Shanil Virani
@shanilv.ca
🏆 Award-winning astronomer, passionate science educator, & creator of 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 — a podcast sharing the wonders of #science with everyone.
📷 Co-author of 𝙳𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, a photobook on #lightpollution.
🎓 @uwaterloo.ca & @yale.edu alum 🇨🇦➡️🇺🇸
📷 Co-author of 𝙳𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, a photobook on #lightpollution.
🎓 @uwaterloo.ca & @yale.edu alum 🇨🇦➡️🇺🇸
Pinned
Shanil Virani
@shanilv.ca
· Jul 20
“Wanderers Still”: On the Moon, Memory, and the Future We Choose
Reflections on the 56th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
tiny.cc
Happy #MoonDay?
It’s been 56 years since humanity first walked on the #Moon.
Are we still #explorers?
My new essay reflects on #Apollo, what we’ve forgotten, and what’s still possible.🔭🧪
🛰️ tiny.cc/MoonDay 🔗
📣 What are your thoughts?
#MoonDay #HumanFutures #Exploration #STEM #TheFutureWeChoose
It’s been 56 years since humanity first walked on the #Moon.
Are we still #explorers?
My new essay reflects on #Apollo, what we’ve forgotten, and what’s still possible.🔭🧪
🛰️ tiny.cc/MoonDay 🔗
📣 What are your thoughts?
#MoonDay #HumanFutures #Exploration #STEM #TheFutureWeChoose
Reposted by Shanil Virani
If you wanted to make an apple pie from scratch for today, you’re ~13.8 billion years late!🧪🔭
#CarlSagan was right: every apple, every atom, every one of us was forged in ancient stars.
ASP's own @shanilv.ca tells the #cosmic story behind your #Thanksgiving pie:
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSagan was right: every apple, every atom, every one of us was forged in ancient stars.
ASP's own @shanilv.ca tells the #cosmic story behind your #Thanksgiving pie:
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
November 27, 2025 at 8:59 PM
If you wanted to make an apple pie from scratch for today, you’re ~13.8 billion years late!🧪🔭
#CarlSagan was right: every apple, every atom, every one of us was forged in ancient stars.
ASP's own @shanilv.ca tells the #cosmic story behind your #Thanksgiving pie:
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSagan was right: every apple, every atom, every one of us was forged in ancient stars.
ASP's own @shanilv.ca tells the #cosmic story behind your #Thanksgiving pie:
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
If you want to make an apple pie from scratch you’re ~13.8 billion years late. The apples, sugar, butter — & us — were forged in the hearts of ancient stars.
This Thanksgiving, I wrote about the cosmic recipe behind every slice of apple pie… & why #CarlSagan was right.🧪🔭
medium.com/@shanil.vira...
This Thanksgiving, I wrote about the cosmic recipe behind every slice of apple pie… & why #CarlSagan was right.🧪🔭
medium.com/@shanil.vira...
Making an Apple Pie from Scratch
From the Big Bang to your Thanksgiving table — Carl Sagan’s cosmic recipe for making an apple pie from scratch.
medium.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:26 PM
If you want to make an apple pie from scratch you’re ~13.8 billion years late. The apples, sugar, butter — & us — were forged in the hearts of ancient stars.
This Thanksgiving, I wrote about the cosmic recipe behind every slice of apple pie… & why #CarlSagan was right.🧪🔭
medium.com/@shanil.vira...
This Thanksgiving, I wrote about the cosmic recipe behind every slice of apple pie… & why #CarlSagan was right.🧪🔭
medium.com/@shanil.vira...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
So much astronomical excellence in this picture from @astrosociety.org gala! 🔭 L to R: Kate Daniel (Arizona prof), Angela Twum, @astrolatinaa.bsky.social, Alejandra Rosselli-Calderon (UCSC grads), @katycosmiq.bsky.social (CSUSB prof), @capricephillips.bsky.social (Sagan Fellow at UCSC), and me.
November 10, 2025 at 9:44 PM
So much astronomical excellence in this picture from @astrosociety.org gala! 🔭 L to R: Kate Daniel (Arizona prof), Angela Twum, @astrolatinaa.bsky.social, Alejandra Rosselli-Calderon (UCSC grads), @katycosmiq.bsky.social (CSUSB prof), @capricephillips.bsky.social (Sagan Fellow at UCSC), and me.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Hi Bluesky friends! I've been MIA for a while, but I'm coming back because I have some fun news...
