Looking to start a PhD in Physics & Astronomy in 2026? The team @physicsuol.bsky.social have announced their STFC-funded projects on offer next year, spanning astrophysics, planetary science, and space instrumentation. Deadline: Jan 18th, contact us to learn more! le.ac.uk/study/resear...

Happy Halloween nerds 🎃

I’ve worked at @nhm-london.bsky.social for a while now, and yet still have my mind blown on a regular basis. Today, 2 rocks from the collection: Fulgurite (created by a lightning strike) collected by Charles Darwin. Fossil leaf collected by Robert Falcon Scott (on the Terra Nova expedition).

Lovely light on the half-term-drag-the-kids-outside walk.

@chrislintott.bsky.social Got it!

The Apollo mission's latest discovery has been made - more than 50 years after it ended! A recently opened sample is revealing more about one of the Moon’s most unusual structures - the Light Mantle. Discover what's been uncovered 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

The atmosphere of Mars is too thin to effectively shield it from small meteors hitting the surface. Here, a new, small (10 m) impact crater formed some time between 2010 and 2019. Although the crater is small, the effects are widespread, with the seismic energy triggering lots of dust falls!

Never won a raffle in my life, until now! Signed by Harry Brook. Just wish his century hadn’t been in vain. #ENGIND

New dust devil tracks at the Spirit landing site in Gusev crater, Mars. CTX images, taken just 65 days apart at the end of 2006 / beginning of 2007.

To anyone looking for a #postdoc at #LPSC2025 my university has just announced a Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The program “incorporates the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion”. Reach out if you’re interested. uwo.ca/research/fun...

Come and join us in @nhm-london.bsky.social's Biodiversity Futures Lab! We're looking for a geospatial analyst to join the #PredictsProject team for 12 months (with possibility to extend) to help us further develop the Biodiversity Intactness Index. #job deadline 3 Mar jobs.nhm.ac.uk/internal/Job...

Do other people have a favourite landslide? If not, consider adding this one on Mars. The colour from the CaSSIS instrument is just amazing. CREDIT: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS/Peter Grindrod

This is what a dust storm on Mars looks like. As seen by the Curiosity rover in 2018. Images taken over nearly a month, with roughly the same view. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Peter Grindrod

Interested in some #Mars news this Monday? The origins of more than 15,000 mysterious mounds on the red planet have been revealed, having been carved out of the surface by water billions of years ago. Find out what they reveal about the red planet 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A 33-images mosaic acquired two days ago by Curiosity, capturing an impact crater named “Rustic Canyon” Check out this post by @emmaharris.bsky.social describing the science program and operations of the rover on that day: science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-44... #Mars Jan. 16, 2025 (Sol 4425) 🧪🔭

Here's what plate tectonic movement looks like on Europa. Part of the Northern Falga region, centred ~50N. Animation, incredible work and data are all by Geoffrey Collins and co-authors (open access) doi.org/10.1029/2022...

Fantastic news! And so well deserved! Giulia is an amazing scientist and the best colleague.

Some parts of Mars are deliciously colourful. Here's part of the western Ladon basin, as seen in false colour by the CaSSIS instrumnet on the TGO spacecraft. Image no. MY35_012192_201_0, taken in January 2021. (Credit: ESA/TGO/CASSIS/Peter Grindrod)

The new diamond 💎 open access #PlanetaryScience community journal has a name! Planetary Research And a website! Find out all about the project here planetary-research-journal.online/about.html

The disappearance of Lake Poopó, Bolivia. It was the second largest lake in the country, but is now unlikely to return. Caused by climate change and diversion. Animation made with Landsat images from USGS Earth Explorer earthexplorer.usgs.gov

Happy back to work day for me today. So ignoring the inbox fire by staring at a random rock on Mars, like everybody should. Sol 1380 Mastcam-Z image from Perseverance. Approximately true and false colour comparison.

A nice Christmas present - my first InSight paper is out! Open access too. doi.org/10.1029/2024... Say hello to the Sol 1034a impact crater, the nearest one to InSight. It was a tough one to find in images. Only 9 m in diameter, but has made over 900 secondary craters!

