Michael Battalio
@battalio.com
Research Scientist at Yale studying planetary climates
Pinned
Michael Battalio
@battalio.com
· Nov 11
Intro thread: I’m a #climate and #planetary scientist. I try to find atmospheric processes common across planets. I interpret each planet as an instance on a continuum of possible climates. Without exception, I’ve found that cool stuff that happens on one has parallels to help interpret the others.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Reposted by Michael Battalio
“It’s in the dust” 👀
November 28, 2025 at 1:26 PM
“It’s in the dust” 👀
Reposted by Michael Battalio
A chance discovery by a NASA rover on Mars shows that the red planet has a form of lightning, which researchers had suspected for decades but never seen. n.pr/4imUCUg
At long last, the mystery of lightning on Mars is solved
A chance discovery by a NASA rover on Mars shows that the red planet has a form of lightning, which researchers had suspected for decades but never seen.
n.pr
November 27, 2025 at 4:37 AM
A chance discovery by a NASA rover on Mars shows that the red planet has a form of lightning, which researchers had suspected for decades but never seen. n.pr/4imUCUg
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Got a new grant just in time to not lose my two fantastic postdocs :-) Will also be recruiting for a new PhD student to study whether atmospheric gravity waves can be used to help predict hurricanes - an ad will be coming out probably early next year once the paperwork has worked through the system.
November 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Got a new grant just in time to not lose my two fantastic postdocs :-) Will also be recruiting for a new PhD student to study whether atmospheric gravity waves can be used to help predict hurricanes - an ad will be coming out probably early next year once the paperwork has worked through the system.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Is there lightning on Mars?
The Perseverance rover on Mars has serendipitously recorded sounds and electromagnetic signals that are characteristic of lightning in dust storms.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ rdcu.be/eR5lp
#Mars ⚡🔭🧪
The Perseverance rover on Mars has serendipitously recorded sounds and electromagnetic signals that are characteristic of lightning in dust storms.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ rdcu.be/eR5lp
#Mars ⚡🔭🧪
Detection of triboelectric discharges during dust events on Mars
Nature - The SuperCam microphone aboard the Perseverance rover captured 55 triboelectric discharges during dust events on Mars over two Martian years, providing implications for examining the...
rdcu.be
November 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Is there lightning on Mars?
The Perseverance rover on Mars has serendipitously recorded sounds and electromagnetic signals that are characteristic of lightning in dust storms.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ rdcu.be/eR5lp
#Mars ⚡🔭🧪
The Perseverance rover on Mars has serendipitously recorded sounds and electromagnetic signals that are characteristic of lightning in dust storms.
☑️ www.nature.com/articles/d41...
☑️ rdcu.be/eR5lp
#Mars ⚡🔭🧪
Reposted by Michael Battalio
This Zenith Movie was taken on Sol 3046 (2021-03-02) at approximately 17:39 LTST and a solar longitude of 11.11°.
November 27, 2025 at 12:03 PM
This Zenith Movie was taken on Sol 3046 (2021-03-02) at approximately 17:39 LTST and a solar longitude of 11.11°.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Years ago Adam Showman described to me his long term plan to better understand brown dwarf variability by adding more cloud physics to his GCM. Thankful today to be part of team led by his former student Xianyu Tan growing and expanding the vision with this new paper. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Large-amplitude variability driven by giant dust storms on a planetary-mass companion
Global-scale storms composed of silicates and metals explain the extreme weather and variability of the super-Jupiter VHS 1256B.
www.science.org
November 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Years ago Adam Showman described to me his long term plan to better understand brown dwarf variability by adding more cloud physics to his GCM. Thankful today to be part of team led by his former student Xianyu Tan growing and expanding the vision with this new paper. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Today on Volts: I've had more requests to cover this than almost any other topic in the pod's history, so now, at long last, balcony solar! We dig into how "plug-in solar" took off in Europe & how it's making its way to the US, starting in Utah. Backyard DIY types rejoice!
What's the deal with balcony solar?
Cora Stryker joins me to explain how "plug-in" solar took Europe by storm and is finally, via Utah (?), making its way to America.
www.volts.wtf
November 26, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Today on Volts: I've had more requests to cover this than almost any other topic in the pod's history, so now, at long last, balcony solar! We dig into how "plug-in solar" took off in Europe & how it's making its way to the US, starting in Utah. Backyard DIY types rejoice!
