Kelly Lepo - @[email protected]

Astronomer | Science communicator | Adult Lisa Simpson | Education & Outreach Scientist @stsci supporting #JWST | Views are my own | @[email protected]

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Just in case anything happens, it's been fun.
I'll be tooting about space over on Mastodon (@[email protected]).
#RIPTwitter

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Tonight! Join me at Astronomy on Tap Baltimore, 7:00 pm at Guilford Hall Brewery.

I'll talk about the tsunami of JWST science results that have come out in the last few months. Plus other talks about the launch of JWST and… https://t.co/ZiXHq01kX2

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

JWST also observed the sunlight reflected by the asteroid and its rings. By spreading out this light, we see a spectrum of the system showing three absorption bands of water ice.

This spectrum reveals the clear signature of crystalline ice for the first… https://t.co/JeVKvntM3b

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Things that have rings in the solar system: Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune … and Chariklo? Chariklo is an asteroid that orbits between Saturn and Uranus.

In 2013, scientists observed it with several telescopes as it passed in front of a star… https://t.co/PlX7sFi38b

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

This video shows the star (fixed in the center of the video) as Chariklo passes in front of it. The video is composed of individual observations with Webb’s Near-infrared Camera Instrument at 1.5 microns wavelength (F150W) obtained over ~1 hour on Oct. 18, 2022.

3/

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Surprisingly not a still from a sci-fi movie, this new #JWST image shows us the central portion of the star-forming Chamaeleon I molecular cloud.

The cold, wispy cloud material (blue, center) is illuminated in the infrared by the glow of the young,… https://t.co/MevcT3J763

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

One week from today! I'll be speaking at Astronomy on Tap Baltimore, Tuesday Jan 31st, 7:00 pm at Guilford Hall Brewery.

Come hear free, accessible, and fun talks from the people in Baltimore who work behind the… https://t.co/oDFWDw4jPU

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

It turns out that while #JWST is sort of like your phone’s camera, making images with a 10 billion dollar telescope designed for science observations is a little more tricky than point and shoot.

More about the image processing process: … https://t.co/HNXax11AxF

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

6) Why did the star go to the doctor? It was feeling a little burnt out.
7) Why was the solar system so good at sports? Because it had all the planets in orbit.
8) What do you call a pile of stars? A galaxy.
9) Why did the space ship… https://t.co/HmQI0JTr8K

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

I have to send out a boring reporting email once a month for work. I like to include a joke to give people a reason to open it. I'm running out of jokes, so I asked #chatGPT to write some astronomy jokes for me. Here are the actual results. I will not be replaced anytime soon:
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[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

1) Why did the astronaut break up with his girlfriend? Because he needed his space.
2) How do you organize a space party? You planet.
3) Why was the astronomer sad? Because he saw too many uninteresting galaxies.
4) How do you know if… https://t.co/WoH5qtv2pP

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Goodby Seattle! Had a blast at the "Superbowl of Astronomy" the American Astronomical Society meeting #AAS241.

See everyone at #AAS242 in Albuquerque.

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

It's me!

I was featured in a video from Physics World, getting excited about the first science results from JWST 🤩

https://t.co/LwYTwWyOG9

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Overheard while getting coffee after #AAS241:

"You know that astronomy conference that was in town? I read an article that came out of the conference, saying we found galaxies way further than we thought. I just love thinking about how vast space is!"

Agreed.

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Hey folks at #AAS241! Last chance to stop by the Universe of Learning booth and pick up a limited edition "Ask Me: I'm an Astronomer" button when you sign up for our Subject Matter Expert database.

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

If you are at #AAS241, come say hi at the evening poster session 5:30 - 6:30 PM PT. I'll be presenting my iPoster 161.06:
Making NASA Images and Spectra Accessible for Blind and Visually Impaired Audiences

Let's chat about making astronomical images… https://t.co/PuAIA9H9Ej

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Had a blast running the Engage with NASA’s Science Activation ProgramTools for using NASA Astrophysicsin Informal STEM Learning this morning at #AAS241.

If you missed the workshop, slides, and other resources are available here:… https://t.co/Wr9CV1fa9L

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Heading off to Seattle for the American Astronomical Society conference #AAS241.

I'll be posting a lot about this conference over the next week or so, so mute me or this hashtag if you don't care 😸

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

This might look like out-of-focus Christmas lights, but it's actually #JWST's first deep field, galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, in mid-infrared light.

It's not as splashy as the main press release image but does give us a view of the most… https://t.co/aCZHckaTv9

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Here is a graph of the average temperatures in Montreal, Canada, in the Northern Hemisphere, Quito, Ecuador, which as the name suggests, is almost on the equator, and Melbourne, Australia, in the Southern Hemisphere.

You should notice a few… https://t.co/VZeJaq29xW

[Kelly Lepo - @[email protected] @KellyLepo]

Happy #Solstice!

Now is a great time to remind everyone about the #ReasonForTheSeasons.

In other words, why is it cold in the winter and hot in the summer? (1/)

Image Credit: Eirik Solheim https://t.co/fbWeqPY5mV
#WinterSolstice #WinterSolstice2022