The VAST Extragalactic Survey footprint, showing the number of observations of each field. The sky map is plotted with J2000 equatorial coordinates in the Mollweide projection. The VAST Galactic survey is plotted in grey for reference. Typically, each field has been observed 10–11 times to date. Image from de Ruiter et al. (2026)

Excited to announce the first data release from our ASKAP Variables and Slow Transients survey is now available!

doi.org/10.1017/pasa...

This is a database of 6.4 million measurements of 0.5 million radio sources in our survey footprint.

(By @ozgrav.bsky.social Iris de Ruiter)

#RadioAstronomy

Worth a 1000 words!

Come to @api.uva.nl this Friday to find out how Video Killed the Radio Star!

Sad news out of Australia for astronomy

The students decided to redecorate my office while I was in my nth meeting today. Clearly, I have rested on my laurels this April Fool’s day.

IMPACT OF PARENTHOOD ON UNIVERSITY EMPLOYMENT. Line graph shows how the probability of holding a research position changes from four years before to seven years after having children.

Becoming a parent is much more detrimental to women’s academic careers than it is to men’s

Read the full story: go.nature.com/4v4rxmQ

Group photo of the Dutch SKA day!

The Dutch SKAO day gets underway with the current Director General (for 9 more weeks) outlining the amazing progress of construction and commissioning in the project

On my way to London to give a talk at a @royalastrosoc.bsky.social meeting! Hit me up if you would like to catch up. I will be around Victoria station.

Personally, I am a big fan of Catherine Eta-Jones.

AI is threatening science jobs. Which ones are most at risk? Data-analysis and modelling positions are already becoming obsolete, but hands-on experimentalists can breathe easy for now.

I worry for the students and postdocs that work with people that have given the majority of quotes in this piece. Like - are they just burning through grad students to write code but not do any critical thinking? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

After living 9 years of living in the Netherlands, I have to admit that mayo with hot chips is far superior to any other condiment. I have even started asking for it on the side in Aus. I dont know what monster I have become...

It’s an interesting musing and well worth a conversation. I do disagree that astronomy has no “right edge” outside of military use. This may reflect David’s exposure to the tech side. For example, WiFi is a side product of radio astronomy research.

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Exoplanet Science PRIMARY DETAIL - Salary Package: $109,272 - $117,108 (HEW Level A.6-A.8) - plus 17% employer's superannuation contribution and annual leave loading. - Full time, 3 year fixed-term role - Macquarie Uni...

Very happy to advertise a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Exoplanet Science position with me and Christian Schwab at Macquarie University in Sydney.

We'll be working on applying machine learning & differentiable physics models to extremely precise radial velocity surveys.

Hey Rami - I think they mean the script visible through the Syriac script is Greek when X-rayed

A radio observatory for the ages - Nature Astronomy After decades of planning and several scheduling setbacks, the Square Kilometre Array is around the corner. While the radio astronomy community fervently prepares to use the telescope of a generation,...

We are at an exciting point in the SKA Observatory project with lots of rapid changes. The team at Nature Astronomy have perfectly captured the excitement we all have, but also the long path we still have to walk.

Nice work @drpaulwoods.bsky.social and B. Kim.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I’d pay to see that… but a million bucks they will not even address that part of the story (or reduce it to like 1 guy)

Wonder how they will handle the slaughter of the suitors lol

A movie I am excited for but also dread the outcome

Awesome news @profsera.bsky.social! Cambridge and the UK are lucky to get you.

Webb First to Show 4 Dust Shells 'Spiraling' Apep, Limits Long Orbit - NASA Science NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a first of its kind: a crisp mid-infrared image of a system of four serpentine spirals of dust, one expanding

This spectacular stellar system never ceases to amaze! Amazing science Ryan, Yinuo, Ben and team! science.nasa.gov/missions/web...

Great timing!

Radio burst from a stellar coronal mass ejection - Nature An analogue to a type II burst from the early M dwarf StKM 1-1262 exhibits identical frequency, time and polarization properties to fundamental plasma emission from a solar type II burst.

Nature research paper: Radio burst from a stellar coronal mass ejection

go.nature.com/3JyIByp

You can read the study free here! rdcu.be/ePBCk

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/

Radio burst from a stellar coronal mass ejection - Nature An analogue to a type II burst from the early M dwarf StKM 1-1262 exhibits identical frequency, time and polarization properties to fundamental plasma emission from a solar type II burst.

This discovery adds a vital piece to the puzzle of finding and understanding habitable worlds beyond our own.

Thanks to my amazing collaborators, especially Cyril Tasse and Philippe Zarka.

🪐 Read more in our paper:
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🎨 Artwork: Olena Shmahalo / Callingham et al.

The signal we found was far more luminous and energetic than anything ever seen from our Sun — a truly colossal stellar storm.

If a planet were in that star’s habitable zone, its atmosphere would be in serious trouble. 😳🔥

CMEs produce a distinctive radio fingerprint called a Type II burst. Using the ultra-sensitive LOFAR telescope (operated by @astronnl.bsky.social) and software from Observatoire de Paris | PSL, we searched over 100,000 stars... and we got lucky! ✨

Thankfully, Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the worst of it. But for other stars, we had no idea how frequent or powerful these eruptions might be.

That’s where our study comes in. 🎯

But there’s still a huge unknown: how often do stars hurl super-heated plasma into space?

Our Sun does this through Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), which can trigger brilliant aurorae but also knock out satellites and communications on Earth. ⚡🛰️