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kellylepo.bsky.social
Kelly Lepo
@kellylepo.bsky.social
3.2K followers 340 following 1.1K posts
Astronomer | Science communicator | Adult Lisa Simpson
Education and Outreach Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (@stsci.edu) supporting JWST.
Personal account — Views are my own
Also on Mastodon: @[email protected]
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kellylepo.bsky.social
Not quite as good as last night, but you could see faint aurora tonight from north of Baltimore, MD. 🔭🧪
A night scene showing the sky with faint red aurora. In the bottom quarter of the frame are some trees and a row of houses in the distance. Above is the night sky. Near the horizon is a faint red glow, the aurora, which almost looks like a thin, red cloud. Dotted across the sky are stars, which appear as points of light. A night scene showing the sky with faint red and green aurora. In the bottom quarter of the frame are some trees and a row of houses in the distance. Above is the night sky. Near the horizon is a faint green glow. Above this are two red patches to the left and right of center. They almost look like thin, red clouds. Dotted across the sky are stars, which appear as points of light.
November 13, 2025 at 3:52 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Time-lapse video of tonight's auroras from Maryland, about 4 minutes of real time.

I didn't think to bring a tripod, so this was the best I could do, propping my phone up on a stake holding a bush.
November 12, 2025 at 2:58 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Auroras from north of Baltimore, MD.

Taken with a long exposure on my phone. They are just barely visible to the naked eye. 🔭🧪
A night scene showing the sky lit up with red and green auroras. The lower half of the frame is filled with silhouetted trees. The upper half shows the night sky. Near the horizon, the sky glows green. Above this is a wide, faint red band with smaller red streaks. A few stars appear as points of white. A night scene showing the sky lit up with red and green auroras. The lower half of the frame is filled with silhouetted trees. Leaves from a tree are out of focus in the foreground near the left edge of the frame. The upper half shows the night sky. Near the horizon, the sky glows green. Above this is a wide, red band with smaller red streaks. Above this are thin, white clouds. A few stars appear as points of white.
November 12, 2025 at 2:51 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Is there a line that separates exoplanets with and without atmospheres — called the "cosmic shoreline"?

These stars are very active, sending out X-rays and flares, blasting the planets that orbit them. So it's not clear if we can extrapolate from the solar system. The program tests this hypothesis.
Five solar system objects and 9 exoplanets plotted on a graph titled, “Balance Between Starlight and Gravity: Which Rocky Planets Have an Atmosphere?” Vertical axis labeled, “Amount of High-Energy Light that Reaches the Planet,” with “more” at the top and “less” at the bottom. Horizontal axis labeled, “How Hard It Is for Atmosphere to Escape the Planet’s Gravity” with “needs less energy to escape” at left and “needs more energy to escape” at right. Background grades from black at top left to light blue at bottom right. Label pointing toward top left reads, “Atmosphere less likely.” Label pointing toward bottom right corner reads, “Atmosphere more likely." Key above graph shows that objects plotted as solid blue circles (Mars, Venus, Earth) have atmosphere. Solid gray circles (the Moon, Mercury) have no atmosphere. Open white circles (all nine exoplanets) are not yet determined. Solar system planets fall on the bottom left half of the graph. Exoplanets fall in the top right.
October 1, 2025 at 6:42 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
We have found many rocky planets orbiting cool, red dwarf stars. But do these planets have atmospheres?

The Rocky Worlds Director’s Discretionary Time program has 500 hours of JWST time plus 250 HST orbits to help answer that question. 🔭🧪

science.nasa.gov/mission/webb...
Illustration showing a distant star, with two rocky planets in the foreground. The star is deep orange and appears to be very active, with dark and light spots and large flares. The planets appear to be the same distance from the star. The planet on the left is significantly smaller than the one on the right. Text beside the planet at left reads, “Smaller planet. Weaker gravity. Lower escape velocity. Atmosphere less likely.” Text for the planet at right reads, “Larger planet. Stronger gravity. Higher escape velocity. Atmosphere more likely.” The small planet at left is gray. The right quarter of the hemisphere is lit by the star. The boundary between the lit and dark sides is sharp. The larger planet at right is blueish white with swirling clouds. The left quarter is lit by the star. The boundary between the lit and dark sides is fuzzy. Illustration showing two star-planet systems, with stars in the background and planets in the foreground. The planets are the same size, but the stars are different colors and distances. The system on the left side of the graphic shows a star that is deep orange and appears to be very active, with dark and light spots and large flares. It appears to be close to the planet. The planet is gray and looks airless. The left quarter of the hemisphere is lit by the star, with a sharp boundary between the lit and dark sides. Text below the planet reads, “More high-energy light from the star. Atmosphere less likely.” The system on the right side of the graphic shows a star that is yellower and appears to be less active and farther away from the planet. The planet is blueish white with swirling clouds. The left quarter is lit by the star. The boundary between the lit and dark sides is fuzzy. Text below the planet reads, “Less high-energy light from the star. Atmosphere more likely.”
October 1, 2025 at 6:42 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
The Sequoia trees here are indeed large.
Me standing under a giant Sequoia tree. It almost looks like a normal tree, until you realize that I am tiny in comparison. It's at least twice as wide as I am tall, and you can only see the base of the tree. It continues up out of the frame. The bottom has a large fire scar, where the bark was burned in a previous fire.
September 14, 2025 at 12:09 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Pre-show organ music and JWST images at the Fox Theater in Visalia.
September 12, 2025 at 6:17 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
This week I'm in California for the Sequoia and Kings Canyon Dark Sky Festival.

