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Ben Burningham

@substellarfella.bsky.social
170 followers 160 following 30 posts

Astronomer at University of Hertfordshire studying substellar atmospheres star.herts.ac.uk/~bb

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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 12h
Gosh.. this actually made me feel a bit sad. I shall miss Marina Hyde’s brilliant work @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
It's true: this is my final column. You have exactly 24 hours to complain before my inbox self-destructs | Marina Hyde
Yes, after 25 years I’m signing off, and I’ve cherished every moment – especially storming the French embassy with a (toy) AK-47, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
I remember 2004 at Glastonbury when they played and I’d say Edinburgh council is maybe being too polite www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
theguardian.com
Liam Gallagher criticises Edinburgh council for saying Oasis fans mainly rowdy middle-aged men
Singer says attitude of officials ‘stinks’ after documents show concern about crowds and intoxication
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Dr Ryan MacDonald @distantworlds.space · 01/05/2025
The K2-18b saga deepens with a great new paper out today by @luiswel.bsky.social (arxiv.org/abs/2504.21788). Turns out hydrocarbons can explain K2-18b's new JWST MIRI spectrum *without* the need to invoke DMS or DMDS as biosignatures. Read on to find out more! 🧵 #Exoplanet 🔭🪐
The Challenges of Detecting Gases in Exoplanet Atmospheres by Luis Welbanks et al.

Abstract: Claims of detections of gases in exoplanet atmospheres often rely on comparisons between models including and excluding specific chemical species. However, the space of molecular combinations available for model construction is vast and highly degenerate. Only a limited subset of these combinations is typically explored for any given detection. As a result, apparent detections of trace gases risk being artifacts of incomplete modeling rather than robust identification of atmospheric constituents, especially in the low signal-to-noise regime. We illustrate these challenges using the sub-Neptune K2-18~b, where recent claims of a potential biosignature detection vanish when the considered model space is expanded. We show that numerous alternative models without potential biosignature gases provide equivalent or better fits to the observations. We demonstrate that the significance of a claimed detection relies on the choice of models being compared, and that model preference does not necessarily imply the presence of any specific gas.

