A Cornell-led team said this month that it has created the first “color key” of microorganisms that live in Earth’s clouds. The idea? If similar color signatures show up in an exoplanet’s clouds, it could be a clue that something alive is hiding there. Read more: buff.ly/O1SFwyM

📸 Pixabay/EarthSky.

We have a PhD opportunity at the University of Reading focused on analysing Jupiter and Saturn auroral observations!

Title: Investigating Earth-like responses to the Solar Wind in Gas Giant Upper Atmospheres

Supervisor: me!

Full description/application portal:
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

It’s #supermoon time! If you have clear skies tonight (not likely in NW England…!) do have a look. Your brain is not good at measuring the size and brightness of things on the sky, so you might not be able to tell, but a full moon is always nice to look at! 🌕 Spoke to BBC 5 Live about it at 6.55am.

If comets are like cats, and planetary scientists have been studying domestic cats, tigers, leopards, jaguars, etc., of our solar system for many years, then comet 3I/ATLAS barges in like a serval or ocelot on an unbound e=6 orbit from somewhere else 😂. But it still purrs and scratches
#3IATLAS

This is interesting, a re-evaluation of the Viking 1976 mission’s non-detection of organics on Mars (see the eletter below the original article). 😲 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #astrobiology

So the Earth has quasi-moons! What is the difference between a moon and a quasi moon? (And which one should I howl at?) #astronomy #news #nature #astrophotography

My weekend post: learning to be difficult as a teenager. Good practice for coping with academic life as an adult occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald...

Tonight! Come and hear about how we landed on the Moon (and play along at home), how the BBC laughed at my coffee cup, and how I was almost lured into espionage.

This fall, @megstampede.bsky.social & I are collaborating to create a 2026 calendar!

Each month features a different animal, facts about them, & actions we can take to help them!

Sales will fund our '26 Native Plant Project

Pre-order now, they’ll ship in early November! Squidfacts.net

What a fantastic project - "the impact of informal science learning on wellbeing in acquired brain injury" www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

London! Next Friday! The Universe WILL end in the company of @astrokatie.com, Steve Pretty, many musicians and myself. Do please come join us wegottickets.com/event/676292

This is the article - about a possible connection between black holes and dark energy. There now seems to be evidence for this from both DESI and earlier observations I was involved with 🧪🔭 www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-d...

So today I celebrate the work of @carersinstemm.bsky.social who are calling for systemic changes to funding, policy & culture to support carers in STEM. Funders & employers must listen if they recognise and value the importance of a diverse workforce.👩‍🔬🧪

Read their report 👉 carersinstemm.co.uk 8/9🧵