Nicole Mortillaro
@nebulousnikki.bsky.social
Senior science reporter at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News)/Editor for the Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada/amateur astronomer. Deeply concerned about climate change.
This image is truly stunning. I highly recommend clicking on the "embiggen" link provided.
I gripe a little bit about the ambiguity of the word "day" — astronomically speaking, of course — and also present you with a *gorgeous* Hubble shot of a face-spiral galaxy that turns out to be part of the puzzle that tells us how the universe expands.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/happy-sols...
🔭 🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/happy-sols...
🔭 🧪
Happy solstice, and a gorgeous galaxy with which to measure the Universe
The longest night is now behind us, and a Hubble image of a galaxy used as a ruler
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:40 PM
This image is truly stunning. I highly recommend clicking on the "embiggen" link provided.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
Hell yeah: @science.org's official Breakthrough of the Year for 2025 is ... [drumroll] ...
... the unstoppable rise & spread of renewable energy.
... the unstoppable rise & spread of renewable energy.
Science’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year: The unstoppable rise of renewable energy
Clean energy infrastructure is being deployed with unmatched scale and speed—and China is leading the way
www.science.org
December 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Hell yeah: @science.org's official Breakthrough of the Year for 2025 is ... [drumroll] ...
... the unstoppable rise & spread of renewable energy.
... the unstoppable rise & spread of renewable energy.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
Terrifying headline if you don’t realize they are sports teams.
December 19, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Terrifying headline if you don’t realize they are sports teams.
Menstruation in space is a real thing, and we have to look at other options for astronauts as we look to embark on long-term space missions.
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
One small step for periods in space, one giant leap for research in long-term space missions | CBC News
It may still be an uncomfortable subject for some, but periods are a real thing that people need to manage. But what do astronauts do in space? Well, they have some options, but now they may have one ...
www.cbc.ca
December 17, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Menstruation in space is a real thing, and we have to look at other options for astronauts as we look to embark on long-term space missions.
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
The roughly 15,000 satellites in space are already a nuisance to astronomy research. It could get a LOT worse.
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
Launching hundreds of thousands of satellites will threaten space research, scientists warn | CBC News
We've all come to appreciate the beautiful images space telescopes provide us of galaxies, nebulas and more, but they also provide astronomers with important scientific information about our universe....
www.cbc.ca
December 3, 2025 at 9:24 PM
The roughly 15,000 satellites in space are already a nuisance to astronomy research. It could get a LOT worse.
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
www.cbc.ca/news/science...
It reminds me of a chestburster pre-burst.
The sky is a blank slate for us to project images buried deep in our minds. I look at this gorgeous new JWST image & see a human embryo.
(It's actually two dying stars circling each other, casting out shells of dust. Which is a pretty cool image, too.) 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
(It's actually two dying stars circling each other, casting out shells of dust. Which is a pretty cool image, too.) 🧪🔭
science.nasa.gov/missions/web...
November 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
It reminds me of a chestburster pre-burst.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
🔭
My 2026 Amazing Sky Calendar is out and available for downloading at my website.
It's a FREE (!) PDF, suitable for local printing. It has lots of sky events listed in the monthly pages and 14 of my favourite astrophotos from 2025.
www.amazingsky.com/Books
It's a FREE (!) PDF, suitable for local printing. It has lots of sky events listed in the monthly pages and 14 of my favourite astrophotos from 2025.
www.amazingsky.com/Books
November 17, 2025 at 7:56 PM
🔭
"In 1921, when the steamship Rotterdam arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, with Einstein on board, it was met by some 5,000 cheering New Yorkers. Reporters in small boats pulled alongside the ship even before it had docked." God, how I wish the public still had that kind of passion for science.
Albert Einstein's rise to superstardom began 106 years ago today, when the London Times noted the success of his theory of gravity, general relativity. I recently wrote about the public fascination with #Einstein and his theory for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social:
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
One Hundred Years Ago, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity Baffled the Press and the Public
Few people claimed to fully understand it, but the esoteric theory still managed to spark the public's imagination
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:40 PM
"In 1921, when the steamship Rotterdam arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey, with Einstein on board, it was met by some 5,000 cheering New Yorkers. Reporters in small boats pulled alongside the ship even before it had docked." God, how I wish the public still had that kind of passion for science.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean
Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean
Researchers previously took first confirmed footage of a juvenile colossal squid in scarcely explored habitat
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
Astronomers have discovered a ready-to-image super-Earth candidate less than 20 light-years away.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
A Super-Earth Candidate Less Than 20 Light-Years Away
Astronomers have discovered a ready-to-image super-Earth candidate, named GJ 251c, less than 20 light-years away.
skyandtelescope.org
October 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Astronomers have discovered a ready-to-image super-Earth candidate less than 20 light-years away.
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
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#astronomy #exoplanet #superearth
I've been looking forward to this film because, yeah, the threat of nuclear war terrifies me and that fear never left me after I watched The Day After as a child.
Thanks Tom. Never thought I’d pine for the “mutually assured destruction” days.
Ps, a gift version for those who may need it www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Ps, a gift version for those who may need it www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Kathryn Bigelow’s Warning to America
The threat of apocalypse never ended. We just chose to forget about it.
www.theatlantic.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I've been looking forward to this film because, yeah, the threat of nuclear war terrifies me and that fear never left me after I watched The Day After as a child.