NASA has recently released updated websites for data! Check out the new Science, Earth, and Planetary data sites! #OpenScience #NASA #AGU24 science.data.nasa.gov earthdata.nasa.gov planetary.data.nasa.gov

As the Perseverance rover reaches the edge of Jezero crater, and the view beyond begins to open up, these two fantastic websites might help you explore this amazing part of Mars: www.marslife.org areobrowser.com

A few of the things that still stop me in my tracks on the way into my office at the NHM. 150 million year old Stegosaurus 3584 million year old Moon rock 200 million year old ichthyosaur Much younger* giant sloth *relative to the others. More info in the alt text.

Yet another random thing I don't remember making, or why. The Apollo 11 landing site and traverses with different sports* pitches to scale. *Other sports are available, but are inferior to cricket 😉

Hey everyone! Some introductory stuff: I’m Joe, a postdoc at the Natural History Museum in London. Like many of you, I’ve decided it’s time to jump on the great Bluesky bandwagon.

First post celebrating my first first-author paper - hi bluesky friends 👋🏻 agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

✅The 2025 ESA internship opportunities are now live! Positions are open in a wide range of fields, including engineering, space science, IT, natural and social sciences, business, economics, and administrative services.🚀 www.esa.int/About_Us/Car...

Some parts of Mars really do change a lot between images. Here are 2 CTX images of exactly the same region taken about 7 years apart (Dec 2007 - Jan 2015). Lots of dust devil tracks, and wind streaks. But also, a new impact crater.

Mars is a colourful planet part 73... Here is part of Oxia Planum (landing site for ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover) seen by CTX (1 band) and CaSSIS (4 bands) cameras. The image is 'false colour', as it is not how our eyes would see it. But the colour is really useful as a proxy for composition.

Job opportunity at The University of Manchester - 'Senior Lecturer in Geological Data Science'. Come work with us, including if you work with Planetary Data #PlanetaryScience www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Still one of my favourite spacecraft images: Mars from the Rosetta spacecraft. There's something about seeing hardware in the shot that makes me feel like I'm looking out of a window, sipping my space coffee. Taken by the CIVA instrument on the Philae lander. Credit: CIVA / Philae / ESA Rosetta

Testing out the new threading by updating my list of oldies dance choons with age-appropriate lyrics that I have, and still do, cringe sing at my children...

Good morning from England, where it has now been this grey for 300 years. (Photo from yesterday as just greyer fog today)

Got the day off, so makin’ parkin. Traditional Guy Fawke’s Night cake from the wrong side of the Pennines, but tastes alright. I suppose.

Where are all the conkers this year?! 😞

Happy 1 October to one of the best looking new impact craters on Mars. A 30 metre, would definitely hurt, crater that formed between July 2010 and May 2012.

Today’s crafting activity was assembling 3D printed outer parts of ‘Enfys’ - the new IR spectrometer for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover. Got our first science team meeting in a few weeks, and I love a prop!

Wasn’t bothered about tickets, but am very excited to have found this is in an ancient box. Vaguely musical, heavily distorted noises here I come!

Just the lovely sand dunes of Nili Patera, Mars. Here in false colour from the CaSSIS instrument on TGO. The probably basaltic dunes are racing* across the caldera floor of the Syrtis Major volcano. Credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS/Peter Grindrod *very ~1 m per Earth year, which is also my marathon pace.

Well hello there weird-looking rock on Mars. What’s the story here? Taken yesterday (Sol 1268) by the Perseverance rover.

Hello new Bluesky followers! Thought I'd say hello. I'm Pete - a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. Which is an amazing place to work :) If you've got a planetary surface, then I'll study it.

Absolutely hate being on a train that divides. Especially when it’s just changed direction. The front just became the rear, but at least I’m going forward (to wrong destination?!)

The final resting place of the @NASAPersevere Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. Sat near the crest of a sand ripple, which might (eventually) bury her. What an achievement. (Image upscaled, sharpened, cleaned, Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/P Grindrod)

Wow, screen grab from the SLIM update. View from the lunar surface by LEV2 rover.

Happy New UK Bluey day to all those that celebrate!

Gifs are allowed now? In that case, anybody around here like big new impact craters (on other planets)? media.giphy.com/media/zUvGFn...

Starting the New Year in the best* possible way - absolutely floored by Covid. 0/10, would not recommend. *worst

Have instantly become obsessed with this rock. I’m off to Fife.