João Faria

Astrophysicist in Porto, trying to find 🌏

[João Faria @astroaware]

@willmcgugan https://t.co/skuLvy0M1k

[João Faria @astroaware]

@david_kipping You're absolutely right, and I think we didn't discuss this (or I don't recall). I guess this will lead to a bias, but not sure how big or how much it affects the frequency estimation. Assuming normal priors may be a better option?

[IAstro @IAstroPT]

5 bolsas de #Doutoramento em #Astrofísica no @IAstroPT: candidaturas até 31 de janeiro >> galáxias, sistemas planetários, formação e evolução de estrelas, instrumentos e tecnologia, cosmologia.
+info nos respetivos anúncios aqui, https://t.co/LzuA98etYa

[IAstro @IAstroPT]

#ESPRESSO confirma #ExoTerra mais próxima. Leiam o comunicado de imprensa do @iastropt em:

https://t.co/sAf4vQakNS

[ESPRESSO Science Team @espresso_astro]

We have some very nice news! Today we are announcing our independent confirmation of Proxima b using ESPRESSO.

[João Faria @astroaware]

O artigo científico (em Inglês) está no arXiv: https://t.co/4bMHZ272GE

[João Faria @astroaware]

Hoje anunciámos a confirmação do exoplaneta Proxima b com o ESPRESSO. Esta é a exo-Terra mais próxima do Sol! Escrevi sobre a notícia aqui: https://t.co/2FdRql5P62

[João Faria @astroaware]

@astrowizicist I'd 2nd that feature request! From your experience with a public calendar, is this the biggest annoyance? I'm thinking of starting something simiar.

[João Faria @astroaware]

@Astro_Wright maybe this one? https://t.co/GuX4BBbbFQ "Reducing the observing cadence during high-activity periods can save hours of telescope time"

[João Faria @astroaware]

23:00 --> 11:15 and we're done. Going to sleep now.

[João Faria @astroaware]

These are not the first ever observations, not the largest, best, most groundbreaking, unprecedented, highest impact. And yet, they are just as important, because without the parts you don't ever get to see the whole.

[João Faria @astroaware]

While I can still write full sentences: this is what it's like to be an astronomer, staying awake when everyone's asleep, looking up, searching for the unknown, learning something new every step of the way

[João Faria @astroaware]

But these sleepless hours don't make it to your CV, they don't really count when you're looking for a job or applying for a grant, and don't give you Nature papers (whatever they're worth). The incentive is to NOT do it. You need to fight the incentive.

[João Faria @astroaware]

8h into it and it's starting to get tough

[João Faria @astroaware]

We had a bit of a panic moment: not easy to find stars in a very particular part of the sky where the wind is NOT blowing from. Now it's time for a 4-hour exposure so we get to rest.

[João Faria @astroaware]

I wrote this tiny page to help me keep track of the different time zones. https://t.co/XMSUStjho8 is so cool! https://t.co/eP6hqETF7a

[João Faria @astroaware]

So far so good. But we're not even one quarter into the night. I might need more coffee... 🤪☕️

[João Faria @astroaware]

Time critical observations are a bit more stressful. Somewhere, many light years away, a small planet is transiting in front of its star and we have to catch it in the act!

[João Faria @astroaware]

Usually, everything runs quite smoothly, especially with long exposures of several minutes. Just wait and gather photons with the huge bucket that is the VLT

[João Faria @astroaware]

Problem is when the weather doesn't cooperate. Sometimes it's too windy so we have to point the telescope in the opposite direction of the wind.