I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table reading about the first exoplanet discovery in 1992. Will never forget it. And look at us now!
Thirty years ago Monday, astronomers announced the first planet around a Sunlike star. Since then they have cataloged more than 6,000 alien worlds.
I asked a bunch of astronomers what their favorite exoplanet is, and wrote about it for @nature.com. What's yours?
🧪 #astronomy
I asked a bunch of astronomers what their favorite exoplanet is, and wrote about it for @nature.com. What's yours?
🧪 #astronomy
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
October 2, 2025 at 8:47 PM
I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table reading about the first exoplanet discovery in 1992. Will never forget it. And look at us now!
Article, please.
The real generational divide is people who refuse to watch a video if it could be an article versus people who refuse to read an article if it could be a video
September 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Article, please.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
THIS NEW HUBBLE IMAGE LOOKS LIKE A GALACTIC PORTAL!!! 🌌
September 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
THIS NEW HUBBLE IMAGE LOOKS LIKE A GALACTIC PORTAL!!! 🌌
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact."
-Carl Sagan
-Carl Sagan
September 26, 2025 at 12:42 AM
"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact."
-Carl Sagan
-Carl Sagan
This fact always amazes me. How new our understanding really is, yet how far we've come to study these galaxies in such remarkable detail.
A detailed image of the galaxy cluster Abell 3827
Gazing at this vast collection of hundreds of galaxies, it’s remarkable to remember that less than a century ago, many astronomers thought the Milky Way was the only galaxy in existence.
(Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Massey)
Gazing at this vast collection of hundreds of galaxies, it’s remarkable to remember that less than a century ago, many astronomers thought the Milky Way was the only galaxy in existence.
(Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Massey)
September 18, 2025 at 7:17 PM
This fact always amazes me. How new our understanding really is, yet how far we've come to study these galaxies in such remarkable detail.
T. Ocellus is an agent of chaos.
September 10, 2025 at 4:30 PM
T. Ocellus is an agent of chaos.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
There's a NASA presser happening now in which acting admin Duffy said "This very well could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars." That doesn't mean it is a sign of life. We covered this cool rock in 2024, paper in Nature is out today: 🧪🔭
www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa...
www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa...
NASA's Perseverance finds its first possible hint of ancient Mars life
The NASA Mars rover examined a rock containing organic compounds and “leopard spots” that, on Earth, are associated with microbial life.
www.sciencenews.org
September 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
There's a NASA presser happening now in which acting admin Duffy said "This very well could be the clearest sign of life that we’ve ever found on Mars." That doesn't mean it is a sign of life. We covered this cool rock in 2024, paper in Nature is out today: 🧪🔭
www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa...
www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa...
Woot! Got my advances! New title but same great content. Use it to plan for your 2026 night sky planning! @fireflybooks.bsky.social
September 1, 2025 at 3:13 AM
Woot! Got my advances! New title but same great content. Use it to plan for your 2026 night sky planning! @fireflybooks.bsky.social
And that’s what I saw last night! Was absolutely amazing! @billlongo.com
On the other side of the planet, we see the launch trajectory north from French Guiana over the Atlantic and Labrador, circa 0040 UTC, and then on the second orbit over Colombia, Cuba, the eastern US and Ontario circa 0225-0240 UTC. The deorbit burn was at 0235 UTC, 800 km above Lake Superior
August 14, 2025 at 3:37 AM
And that’s what I saw last night! Was absolutely amazing! @billlongo.com
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
There were a couple of launches today, but I'd need to know what direction you saw itmand what direction it's moving. I see other posts about it here too; it was seen from South Dakota.
August 13, 2025 at 2:55 AM
There were a couple of launches today, but I'd need to know what direction you saw itmand what direction it's moving. I see other posts about it here too; it was seen from South Dakota.
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
From Canada I think it's much more likely to be the Ariane 6 launch which was polar, rather that the Vulcan launch which was at 28 deg inclination and which is still on it way to GEO altitude.
August 13, 2025 at 3:27 AM
From Canada I think it's much more likely to be the Ariane 6 launch which was polar, rather that the Vulcan launch which was at 28 deg inclination and which is still on it way to GEO altitude.
Okay. Was looking for Perseids, but caught this instead! From Toronto. Amazing! What rocket launch is this from? It’s going the wrong way! @philplait.bsky.social @planet4589.bsky.social
August 13, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Okay. Was looking for Perseids, but caught this instead! From Toronto. Amazing! What rocket launch is this from? It’s going the wrong way! @philplait.bsky.social @planet4589.bsky.social
Reposted by Nicole Mortillaro
I bet it's been a while since you've had your mind vaporized by a JWST image so here's one of a cluster of galaxies so immense it's visibly warping space.
Bonus: I explain what you're seeing! Because that's kinda my thing!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-incredi...
🔭🧪
Bonus: I explain what you're seeing! Because that's kinda my thing!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-incredi...
🔭🧪
An incredible JWST image of an immense city of galaxies
Abell S1063 is a jaw-dropping example of the power of the big telescope
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I bet it's been a while since you've had your mind vaporized by a JWST image so here's one of a cluster of galaxies so immense it's visibly warping space.
Bonus: I explain what you're seeing! Because that's kinda my thing!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-incredi...
🔭🧪
Bonus: I explain what you're seeing! Because that's kinda my thing!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/an-incredi...
🔭🧪