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drkeithsmith.bsky.social
PhD, occasional astronomer, talking head, science geek, cynic. Senior Editor at @Science.org, responsible for research papers in astronomy and planetary science. Views own, duh. Bio: https://www.science.org/content/author/keith-t-smith
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Che et al. investigate volcanic basalt retrieved from the far side of the Moon by the Chang'e-6 spacecraft. They determine the age of the volcanism, 2.8 billion years, and constrain the geochemical origin of the magma and the underlying mantle. 🧪🔭 #planetaryscience www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

submitted 39 minutes ago • 0 comments

The asteroid hits and near-misses you never hear about. In the time since 2024 YR4 was first spotted two months ago, tens of other objects have passed closer to Earth than the Moon, which in astronomical terms sounds like a near miss. #Astronomy #Space www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

www.science.org/content/arti... @science.org 🔭🧪

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

☄️ 🔭 The impact probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 has dropped from 2.8% to 0.16%. Thanks to new observations, Earth is now at the edge of our shrinking ‘uncertainty window.’ If this trend continues, the risk may soon reach 0%.

submitted 6 days ago • 40 comments

Scientists are now organizing events, called Stand Up for Science, on 7 March in Washington, D.C., and state capitals. So far, they have attracted more than 100 volunteers from some 30 states who are hoping to rally support for research as a public good. scim.ag/4328LAD

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

🧪🔭⚛️

submitted 8 days ago • 1 comment

The best dark sky in the world - the Atacama Desert in Chile, which hosts many @eso.org telescopes - is under threat from an industrial project. 🔭 Astronomers can sign a petition in favour of moving the planned industrial project: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

submitted 10 days ago • 5 comments

Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email ([email protected]) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.

submitted 12 days ago • 24 comments

Editor's choice: the CHIME radio telescope has added outrigger stations to localise fast radio bursts (FRBs). Shah et al. demonstrate this capability by tracing a repeating FRB to the outskirts of an elliptical galaxy. 🔭 #radioastronomy www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

submitted 13 days ago • 1 comment

“It’s the first time astronomy at this energy is possible,” says Paschal Coyle of KM3NeT. 🔭🧪 @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

submitted 15 days ago • 1 comment

The Guardian view on campus cuts: academics pay a high price for Westminster’s mistakes | Editorial

submitted 16 days ago • 3 comments

www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪🔭

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

www.science.org/content/arti... 🔭🧪 @science.org

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

Latest @theguardian.com cartoon www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

submitted 21 days ago • 3 comments

#planetaryscience

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

Many U.S. science agencies abruptly abandoned normal operations last week to focus on a slew of executive orders from President Donald Trump. The torrent of activity left many researchers bewildered—and fearful of what might come next. scim.ag/4jMPYiY

submitted 22 days ago • 6 comments

Parallax is the apparent shift (wrt background stars) of an astronomical object due to the orbital motion of Earth. 🔭 In microlensing, an object's apparent position can shift due to its own orbital motion. This effect is called xallarap - parallax spelled backwards. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xallarap

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

I don’t think they’ve put enough nickel-56 in this car fragrance 🔭

submitted 25 days ago • 3 comments

And within that 1% impact chance, a large fraction would be over an ocean or unpopulated area. The size (so energy) is still highly uncertain. This asteroid is worth keeping an eye on and a high priority for collecting more data, but there’s no cause for alarm. 🔭🧪

submitted 29 days ago • 3 comments

#planetaryscience

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

🎉 📡 Sweden signs SKAO Convention to join the SKAO Observatory 📡 🎉 www.skao.int/en/news/606/... This is a really big deal and the culmination of 13+ years of work by astronomers in Sweden. With shout outs to Swedish industry, our SKA Regional Center, and our science community. 🔭🧪

submitted 37 days ago • 2 comments

A&A introduces additional charges for papers longer than 12 pages. 🔭 www.aanda.org/2025-press-r...

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

Editor's choice: rocky exoplanets orbiting close to their host star get so hot that their surface melts. Nguyen et al. have simulated the atmosphere on such lava worlds. They find silicate clouds form on the day side, and no atmosphere at all on the night side. 🧪🪐 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

submitted 41 days ago • 1 comment

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Mount Wilson Observatory were both threatened by wildfires in Los Angeles. Flames stopped just short of both facilities; many employees have lost their homes. 🔭🧪 Here’s the @science.org report: www.science.org/content/arti...

submitted 47 days ago • 3 comments