Jonathan Pritchard

2026 LAD Laboratory Astrophysics Prize

Daniel W. Savin will receive Laboratory Astrophysics Division's highest honor in recognition of contributions to studies in X-ray astrophysics & early universe star formation & extensive service to the laboratory astrophysics community. aas.org/posts/news/2...

We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short. We die on the march. But there is nothing outside the march so nothing can be lost to it. The missing plays of Sophocles will turn up piece by piece, or be written again in another language … You do not suppose, my lady, that if all of Archimedes had been hiding in the great library of Alexandria, we would be at a loss for a corkscrew?

From Stoppard’s Arcadia:

Convivial, but not so connected as the old Twitter, it feels.

Hope you enjoy!

Absolutely loved Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty series of books. Super engaging and creative “Silkpunk”. I’m astonished I’d never heard anyone talking about it.

Dementia is a terrible thing. So often the personality is present, but completely detached from the world.

Zelenskyy says Ukraine has impossible choice as Trump pushes plan to end war US president demands that Kyiv accepts plan that would mean giving up territory to Russia

It’s appalling that the Trump administration is trying to push a near surrender on Ukraine, all to give Putin time to rearm for a second attempt at total conquest.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

It’s very depressing that, almost from the start, Labour have wasted their energies fighting internally rather than uniting to do the hard work of governing. Not what I’d hoped for.

My favourite London haunt.

Good to see @defjaf.bsky.social new book - the Random Universe - out in the wild. Heffers in Cambridge.

⏳ Two weeks to go!

Interested in a PhD in Astrophysics at Imperial?

Join our Astrophysics PhD Open Day — 3 Dec 2025, in person or online! ✨

👩‍🏫 Meet supervisors
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Info & registration: imperial.ac.uk/astrophysics...

#PhD #Astrophysics

Just once I’d love to attend an #SKAO meeting/telecon where the telescope was going to be bigger, faster, better than previously advertised. Just once.

Old Peculiar in the old Pickerel. One of my few timeless Cambridge traditions.

Congratulations to the newly minted Dr Simon Pochinda! Fine work on multi-observation inference of cosmic dawn and super-resolution for 21cm simulations. Fun to discuss in his viva today.

Labour seem to have completely lost the plot. They’re getting bogged down in political nonsense and failing to push forward the practical policies that are actually needed.

Blimey. So sorry you’ve had to deal with these experiences. Super crappy.

Passing through KingsX to Cambridge once more.

So timid. I’m surprised how poor they are at following through on things. They learnt all the wrong lessons from their campaigning period.

Sunset from my office takes some beating.

The Random Universe isn’t out until tomorrow (November 11), but the Kindle edition is on sale in both the US and in the UK. (And if you look very carefully, you’ll see that it has broken into the top 100 UK cosmology bestsellers…)

What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.

On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A significant new development in the Imperial College pay dispute.

The Joint Trade Unions have uncovered that key 2018 pay benchmarking recommendations—based on extensive staff consultation—were quietly set aside by College management.

Read the full update here: ucu.imperial.ac.uk/archives/1143

Celebrating St Martin in the center of Bonn. Children with lanterns, a legionary on a white horse, and a huge bonfire!

Too long for Jon, too short for Jonathan. That seems my current state of play.

Hashtags made Twitter as a way of easily seeing relevant content & finding new people. Just isn’t the same dynamic on Bluesky.

Apply to Write for Astrobites 2025! Love astronomy, astrophysics, and science communication? Come join the Astrobites team! Applications due November 26th.

Are you a grad student interested in writing for Astrobites, or do you know one? We're recruiting! Apply by November 26 :)

astrobites.org/2025/10/31/a...

Opinion | In Trump’s America, Are We Losing Our Democracy? (Gift Article) Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

Americans should be seriously concerned about the state of their democracy. It won’t get better if you deny the problem.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

#nasa is shuttering the Goddard #space #flight center in a move that may not be entirely legal, according to critics. For months, our #staff #writer @joshdinner.bsky.social interviewed NASA #employees, read #senate reports and more to give you the deepest dive yet.

www.space.com/space-explor...

Wowed by the “Nigerian Modernism” exhibition at Tate Modern. Fascinating subject matter and colour palettes.

“Wherever law ends, tyranny begins…” - John Locke (1689)