, one supported by a press release from Laval University. All available releases will be posted in the press kit.
aas.org
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UIS Observatory @uisobservatory.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
At #AAS248 and saw this poster which explains really well the value of a liberal science education and why I originally came to UIS. Is it true? Absolutely, I can friends and colleagues with astronomy education who have gotten into many of these professions.
A poster titled, “What can you do with a degree in Astronomy” that lists a wide spectrum of areas and professions where that knowledge can be applied
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I’m at a #aas248 plenary about one of the hottest topics in the field: AI in astronomy. Progress in AI is measured in benchmarks and it’s increasingly useful in science and astronomy.
Title talk of slide on AI2nd slide on talk about AI in astronomy.
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American Astronomical Society (AAS) @aas.org · 15/06/2026
#AAS248 opened with a special welcome from Congresswoman Judy Chu, whose congressional district is home to the summer meeting. Congresswoman @chu.house.gov is the co-chair of the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus & a vocal advocate for the astronomical & planetary sciences in Congress. 🔭
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I'm here at the first press briefing of the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The press kit and list of speakers is here: aas.org/meetings/aas... #aas248 and the briefings will be shown here. The one on stellar remnants is starting right now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=P184...
aas.org
AAS 248: 2nd Media Advisory (Press Kit) | American Astronomical Society
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I'm here at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Pasadena. I'll post about some of the press briefing results and miscellaneous things while my energy stays high. 🤓 Here's the press kit for the meeting: aas.org/meetings/aas... #aas248
aas.org
AAS 248: 2nd Media Advisory (Press Kit) | American Astronomical Society
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National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
NEW: Cosmic Dawn Fuel Discovery Unlocks Early Galaxy Growth Secrets A team of @unileiden.bsky.social astronomers, using the NSF Very Large Array and #ALMA, have discovered a huge reservoir of cold molecular gas—the direct fuel for star formation—in galaxy REBELS-25. #Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #VLA
public.nrao.edu
Cosmic Dawn Fuel Discovery Unlocks Early Galaxy Growth Secrets - NSF NRAO
NSF VLA and ALMA observations detect enormous cold molecular gas reserves 13 billion years ago
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Matthew Cortland (they) @matthewcort.land · 31/05/2026
Great ?, let's run through it 🧵 Content won't matter to Russ Vought's OMB, they're not on the level. Possibly a large enough number of sufficiently powerful actors submit comments opposed, their combined *political power* could cause Vought to retreat. But it won't be prose that does it
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Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Oh I *LOVE* the @planetarysociety.bsky.social's dashboard of OMB proposed rule changes. The clarity of their thematic clusters is great, but the insertion/deletion tracked changes is outstanding. I hope everyone prepping comments makes great use of it. dashboards.planetary.org/rules-change...
Screenshot of dashboard summarizing OMB's proposed changes to 2 CFR. 

Thematic cluster 1: Political control of grantmaking is described as,
"New rules let political appointees deny and rescind grants based on research topic, institution, or a recipient's activities."
They cite three sections, each of which you can click to see tracked changes. 
§200.204
Grant competitions exempt from public notice
Agencies must normally post every funding opportunity on Grants.gov. This adds an exception letting an agency head keep a competition off the public site whenever they decide it serves the “national interest.”

§200.205
Political-appointee review of grants
A senior political appointee must personally review and sign off on every discretionary grant before it is awarded. They can reject any applicant and need not defer to the scientists who peer-reviewed the proposal.

§200.340
Grant termination without cause
Lets an agency cancel a grant mid-project simply because it decides the award no longer fits “agency priorities or the national interest.” No finding of fraud or noncompliance is required.
Screenshot of track-changes view for 2 CFR Section 200.205
Note at top says that 17 paragraphs are changed. 22 additions are highlighted in green text and 5 deletions highlighted in red text.
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National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
News You May Have Missed ⤵️ Event Horizon Telescope Results Trace M87 Jet Back to Its Black Hole Expanded telescope baselines, anchored by #ALMA, uncover fresh clues to how the supermassive black hole in M87 launched a 3,000‑light‑year‑long cosmic jet. #Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #BlackHole #EHT
public.nrao.edu
Event Horizon Telescope Results Trace M87 Jet Back to Its Black Hole - National Radio Astronomy Observatory
The latest news from the NSF's National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
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Jonathan O'Callaghan @astrojonny.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Hey Bluesky peeps, I'm looking to speak to astronomers that are looking for alien life in unusual ways - think Ceres, weird technosignatures, unexpected exoplanets, etc - for a story in the BBC. If that's you, or you know someone, do let me know. jdaoca[at]gmail[dot]com Thanks!
