Max Mutchler
@maxmutchler.bsky.social
Consulting Staff Scientist at Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, working on the Roman Space Telescope. Asteroid 6815.
Reposted by Max Mutchler
NASA has completed the construction of #NASARoman! Last month, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the observatory in Maryland.
After final testing, Roman will move to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations in summer 2026: https://go.nasa.gov/48EqnE8 🔭 🧪
After final testing, Roman will move to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations in summer 2026: https://go.nasa.gov/48EqnE8 🔭 🧪
December 4, 2025 at 6:14 PM
NASA has completed the construction of #NASARoman! Last month, technicians joined the inner and outer portions of the observatory in Maryland.
After final testing, Roman will move to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations in summer 2026: https://go.nasa.gov/48EqnE8 🔭 🧪
After final testing, Roman will move to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations in summer 2026: https://go.nasa.gov/48EqnE8 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Max Mutchler
Hubble reobserved interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on November 30. At the time, the comet was about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth.
Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light: https://go.nasa.gov/4iCU2lH 🔭 🧪
Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light: https://go.nasa.gov/4iCU2lH 🔭 🧪
December 4, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Hubble reobserved interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on November 30. At the time, the comet was about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth.
Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light: https://go.nasa.gov/4iCU2lH 🔭 🧪
Hubble tracked the comet as it moved across the sky. As a result, background stars appear as streaks of light: https://go.nasa.gov/4iCU2lH 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Max Mutchler
Starting in one minute! Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS images to be shared by NASA. YouTube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A55S...
November 19, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Starting in one minute! Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS images to be shared by NASA. YouTube link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A55S...
Reposted by Max Mutchler
I recommend this article by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @leebillings.bsky.social for folks who are looking for *factual* information about why 3I/ATLAS is of interest to planetary astronomers: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
The Race to Study an Interstellar Comet from Deep Space
Astronomers are hustling to use interplanetary spacecraft to study the interstellar comet dubbed 3I/ATLAS while the sun is hiding it from Earth
www.scientificamerican.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I recommend this article by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @leebillings.bsky.social for folks who are looking for *factual* information about why 3I/ATLAS is of interest to planetary astronomers: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Max Mutchler
When the third interstellar object was discovered in July, years of careful preparation helped astronomers quickly jump into action to observe our new cometary visitor from the get-go. eos.org/features/how...
How an Interstellar Interloper Spurred Astronomers into Action - Eos
Valuable lessons from previous interstellar objects allowed scientists to develop a more rapid response when the third one arrived in July.
eos.org
September 9, 2025 at 1:35 PM
When the third interstellar object was discovered in July, years of careful preparation helped astronomers quickly jump into action to observe our new cometary visitor from the get-go. eos.org/features/how...
Reposted by Max Mutchler
Nice short discussion of the evolving understanding of 3I/ATLAS as this interstellar comet continues its approach to the Sun and more observations come in from various telescopes, featuring a lot of the observing folks 🔭☄️🧪
Telescopes Reveal Surprising Chemistry of a Rare Interstellar Object Passing Through Our Solar System
Called 3I/ATLAS, the object is only the third of its kind known to astronomers, and it’s likely been heading our way for billions of years, carrying pristine material from another star system
www.smithsonianmag.com
September 6, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Nice short discussion of the evolving understanding of 3I/ATLAS as this interstellar comet continues its approach to the Sun and more observations come in from various telescopes, featuring a lot of the observing folks 🔭☄️🧪
Reposted by Max Mutchler
SPHEREx and JWST reveal what comet 3I/ATLAS is… and isn’t
Wonder what interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is all about? So did scientists working on SPHEREx and JWST.
Hello, too much carbon dioxide, no aliens, and very little everything else.
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #science #notaviloeb
Wonder what interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is all about? So did scientists working on SPHEREx and JWST.
Hello, too much carbon dioxide, no aliens, and very little everything else.
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #science #notaviloeb
SPHEREx and JWST reveal what comet 3I/ATLAS is... and isn't
Designed to map galaxies, the SPHEREx mission's first science result is instead about interstellar interloper 3I/ATLAS. No, it's not aliens.
bigthink.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:46 PM
SPHEREx and JWST reveal what comet 3I/ATLAS is… and isn’t
Wonder what interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is all about? So did scientists working on SPHEREx and JWST.