Tonight we kicked off the festivities in Visalia with a screening of Cosmic Dawn followed by a Q&A.

I'll be giving a public talk about how JWST finds its way in space and time on Sunday at 7:30 pm at the Wuksachi Lodge
The Fox theater in Visalia, CA at night. Above the theater the name "Fox" and a clock are lit up in neon lights. It is 8:00. The marquee reads "Free Movie Cosmic Dawn, Sponsored by Sequoia Parks Conservatory, 9/11 6pm."
September 12, 2025 at 5:33 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
I wish I took more photos when I was there, but this is me at the gift shop of Stark Trek experience when I was at Star Trek: Las Vegas in 2006.

I was very committed to having a wedding on the bridge of the Enterprise D, I was sad that it closed before I could.
A 21-year-old Kelly in a blue Star Trek Enterprise jumpsuit looking surprised at a life-sized Borg Queen. A 21-year-old Kelly in a blue Star Trek Enterprise jumpsuit standing next to a life sized Ferengi waiter from Quark's bar. I'm trying to mimic his crossed arm pose. I have red eyes from the camera flash.
August 31, 2025 at 1:27 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Happy #NeutronStarWeek!

Want to get a start on your astronomy-themed Halloween programming?

Check out the webinar and resources from NASA's Universe of Learning Science Briefing - Cosmic Chills: Vampire Stars, Black Widow Pulsars, and Dark Energy.

www.universe-of-learning.org/contents/eve...
An illustration of an ominous, green bat that emerges from the cosmos, pushing objects like galaxies and stars further apart into the void of outer space.
August 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
I'm Kelly. I'm an education and outreach scientist based at @stsci.edu in Baltimore. I help make the discoveries of space telescopes like JSWT accessible to everyday people.

I also made @arpbot.bsky.social that posts pictures of cool-looking interacting galaxies.
Me recreating a famous image from the movie Contact. I'm standing below one of the radio dishes from the Very Large Array. I'm wearing a straw hat, holding large over-the-ear headphones to my ears, and staring off into the distance, as if I'm thinking about signals from alien civilizations. My long hair is in two braids. Photo of me giving a presentation in front of a huge screen showing a picture of a nebula. The image is scattered with stars that have JWST's characteristic 8-pointed diffraction spikes. The Webb telescope logo is in the corner of the image. I'm wearing a sparkly tiara and several glow necklaces. My long hair is in tight waves.
August 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
While the foreground galaxy is warping the light from the background galaxy, they are nowhere near each other, so they are not gravitationally interacting.

I'm not sure of the exact separation, since there is nothing published about this pair, but they are probably billions of light years apart.
This ray diagram, which traces the path that light takes, illustrates how light from a distant galaxy or star can be bent by the gravity of an intervening galaxy cluster. Light from a galaxy in the top left corner of the diagram is shown moving toward Earth at the bottom right corner. Between the distant galaxy and Earth, in the center of the diagram, is a depiction of a massive galaxy cluster: A series of gold dots representing galaxies of various sizes scattered across the center of the scene. Solid white lines that end in arrows show the actual paths of the light from the distant galaxy as it travels to Earth. Dashed white lines with arrows show the paths the light would have taken had it not been bent by the gravity of the intervening cluster. The solid white lines start out straight in the beginning, but when they reach the intervening central galaxy cluster, two of the three light paths (the left and right) are bent by the cluster’s gravity and redirected toward Earth. The third solid white line (middle) travels straight from the distant galaxy through the galaxy cluster to Earth. The dashed white lines begin at the middle of the cluster, at left and right, and continue on a straight path.
August 14, 2025 at 4:16 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
No one quoting that particular "Harvard Astronomer" should be taken seriously.
And I know Loeb can do the work — making “Harvard astronomer” the scientific equivalent of “Florida man” didn’t just happen; it took long-term dedication. I want to believe Loeb and collaborators can delve once more into literature they aren’t familiar with, boldly ignore key papers and misquote others, tear down the barriers between science and sloppy statistics, and once again find bold and inspiring ways for aliens to be hiding under every asteroid, meteor and comet, all in the fashion to which we’ve all grown accustomed.
August 8, 2025 at 8:17 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Congrats on being verified @stsci.edu.

