David Tong's lecture notes I've heard are very good: www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/gr...

In good news: "NASA Completes Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Construction" www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-co...

Love this method of annotating!!

The Drain of Scientific Publishing The domination of scientific publishing in the Global North by major commercial publishers is harmful to science. We need the most powerful members of the research community, funders, governments and ...

“We propose that scholarly publishing needs to be re-communalized. Universities, libraries, funders ... need to build a system that is community-led and managed, and which works to further research... This should involve active support for federated open infrastructures”

arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820

Joyful Mdhluli manages astronomy projects that benefit society

Joyful Mdhluli woke up one day and realized she didn’t want to stay in academia. She now works at a nonprofit in Cape Town, South Africa, where she coordinates major projects that use astronomy for social benefit. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics

Black and white photo of a woman in a long fur coat sitting on a couch, slouched down and petting a longhaired tabby in her lap.

How your email finds me. Photo from my collection, no date/info.

Roohi Dalal, American Astronomical Society When Roohi Dalal joined the American Astronomical Society (AAS) as its deputy director of public policy in 2024, she never imagined she’d be leading the fight for space science just one year later as ...

🌟 Spotlight on Roohi Dalal

Our Deputy Director for Public Policy has been recognized as a Payload Pioneer by Payload & featured in Physics Today magazine! 👏 Her passion for advancing #astronomy & advocating for basic research inspires us every day. 🔭

ow.ly/Cxnu50XbTjJ
ow.ly/lvk850XbTjK

Website titled The Science Playground, subtitle a list of interesting links. There are six thumbnails visible below, sorted into a grid. Many have basic planet images and orbit lines, showing off simulations. The few shown with titles are: "Gravity Simulator - Huffman", "Black Hole Explorer", and "Orbit". There are search options and dropdowns on the left hand side, one of which is set to "gravity"

Looking for a Gravity Simulator to play around with?

Well, here's a list of interesting ones I pulled together.
thescienceplayground.com?tx_category=...

RASTI launches new student prize drupal-media[data-view-mode=half_page_width] { display: inline-block; width: 50%; } RAS Techniques and Instruments (RASTI) is delighted to announce a new annual st...

It will open on 1 September 2025 and the winner(s) will be announced in November 2026. They will receive prize money, a certificate of recognition, and a fee waiver for any subsequent paper submitted to the journal.

Find out more at: ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

Beautiful! I bet alcohol markers would be great for this

Experience NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s Cosmic Treasure Chest with sound!🎶

Just as an image conveys data visually, sonification conveys data with sound. No two people will explore Rubin’s images the same, & no two listening experiences will be the same. 🔭🧪

skyviewer.app/skysynth

Want to instead explore the Virgo Cluster as captured by Rubin at full resolution? Head to our Skyviewer and enjoy some cosmic joyscrolling! There's so much to explore and discover ✨ #RubinFirstLook #CaptureTheCosmos 🔭🧪

➡️ skyviewer.app

In response to the ever-increasing number of submissions to the Open Journal of Astrophysics, I'd like to invite more astrophysicistsonto our Editorial Board. We're looking for volunteers with expertise in any area of astrophysics!

Please contact me or @ojastro.bsky.social

astro.theoj.org

AAS Graduate Admissions Task Force: Final report and recommendations In March of 2024 the AAS formed our Graduate Admissions Task Force (GATF), asking us to produce recommendations aimed at improving the state of graduate admissions in astronomy. The task was a timely ...

The report from our AAS Task Force on Graduate Admission is out! This has become a complicated problem in recent years, and is made even worse with the recent federal budget. You can read the report here: arxiv.org/abs/2505.09759

Promotional graphic for Rubin Observatory's First Look watch parties

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's grand reveal is coming on June 23, and we want the whole world to celebrate!

Join the excitement by signing your institution up to host a First Look #RubinWatchParty, or find an event near you! 🔭🧪

🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-f...

Research!America The Research!America alliance advocates for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all. We urge Congress and the administration to increase funding for the National Institutes...

Research America has created an action item link that sends 3 letters to support #NIH to your US Senators and Representative based on your zip code.

It takes only a minute or two to fill out.

You don’t need to be an academic to support #Science!

advocacy.charityengine.net/Default.aspx....

Pictured: Gladys West-the mathematical and computer programming expert who created an accurate model of the Earth, which was the foundation for GPS. She was inducted into the US Air Force Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors offered by the Air Force.

Most of us have used Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation & we can thank Gladys West for creating the foundation for GPS.

She used her mathematical & programming expertise to invent an accurate model of the Earth.

She was inducted into the US Air Force Hall of Fame.

happy International Day of [banned] and [banned] in Science [under review] from the US

Vera Rubin Was a Pioneering Female Astronomer. Her Federal Bio Now Doesn’t Mention Efforts to Diversify Science. The edits to the webpage offer a glimpse into how far the Trump administration will go in refusing to acknowledge today’s inequalities as it purges federal initiatives promoting diversity, equity and…

NEW: Vera Rubin was a pioneering female astronomer. The federal webpage for an observatory named for her now excludes mention of efforts to diversify science.

“I’m sure Vera would be absolutely furious,” said a co-author of a biography of Rubin.

By @lisalsong.bsky.social

Finding gaps in the national electric vehicle charging station coverage of the United States - Nature Communications Consecutive coverage of fast charging station access for long distance Electric Vehicle trips in the U.S. is lacking. However, if implemented as planned, federal funding for chargers will help most co...

🚨New Paper Alert 🚨 We published a paper assessing gaps in EV charger coverage across the country. Our study finds that: federal funding will help connect most—but not all—counties to the national network of continuously accessible charging stations.

tinyurl.com/4rzb4bj6

w/ @destenie.bsky.social

Encouraging diversity among scientists is ethically right and also leads to better science.

Perhaps :) if you end up writing something with this I'd love to read it!

This is why hyper competitive grant funding is a bad idea. You can't predict what will work in advance. Any attempt to do so, no matter how well intentioned, will promote unchallenging ideas and orthodoxy, and slow down scientific progress.

Some days...gravity feels heavier. Or particularly out to get you.

(Practicing a presentation)

Anisotropy. AnIsoTrophy. AnaSoTropy. AnISoTropy. Anstropy. Isopod Trophy.

Not my usual research topic, but a bit of fun for a local SFF convention :) I analysed the astrophysics of the Legend of Zelda games -- using the same techniques real astronomers use! Good fun, educational, and the audience loved it!

Oooh my goodness just saw this after playing tears. Love this!

Wild wolves return to Belgium after 100 years, sparking controversy - BBC News YouTube video by BBC News

Why is it positive that wolves are back in Belgium? I love the answer my colleague Jan Gouwy gave a year ago: why does everything have to be positive in our human frame of reference? "Some species just have a right to exist, not just because we find them useful."

www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...

a digital painting showing the famous Hubble/James Webb image of the Pillars of Creation nebula, with its three tall fingers. the image has been heavily abstracted to be a collection of lines and polygons, and the colors have been saturated, such that it contains strong blues, yellows, and pinks. dots of stars can be seen throughout

hand of the universe
(this image is not scientifically accurate, but is an artistic interpretation of Hubble/James Webb imaging)
🦢