Shanika Galaudage

Attended #GWPAW this week (it’s the Gravitational Wave Physics and Astronomy Workshop), and I got the opportunity to make and present a poster ✨

So I had a little fun with it 🤣

I mean… my poster is pretty WICKED, wouldn’t you agree? 💚🩷

#BlackHoles #WomenInSTEM

Attended #GWPAW this week (it’s the Gravitational Wave Physics and Astronomy Workshop), and I got the opportunity to make and present a poster ✨

So I had a little fun with it 🤣

I mean… my poster is pretty WICKED, wouldn’t you agree? 💚🩷

#BlackHoles #WomenInSTEM

Oh wow 🤣

Gaia: Rewriting the story of the Milky Way

For over a decade, #ESAGaia mapped our galaxy with stunning precision, rewriting the story of the Milky Way 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

While Gaia no longer collects new data, its scientific mission is far from over! Upcoming are the Gaia Data Release 4 and the final legacy catalogue. 🔭

Throw back to 3 years ago ⏰

This was the loudest PhD thesis submission I’ve been too… my own! 😂

Just so happened to coincide with the annual @ozgrav.bsky.social retreat.

Missing the folks in AUS ❤️ hope to visit again soon! But maybe I should time it with next year’s retreat 👀

#PhD #Astrophysics

Women scientists often do not get recognition and visibility for their achievements as their male peers. Thanks to @indianexpress.com for highlighting stories like ours which go unnoticed, that hopefully will help to change the gender bias that still exists in society.

I encourage women to claim their space in astrophysics and beyond Debarati Chatterjee’s mission is to make science in India more welcoming towards women.

Required reading from @astroroamer.bsky.social 🔭

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A terrific writeup from @rami.spaceaustralia.com on our recent Apep results and press release! Would highly recommend giving it a read :)

This is not what the problem is. We have many excellent, talented, engaging science communicators.

Their reach is deliberately truncated by the social media companies, and billionaire-owned news outlets do not platform them.

Starting in one minute! Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS images to be shared by NASA. YouTube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A55S...

Our fourth LIGO @egovirgo.bsky.social KAGRA observing run has now drawn to a close. We will be busy analysing data for a while to come—watch out for more discovery announcements.

We will be back next year observing.docs.ligo.org/plan/

Think I'll just park this here.

CSIRO needs urgent support CSIRO is under attack. Sign the petition calling on the Albanese Government to act now to secure the future of CSIRO’s world-leading science and research.

Please sign. This stupid decision needs reversing

actionnetwork.org/petitions/cs...

The woman who discovered the first black hole Betty Webster is a name to remember. Also: more rogue binary jovians

Have you ever heard of Betty Webster? I hadn't until recently, and she co-discovered the first black hole ever found! Here's her story, to honor her memory and fantastic accomplishment.

badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/the-woman-...

🔭 🧪

If you are a STEM professional in Australia, I highly recommend you check out this program. stempals.org.au

(And yes, this program confirmed that my handwriting definitely needs some work… ✍️ amazed I ever got my pen licence back in Year 4 🤣)

STEMpals announces 2025 Curiosity Communicators | STEMpals by Curiosity Factory posted on the topic | LinkedIn Meet our 2025 Curiosity Communicators! ✨ Each year, STEMpals recognises outstanding STEM professionals who bring science, technology, engineering and maths to life for primary students through powerf...

Through this program I also made connections with other STEM communicators in AUS. Check out the other awardees here: linkedin.com/posts/stempals_stemeducation-stemmentors-stemcommunication-activity-7392364995860287488-lTkr

Programs like STEMpals make mentorship tangible, personal, and meaningful.

I’m so grateful for the chance to help inspire kids as they explore what STEM can look like for them 🥰

I ended up writing each of my letters from three different cities!
Nice 🇫🇷 Melbourne 🇦🇺 Chicago 🇺🇸

Across three continents, one thing stayed constant: the importance of nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers ✨

#NextGenSTEM @ozgrav.bsky.social @nuciera.bsky.social

Curiosity is what drives many of us in STEM careers, and it’s taken me around the world 🌎

I loved being able to share that journey with my STEMpal!