https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.21788
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ClimateBook @climatebook.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
About that new paper on K2-18b, which headlines with "Scientists hail ‘strongest evidence’ so far for life beyond our solar system," evidently prodded by a Cambridge U. press release. arxiv.org/pdf/2504.12267 . It's not actually any kind of evidence for life, and here I'll give my take on the paper.
arxiv.org
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Dr Jake Taylor @astrojake.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
I wrote a research note about the recent publication of the MIRI/LRS spectrum of K2-18b. The authors had claimed the detection of potential signs of life. I find the data to be consistent with a flat line 🔭🧪
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Wow… brutal JWST Cycle 4 results out. So many brilliant proposals couldn’t be awarded time… but amongst the carnage of rejections in my inbox, I see some successes. Congratulations and commiserations to colleagues today #astronomy
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
@exoclimes.bsky.social hey have accepted participants been notified ? If so; will you be sending out rejections so unsuccessful applicants can plan their summers ?
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
This is bittersweet.. phenomenal mission. Truly game changing. Amazing achievement. But sad it’s going dark. All good things…. 🔭
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Quick bbc 3CR interview w/ @milesblumsom.bsky.social to start day thanks to my partner for leaving for work late so the 6 yo didn’t interrupt. Now the school run. our fantastic new physics, astronomy and maths outreach and public engagement manager is also starting today… it’s a good day already!
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Come and check it out next Friday! Tickets selling fast: www.eshop.herts.ac.uk/search?cid=459 #hertfordshire 🔭 #astronomy #herts #BedsBucksHerts
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Space Telescope Science Institute @stsci.edu · 08/01/2025
Technicians have successfully integrated NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s payload—the telescope, instrument carrier, and two instruments—to the spacecraft that will deliver the observatory to its place in space and enable it to function while there. 🔭 🧪
nasa.gov
NASA Joins Telescope, Instruments to Roman Spacecraft - NASA
Technicians have successfully integrated NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s payload – the telescope, instrument carrier, and two instruments – to the
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Tickets for the next @bayfordburyobs.bsky.social open night selling fast! We’ve got 4 planets on show in the early evening this month, so don’t miss your chance to see them through our telescopes! 🔭 #hertfordshire #astronomy
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Jason Wang @thejason.wang · 07/01/2025
Excited to share our interdisciplinary work on developing new methods to subtract off the glare of the star to reveal fainter exoplanets. We show in simulation that we can build a full optical model of JWST/NIRCam and generate images of the star to subtract off and reveal faint planets (1/3)
A series of images showing our new algorithm to detect planets compared to a standard KLIP algorithm. The images show that our new method enables a boost in SNR.
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Tickets now on sale for 1st @bayfordburyobs.bsky.social open evening of 2025! 17th Jan will be JWST night. Public lectures from Webb Fellow Dr Emma Curtis-Lake, Dr Mike Kuhn, and kids space telescope quiz + more. Get them here: www.eshop.herts.ac.uk/search?cid=459 #astronomy 🔭 #hertfordshire
eshop.herts.ac.uk
Search our events/products and add to your shopping cart
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Peter Coles 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇮🇪 @telescoper.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Many problems in mathematics and physics can be simplified by assuming that any solid body is approximately a sphere, but this approach is likely to lead to a rounding error.
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University of Hertfordshire Observatory @observatory.herts.ac.uk · 19/12/2024
We’re looking forward to supporting this!
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Niall Deacon @nialldeacon.com · 15/12/2024
He's making a list He's checking it twice Of the fuzziness things that clutter the skies Charles Messier is coming to town
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 15/12/2024
6 yr old so asked me how many people it would take to hold up Jupiter if it came close enough to Earth, and was hard instead of gas. Short time later find myself trying explain Roche limit to him. He appears to have left the room
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Yet again the culture warriors showing their selective free speech. Nice to see the new gov agrees previous outfit were out of order. Also, if you haven’t listened to Kneecap - do. They’re fantastic www.theguardian.com/music/2024/n...
theguardian.com
Kneecap: UK government acted illegally in withholding funding from Irish rap trio
The Department for Business and Trade said Kemi Badenoch’s decision to rescind funding had been ‘unlawful and procedurally unfair’
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Worrying times for many
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
He’s not always keeping me up. Sleepy #sheltie
A sleepy sheltie
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
It will also make it tricky for people to know what they are eligible to apply for in the upcoming round.. due early March
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Mark Marley @markmarley.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
D/H and PH3 in the coldest brown dwarf. 🔭🧪 arxiv.org/abs/2411.14541
Plot of D/H ratio in various objects.
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Really great work here from Melanie Rowland , @astrocaroline.bsky.social , @blkschlr-bmiles.bsky.social , and the rest of the team. I was very pleased to be involved in this, albeit in a minor way. First time we’ve confirmed the planetary mass of an object in this way! #browndwarfs #exoplanets
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
This is my dog. I love my dog. But right now he is canis non grata. He is on a run of getting me up every night. Last night 3 times: sometimes for toilet, but mostly because he wants to “investigate”. I think our house goes through phases of being on a badger highway. I need it to stop
A very guilty looking shelty
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Royal Astronomical Society @royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Last chance! ⌛ The closing date to apply for our Public Engagement Officer vacancy is TODAY. Are you passionate about our work and keen to harness that inspiration to teach a world-class programme to a wide range of audiences? We'd love to hear from you. Apply at: buff.ly/3YNao2Z
The RAS logo with text reading "Join us! Apply now".
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
@bot.astronomy.blue signup
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Ben Burningham @substellarfella.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
I rarely get very invested in the well being of public figures, but am well chuffed that we’re going to be getting @laurenlaverne.bsky.social back in our kitchen in the mornings!
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