William O. Balmer's Avatar

William O. Balmer

@balmer.bsky.social

working class astronomer, science journalist, author. phd candidate at jhu/stsci. proudly union, tru-ue blogs from astrowill.page, cv at wbalmer.github.io

1,111 Followers  |  273 Following  |  191 Posts  |  Joined: 09.07.2023  |  2.1437

Latest posts by balmer.bsky.social on Bluesky

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In Gaza, Scanning the Sky for Stars, Not Drones A Palestinian scientist's effort to bring astronomy to Gaza has begun to bear fruit, but steep hurdles remain.

Suleiman Baraka in Gaza says this about his work: โ€œI decided to fight the killing of the children by educating the children.... astronomy โ€œis also a window for breathing freedom that we were denied for our whole life".

I think this is the reason the world needs it. All of us need his example.

13.02.2026 00:08 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 18    ๐Ÿ” 7    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

needs a catchy limerick for memorization. periapsis in abstract, perihelion for the Sun, perigee for the Earth, and periastron for binary stars (inherited by exoplanets, which are really just very small binary stars), lil omega, a.o.p., the forgotten one, etc

07.02.2026 21:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

that's an easy fix. just plot the upper 1 sigma uncertainty on argument of periastron on the abscissa, and the lower 1 sigma uncertainty on the tess input catalog stellar effective temperature on the ordinate. basically as informative as m or r vs P imo

07.02.2026 17:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

we found the same with nircam last year! two independent instruments showing strong CO2 features and the power of JWST at high contrasts

14.01.2026 21:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

woohoo a high throughput coronagraph in space ๐Ÿ˜€

07.01.2026 14:26 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
NASA Discovers Distant Planet With Conditions That Could Sustain Rocks

NASA Discovers Distant Planet With Conditions That Could Sustain Rocks

NASA Discovers Distant Planet With Conditions That Could Sustain Rocks https://theonion.com/nasa-discovers-distant-planet-with-conditions-that-could-sustain-rocks/

06.01.2026 21:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2025    ๐Ÿ” 287    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 33    ๐Ÿ“Œ 45

i think i heard so!

05.01.2026 01:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

ive liked my lenovo steam deck equivalent so far, runs steamos/linux

05.01.2026 00:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

One legitimate way to be frustrated with graduate education is to think about the fact that grad programs continue to produce PhDs despite there being few job opportunities because those programs need the cheap labor of graduate students. But you need to be able to see yourself as a worker.

19.12.2025 00:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 92    ๐Ÿ” 16    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
2+7= _
I caNnot aNswer this qwestion, as it is agaiNst My reLigious principles.
ู ูกูจูจ
IT'S WORTH A SHOT.
aMI,
7 january 1986
NAITION

2+7= _ I caNnot aNswer this qwestion, as it is agaiNst My reLigious principles. ู ูกูจูจ IT'S WORTH A SHOT. aMI, 7 january 1986 NAITION

Has this been posted yet

01.12.2025 03:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4212    ๐Ÿ” 734    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 19    ๐Ÿ“Œ 30

"Why is there grade inflation? Why do our courses lack rigor?'

"Also we will immediately throw any graduate student TA or instructor who upsets an influential constituency under the bus, no matter how obviously manufactured their outrage is." ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ

30.11.2025 22:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1004    ๐Ÿ” 195    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 19    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
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what does an exoplanet look like? - astro will Large telescopes have allowed us to take unresolved pictures of exoplanets around a few dozen nearby stars, in many different colors of light. What do they look like?

blogging through the sickness

www.astrowill.page/blog/what-do...

04.11.2025 19:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

the classic sickness after stressful deadlines has impeeded halloween fun this year :(

31.10.2025 17:06 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

after this proposal cycle, i think i can argue anything

15.10.2025 14:25 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

the closest r1 physics dept to my hometown is hiring: ๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜€

... in cm theory: ๐Ÿซฅ๐Ÿซฅ๐Ÿซฅ

14.10.2025 23:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 11    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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a white cat yawning with its mouth open ALT: a white cat yawning with its mouth open
14.10.2025 18:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 4    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
a scientist presenting in front of a slide show, which displays a diagram of variability in the brightness of a planet

a scientist presenting in front of a slide show, which displays a diagram of variability in the brightness of a planet

my favorite weatherman on channel 0136 @evertnasedkin.bsky.social

08.10.2025 09:06 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags Activist tells Swedish officials she has been subjected to harsh treatment, including insufficient food and water

โ€œโ€œThey dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,โ€ the Turkish activist Ersinร‡elik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.โ€+

04.10.2025 18:21 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6403    ๐Ÿ” 3850    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 213    ๐Ÿ“Œ 516
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2 million rally in Italy for Gaza as general strike halts key services Over 2 million people across Italy have rallied in more than 100 cities for a one-day general strike.

Over 2 million people across Italy have rallied in more than 100 cities for a one-day general strike.

04.10.2025 09:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 12334    ๐Ÿ” 4209    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 247    ๐Ÿ“Œ 584

first fellowship submitted. brain hurts

03.10.2025 19:26 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

truly elegant paper!

01.10.2025 19:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Let that sink in

"Despite its extreme population density, Gaza was mostly self-sufficient in vegetables and poultry, and met much of the populationโ€™s demand for olives, fruit and milk. But last month the UN reported that just 1.5% of its agricultural land now remains both accessible and undamaged."

27.09.2025 07:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 330    ๐Ÿ” 213    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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๐Ÿ”ญ It's paper day! Today I'm sharing the latest in a series of papers looking at the weather on other worlds, in this case bringing you the weather report from a nearby T-dwarf, SIMP-0136. ๐Ÿช

๐Ÿงต to follow...

26.09.2025 09:05 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 37    ๐Ÿ” 18    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

so cool!

23.09.2025 18:09 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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morgoth sends hellfires to assist the bacteria roasting

21.09.2025 14:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

awesome! at a great separation for lots of instruments too

26.08.2025 13:36 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

need to take a break from fellowship drafts because i think im driving myself crazy

15.08.2025 13:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

surely the others will be different, right guys

13.08.2025 15:47 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 16    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

i have always explained something approximating this to people who ask me my opinion on three body. classic cosmic mirror of a writer who grew up in the cold war. glad others seem to agree!

11.08.2025 23:13 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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New Study from Madaket Health Reveals Nearly Half of Americans Delay Healthcare Due to Cost and In-Network Barriers

About half of Americans say they've put off healthcare services due to cost barriers, with Millennials most affected by far, per new study by Madaket Health.

Percent of age groups who've put off getting care:
Millennials: 78%
Gen X: 56%
Baby Boomers: 30%
www.morningstar.com/news/busines...

02.08.2025 17:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 802    ๐Ÿ” 201    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 55    ๐Ÿ“Œ 36

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