#STEMpals #PostdocLife

Astrophysicist Shanika Galaudage is featured in a promotional graphic titled “Celebrating Curiosity Communicators.” The graphic includes the words “Communication • Curiosity • Connection.” A quote reads: “To me, doing STEM is about being curious, spotting patterns, and exploring new ideas. They are just some of the reasons why I love being a scientist!” Shanika’s name and title appear in a maroon banner, and a portrait of her smiling with long dark hair and a maroon top is shown on the right.

Thrilled to be named a #STEMpals ‘Curiosity Communicator’ 🥰

STEMpals is a program that connects kids in years 5 and 6 in Aussie classrooms with STEM professionals through letters! ✉️

The goal? To form a connection and spark curiosity in STEM. ✨

#SciComm #WomenInSTEM

Don't Buy Starbucks! At any location, today and beyond, while workers are on ULP strike!

As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.

Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX

An artist’s impression of a large red star releasing a bright, explosive burst of light. Swirling red and orange patterns surround the star, suggesting intense activity. In the background, a smaller blue planet appears with a faint, wispy trail extending away from it, indicating its atmosphere being blown off. The scene is set against a dark space backdrop dotted with stars.

📣 For the first time ever, scientists have confirmed seeing a giant explosion on a star other than our own!

Our XMM-Newton observatory and the LOFAR telescope contributed to making this long sought-after discovery 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

🔭 🧪 ☄️ ☀️ 1/

I think we can always give them fun nicknames

🔭Our fourth observing run is due to end on November 18. However, we now expect to have a 6 month observing run in 2026–27 to begin in the late summer/early fall of 2026, with detectors participating as available

observing.docs.ligo.org/plan/

☄️🧪⚛️

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

Love astronomy, astrophysics, and science communication? Come join the Astrobites team! Applications due November 26th. 🔭✨☄️
astrobites.org/2025/10/31/a...

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...

Shanika dressed up as a “Louvre Jewellery Robber” wearing a crown, black beanie, black face mask, neon yellow safety vest, and black clothes poses indoors holding a black tote bag that says “UNTITLED COLLECTION OF OBJECTS”. They are in an office environment.

A black tote bag with white text reading “untitled collection of objects“ is laid flat, topped with a jewel crown. In front of it there are two small white drawstring pouches and an arrangement of large and small emeralds spread out decoratively on a table, somewhat resembling a broken down necklace.

A hand holds a small white drawstring pouch over a table scattered with emeralds (possibly broken off some stolen Louvre jewellery) and printed Halloween notes reading, “You are an awesome colleague! Have a Fab-boo-lous HALLOWEEN.” But the word colleague is strikes out and replaced with accomplice.

A black tote bag with white text reading “UNTITLED COLLECTION OF OBJECTS” sits on a table with a jeweled gold crown resting on top. In front of the bag, there’s a hand pointing to a hand-drawn floor map labeled “THE LOUVRE” and “1ST FLOOR,” with handwritten notes marking places like “Apollo Gallery” and “Napoleon III apartments.” A person (Shanika) is pointing to the Apollo Gallery and has labelled it with “Enter here”

Celebrated my first Halloween in the states with folks at @nuciera.bsky.social 🧡✨

Looks like I came back from a trip…

I’ll note my previous place of employment was in France 🇫🇷 #HappyHalloween! 🎃

Oh, I love this! 🧡✨

Super keen to see the results! 🎃

Detection alert 📢 Gravitational waves from two black hole collisions revealed how massive black holes form and allowed theories of General relativity and Particle physics to be tested. Find out from the blog article by Ish Gupta, postdoc @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social, part of the discovery team.

Infographic about GW241011 and GW241110 GW241011's source contained black holes about 13 and 8 times the mass of our Sun. The spin of the bigger black hole is high and bear aligned with the orbit. GW241110's source contained black holes about 17 and 8 times the mass of our Sun. The spin of the larger black hole is high and near anti-aligned with the orbit. Credit: Shanika Galaudage/Northwestern University/Adler Planetarium

We are pleased to announce our discovery of #GW241011 and #GW241110

Both come from binary black holes where one black hole is much larger than the other. The larger black holes have large spin. Could these black holes have formed in a previous merger?

ligo.org/science-summ...

#O4IsHere 🔭🧪⚛️☄️