You are now in the club with such luminaries as
@neorsd.org and @cpsc.gov.
Screenshot of the handle for the Space Telescope Science Institute, @stsci.edu. It has a blue check after it.
August 7, 2025 at 2:53 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
The Space Telescope Science Institute's MAST archive contains 300 million astronomical observations from over 23 different missions.

Here is an animation showing how the archive has built up over time.

Credit: Julie Imig, STScI
August 1, 2025 at 1:16 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Exoplanets Program Guide Includes:

• Observe, Think, Wonder or Cosmic Stories warmup
• Build a scale model of the TRAPPIST-1 system
• Make Your Own Exoplanet Model — Describe an exoplanet and bring it to life through poster artwork or paper-mache.

universe-of-learning.org/informal-edu...
Cosmic Canvas: Exoplanets Program Guide Exploring the Universe through Art and Astronomy Above: This scientific illustration shows the seven Earth-sized planets of TRAPPIST-1, an exoplanet system about 40 light-years away from Earth, based on data as of February 2018. Credit: NASA/JPL- Caltech/R. Hurt, T. Pyle (IPAC) Astronomy and the Arts: How are they connected? In astronomy, the process of scientific inquiry mirrors the creative journey of artmaking in many ways. Just as artists observe, interpret, and reflect the world through music, painting, sculpture, and writing, scientists observe the cosmos, interpret data, and create models to understand its many mysteries. Artistic expression, scientific illustration, and modeling play pivotal roles in exploring the universe and conveying ideas, particularly when faced with the unknowns of the vast and challenging-to-observe universe. In this program guide, participants will practice skills used in both science and artmaking while learning about exoplanets. NASA's Universe of Learning
July 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Stellar Evolution Program Guide Includes:

• Observe, Think, Wonder or Cosmic Stories warmup
• Construct a Star Life Cycle Bookmark
• Paint a Star-forming Nebula — Use watercolors to depict how stars, dust, and gas interact in star-forming regions.

universe-of-learning.org/informal-edu...
Cosmic Canvas: Stellar Evolution Program Guide Exploring the Universe through Art and Astronomy Above: This artist’s concept shows two stars known as HM Sagittae, where a white dwarf star is pulling material from its red giant star companion. Credit: NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI) Astronomy and the Arts: How are they connected? In astronomy, the process of scientific inquiry mirrors the creative journey of artmaking in many ways. Just as artists observe, interpret, and reflect the world through music, painting, sculpture, and writing, scientists observe the cosmos, interpret data, and create models to understand its many mysteries. Artistic expression, scientific illustration, and modeling play pivotal roles in exploring the universe and conveying ideas, particularly when faced with the unknowns of the vast and challenging-to-observe universe. In this program guide, participants will practice skills used in both science and artmaking while learning about the life cycles of stars, known as stellar evolution. NASA's Universe of Learning.
July 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
That one was actually Stephan's Quintet (and also one of JWST's first images).

webbtelescope.org/contents/med...

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, u/RubixsQube
July 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
The Space Telescope Science Institute maintained hubblesite.org, with more than 30 years of Hubble images and news. This included the original 1995 Pillars of Creation image, which owed its popularity to the early internet.

