Author | Lightnews

Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · 5h

☀️ Mark your calendars! ☀️
ESPM-18 (European Solar Physics Meeting)
📍 Wrocław, Poland 🇵🇱
📅 6-10 September 2027
Looking forward to seeing the solar and heliospheric physics community there! 🔬✨
#SolarPhysics #ESPM18 #SpaceWeather #Astrophysics

Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · 1d

G3 (strong) geomagnetic storm watch! Multiple solar eruptions from AR 4274 are delivering glancing blows to Earth, combined with fast solar wind. Aurora possible across Scotland and potentially further south (cloud permitting) with the best chance on Friday morning.🌞💨

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · Oct 7

First images of comet #3I/ATLAS from Europe's Mars orbiters 😍

Observing the comet from 30 million km away, #ExoMars reveals the halo of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus.

Read more 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
🔭🧪

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 26

Congrats to both of you 👏 🎉

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Dr. Craig DeForest ☀️ @craig.deforest.org · Sep 25

Very nice to see ngGONG move forward! GONG is a decades-old global instrument on which the Sun never sets, to observe the Sun around the clock. It provides very important continuous monitoring of space weather and allows us to image the interior of the star itself. ☀️

NSO Receives Funding from NSF to Design the Next-Generation Solar Observing Network to Advance Solar Science and Space Weather Forecasting - NSO - National Solar Observatory

The U. S. NSF National Solar Observatory will design a Next-Generation Ground-based Solar Observing Network (ngGONG) advancing space-weather forecasting.

nso.edu

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

Prof Jim Wild @jim-wild.bsky.social · Sep 25

A helpful summary from Nature on some of the challenges facing the U.K. higher education sector (and their background).

#highereducation #universities #research #education

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

UK university departments on the brink as higher-education funding crisis deepens

As a new academic year dawns, international competition, government policies and inflationary pressures could be pushing some universities to the brink of bankruptcy.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

Jonathan Pritchard @pritchardjr.bsky.social · Sep 20

“In an anonymous survey of (UK Physics) department heads by the Institute of Physics (IoP), 26% said they faced potential closure of their department within the next two years, while 60% said they expected courses to be reduced.”
www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Quarter of UK university physics departments at risk of closing, survey finds

Four out of five making staff cuts as physicists say findings are ‘great concern’ for UK’s leadership in important areas

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

Mathew Owens @mathewjowens.bsky.social · Sep 20

We bail out banks. We bail the steel industry, the water industry, airlines and hotels.

The UK higher education sector directly employs nearly 1M people. It's the envy of the world and benefits almost every area of UK society. But apparently it can go burn.

Prof. Jonathan Nichols @jnic.bsky.social · Sep 20

Here is the IoP report

www.iop.org/about/news/q...

Quarter of UK university physics departments risk closure as funding crisis bites

Institute of Physics warns “perfect storm” could damage world-leading UK physics research and jeopardise our future defence, technology and growth.

www.iop.org

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 11

Would be great to have you there if you do 😊

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 10

Opening night! 🤩

Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 9

🌞🎶 Experience the aurora like never before!
Aurora — an immersive exhibition turning May 2024 aurora into sound 🔊
📅 Opens 10 Sept, 5–6.30pm
📍 Gallery North, Northumbria Uni, NE1 8QE
#Aurora #SpaceWeather #Sonification #NorthumbriaUni #NewcastleUni #WeAreAllSolarOrbiters

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 9

I feel your pain 😅 see you tomorrow!

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 9

Brought to you by Sensing Remoteness — a new collective of scientists + artists pushing the boundaries of data + sonification.

Join us 11–17 Sept (weekdays, 11–5).
If you’re in Newcastle, don’t miss it 👉 step into the aurora. ✨

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 9

We’ve sonified X-ray, magnetic field + ion flux data from Solar Orbiter, ACE & GOES.
Three sound systems (incl. the incredible IKO ambisonic array) + the gallery itself become a resonant instrument. 🌠🎶

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 9

🌞🎶 Experience the aurora like never before!
Aurora — an immersive exhibition turning May 2024 aurora into sound 🔊
📅 Opens 10 Sept, 5–6.30pm
📍 Gallery North, Northumbria Uni, NE1 8QE
#Aurora #SpaceWeather #Sonification #NorthumbriaUni #NewcastleUni #WeAreAllSolarOrbiters

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Sep 2

Arrival was last night, did anyone managed to catch the aurora in the UK? Of course I am away at a conference right now… 😅

Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Aug 31

A bit late to the party 🎉 but it looks like there is a chance for moderate to strong geomagnetic storming (G2/3) due to the arrival of a fast solar eruption expected on Monday/Tuesday. Aurora may be seen in central UK 👀 🌞💨 🌎

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Aug 31

A bit late to the party 🎉 but it looks like there is a chance for moderate to strong geomagnetic storming (G2/3) due to the arrival of a fast solar eruption expected on Monday/Tuesday. Aurora may be seen in central UK 👀 🌞💨 🌎

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

Christian Möstl @chrisoutofspace.bsky.social · Aug 31

This #solarstorm from late Aug 30 2025 will arrive at 🌍 noon to late Monday Sep 1.
Depending on its internal magnetic field, it has the potential for #aurora in central Europe and maybe #GNSS errors.
Parker Solar Probe will tell us in hindsight if its field was predictable from 0.5 au.

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Prof Lucie Green @luciegreen.bsky.social · Jul 30

This is great news! Congratulations Michele! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK gets first female Astronomer Royal in 350 years

Prof Michele Dougherty is the first woman to be appointed to the influential post.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

Dr. David Miller 🏳️‍🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · Jul 10

🧪 BREAKING (good news): Senate subcommittee says NO! to Trump's proposed slashes to NASA & NSF funding.

Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.

See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.

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Subcommittee Markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

www.appropriations.senate.gov

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Jun 19

Hopefully it hasn’t jinxed it, but you could announce it after a successful day of sciencing 😂

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Jun 19

Don’t advertise it to the Universe!

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Roland Pease @peaseroland.bsky.social · Jun 12

Solar astronomer @stephyardley.bsky.social joins BBC Science in Action this week to explain why the new polar views of the Sun, from ESA's Solar Orbiter, will make such a difference in unravelling the Sun's magnetic turmoil and what drives the 11-yr cycle in activity.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w...

BBC World Service - Science In Action, The First Solar Polar Pictures

ESA’s Solar Orbiter camera probe begins raising its orbit towards the sun’s poles.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Jun 12

I assume it’s related to the logistics of doing that and also that it’s not the entire goal of the mission - which is exploring the connection between the sun and the heliosphere

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Dr Steph Yardley @stephyardley.bsky.social · Jun 11

We now have views of the Sun's poles for the very first time thanks to ESA's Solar Orbiter Mission! This is only the start as Solar Orbiter's inclination will increase to up to 33 degrees out of the ecliptic later in the mission...🌞🛰️

European Space Agency @esa.int · Jun 11

🌞 See the Sun from a whole new angle.

For the first time, our Solar Orbiter mission has captured close-up images of the Sun’s mysterious poles, regions long hidden from our view.

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Reposted by Dr Steph Yardley

Dr. Craig DeForest ☀️ @craig.deforest.org · Jun 11

Hey! Lookie what PUNCH (@punch-mission.bsky.social) just saw! Two different solar storms crossing the entire inner solar system! NASA's site doesn't thumbnail well, so click the link for the movie and other images. ☀️🔭🛰️🧪

science.nasa.gov/blogs/punch/...

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