Hello, too much carbon dioxide, no aliens, and very little everything else.
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #science #notaviloeb
Wonder what interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is all about? So did scientists working on SPHEREx and JWST.
Hello, too much carbon dioxide, no aliens, and very little everything else.
bigthink.com/starts-with-...
#space #astro #science #notaviloeb
Nice video associated with our paper on initial Hubble imaging of interstellar object 3I: arxiv.org/abs/2508.02934
Interstellar Visitor is Fastest Comet Ever Recorded
YouTube video by NASA Goddard
www.youtube.com
August 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Nice video associated with our paper on initial Hubble imaging of interstellar object 3I: arxiv.org/abs/2508.02934
Reposted by Max Mutchler
Hubble observations of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS show that it looks like a comet. It has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off a solid icy nucleus. The nucleus is roughly no wider than 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers): go.nasa.gov/3UenJhD 🔭 🧪
August 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Hubble observations of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS show that it looks like a comet. It has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off a solid icy nucleus. The nucleus is roughly no wider than 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers): go.nasa.gov/3UenJhD 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Max Mutchler
New studies of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show that it's a lot smaller than those early estimates, which were really upper limits. Our interstellar visitor is no more than 5 km (3 miles) wide, probably smaller.
Which makes sense--small objects are a lot more common than big ones. 🧪🔭
Which makes sense--small objects are a lot more common than big ones. 🧪🔭
3I/ATLAS measurement from HST is in: can see the coma but not the nucleus. Sets effective nuclear radius of r < 2.8 km (H>15.4), significantly smaller than earlier estimates (as anticipated).
Jewitt et al, (submitted?) arxiv.org/abs/2508.02934 🔭☄️
Jewitt et al, (submitted?) arxiv.org/abs/2508.02934 🔭☄️
August 6, 2025 at 9:10 AM
New studies of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show that it's a lot smaller than those early estimates, which were really upper limits. Our interstellar visitor is no more than 5 km (3 miles) wide, probably smaller.
Which makes sense--small objects are a lot more common than big ones. 🧪🔭
Which makes sense--small objects are a lot more common than big ones. 🧪🔭
Reposted by Max Mutchler
FACT THREAD on New Interstellar Object #A11pl3Z
This story unfolded pretty fast yesterday for a few reasons. The object was discovered on July 1st UTC by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS team. A #NASA funded survey at the University of Hawaii. atlas.fallingstar.com 🔭🧪
This story unfolded pretty fast yesterday for a few reasons. The object was discovered on July 1st UTC by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS team. A #NASA funded survey at the University of Hawaii. atlas.fallingstar.com 🔭🧪
July 2, 2025 at 3:27 PM
FACT THREAD on New Interstellar Object #A11pl3Z
This story unfolded pretty fast yesterday for a few reasons. The object was discovered on July 1st UTC by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS team. A #NASA funded survey at the University of Hawaii. atlas.fallingstar.com 🔭🧪
This story unfolded pretty fast yesterday for a few reasons. The object was discovered on July 1st UTC by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS team. A #NASA funded survey at the University of Hawaii. atlas.fallingstar.com 🔭🧪
Reposted by Max Mutchler
This animation was assembled from a combination of Hubble images of Mars taken from December 28-30, 2024. At the midpoint of the Hubble observations, Mars was approximately 61 million miles from Earth. 🔭 🧪
Mars Rotation - Hubble Space Telescope - 35th Anniversary
YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute
youtu.be
June 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
This animation was assembled from a combination of Hubble images of Mars taken from December 28-30, 2024. At the midpoint of the Hubble observations, Mars was approximately 61 million miles from Earth. 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Max Mutchler
The #NASARoman Project invites community suggestions for First Look Observations with the WFI. These should highlight key capabilities and demonstrate the power of its observing modes. Submit your ideas by August 11, 2025, at 5 PM ET.
