Guy Watkins

Day 42/273

Observatory | LEGO® Ideas The universe has always fascinated humans, and observatories play an important role in unraveling its secrets and wonders in our Milky Way and distant galaxies.…

I'm sharing my support for this LEGO astronomical observatory to become a reality! 🔭🧪
beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...

Day 41/273

As a professional astronomer, I absolutely would not want my children going into this. I hope they have been clear witnesses to my ceaseless anxiety and job insecurity. Yes, funding is much worse now than a year ago, but academia has been a disaster for a LONG time

dr. evil from the movie dumb and dumber is sitting in a chair . ALT: dr. evil from the movie dumb and dumber is sitting in a chair .

That's SO true - there was me thinking £1500 was everything I needed. MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!

PTAstrobio Kanał Polskiego Towarzystwa Astrobiologicznego

Last day of Life And Space (LAS) 25, organised by The Polish Astrobiology Society youtube.com/@ptastrobio #astrobiology 🔭🧪

Day 40/273 alcohol-free! "Only" 233 days to go...

Radio 3 Unwind - Listen Live - BBC Sounds Listen live to Radio 3 Unwind on BBC Sounds

Radio 3 Unwind only launched last year, and I love it - I listen whilst on a crowded bus, studying, or trying to sleep. It really is a great channel.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Day 39: I spoke too soon; there has been another donation. Thank you! Now at £1,937 - just £63 short of the £2000 new target.

Satellites keep photobombing the Hubble telescope, and it’s getting worse Overcrowded orbits are making astronomers’ jobs harder.

Satellites keep photobombing the Hubble telescope, and it’s getting worse

Volcanic eruption may have triggered Europe's Black Death plague A volcanic eruption may have set off a chain reaction that led to Europe's deadliest pandemic.

Volcanic eruption may have triggered Europe's deadly Black Death plague
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Day 37 & 38/273

The donations dried up a while back. I was hoping we'd get to £2000, but apparently not.

Hello Professor Spahn, I wanted to thank you for a great class! I'm graduating in the spring - I've been in college off and on for 7 years so it's felt surreal knowing this is my last fall semester. Through the years there have been few a classes that have been really impactful to me. Earth Science has become one of them. I think learning about rocks and minerals was my favorite (but honestly it's hard to pick). Beyond the course content, you've also helped me realize how much I love science (!) and how capable I am of engaging with it. I put my required science class off for so long because i was scared it would be too difficult for me. But now, science has never felt so beautiful or within my grasp. I'm so grateful for that. I had hoped to get into your astronomy class for my last semester, but unfortunately it didn't work out. Regardless, your class is really wonderful and lab has often been the highlight of my week. Thank you for making my last fall semester a great representation of everything I've loved about college. :) Stay safe on your adventures, [student's name]

A small clay volcano cross section with an orange conduit and even a little side vent. Cotton dotted with dark color is attached at the top as the eruption column.

A small bray-to-black clay volcano with streaks of orange lava. Cotton dotted with dark color is attached at the top as the eruption column.

One of my Earth Science students made this beautiful little clay volcano and gave it to me along with this letter during our last lecture. The letter nearly made me cry - it is a perfect reminder of why I do what I do, and why all the time, energy, and (relative lack of) salary are worth it. 🥹

That's great - congratulations!

A cartoon depicts several dinosaurs on a prehistoric landscape under a blue sky with scattered clouds. In the background, a bright white-orange asteroid streaks diagonally across the sky toward the ground, leaving a glowing trail. In the foreground, a Tyrannosaurus rex stands upright with its mouth open, with a white speech bubble next to its head containing the text: “Oh shit! Just like the scientists predicted.” Nearby, a few smaller dinosaurs look on, standing on a grassy plain with some low vegetation and rocky hills behind them.

This is us.

I've signed up for the IAUS 404: Advancing the Search for Technosignatures. Details here: iaus404.bmsis.org
@bluemarblespace.bsky.social @cosmobiologist.bsky.social @astro4edu.bsky.social #technosignatures #astrobiology 🔭🪐🧪⚛️

The CCI supports the option for the TMT to be installed at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory Statement supporting the selection of La Palma for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) site:The Comité Científico Internacional (CCI) of the Canary Islands Observatories enthusiastically welcomes the pos...

If not sited in Hawaii, the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) on La Palma is a possible candidate for the location of the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) @iacastrofisica.bsky.social
iac.es/en/outreach/... 🔭🌌🧪 #exoplanet

Day 36/273

Day 35/273

Day 34/273

Maybe get a Chinese lantern? 🏮I'll get my coat.

Explore the Redesigned Learn.Astropy.org A New Way to Learn Astronomy with Python

Have you ever wanted @astropy.org tutorials on:
– spectroscopic data reduction from a raw FITS image,
– computing galactic orbits from Gaia measurements,
– cross-matching astronomical catalogs?

Check out the redesigned learn.astropy.org! Announcement from @numfocus.bsky.social below. 🧪🔭 #astrocode

Lightning detected on Mars by Nasa rover, scientists believe Researchers heard electric crackles on 28 hours of recordings made over two Martian years.

Lightning detected on Mars by Perseverance.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Any pics?

YouTube video by ClipZone: Comedy Callbacks Sharks With Frickin' Laser Beams 🦈 #austinpowers #sharkweek

youtube.com/shorts/WnDow...

Day 33/273

Also: no shark.

An oscilloscope, monitor and outside camera display on my laser trailer. O-scope display shows a return signal spike, camera shows our nd-YAG laser exiting the dome pointing SE

The Green Beam of Science is in action tonight, currently on LARES2/5988

Volcano Erupts After Lying Dormant for 12,000 Years, Sending Scientists Scrambling The Hayli Gubbi volcano, long thought to be dormant, sent ash nine miles into the sky in an eruption on Sunday

The Hayli Gubbi volcano, long thought to be dormant, sent ash nine miles into the sky in an eruption on Sunday

Day 32/273