Measuring the rate of change of impact rather than planetary proxies https://agentgav.medium.com/are-we-just-drawing-epicycles-9829717421b8

Our new @solarstormwatch citizen science project launched today! Can you spare time to help us identify times when the skies in the Arctic are clear? You will see beautiful #aurora and will help us to improve our #spaceweather research. www.zooniverse.org/projects/lep...

Astronomy needs dark, quiet skies, but light and radio pollution from growing space activity is putting them at risk. 🛰️ The Group of Friends for Dark and Quiet Skies has created a survey to help inform international discussions on protecting our Dark and Quiet Skies - and wants to hear from you. ⤵️

Who wants to come and work in my lovely department for a year? We’re looking for someone with expertise in 18th / 19th c literature while one of my brilliant colleagues is taking up a BA mid career fellowship. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSD064/l...

Are you a teacher or do you work in a UK school keen on helping students view the August eclipse safely over the school holidays? Go Stargazing UK have more than 250,000 discounted eclipse glasses to give out. Want to find out more? Visit ukeclipse.com/get-solar-ec... #Augusteclipse ☀️🌑🕶️

New favourite paper title? IIb or not IIb: A Catalog of ZTF Kilonova Imposters in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific by Barna et al. 🔭 iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Ahead of the event, we've teamed up with Go Stargazing to create a website with all the info you need on the day at. Visit ukeclipse.com to find out more!

In August this year, people across the UK will have the chance to witness one of the most dramatic solar eclipses in decades. ☀️🌑🕶️ Although the eclipse will not be total in the UK, more than 90% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon from many locations, creating a deep partial eclipse. ⤵️

Still a few tickets left for Wednesday's Gresham lecture in London: Pluto Isn't a Planet (!). Come join us or watch online via www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pluto-isnt... 🔭

Reposting for the Sunday morning reading crowd with a free-to-read link that isn't behind the Nature paywall! 🔭⚛️🧪👩‍🔬 📖: rdcu.be/floXQ

🏆️ It's that time of year again! 🏆️ Nominations for the 2027 RAS Awards are now open 🥳 Find out more by scanning the QR code or visiting ras.ac.uk

Amazing: JWST spotted a naked black hole, 50 million times as massive as the Sun, in the very early universe. This is strong evidence that some black-hole "seeds" formed before their galaxies--a big shift in our view of how the cosmos evolved after the Big Bang. 🧪🔭 esawebb.org/news/weic2609/

A recent @newscientist cartoon p.s. I will be in Madrid and Germany very soon! Details at www.tomgauld.com

Some thoughtful person provided a link to a non-paywalled version of this article: gcaptain.com/drowning/

Very excited that two of the 7 Award Lecturers worked with me during their PhDs. Maybe I'm doing something right ;-)

I'm the Award Lecturer of the Social Sciences category at the British Science Festival this year! I'll be talking about my research on the complex relationships between lighting, safety, and inequality in our cities at night. How might we design healthy, just, and convivial nighttime environments?

Over the last year, I've been experimenting as an early adopter new co-op based music service called @subvert.fm It has now launched (well done team!) and my (yes, esoteric) music is here: https://www.subvert.fm/gavin

The Milky Way photo contest is your annual reminder that the universe is big and beautiful 💫 www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/05/milk...

I just sent this letter to the Science Minister and the CEO of UKRI concerning STFC's budgets

Full version of my lovely chat with Harry Hill & Phil Wang now up: youtu.be/bcRXarwTR2Q?...

I'm going to call it. On top of capturing the far side of the Moon, Earthshine on the far side, the solar corona (maybe some zodiacal light), Saturn, Mars and Mercury... this #artemis2 photo includes Neptune!! Just out of frame on the left were Venus and Earth. I mean, mind-blowing! 🧪🔭🚀🌙👩‍🚀

Today's #Muppet GIF of the Day is...