Now it just redirects to NASA.
Three dark, finger-like pillars rise from the bottom to the top of the frame, ending in three points. The edges of the pillars are backlit and have streamers of gas, which look like mist rising from the landscape. The background is opaque, set off in shades of green, dotted with a few pink stars. In the upper right corner is a stair-step-shaped black area where there is no data, typical of images produced by Hubble's WFPC2 camera.
July 11, 2025 at 4:52 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Here is one attempting to eat the Pillars of Creation.
A shot of a pumpkin with the iconic Pillars of Creation carved into it. The pumpkin is lit from within, so the pillars are glowing. A leopard slug sits above the top pillar, happily munching away at the carving.
June 26, 2025 at 3:01 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
Here you go, from the Rubin town hall at AAS 😉
A projector screen showing slides: We have a working Rubin Observatory system! Images are embargoed until First Look press conference in D.C. on June 23rd. First look images are shown, mostly blocked with a translucent yellow square so you can't see anything.
June 17, 2025 at 10:36 PM
kellylepo.bsky.social
And that was it for AAS 246. I'll leave you with the final sunset from my hotel room taken at 11:30pm.
Sunset on a clear day. The city is in shadow in the foreground. In the background is the Cook Inlet and distant mountains.
June 14, 2025 at 12:18 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
And the timeline for 2026 finding decisions. Since the vast majority of astronomy research, education, outreach depend on federal grants, this will be a hugely consequential year for the field.
Timeline for Fiscal Year 2026 funding decisions June-July: Details of President's Budget Request for FY26 continue to be released July 7-10: House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill markup July 14-17: House Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill markup TBD: Senate Appropriations Bill markup Fall: House and Senate conference to decide final appropriations bill By October 1: Either appropriations bills are passed, a continuing resolution is adopted, or the government shuts down.
June 14, 2025 at 12:12 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
As a professional society, AAS has been advocating for its members, following their priorities as outlined in their strategic plan. A timeline of the relevant political situation since January and AAS's actions.
Public Policy Timeline Jan. 20: Inauguration of Trump. Executive Order 14151 Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. Jan. 27 NSF freezes grant review and payment Feb. 26: OMB Memo released about agency RIF and reorganization plans. Jan. 28: AAS releases a "share your story" form. Feb. 18: NSF lays off 168 employees. Feb. 20: AAS releases first Action Alert of the year in support of NASA, NSF, and DOE. Jan - Feb: AAS Policy Team meets with dozens of offices to discuss the impacts on the community. Feb. 26: OMB Memo released about agency RIF and reorganization plans. Feb 28: 30% of Office of Space Commerce is laid off. Some employees were re-hired. Mar. 5: AAS releases Action Alert about submitting constituent request forms over 100 form requests made! Mar. 7: First reports of deep cuts. to NASA SMD. Mar. 7: AAS releases statement in support of NASA SMD. DPS committee Hill visits. Stand Up For Science marches around the country. Public Policy Timeline Mar 14: Congress passes full-year Continuing Resolution for FY2025. US judges order Administration to reinstate federal workers. Mar. 19:First AAS policy webinar on how to advocate for astronomy. April 2: AAS Congressional Visits Day (38 meetings). Apr. 8: New Action Alert urging House members to sign letter in support of NASA SMD. Apr. 11: Detailed rumors of NASA cuts reported from OMB passback. April 21: New Action Alert in support of NSF. Apr. 23-24: AAS submits comments about NASA reauthorization bill. New Action Alert in support of DOE. Apr. 24: NSF director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, resigns. April 28: AAS solicits info about cancelled federal grants from AAS members. May 2: Release of "skinny" President's Budget Request (PBR) for FY2026. May 2-7: AAS releases breakdown of skinny PBR, releases Week of Action, and helps with SPD committee visits. May 8: NSF ordered to abolish 37 science divisions. Public Policy Timeline May 16: House Deadline to submit "member requests to Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations subcommittee (83 signed NASA SMD letter, 132 signed NSF, and 122 signed DOE Office of Science). May 19: COMPASSE Webinar on Dark and Quiet Skies Policy May 22: House passes "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" with provision to auction 600 MHz of spectrum. May 22: Senate Deadline to submit "member requests" to Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations subcommittee (15 signed NASA SMD letter, 38 signed NSF, and 31 signed DOE Office of Science). May 23: AAS submits a comment on Schedule F proposed rulemaking for federal employees. May 28: AAS sends letter to Congress about importance of preserving protected frequencies for radio astronomy. May 28: Rubio announces "aggressive" revoking of Visas for Chinese students. May 30: AAS and 54 other science organizations send letter to Congress about NSF developments. May 30: Release of NASA and NSF budget requests for FY 2026. May 31: White House withdraws nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator. June 3-5: AAS staff meet with Congressional offices about NASA and NSF budget requests.
June 14, 2025 at 12:12 AM
kellylepo.bsky.social
And we'll wrap up my #AAS246 posts with the only plenary I got to on day 4: Public Policy Plenary: The Current Landscape for Science Policy and How YOU Can Make a Difference.

I have to be a little careful here because of my job, but I will recap what I can of what AAS leadership presented.
The Current Landscape for Public Policy and how YOU can make a difference Dara Norman and the AAS Public Policy Team (Colin Hamill, Roohi Dalal, Joel Parriott) 6/12/2025 American Astronomical Society What Policy Looks Like at AAS AAS Mission Statement The mission of the American Astronomical Society is to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe as a diverse and inclusive astronomical community. https://aas.org/about/governance/society-resolutions What Policy Looks Like at AAS Strategic Priority 1: Address significant global issues that affect astronomy • Advocate for implementation of the Decadal Surveys Recommendations. • Advocate for STEM education, in coordination with Education Committee goals and initiatives. • Advocate for funding, programs, policies, and regulations that broadly benefit the discipline. • Establish and advocate policy and position points concerning outdoor ground-based lighting and protection of the full EM spectrum. • Establish and advocate policy and position points concerning the increasing satellite presence in Earth orbit. AAS Strategic Plan 2021-2026: https://aas.org/about/strategic-plan
June 14, 2025 at 12:12 AM