Guy Watkins
@guywatkins.bsky.social
1.1K followers 2K following 890 posts
Studying MPhys Astrophysics with Space Science at The Open University. Aspiring astrobiologist/planetary scientist. FRAS. BSc (Hons) Computing, CertHE Natural Sciences. http://guywatkins.space
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Reposted by Guy Watkins
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
Layoff notices at JPL are going out today.

About 11% of the Lab, or 550 people, are being let go.

I'm thinking of my friends and colleagues there, some of whom will still be employed after today and some of whom won't.

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
guywatkins.bsky.social
Seeing a lot of UK University technical support roles only offering 12-month contracts - are contracts typically that short, and do job-holders have to hope for renewal or look elsewhere? This seems like...a broken system.
Reposted by Guy Watkins
astro-cowboy.bsky.social
Tomorrow about a third of Perseverance rover staff will be laid off, despite the mission being the penultimate step in a decades long effort to bring samples back from mars.

Reckless, needless budget cuts intended to hinder the pursuit of knowledge.
guywatkins.bsky.social
Got my cool & original lanyards from JPL, but as they don't ship outside of the US (useful), I used Stackry to create a US address they shipped to & then forwarded onto me. OK, it was relatively expensive, but you know...
guywatkins.bsky.social
Hmm... Me like AstroPy and Pandas. That is all.
guywatkins.bsky.social
Ahh, cute. I've only seen your cat before. Looks like they're both living the dream.
guywatkins.bsky.social
Picture plz, or they don't exist.
Reposted by Guy Watkins
drkeithsmith.bsky.social
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/...
guywatkins.bsky.social
In anticipation of any inbound pedantry:

1) No, it isn't an actual Percy rover going spare from NASA.
2) I know there isn't a sale on from that URL (I got it from someone at work). It is there for illustrative purposes only, Jeez.
3) Er, that's it.
Reposted by Guy Watkins
guywatkins.bsky.social
Is it Friday yet? 🍷👽
Roger the alien from the cartoon series "American Dad!", sitting on a suitcase, holding a glass of red wine (grape unknown.)
Reposted by Guy Watkins
sergiopereiralema.bsky.social
I've found a really good Python library to create your own Sky Maps: starplot.dev. Really amazing to prepare observation nights. And great support of his developer, Steve Berardi.

#AstroMethods
Starplot
Star charts and maps of the sky in Python
starplot.dev
guywatkins.bsky.social
That's an epic opportunity!
Reposted by Guy Watkins
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
The best part of the day is when the Sun fucks off
guywatkins.bsky.social
This (Santa Cruz de Tenerife.)
Reposted by Guy Watkins
scixcommunity.bsky.social
Our biggest challenges don’t fit neatly into one field - and neither should their solutions. #SciX connects knowledge across disciplines, making it easier for researchers to share insights, combine methods, and spark unsiloed breakthroughs. #InterdisciplinaryResearch #OpenScience
Reposted by Guy Watkins
eso.org
ESO @eso.org · 12d
ICYMI, our VLT identified an enormous growth spurt in a rogue planet, which is eating up six billion tonnes of gas & dust a second!

The discovery sheds new light on how such planets form.
Discover more in our video 👇 

Full story: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2516/

🔭 🧪 #exoplanets #planetsci
guywatkins.bsky.social
I've just joined the "M500 Society", which is The Open University Mathematics Society (and has been going since 1973) m500.org.uk @oumathsstats.bsky.social
M500 Society – The Open University Mathematics Society
m500.org.uk