Why not come and visit the brilliant 'Our Fragile Space' exhibition here at the Royal Astronomical Society... The free display about space debris, which opened to the public last week, will be in Burlington House courtyard until 10 May. 🛰️ 🚀 🔭

The RAS is alarmed by the threat to ground-based astronomy posed by proposals put forward by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Reflect Orbital. We have opposed the plans with @eso.org and the International Astronomical Union. Find out more at: ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

✨ Applications for the 2026 International Astronomical Youth Camp are now open! ✨🚀 Join us in Spain for the 60th lAYC celebration and experience an unforgettable total solar eclipse! 🌘 Head to our First Info page via the link in our bio to apply! Clear skies 🌌 🔭🎢 #EduSky #scicomm #astroedu

Apple pies for American π day. Nice

Created and led by space photographer Max Alexander, the free exhibition highlights the grave and deepening issue of space junk and has achieved significant international acclaim. 📅 19 March - 10 May 2026 📍 Burlington House, London ℹ️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

"Why do you want to have a 1970s music pavilion at the Shakespeare festival?" "It features wine made by the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party!" "But how does that make it anything to do with Shakespeare?" "Mao is the vintner of our disco tent!" [Exit, pursued by a bear]

🌟 Nominations are now open for the Teacher of Physics Awards as part of the #IOPAwards26! If you know an inspiring teacher, nominate them today. Nominations close 8 March. Find out more and nominate today: https://www.iop.org/about/awards/teachers-physics-awards

"Planned cuts to physics and astronomy funding threaten to undermine a core UK government strategy to harness innovation to boost economic growth, leading researchers have warned ministers." Thanks @financialtimes.com for covering this really important story 🗞️: www.ft.com/content/a235...

More than 100 physics teachers across the UK have now signed our open letter opposing budget cuts to particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics outlined by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. Want to join them? ✍️ 👉️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

I cannot recommend more strongly what should be an amazing @greshamcollege.bsky.social lecture this evening from m’colleague @miltonline.bsky.social : Music and Space. 6pm GMT. Online via www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/mus...

Are you a physics teacher in the UK? We need your help! 🧑‍🔬🧑‍🏫 We've created an open letter for teachers to sign and express their grave concern at the devastating proposed cuts to astronomy, space science and particle and nuclear physics. ✍️ 👉️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre... #STFC #UKRI

Another comic I never bothered posting This one from 2023. Topical galileo humour apropos of precisely nothing at all

The Public Attitudes to Science Survey results have been published by @ukri.org and @ipsosintheuk.bsky.social. This wide-ranging report reveals that the public values science, but highlights concerns over AI, information quality, and representation: www.britishscienceassociation.org/News/public-...

My books cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com

A lovely day for a walk around Conwy, and another attempt at a sketch. Not sure on my shapes, but I’m fairly happy with my progress with textures…

Happy #Perihelion! simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perihel...

Picard perspective tip: Spend some time staring at the stars. It feeds the soul and revives the mind.

I think it’s easy to underestimate just how impressive this new map is. We can now see Europe at night in colour! This is mega!

Reflections on living on a Western coast of northern Europe: A woman from Galway called Paulin' Resided under a tarpaulin. At times she had tried To venture outside But the weather was always appallin'.

Our Carve Your PhD @ljmudoctoral.bsky.social winners are here! We were blown away by the creativity and carving skills demonstrated by our fantastic entrants! The judges' first choice was: Tom Hyatt, School of Arts & Creative Industries: Electromagnetic Art: A Portrait of James Clerk Maxwell

Owen is right to highlight this. As taxpayers, we already paid. All this will do is introduce higher prices to all consumers and businesses.

Just Andy today, but I’m all set up for another round of great discussions at Popsy’s. Bring on the questions!

I love it that everyone loves a #supermoon. Tonight is the night so #DoLookUp! Fine print: this astronomical event comes with a expectation-management disclaimer: *The Supermoon is only 15% brighter than a normal full moon and I personally can not tell the difference 🤔 *Every moon is SUPER🔭🥳

Today's #Muppet GIF of the Day is...

TWO DAYS until 100 Hours starts! If you're out after dark anytime Thurs to Sunday, check out our simple stargazing challenges at 100hours.online . Win badges and put your markers on our UK/Ireland map!

Initial conditions: m1=13.2 m2=12.9 m3=133.7 (solar masses) v1x=-1.187 v1y=2.544 v2x=-5.123 v2y=-4.347 v3x=-6.976 v3y=-0.785 (km/s) x1=7.0 y1=21.0 x2=30.0 y2=21.0 x3=11.0 y3=-15.0 (AU from center) Music: Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor (Posthumous) – Chopin

..is trying to think of a suitable way to celebrate todays (rare) #PythagoreanDay (24^2 + 7^2 = 25^2)...