I'm helping the Astronomical Society of the Pacific sell/rehome their library because they are downsizing their office space. There are sooooooo many cool finds. I'm going to share as many as I can! 🔭
I'm helping the Astronomical Society of the Pacific sell/rehome their library because they are downsizing their office space. There are sooooooo many cool finds. I'm going to share as many as I can! 🔭
November 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Hi Bluesky friends! I've been MIA for a while, but I'm coming back because I have some fun news...
I'm helping the Astronomical Society of the Pacific sell/rehome their library because they are downsizing their office space. There are sooooooo many cool finds. I'm going to share as many as I can! 🔭
I'm helping the Astronomical Society of the Pacific sell/rehome their library because they are downsizing their office space. There are sooooooo many cool finds. I'm going to share as many as I can! 🔭
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Because @astrosociety.org is a non-profit dedicated to education and outreach, the primary goal is to raise some funds for them through book sales. But there will always be some that don't have much value outside of our starry-eyed community, so there will definitely be some grab-bag options.
🧪📚🔭
🧪📚🔭
November 11, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Because @astrosociety.org is a non-profit dedicated to education and outreach, the primary goal is to raise some funds for them through book sales. But there will always be some that don't have much value outside of our starry-eyed community, so there will definitely be some grab-bag options.
🧪📚🔭
🧪📚🔭
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Good morning Bluesky friends! We have started our holiday sale early so you can take your time to shop small this season! 💖
20% off (nearly) everything in the shop will automagically appear in your cart 🛒
shop.startorialist.com
20% off (nearly) everything in the shop will automagically appear in your cart 🛒
shop.startorialist.com
STARtorialist Online Shop
STARtorialist is a women-owned small business founded by professional astronomers to curate space- and science-themed products, support independent designers, and contribute to STEM education and outr...
shop.startorialist.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Good morning Bluesky friends! We have started our holiday sale early so you can take your time to shop small this season! 💖
20% off (nearly) everything in the shop will automagically appear in your cart 🛒
shop.startorialist.com
20% off (nearly) everything in the shop will automagically appear in your cart 🛒
shop.startorialist.com
Reposted by Shanil Virani
WE ARE BACK!! And the Roman telescope is looking *GREAT* as we continue to prep it for launch here at @nasagoddard 🚀✨ Roman is designed to unravel the mysteries of the dark universe - dark matter & dark energy - as well as finding tens of thousands of new planets outside our solar system.
November 14, 2025 at 7:24 PM
WE ARE BACK!! And the Roman telescope is looking *GREAT* as we continue to prep it for launch here at @nasagoddard 🚀✨ Roman is designed to unravel the mysteries of the dark universe - dark matter & dark energy - as well as finding tens of thousands of new planets outside our solar system.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Starbucks’ CEO makes 6,666x what the average @sbworkersunited.org barista does. It would take less than one day of sales to finalize a fair contract.
Baristas at Starbucks corporate stores nationwide are on strike to fight this corporate greed and get the fair contract they deserve.
Baristas at Starbucks corporate stores nationwide are on strike to fight this corporate greed and get the fair contract they deserve.
November 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Starbucks’ CEO makes 6,666x what the average @sbworkersunited.org barista does. It would take less than one day of sales to finalize a fair contract.
Baristas at Starbucks corporate stores nationwide are on strike to fight this corporate greed and get the fair contract they deserve.
Baristas at Starbucks corporate stores nationwide are on strike to fight this corporate greed and get the fair contract they deserve.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
“Quiet! Quiet!” 😬
November 15, 2025 at 4:56 AM
“Quiet! Quiet!” 😬
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Also, he relentlessly advocated for science AND rationality. Anyway, the linked essay is good and short, please read it!
November 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Also, he relentlessly advocated for science AND rationality. Anyway, the linked essay is good and short, please read it!
Reposted by Shanil Virani
I still remember hearing about Sagan's death, it was a blow. He was not only an inspiring voice for science, but a pioneer in planetary science.
On what would have been his 91st birthday, I reflect on how Carl Sagan helped humanity look up & inward, reminding us that science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.🔭🧪
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
𝘛𝘩𝘦 Candle in the Dark: Celebrating Carl Sagan and the Human Story of Science
Science is not a list of facts — it’s a human story.
medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:04 AM
I still remember hearing about Sagan's death, it was a blow. He was not only an inspiring voice for science, but a pioneer in planetary science.