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
This result would be tremendously exciting if true. It might be intellectual snobbery, but for exciting and potentially ground-breaking results I always scan the author list for names of scientists I respect. This one has multiple people in that category!
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Nereide @drnereide.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
🧵1/8 This is a historic milestone: the very first public image from VISTA telescope (Dec 2009).🔭 It features the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) in Orion and its surroundings.🧪⚛️ Hidden in visible light, it bursts with newborn stars in infrared. eso.org/public/image... #histsci #galactic #astronomy
This infrared image shows the Flame Nebula, NGC 2024, in Orion from VISTA. In the middle there’s a tight group of young stars that you can’t normally see because they’re hidden behind thick dust in ordinary light. Lower down there’s a faint hazy spot called NGC 2023. Down in the bottom right you can see the dark outline of the Horsehead Nebula. On the right you see a bright blue star from Orion’s Belt.

Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day 🪐 @apod.shinyakato.dev · 21/05/2026
🔭 A Collision of Galaxy Clusters Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/C. Watson et al.; Optical: PanSTARRS; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk and P. Edmonds Text: Cecilia Chirenti (NASA GSFC, UMCP, CRESST II) ap260521
On a dark background, galaxies are shown as fuzzy white dots.
	  A bright blue spiral expands from the center.
	  Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution
	  version available.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Celebrate the birthday of the Hubble Space telescope with these gorgeous images collected by @mcnees.bsky.social
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ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 24/04/2026
Happy 36th anniversary, Hubble! 🎊 This is Hubble's gift for you: the Trifid Nebula 🎁, sometimes referred to as the Cosmic Sea Lemon. 🔭 🧪
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Michelle Collins @runningastronomer.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Will they or won't they? I discussed a recent paper on the most anticipated Galactic merger of all time. Tune in to hear about the future of the Milky Way! 🧪☄️🔭
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
“The announcement is just a tiny taste of the eventual asteroid smorgasbord anticipated…” - @elakdawalla.bsky.social Great anecdote at the end too.
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cait (and adonis) @cait.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
there's so much bad in the world but there's also people who lift up and carry an elderly bat around every day so he can pretend he's flying again, and that's the part of the world I think is worth fighting for
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Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
The science behind why some auroras have such stunning wave patterns www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
scientificamerican.com
The science behind why some auroras have such stunning wave patterns
Auroras, shimmering bands of light that shoot through the night sky near the Earth’s poles, can follow patterns known as arcs
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
The second press briefing of #AAS247 here in Phoenix, AZ is almost in the Q&A phase. You can watch the briefing here & also watch replays of previous briefings: www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOf... The press kit with the full schedule is here: aas.org/meetings/aas... - press releases should appear soon.
youtube.com
AAS Press Office
The YouTube channel of the American Astronomical Society's Press Office, managed by AAS Press Officer Dr. Susanna Kohler.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
I'm at the first press briefing of the 3rd full day of #AAS247. You can watch live - it JUST started: www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOf... and here is the program aas.org/meetings/aas... Press releases will be posted soon.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
I'm at the second press briefing of today's #AAS247 meeting. Watch live here, starting in 2 mins: www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOf... and the program is here aas.org/meetings/aas..., which is where press releases will soon be posted.
youtube.com
AAS Press Office
The YouTube channel of the American Astronomical Society's Press Office, managed by AAS Press Officer Dr. Susanna Kohler.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
I'm at the first press briefing of the second day of #AAS247. Some very cool results about "News from the High-Redshift Universe and Local Analogs". Watch here: www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOf... and the program is here: aas.org/meetings/aas...
A conference room with a panel of speakers in front and high-def TV screens
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AAS Press Office @press.aas.org · 05/01/2026
#AAS247 Space Telescope Science Institute: NASA’s Hubble Examines Cloud-9, First of New Type of Object science.nasa.gov/missions/hub...
science.nasa.gov
NASA's Hubble Examines Cloud-9, First of New Type of Object - NASA Science
A team using Hubble uncovered a new type of astronomical object — a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud, a remnant of early galaxy formation.
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National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
NEW from #AAS247: NSF NRAO Radio Telescopes Help Reveal Cloud-9, a Starless Dark-Matter “Failed Galaxy” Near M94 public.nrao.edu/news/starless-dark-… #AAS #Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #VeryLargeArray #GreenBankTelescope
public.nrao.edu
NSF NRAO Radio Telescopes Help Reveal Cloud-9, a Starless Dark-Matter “Failed Galaxy” Near M94 - National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Astronomers using NSF’s VLA and GBT, along with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, have confirmed Cloud-9 near M94 as a starless, dark-matter–dominated gas cloud—offering rare evidence for long-predicted ...
