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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Sky & Telescope @skyandtelescope.bsky.social · 6d

Astronomers discovered a small, free-floating object that’s accreting matter at a breakneck pace, suggesting that some planet-size worlds could form similar to stars.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanets #rogueplanet

Rogue World Found Gobbling Material at Unprecedented Rate

Astronomers discovered a small, free-floating object that’s accreting matter at a breakneck pace, suggesting that some planet-size worlds could form similar to stars.

skyandtelescope.org

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Hinna @hinsterrr.bsky.social · 2d

What do you mean I saw PLATO with my own eyes today?? 🫢🫨 #ESAopenday #exoplanet

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Matthew Kenworthy @mattkenworthy.bsky.social · 1d

Gibson et al. “TESS Discovers a Second System of Transiting Exocomets in the Extreme
Debris Disk of RZ Psc” showing 24 exocomet transits and the existence of a broken power law for the sizes of these exocomets, unlike Beta Pic’s exocomet distribution #exoplanet #astrodon #astrosci

TESS light curve of RZ Psc, showing several dog tooth-like dips indicating exocomet transits.

Plot os radius of exocomet versus cumulative number count - the RZ Psc shows a distinct change in slope at 2.5km, whilst the Beta Pic distribution from des Etangs shows a single straight power law.

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 19h

Volcano Worlds Might Be the First Exomoons Found by Astronomers www.scientificamerican.com/article/has-...

Volcano Worlds Might Be the First Exomoons Found by Astronomers

Data from the James Webb Space Telescope and other observatories suggests a supervolcanic exomoon may lurk around the giant exoplanet WASP-39b

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Leo ☢ (Milagro y error) @leoga.bsky.social · Nov 15

-"Hay cosas que la ciencia no puede explicar"
- Entonces tú tampoco.

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 1d

People keep asking me about this lately. I don’t think the #WowSignal is connected to #aliens, #ufos or to the interstellar comet #3I/Atlas — the “Wow!” here is just about appreciating the #wonders of the #universe. 😀

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 5d

Our #AreciboWow project began as a search for Wow-like signals. It led us to an astrophysical explanation, new properties, and even a trip to the signal’s source, where we just made a surprising discovery. 😉 phl.upr.edu/wow/trip

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Gijs D Mulders @gijsmulders.com · 6d

How do giant planets influence the type of #exoplanets that form in the habitable zone?

A thread 1/🧵

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · 6d

Plato is in its final shape! 🙌

Engineers have completed the construction of the spacecraft by mounting its sunshield and solar panels.

#ESAPlato is on track to launch in December 2026, as originally planned, on an Ariane 6.

More details at 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

#exoplanets 🔭

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Juliette Becker @jcbecker.bsky.social · 6d

Published this week in ApJ by UW-Madison undergraduate Eva Stafne: General relativity might save life on planets orbiting white dwarfs. GR-driven orbital precession can suppress tidal heating that would otherwise trigger a runaway greenhouse. arxiv.org/abs/2509.26421 #exoplanets

General Relativity Can Prevent a Runaway Greenhouse on Potentially Habitable Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs

Planets orbiting in the habitable zones of white dwarfs have recently been proposed as promising targets for biosignature searches. However, since the white dwarf habitable zone resides at 0.01 - 0.1 ...

arxiv.org

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Keith Smith @drkeithsmith.bsky.social · 5d

How can we tell what's inside an #exoplanet? @timlichtenberg.bsky.social et al review how a planet's atmosphere interacts with its interior. Atmospheric observations can distinguish between lava worlds, water worlds, temperate surfaces or supercritical interiors. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 6d

#Astronomy #RadioAstronomy

National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 7d

Dr. Jean Turner, who has been awarded the 2025 Jansky Lectureship, will deliver the 60th Annual Jansky Lecture, "Exploring the Dusty Origins of Star Clusters" :

📍Charlottesville, VA - October 30
📍Green Bank, WV - November 2
📍 Socorro, NM - November 21

More info: science.nrao.edu/science/jans...

Promotional graphic for the 60th Annual Jansky Lecture, titled 'Exploring the Dusty Origins of Star Clusters.' The poster includes an image of speaker Dr. Jean Turner as well as NRAO logos.

