Sierra Grant

New MINDS paper from Nicolas Kurtovic, focused on binary systems. Spectra, extended emission, variability, multi-observatory analysis -- there's something for everyone!
arxiv.org/pdf/2508.02576

Or permanent jobs 😬

Our cat, but now in spherical form 😍

A spotted star, a (very!) misaligned planet, and awesome gifs, what more could you want?! 🤩

Now published in AJ! We used Tierras to measure the 23-day rotation period of a K dwarf and found that the orbit of its transiting planet is aligned with the star's spin axis. Stay tuned as we measure true obliquities for a larger sample!

iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...

Great work by Kielan Hoch and team on this incredible two-planet system!! We will revisit this target with MIRI-MRS next year to hunt for molecules in the disk around planet b, in a program led by Gabriele Cugno and me, and with Kielan's expertise on the system 🥳🪐

Advocacy Action Center The Planetary Society is organizing a new space constituency that is educated, empowered, and loud.

Save NASA Science: Please join me in signing this petition from The Planetary Society, urging Congress to reject the deep cuts to science that have been proposed by the administration. www.planetary.org/advocacy-act...

〰️〰️〰️〰️ New paper from @tamburo.bsky.social! 🤩

Sign the Petition Oppose the layoff of the NIST Atomic Spectroscopy Group

The data produced by this group has been an essential resource for so much great science. We use their data and websites to interpret our JWST spectra of protostars. It is exactly the kind of foundational investments the US should be making to advance science. www.change.org/p/oppose-the...

I received a heartbreaking email today: A paper in a special issue I’m editing is being retracted because one of its authors is afraid of losing their job and their legal status in the U.S. if they publish a scientific study on evolution. Yes, on evolution, nature's engine of diversity.

Framed copy of 2002 Gruber Cosmology Prize awarded to Vera Rubin, which reads, “Her pioneering studies of the deviations of galaxy motions from classical a Hubble theory demonstrated that large scale structure existed in the universe. Her discovery that most of the universe is unseen dark matter derived from her exploration of the rotation of spiral galaxies. By example and gentle voice she has championed equal rights and revealed the incredible beauty of the universe.”

Here is a highly recommended thread that summarizes what has happened in scientific landscape in the US since Trump's inauguration. It makes for dystopian reading ⬇️

Hey New England friends! You might’ve just felt an earthquake. If you did, please fill out the form below for science!

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

The accepted version of my SY Cha winds paper is now on arXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2409.11176! And if you are at #AAS245 I will discuss the results TODAY at 2 pm in Potomac 3-4 🧪🔭

A horizontal infographic illustrates a loose recipe for planet formation. Title text at top left reads “Recipe for Planet Formation, with star and nebula.” Below the headline are two lists: Ingredients, which lists four ingredients, and Methods, which is threaded throughout the infographic in numerical order. In the Methods section, gas, dust, and ice in a nebula contracts under gravity to form a star, surrounded by a flattened disk. Inside the disk, dust and ice stick together to form planetesimals and then planets, leading to a planetary system.

Ever wonder what the secret ingredient is in your favorite dessert?

We can’t answer that, but we can share this planet formation recipe! It takes a high degree of precision and a lot of patience, but the result is pretty spectacular: bit.ly/3Cv3k2e 🔭 🧪

The spectrum of CX Tau showing how bright the disc emission is as a function of infrared wavelength. The disc gets brighter going from shorter wavelengths on the left to longer wavelenghts on the right, with a large bump at 10 micron due to Silicate dust grains. On top of the smooth continuum are a few weak lines, the most prominent ones being due to atoms such as HI and Ne or CO2. Inset panels show zoom-ins that demonstrate the presence of weak water features.

The latest protoplanetary disk study by the MINDS collaboration using JWST-MIRI is out now! arxiv.org/abs/2412.127... Led by Leiden PhD student Marissa Vlasblom, it focusses on CX Tau, a disk for which the dust emission is much more compact than gas, suggesting dust grains have drifted inwards. 1/4

There will be some amazing speakers and discussion leaders. Some are here on 🦋: @sethajacobson.bsky.social, @malenarice.bsky.social, @planetplanet.bsky.social, @astrojoanna.bsky.social, @lavainspace.bsky.social, @catherineespaillat.bsky.social, @meteoritegirl.bsky.social, @sierragrant.bsky.social

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured this image of the iconic Pillars of Creation, a small region filled with newly formed stars within the vast Eagle Nebula about 6,500 light-years away. Photograph by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/origins-of-the-universe

One of my favourite #planetaryScience conferences, which I only discovered in 2023, is the Gordon Conference on "Origins of Solar Systems." It brings together observers, theorists, cosmochemists, planetologists, and astronomers. The next one is in 2025! 🧪

Registration: www.grc.org/origins-of-s...

Meteor caught on Whipple Observatory sky cameras last night 🪐🔭

Recently implemented Sicko Mode™ on Tierras 🔭🪐

I'm a #QueerinSTEM astronomer.
Having queer communities and safe spaces, especially in the workplace, is so important!

Which reminds me of the asto outlis, which can help you find queer astronomers and allies near you astro-outlist.github.io

Comet C/2023A3 as seen by the Tierras Observatory! 🪐🔭

The nested morphology of disk winds from young stars revealed by JWST/NIRSpec observations Nature Astronomy - JWST observations of outflows from four young stars reveal in each case a molecular wind with a central cavity surrounding a fast jet. These results point to disk winds driving...

Excited to share our latest results on NatureAstronomy! JWST/NIRSpec gives an unprecedented view of disk winds from young stars, with key implications for planet formation and evolution: rdcu.be/dVZ9C

MINDS. JWST-MIRI Observations of a Spatially Resolved Atomic Jet... The removal of angular momentum from protostellar systems drives accretion onto the central star and may drive the dispersal of the protoplanetary disk. Winds and jets can contribute to removing...

New paper alert! Using JWST MIRI we resolve a molecular disk wind from a transition disk! arxiv.org/abs/2409.11176 🔭

Thanks, Andrew! Enjoy the upcoming group retreat!

Shoutout to @tamburo.bsky.social for taking literally all professional photos that I've ever used 📸

Obligatory picture at the institute sign and new headshot for my first day as a Carnegie Fellow at the Earth and Planets Laboratory

Top: A Tierras image of a crowded star field. Bottom: The same image overlaid on a TESS image of the field.

What's really going on vs. what you get from TESS

However, there is a cold (< 200 K) H2O component with an extended emitting area that is likely coming from both disks.
In short: we needed all the data we could get to study this enigmatic system!

The JWST-MIRI spectrum is extremely line-rich with a forest of H2O lines. DF Tau A and B are not resolved with JWST, therefore the spectrum must be taken as the sum of both disks. We suggest that DF Tau B has a small cavity (~1 au) and that most of the emission is coming from A.