More info: bit.ly/4dIBcap
#NASARoman
More info: bit.ly/4dIBcap
#NASARoman
June 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The #NASARoman Project invites community suggestions for First Look Observations with the WFI. These should highlight key capabilities and demonstrate the power of its observing modes. Submit your ideas by August 11, 2025, at 5 PM ET.
More info: bit.ly/4dIBcap
#NASARoman
More info: bit.ly/4dIBcap
#NASARoman
Reposted by Max Mutchler
Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman was born #OTD in 1925.
After early work in spectral classification and galactic evolution, she became NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and did foundational work planning and overseeing the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
Image: NASA
After early work in spectral classification and galactic evolution, she became NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and did foundational work planning and overseeing the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
Image: NASA
May 16, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman was born #OTD in 1925.
After early work in spectral classification and galactic evolution, she became NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and did foundational work planning and overseeing the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
Image: NASA
After early work in spectral classification and galactic evolution, she became NASA’s first Chief of Astronomy and did foundational work planning and overseeing the development of the Hubble Space Telescope. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
Image: NASA
Reposted by Max Mutchler
The 5 year mission plan for @nasaromantelescope.bsky.social summarized in an easy to read press release with some snazzy graphics. Which part are you most excited about? #NASARoman #LongLiveRoman
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
NASA’s Roman Mission Shares Detailed Plans to Scour Skies - NASA
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team shared Thursday the designs for the three core surveys the mission will conduct after launch. These observation
www.nasa.gov
April 25, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The 5 year mission plan for @nasaromantelescope.bsky.social summarized in an easy to read press release with some snazzy graphics. Which part are you most excited about? #NASARoman #LongLiveRoman
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
Hubble was planned to be a 15-year mission, and the return on investment is noteworthy. This week we celebrate our 35th anniversary with more iconic images of the awe-inspiring universe that we all inhabit.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7AL...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7AL...
4 Brand New Hubble Images Released
YouTube video by NASA Goddard
www.youtube.com
April 23, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Hubble was planned to be a 15-year mission, and the return on investment is noteworthy. This week we celebrate our 35th anniversary with more iconic images of the awe-inspiring universe that we all inhabit.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7AL...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7AL...
Reposted by Max Mutchler
This really is an extinction level event for NASA's science programs.
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
Trump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA
“This would decimate American leadership in space.”…
arstechnica.com
April 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
This really is an extinction level event for NASA's science programs.
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
Reposted by Max Mutchler
There are reports The White House is considering a 50% cut to NASA’s science programs, and 25% of its overall budget, which would be catastrophic for both current and planned missions. But, there is still time for the administration to reconsider. Read our full statement ⬇️
The Planetary Society: reported cuts to NASA would amount to an…
The Planetary Society, the world’s largest independent space interest organization, issued a statement in response to recent reports that the White House…
www.planetary.org
March 7, 2025 at 3:42 PM
There are reports The White House is considering a 50% cut to NASA’s science programs, and 25% of its overall budget, which would be catastrophic for both current and planned missions. But, there is still time for the administration to reconsider. Read our full statement ⬇️
Reposted by Max Mutchler
Technicians have successfully integrated NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s payload—the telescope, instrument carrier, and two instruments—to the spacecraft that will deliver the observatory to its place in space and enable it to function while there. 🔭 🧪
NASA Joins Telescope, Instruments to Roman Spacecraft - NASA
Technicians have successfully integrated NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s payload – the telescope, instrument carrier, and two instruments – to the
www.nasa.gov
January 8, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Technicians have successfully integrated NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s payload—the telescope, instrument carrier, and two instruments—to the spacecraft that will deliver the observatory to its place in space and enable it to function while there. 🔭 🧪
The Roman Space Telescope, named after Nancy Grace Roman, is a Hubble-sized telescope that will revolutionize astronomy by building on the science discoveries and technological leaps of the Hubble and JWST space telescopes. Currently planning for launch in late 2026.
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Learn how the space-based Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, formerly known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), will revolutionize astronomy.
www.stsci.edu
November 18, 2024 at 6:14 PM
The Roman Space Telescope, named after Nancy Grace Roman, is a Hubble-sized telescope that will revolutionize astronomy by building on the science discoveries and technological leaps of the Hubble and JWST space telescopes. Currently planning for launch in late 2026.