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: Cosmic Tug-of-War: Gravity Reshapes Magnetic Fields in Star Clusters

A record-breaking ALMA survey delivers the first statistical evidence that collapsing gas clouds realign their magnetic fields, tipping the cosmic balance in favor of gravity.

#Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #ALMA

Cosmic Tug-of-War: Gravity Reshapes Magnetic Fields in Star Clusters - National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Astronomers have captured the clearest picture yet of how massive stars are born, revealing a dramatic interplay between gravity...

public.nrao.edu

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

National Radio Astronomy Observatory - NSF NRAO @thenrao.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: Astronomers Detect Lowest Mass Dark Object Yet in Distant Universe

Astronomers using the NSF VLBA and the NSF GBT have detected an enigmatic dark object with a mass about one million times that of our Sun, without observing any emitted light.

#RadioAstronomy #Astronomy #DarkMatter

Astronomers Detect Lowest Mass Dark Object Yet in Distant Universe - National Radio Astronomy Observatory

International astronomers using NSF NRAO radio telescopes detected the lowest-mass dark matter object ever found at cosmological distance—a million-solar-mass invisible clump discovered through gravit...

public.nrao.edu

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 5d

Our #AreciboWow project began as a search for Wow-like signals. It led us to an astrophysical explanation, new properties, and even a trip to the signal’s source, where we just made a surprising discovery. 😉 phl.upr.edu/wow/trip

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 5d

Mi próxima lectura para prepararme para el 50 aniversario. 😀

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Tara Murphy @taramurphy.bsky.social · 11d

#SciX has some cute new vizualisations that you can use with your existing #ADS private libraries - like this author network plot.

#RadioAstronomy #AstroSci

A circle showing different authors that Tara Murphy has co-authors papers with. Generated by the SciX platform. Related authors are grouped together in different colour bands. Main co-authors are in a larger font.

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 7d

We also uncovered other documents about the #WowSignal that had never been published before — they describe its strange properties and the efforts by its discoverers to explain it. 🙂

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 7d

While we were on our trip, we found out something interesting — the first description of the #WowSignal was written in October 1977, just two months after it was detected. Yet, it didn’t reach the public until the summer of 1979. 🤔

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Keith Smith @drkeithsmith.bsky.social · 9d

The phosphine molecule, PH3, has been proposed as a biosignature in rocky planets. In @science.org, Burgasser et al. report phosphine in a brown dwarf atmosphere. "We therefore caution against the use of phosphine as a biosignature". #stellarastro #exoplanet ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Observation of undepleted phosphine in the atmosphere of a low-temperature brown dwarf

The atmospheres of low-temperature brown dwarfs and gas giant planets are expected to contain the phosphine molecule, PH3. However, previous observations have shown much lower abundances of this molec...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Guy Watkins @guywatkins.bsky.social · 8d

The NASA Exoplanet Archive.
youtube.com/watch?v=RHbv... #exoplanet #planetsci 🔭

A Quick Tour of the NASA Exoplanet Archive Homepage

YouTube video by NASA Exoplanet Archive

youtube.com

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 8d

We’re uncovering a remarkable treasure trove of scientific and historical data about the #WowSignal and the early days of #SETI. Your support can help us bring this history to light. #AreciboWow phl.upr.edu/wow/trip

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 9d

No, pure coincidence. 🙂

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Prof. Abel Méndez @profabelmendez.bsky.social · 10d

I visited Bob Dixon, who served as director of the Big Ear radio telescope from 1973 to 1998. He was the driving force behind the Big Ear's SETI project that captured the legendary Wow! Signal. #AreciboWow #SETI #Astronomy #Astrophysics #WowSignal

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Reposted by Prof. Abel Méndez

Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 12d

This week (!) is the 30th anniversary of the announcement of 51 Pegasi b, the first exoplanet found orbiting a star like our Sun - since then, we've found over 6,000!

To celebrate, @alexwitze.bsky.social and @nature.com collected some astronomers' favourite planets:

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

These alien planets are astronomers’ favourites: here’s why

Space scientists look back on 30 years of exoplanet discoveries — from rows of massive ‘super-Earths‘ to worlds with perfectly synchronized orbits.

www.nature.com

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