I mean, of course, I had to use AI to create a logo/mascot for our astro-focused AI copilot/chatbot. We came up with the name on our own tho.

The FCC has opened public comments for a couple of different proposed satellite systems, both of which have a high likelihood of significantly degrading our ability to experience the night sky. More details from @aas.org here: 🧪

Rooted in ATX

Friday night lights with the original football aka soccer.

Feeling prickly

Take a moment to reflect.

Upcoming CosmicAI Hybrid Seminar! “Unexpected Insights from Astronomical Data” (Dr. Stephanie Juneau, NSF NOIRLab & CosmicAI) and Foundation Models for Survey Astronomy (Francois Lanusse, CNRS) Jan 21st 11 AM CT / 12PM ET! Zoom & in-person at @noirlabastro.bsky.social (MCR)! Cosmicai.org/events

Researchers at UT Austin are recruiting participants for a short (<30 min) study on human- #AI collaboration and #trust. ✅ 18+ 
✅ .edu email
 ✅ U.S. address Top performers will receive $50–$200 cash prizes (top 20 scorers). Participate by January 31. Sign up: trust-prism-tipgnbgl5q-uc.a.run.app

My hotel has some of the vibes.

Come visit us at #AAS247 and to #ExploreAstronomy

First time at an astronomy conference. So many cool booths and swag. The last photo is our institute.

@nsfsimonscosmicai.bsky.social is at booth 404 at the #AAS247 conference at Phoenix. I hope people can find us 🙃 Well, if people who work with telescopes can’t, then no one can. We’ve some cool swag if that motivates you #ExploreAstronomy

December is actually fall season in Texas.

Left behind

Shop

If I find this Halloween prop in a store, I might put it up in our yard. I hate those kitschy air-filled toys.

Call for CosmicAI Seed Funding Proposals: Submission for 2025-26 is Open! CosmicAI invites the submission of proposals for novel research projects at the intersection of AI/machine learning and astronomy. Abstract Submission: Due December 8, 2025, 5 PM CT. Learn more cosmicai.org/news/now-acc...

CosmicAI is honored to be featured in @taccutexas.bsky.social's Texascale 2025 magazine texascale.org/2025/feature... #astronomy #AI

Vibe

Our Institute’s panel was selected for SXSW Interactive 2026 schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP116... If you will be at #SXSW, please attend for an “out of the world” talk. #astronomy #AI #BigData

Howdy from Austin

Blurred Lines

Virginia is for lovers

The CosmicAI team at #SAIL2025

CosmicAI's Managing Director @pcmhatre.bsky.social discussed his work during year one of CosmicAI at the Managing Director’s SIG panel!

Talked about @nsfsimonscosmicai.bsky.social’s first year at the Managing Director’s SIG panel.

Jane Bernhard, @nsfsimonscosmicai.bsky.social’s Comms Director presented on the Institute’s communications strategy and content at #SAIL2025

Sunning his rump

Red tripod

If you have thoughts or ideas or even a concern that we should be regulating AI, the government (Office of Science and Technology Policy ) is now asking for your input www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Upcoming Hybrid Seminar - Oct 15th, 11AM CT! Encoding of Spectra and Time Series (Peter Melchior - Princeton University) & Strategies for variance reduction in spectral unmixing (Jordan Bryan, UVA) Zoom & in person at UVA's Astronomy Building cosmicai.org/events @simonsfoundation.org

@scalzi.com Are there plans to create a boxed set for the Old Man’s Series? I look on Bookshop.org and found one sans Shattering Peace but it’s the ebook format. Wanted to get one for my teenager.

Corner

CapCity Marching Band Festival

A new benchmark developed by researchers at the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins is testing how well LLMs implement scientific workflows in astronomy and visualize results. Accepted as part of the NeurIPS Datasets and Benchmarks Track 2025 🔭 🤖 www.cosmicai.org/news/introdu...

This good boi is going to his forever home tomorrow. It’s been fun fostering him for the last seven months 🥲

#LFC YNWA

Leaving on a jet plane

Chill

This “good boi” nearly killed an opossum today 😐

No, we didn’t run into this fella in the wilderness. This is from a sanctuary refuge for abandoned wildlife.

The Aialik Glacier looms beyond an impossibly green island.

CosmicAI Opportunity at NRAO! Instructor and TAs Needed for the CosmicAI Virtual Winter School! Learn more superknova.org/student-oppo... @thenrao.bsky.social

Pandora-esque

Why are we stopping?

It was blue hour all day here

I don’t think this could’ve sunk the Titanic

Alone on a glacier

And off we goooooooooo!

Being lonely and on the edge on purpose.