11:11 on 11/11. Every year in school we read In Flanders Fields — a poem that still stops me cold.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
November 11, 2025 at 4:27 PM
11:11 on 11/11. Every year in school we read In Flanders Fields — a poem that still stops me cold.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
Reposted by Shanil Virani
“Science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.”
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
November 11, 2025 at 1:18 AM
“Science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.”
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
Reposted by Shanil Virani
A beautiful tribute. Sagan's greatest gift was showing that science wasn't just a collection of facts but a deeply human endeavor that fuels our sense of wonder. His mission to make the complex understandable is a huge inspiration. "The candle in the dark" is the perfect description.
November 11, 2025 at 8:58 AM
A beautiful tribute. Sagan's greatest gift was showing that science wasn't just a collection of facts but a deeply human endeavor that fuels our sense of wonder. His mission to make the complex understandable is a huge inspiration. "The candle in the dark" is the perfect description.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Queen Ghislaine even has a puppy at Club Fed. This is how convicted sex traffickers are coddled by the Trump admin. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
November 10, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Queen Ghislaine even has a puppy at Club Fed. This is how convicted sex traffickers are coddled by the Trump admin. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Furious Liberals Call for Schumer to Step Aside, Senate Dems Mostly Quiet
After their shutdown surrender, liberal lawmakers are begging their base to unite behind them anyway – as Trumpland celebrates that their opposition is a bunch of 'p*ssies.'
zeteo.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:23 AM
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
On what would have been his 91st birthday, I reflect on how Carl Sagan helped humanity look up & inward, reminding us that science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.🔭🧪
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
𝘛𝘩𝘦 Candle in the Dark: Celebrating Carl Sagan and the Human Story of Science
Science is not a list of facts — it’s a human story.
medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM
On what would have been his 91st birthday, I reflect on how Carl Sagan helped humanity look up & inward, reminding us that science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.🔭🧪
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Join us at our November Astronomy on Tap at @dc9club.bsky.social on Tuesday November 18th! Talk program TBA shortly.
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
November 8, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Join us at our November Astronomy on Tap at @dc9club.bsky.social on Tuesday November 18th! Talk program TBA shortly.
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Excited to attend the @astrosociety.org gala tonight & receive the Nancy Grace Roman Award! I read about her life & career on my way here. Did you know she was responsible for making NASA data archives public so that everyone could benefit, not just PIs? Such an amazing impact on our field. 🔭
November 9, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by Shanil Virani
We are so happy to see @juliaastro.org leading a #JuliaLang workshop at #AAS247!
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Would you or your colleague like to improve the performance of your data analysis? Then please join us at our @julialang.org workshop at the 247th @aas.org meeting on Jan 3, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The regular registration deadline is Nov 7.
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
AAS 247: Registration | American Astronomical Society
aas.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:39 PM
We are so happy to see @juliaastro.org leading a #JuliaLang workshop at #AAS247!
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Would you or your colleague like to improve the performance of your data analysis? Then please join us at our @julialang.org workshop at the 247th @aas.org meeting on Jan 3, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The regular registration deadline is Nov 7.
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
AAS 247: Registration | American Astronomical Society
aas.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Would you or your colleague like to improve the performance of your data analysis? Then please join us at our @julialang.org workshop at the 247th @aas.org meeting on Jan 3, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The regular registration deadline is Nov 7.
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
A mom takes her daughter to school. She is stopped by the Gestapo & then violently detained because she did not have her SSN memorized. She showed her work permit, DL, SS card, & registration. That piercing scream is from her daughter. Listen to it. Soul-crushing.💔
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:41 AM
A mom takes her daughter to school. She is stopped by the Gestapo & then violently detained because she did not have her SSN memorized. She showed her work permit, DL, SS card, & registration. That piercing scream is from her daughter. Listen to it. Soul-crushing.💔
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
"Canada was at war with Nazi Germany two years before us—and declared war on Imperial Japan the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach in conjunction with U.S. and British forces."
Totally Brazen. Comically Corrupt. Painfully Dumb.
Trump’s mask-off economic doctrine is on full display: Riches for friends, pain for enemies. Is it any wonder business leaders are falling in line?
www.thebulwark.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM
"Canada was at war with Nazi Germany two years before us—and declared war on Imperial Japan the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach in conjunction with U.S. and British forces."