Reposted by Michael Battalio
"Guys, seriously, get your own lawyer if you need it. Elon’s great, but you need to watch your own back.”
What happened to DOGE after Musk left.
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
What happened to DOGE after Musk left.
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Inside the DOGE Succession Drama Elon Musk Left Behind
What really happened when he logged out of Washington.
www.politico.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:12 PM
"Guys, seriously, get your own lawyer if you need it. Elon’s great, but you need to watch your own back.”
What happened to DOGE after Musk left.
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
What happened to DOGE after Musk left.
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
1) good, they should be prosecuted, they are responsible for countless deaths
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
'Suddenly exposed' DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report
www.rawstory.com/doge-employe...
www.rawstory.com/doge-employe...
'Suddenly exposed' DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report
Current and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers are growing increasingly concerned that the work they did slashing government programs and eliminating jobs will come back to hau...
www.rawstory.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
1) good, they should be prosecuted, they are responsible for countless deaths
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Just added "chiclet plots" to my website, showing the North American weather regime of the ensemble mean for the past 90 runs of the subseasonal NCEP GEFS & ECMWF IFS
GEFS: simonleewx.com/gefs_north_a...
IFS: simonleewx.com/ecmwf_north_...
GEFS: simonleewx.com/gefs_north_a...
IFS: simonleewx.com/ecmwf_north_...
November 21, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Just added "chiclet plots" to my website, showing the North American weather regime of the ensemble mean for the past 90 runs of the subseasonal NCEP GEFS & ECMWF IFS
GEFS: simonleewx.com/gefs_north_a...
IFS: simonleewx.com/ecmwf_north_...
GEFS: simonleewx.com/gefs_north_a...
IFS: simonleewx.com/ecmwf_north_...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Here’s an annotated version of our comet image.
We also want to thank our downlink and uplink teams who spent a huge amount of time working on this. Our camera was not designed to image interstellar objects 19 million miles away, but their hard work and planning paid off.
We also want to thank our downlink and uplink teams who spent a huge amount of time working on this. Our camera was not designed to image interstellar objects 19 million miles away, but their hard work and planning paid off.
November 19, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Here’s an annotated version of our comet image.
We also want to thank our downlink and uplink teams who spent a huge amount of time working on this. Our camera was not designed to image interstellar objects 19 million miles away, but their hard work and planning paid off.
We also want to thank our downlink and uplink teams who spent a huge amount of time working on this. Our camera was not designed to image interstellar objects 19 million miles away, but their hard work and planning paid off.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
November 19, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by Michael Battalio
3I/ATLAS has only done comety things for 140 days. I predict it’ll look like a comet on day 141. For 140 days this grifter has manufactured doubt. He’ll do the same tomorrow. He’s never going to stop. He’s the Terminator, if the Terminator’s job was misconstruing ice and rocks in space to be aliens.
November 17, 2025 at 4:55 PM
3I/ATLAS has only done comety things for 140 days. I predict it’ll look like a comet on day 141. For 140 days this grifter has manufactured doubt. He’ll do the same tomorrow. He’s never going to stop. He’s the Terminator, if the Terminator’s job was misconstruing ice and rocks in space to be aliens.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Iridescent clouds over Gale Crater (enhanced color) - From Simeon Schmauß (stim3on.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2qJvryP
November 15, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Iridescent clouds over Gale Crater (enhanced color) - From Simeon Schmauß (stim3on.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2qJvryP
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Texas A&M professors have to get clearance from a dean if they want to talk about this game on Monday
November 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Texas A&M professors have to get clearance from a dean if they want to talk about this game on Monday
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Part of this week’s newsletter was inspired by the post below. Was there a way to show the distance between normal Americans and the super wealthy?
1/8
www.howtoreadthisch.art/putting-the-...
1/8
www.howtoreadthisch.art/putting-the-...
November 15, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Part of this week’s newsletter was inspired by the post below. Was there a way to show the distance between normal Americans and the super wealthy?
1/8
www.howtoreadthisch.art/putting-the-...
