Liz MacDonald

A barred spiral galaxy from the Galaxy Zoo 2 project, classified by 51 volunteers.

A barred spiral galaxy, observed with the Apache Point 2.5m Telescope in the SDSS survey.

It is at redshift 0.050 (lookback time 698.4 million years) with coordinates (235.23357, 32.78347).

51 volunteers classified this galaxy in Galaxy Zoo 2.

Red, Green Light Show: ISS captures a green & red aurora above the city lights of Italy looking towards Germany, Jan. 19, 2026. Image credit: NASA/Chris Williams

Link for a larger photo and more information: www.nasa.gov/image-articl...

#ICYMI

CERN took part in the Fête de la science from 3 to 13 October. During ten days, CERN offered a variety of activities throughout the Pays de Gex as part of a collaborative science trail organised by Addictlab.

Making ‘lemonade from COVID lemons’: How UW students contributed to global wildlife observations from their backyards Students in a University of Washington wildlife research techniques class that went fully remote during the COVID-19 lockdown had an unexpected opportunity arise with the data they collected.

Here's a great, new citizen science paper featuring students from my alma mater UW, that also illustrates how long it takes to go from data to impactful science. Also, great participatory science education during Covid. @uwenvironment.bsky.social

environment.uw.edu/news/2025/06...

Thanks for pointing this out. Someone might have been practicing with the site, or they might have gotten an alert from us a little too early. We are tracking down an issue like the latter so the screenshot is helpful.

Pretty big coronal mass ejection from the Sun hit us last night. The results are beautiful.

Aurorasaurus - Reporting Auroras from the Ground Up Friends, see my real-time #aurora report on the aurorasaurus.org map! Follow us on www.facebook.com/aurorasaurus.org. Reporting #northernlights and #citizenscience from the ground up since 2012!

Yaaaas, we’d love a report like this for science too, at Aurorasaurus.org, please and thank you!

Just a reminder that the OVATION model is not a real picture of the aurora or even a model of where you can see the aurora—it’s a statistical prediction of where electrons are raining into the atmosphere which may produce visible aurora.

Thank you Brian Jackson and Rachel Huchmala from @boisestate.bsky.social for spearheading an impactful outreach and education program in Idaho using @unistellar.bsky.social telescopes and our @setiinstitute.bsky.social citizen science program to inspire the young generation. #astronomy #outreach

I had an NSF astronomy and astrophysics postdoc. It’s very possible #WithoutNSF I wouldn’t be a planetary scientist today.

heliophysics Heliophysics refers to the physical processes (such as nuclear fusion) and phenomena (such as solar flares) of the sun and its influence on the solar system, as well as the scientific study of these p...

💯🫶 @merriam-webster.com is recognizing
☀️Heliophysics is low-key 🔥, no cap
#slangandtrending
www.merriam-webster.com/slang/heliop...

Have you seen fragmented aurora-like emissions (FAEs)? These small aurora “tick-tacks” are a newly-discovered phenomenon that has important implications in the aurora science community! If you think you’ve seen these in your photos, keep reading to find out how you can help.

#heliophysics

It's still too early to tell but Washington state will have some of the most clear skies tonight (in the U.S.) to spot aurora. MI/OH also look good. Astrospheric is a great tool to use for clouds.

I've been learning about the mysteries of bird migration. This is a really cool tool that tracks birds in real-time from their weather radar signatures. I hope the birds don't get confused by the geomagnetic activity going on. I'm going to keep an eye on the data tonight as activity progresses.

Southern Europe, get out! A substorm has just pushed auroral visibility to lower latitudes. This camera in Austria is at the same geomagnetic latitude as places in North America like San Francisco or Oklahoma City!

theauroraguy.com/pages/webcams

Really nice aurora seen into the southern UK and further south, right now! (screenshot from Aurorasaurus, time shown is in Pacific time) Sign up for a free Aurorasaurus.org alert - our view line adapts to when people can beat the model prediction! Please report to help others & contribute to science

An image of the sky with purple aurora

Aurora are visible in UK skies right now! 🔭

Aurora Borealis now visible on AuroraCam over Billingborough, UK. 🔭🧪

In the wake of the #solarstorm impact on Tue Apr 15, today on Wed Apr 16 since 11 UTC there is a steady southward pointing magnetic field in the wake of a previous storm arriving. Now, a moderate geomagnetic storm is developing (Dst - 74 nT at 14 UTC). It may continue for a few hours on this level.👇

How to write competitive proposals and job applications Writing proposals and job applications is arguably one of the most important tasks in the career of a scientist. The proposed ideas must be scientifically compelling, but how a proposal is planned, wr...

Cool paper #1 of the day: Johan Knapen et al. wrote a great article with tips about how to write competitive proposals & applications ☄️

I like the ideas on figures they have (originally from Kuchner 2011) - have three: a 'beautiful' figure, a figure showing the state of the art, and a before/after

A white eyed vireo, a gray migratory bird with yellow accents, perched on a branch. He uses quantum mechanics to get around this time of year! © Craig Brelsford / Macaulay Library via Cornell Ornithology Lab

It's the leading edge of spring migration here in North Carolina, and that means I'm sometimes lucky enough to see a splash of yellow among the juncos and chickadees.

These migratory birds use the Earth's
magnetic field to navigate; it turns out they leverage quantum mechanics to do so.

1/6 ⚛️🧪

Exciting news! We’re thrilled to announce that tapir Yuna gave birth to a rare and endangered Malayan tapir calf Sunday night. The newborn, covered in distinctive white spots and stripes resembling a fuzzy walking watermelon, is only the second tapir born in our 120-year history.

Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse Sunrises. People you have still to meet and laugh with. Songs about love, peace, anger, and revolution. Walks in the woods. The smile you exchange with a stranger when you experience beauty accidentally together. Butterflies. Seeing your grandparents again. The moon in all her forms, whether half or full. Dogs. Birthdays and half-birthdays. That feeling of floating in love. Watching birds eat from bird feeders. The waves of happiness that follow the end of sadness. Brown eyes. Watching a boat cross an empty sea. Sunsets. Dipping your feet in the river. Balconies. Cake. The wind in your face when you roll the car window down on an open highway. Falling asleep to the sound of a steady heartbeat. Warm cups of tea on cold days. Hugs. Night skies. Art museums. Books filled with everything you do not yet know. Long conversations. Long-lost friends. Poetry.

I wrote this on one of the darkest days of my life. It gave me an anchor to hold onto.

THREE sounding rockets are launching out of Poker Flat this month! Assuming the launch windows are still open, I'll be heading to Venetie, a little village north of the Arctic Circle, next weekend to assist with ground ops.

www.gi.alaska.edu/news/three-r...

#heliophysics

YouTube video by Vincent Ledvina - The Aurora Guy Cutting-Edge Projects in Aurora Participatory Science - NASA HSD Seminar, December 2024

Check out this seminar I gave at NASA Goddard last month. I have just uploaded the recording of the talk today. It's worth watching! The title of the talk is: "Cutting-Edge Projects in Aurora Participatory Science"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB6n...