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
I’m at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Phoenix Arizona. To watch the press briefing about to start watch here www.youtube.com/c/AASPressOf... The briefing schedule is here aas.org/meetings/aas... #aas247
youtube.com
AAS Press Office
The YouTube channel of the American Astronomical Society's Press Office, managed by AAS Press Officer Dr. Susanna Kohler.
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Barry McKernan @bmckastro.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
So cool!
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Jason Wright @astrowright.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Any planetary scientists want to help me out with Avi's latest? avi-loeb.medium.com/3i-atlas-is-... 3I/ATLAS has apparently passed his new totally-made-up test for being a spacecraft. I don't think anyone is surprised it's still in one piece but we're way outside my (and his) expertise here. 🔭🧪
avi-loeb.medium.com
3I/ATLAS is Still a Single Body with a Sunward Anti-Tail After Perihelion!
Breaking News: The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS did not break up near the Sun.
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Steve Desch @deschscoveries.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was born with different and more ancient chemistry, has been more irradiated, and is speeding toward the Sun faster compared to Solar System comets. It's got a unique personality. But since literally Day 1 it was recognized as a comet and has only ever done comety things.
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Summer ✨ @sumrtime.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Hi Bluesky friends! I've been MIA for a while, but I'm coming back because I have some fun news... I'm helping the Astronomical Society of the Pacific sell/rehome their library because they are downsizing their office space. There are sooooooo many cool finds. I'm going to share as many as I can! 🔭
Image of wooden bookshelf packed with space books. Three shelves are visiible with yellow and blue post-it notes on them.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
A fascinating read: “The Harvard Scientist, Kim Kardashian and the Comet That Probably Isn’t an Alien Spaceship” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/s...
nytimes.com
The Harvard Scientist, Kim Kardashian and the Comet That Probably Isn’t an Alien Spaceship
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Jason Wright @astrowright.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Preach!
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Peter Coles 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇮🇪 @telescoper.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
A Decade of Gravitational Waves This is just a quick post to mark the fact that it is now ten years to the day since the first detection of gravitational waves by Advanced LIGO. The acronym LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. It wasn't until February 11th 2016 that…
telescoper.blog
A Decade of Gravitational Waves
This is just a quick post to mark the fact that it is now ten years to the day since the first detection of gravitational waves by Advanced LIGO. The acronym LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. It wasn't until February 11th 2016 that the result was announced at a press conference (which I blogged about here), but the signal itself arrived on 14th September 2015, exactly a decade ago; the name given to the event was GW150914.
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Congrats to my brilliant colleague @kimberlykowal.bsky.social for this well-deserved award: “2025 Klumpke-Roberts Award is given to Dr. Kimberly Arcand” chandra.si.edu/press/25_rel...
chandra.si.edu
Chandra Press Room :: 2025 Klumpke-Roberts Award is given to Dr. Kimberly Arcand :: 10 September 2025
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David Grinspoon @drfunkyspoon.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
LIFE ON MARS??!! I know you’re wary of overhyped claims of ET life. & we need to be cautious. As Sagan used to remind us, life should be the hypothesis of last resort. But this is one to watch. Legitimately a “potential biosignature” which demands follow up. 🧪 www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
NASA discovers ‘clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars’
Detailed analysis of images of speckled rocks found by NASA’s Perseverance rover has found a “potential biosignature.”
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Peter Edmonds @peterdedmonds.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
“Bluesky now platform of choice for science community” by @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social My question: is that the case for astronomers now? arstechnica.com/science/2025...
arstechnica.com
Bluesky now platform of choice for science community
It’s not just you. Survey says: “Twitter sucks now and all the cool kids are moving to Bluesky”…
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CNN @cnn.com · 30/07/2025
BREAKING: Tsunami alerts issued for Alaska, Hawaii and all of the US West Coast after a major earthquake struck Russia's remote Far East. Follow live updates.
cnn.com
Live updates: Tsunami alerts issued for Japan, Alaska, Hawaii and US West Coast after a major earthquake strikes Russia’s remote Far East | CNN
Tsunami warnings have been issued for parts of Russia and Japan after a massive 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday off Russia’s remote and sparsely populated far eastern coast. Follow for live ...
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Sarah Kendrew @sarahkendrew.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Brilliant
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Benjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
What a thumping signal!
Graph of the gravitational wave event
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