1/8
www.howtoreadthisch.art/putting-the-...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: NASA’s presumptive next leader, Jared Isaacman, wants to outsource more of the space agency’s interplanetary science. The newly launched ESCAPADE mission to Mars offers a sanity check for those plans.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
Can NASA Outsource Its Space Science? This Mars-Bound Mission May Show the Way
NASA’s presumptive next leader wants to outsource more of the space agency’s interplanetary science. The newly launched ESCAPADE mission to Mars offers a sanity check for those plans
www.scientificamerican.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Now on @sciam.bsky.social: NASA’s presumptive next leader, Jared Isaacman, wants to outsource more of the space agency’s interplanetary science. The newly launched ESCAPADE mission to Mars offers a sanity check for those plans.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Mars - Dust Storm on the Olympus Mons - ESA Mars Express - From Andrea Luck (andrealuck.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2q2shzf
November 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Mars - Dust Storm on the Olympus Mons - ESA Mars Express - From Andrea Luck (andrealuck.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2q2shzf
Reposted by Michael Battalio
NASA's just-launched ESCAPADE mission is trying out a novel trajectory to Mars, one that's slower but allows much more flexible launch dates. The flight path also provides a bonus science session at the L2 equilibrium point near Earth. 🧪🔭
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
November 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
NASA's just-launched ESCAPADE mission is trying out a novel trajectory to Mars, one that's slower but allows much more flexible launch dates. The flight path also provides a bonus science session at the L2 equilibrium point near Earth. 🧪🔭
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
The meteorology program at Jackson State University was the first (and for many years only) undergrad meteorology program at a HBCU. They are celebrating 50 years as a program this week, and I talk about the program and being lucky enough to play a role in it. tinyurl.com/fhudehzt
Increasing flash flood concerns for southern California, while central US basks in record warmth
Also: Celebrating 50 years of meteorology at Jackson State University
tinyurl.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
The meteorology program at Jackson State University was the first (and for many years only) undergrad meteorology program at a HBCU. They are celebrating 50 years as a program this week, and I talk about the program and being lucky enough to play a role in it. tinyurl.com/fhudehzt
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Data update! Our NASA Planetary Science historical budget dataset now includes all values for the FY 2026 request and final FY 2024 expenditures. Includes annual funding for every NASA planetary mission, helpful programmatic breakdowns, more:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
November 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Data update! Our NASA Planetary Science historical budget dataset now includes all values for the FY 2026 request and final FY 2024 expenditures. Includes annual funding for every NASA planetary mission, helpful programmatic breakdowns, more:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Reposted by Michael Battalio
This! Here's a slide pulled from my class lecture notes this semester. Comets have two clear tails - one from dust and one from ions. They point in different directions because one feels the solar wind while the other feels radiation pressure.
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
This! Here's a slide pulled from my class lecture notes this semester. Comets have two clear tails - one from dust and one from ions. They point in different directions because one feels the solar wind while the other feels radiation pressure.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
Avi Loeb's calculations about 3I/ATLAS are 100% wrong because he has never understood that dust in the tail(s) responds to solar radiation pressure. Solar wind shapes the ion tail. But the radiation pressure is about 1000 times larger than the solar wind ram pressure, for particles that feel it.
November 13, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Avi Loeb's calculations about 3I/ATLAS are 100% wrong because he has never understood that dust in the tail(s) responds to solar radiation pressure. Solar wind shapes the ion tail. But the radiation pressure is about 1000 times larger than the solar wind ram pressure, for particles that feel it.
Reposted by Michael Battalio
I need EVERY “if we just tell people about science, it will fix this mess” person to read and internalize this.
If you want ppl to give af about science, try fighting for basic access, democracy, and freedom first…otherwise you’re completely missing the point and misreading the moment.
If you want ppl to give af about science, try fighting for basic access, democracy, and freedom first…otherwise you’re completely missing the point and misreading the moment.
November 14, 2025 at 1:12 PM
I need EVERY “if we just tell people about science, it will fix this mess” person to read and internalize this.
If you want ppl to give af about science, try fighting for basic access, democracy, and freedom first…otherwise you’re completely missing the point and misreading the moment.
If you want ppl to give af about science, try fighting for basic access, democracy, and freedom first…otherwise you’re completely missing the point and misreading the moment.