If comets are like cats, and planetary scientists have been studying domestic cats, tigers, leopards, jaguars, etc., of our solar system for many years, then comet 3I/ATLAS barges in like a serval or ocelot on an unbound e=6 orbit from somewhere else 😂. But it still purrs and scratches
#3IATLAS

Search for Organic and Volatile Inorganic Compounds in Two Surface Samples from the Chryse Planitia Region of Mars Two surface samples collected from the Chryse Planitia region of Mars were heated to temperatures up to 500°C, and the volatiles that they evolved were analyzed with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrome...

This is interesting, a re-evaluation of the Viking 1976 mission’s non-detection of organics on Mars (see the eletter below the original article). 😲 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #astrobiology

So the Earth has quasi-moons! What is the difference between a moon and a quasi moon? (And which one should I howl at?) #astronomy #news #nature #astrophotography

Yep, all in the context!

My weekend post: learning to be difficult as a teenager. Good practice for coping with academic life as an adult occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Tonight! Come and hear about how we landed on the Moon (and play along at home), how the BBC laughed at my coffee cup, and how I was almost lured into espionage.

A spread of the calendar opened to November. two cuttlefish hover over a reef where the female has laid eggs with tiny little baby cuttlefish in them.

This fall, @megstampede.bsky.social & I are collaborating to create a 2026 calendar!

Each month features a different animal, facts about them, & actions we can take to help them!

Sales will fund our '26 Native Plant Project

Pre-order now, they’ll ship in early November! Squidfacts.net

‘We’re not daft, we’re not stupid, we can still learn’ – the impact of informal science learning on wellbeing in acquired brain injury Science engagement centres offer interactive, hands-on experiences that foster curiosity and public engagement with science. This pilot study explores the integration of a UK science engagement cen...

What a fantastic project - "the impact of informal science learning on wellbeing in acquired brain injury" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The End of the Universe After a magnificent* 13.8 billion years** astronomer Chris Lintott (Sky at Night) and Steve Pretty (Hackney Colliery Band) lead a funeral and wake for the universe, as it sadly heads into heat death. ...

London! Next Friday! The Universe WILL end in the company of @astrokatie.com, Steve Pretty, many musicians and myself. Do please come join us wegottickets.com/event/676292

Are Black Holes Creating Dark Energy? A controversial prediction about black holes and the expansion force of the universe could explain a cosmology mystery

This is the article - about a possible connection between black holes and dark energy. There now seems to be evidence for this from both DESI and earlier observations I was involved with 🧪🔭 www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-d...

A Carers Guide for Institutions 1 Ensure institutional expense policy allows for the reimbursement of care-related costs including dependant and co-carer travel expenses. 2 Update and align institutional financial reimbursement policy with funder T&C’s relating to care-giving costs. 3 Establish institutional policy and disseminate to line managers and expense approvers to avoid inconsistent implementation and support. 4 Provide flexible carers grants for all staff and students with minimal administrative burden to flexibly support ad-hoc care and do not mandate online attendance. 5 Consider the competing demands of meeting sustainability goals and the requirement to support carers (e.g. trains, flight times on weekends). 6 Decouple measures of research impact and esteem from travel opportunities with updated academic guidance. 7 Allow for family-friendly travel accommodation options including booking outside of approved institutional travel providers. 8 Provide a per-diem (a daily allowance) option for complex trips to reduce administrative burden on carers. 9 When hosting an event, ensure risk assessments and insurance policy align to allow access to those under the age of 18.

So today I celebrate the work of @carersinstemm.bsky.social who are calling for systemic changes to funding, policy & culture to support carers in STEM. Funders & employers must listen if they recognise and value the importance of a diverse workforce.👩‍🔬🧪

Read their report 👉 carersinstemm.co.uk 8/9🧵

📌

Giant space squid please! 🦑🌟

a drawing of a red octopus with yellow eyes on a beige background Alt: a drawing of a red octopus with yellow eyes on a beige background

Tentacles crossed for maximum crossage!

You can do it!! ✨🧠

ICYMI, our VLT identified an enormous growth spurt in a rogue planet, which is eating up six billion tonnes of gas & dust a second!

The discovery sheds new light on how such planets form.
Discover more in our video 👇 

Full story: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2516/

🔭 🧪 #exoplanets #planetsci

Venus' Clouds Are 60% Water, According To Reanalyzed Pioneer Data Reanalyzing old data with our modern understanding seems to be in vogue lately. However, the implications of that reanalysis for some topics are more impactful than others. One of the most hotly debat...

share.google/XduLDJohy4a8...
Oooooh! Much watery stuff in the clouds of Venus?!?

"Weather reports for distant worlds"? - this project sounds so exciting!

YouTube video by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA Spacecraft Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Approaches Mars

The government is shut down, but they can't stop me from posting stuff here.

At Mars this weekend, it's all eyes on the skies. NASA's robotic explorers – in orbit and on the ground – will attempt observations when Comet 3I/ATLAS cruises past the Red Planet on Oct 3

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

Oooooooh exciting to see the organics at source! Gotta be a push for the #ESA mission

Swarm of many dark rocky asteroids near a planet with swirling brownish and whitish clouds.

A new study says potentially #dangerous nearby #asteroids could be invisible to astronomers. These space rocks share #Venus' orbit and spend most of their time hidden by the sun's glare. They could come perilously close to #Earth:
buff.ly/xbor8VE

📸 Valerio Carruba/ Google Gemini/ Agência FAPESP.