Érika Le Bourdais
@astroerika.bsky.social
Sometimes I think about geriatric stars that eat dead planets | PhD Student at UMontreal and Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets 🇨🇦
Pinned
Érika Le Bourdais
@astroerika.bsky.social
· Nov 20
Hello new friends! 👋🏻
I’m Érika, a PhD at Université de Montréal studying polluted/dusty white dwarfs and what they can tell us about exoplanet interiors! 🪨 ☄️
I’m currently working on solving many detected unknowns in the UV spectra of polluted white dwarfs. Hopefully, I’ll soon have answers!
I’m Érika, a PhD at Université de Montréal studying polluted/dusty white dwarfs and what they can tell us about exoplanet interiors! 🪨 ☄️
I’m currently working on solving many detected unknowns in the UV spectra of polluted white dwarfs. Hopefully, I’ll soon have answers!
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2026, Canada is in 2025, and the United States is in 1939.
December 31, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Timezones are so weird. Australia is in 2026, Canada is in 2025, and the United States is in 1939.
Rumor has it that (me) discovering a super old, super massive and super active zombie planetary system made the list of the most exciting exoplanet (yes, exoplanet!!) discoveries of 2025! Yay white dwarfs! 🥹🔭
The most exciting exoplanet discoveries of 2025
New discoveries and fresh looks at familiar worlds show how far exoplanet science has come — and how much remains unknown.
www.space.com
December 30, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Rumor has it that (me) discovering a super old, super massive and super active zombie planetary system made the list of the most exciting exoplanet (yes, exoplanet!!) discoveries of 2025! Yay white dwarfs! 🥹🔭
The search for planets around stellar remnants is a really interesting quest!! Glad to offer some tiny help to @mustaric.bsky.social and @johndebes.bsky.social on this project! 🔭🪐
Remember those red spots next to two white dwarf stars that looked like possible planets in JWST images that we found?
We just had a paper accepted that continues to tell the story.
We just had a paper accepted that continues to tell the story.
December 18, 2025 at 1:47 PM
The search for planets around stellar remnants is a really interesting quest!! Glad to offer some tiny help to @mustaric.bsky.social and @johndebes.bsky.social on this project! 🔭🪐
Really important thread! Most importantly: stop comparing yourself to others and focus on yourself!
A note on learning physics ⚛️ for starting PhD students:
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
December 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Really important thread! Most importantly: stop comparing yourself to others and focus on yourself!
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
It’s Friday night.
I’ve done enough this week.
You’ve done enough this week.
I’ve done enough this week.
You’ve done enough this week.
November 22, 2025 at 12:29 AM
It’s Friday night.
I’ve done enough this week.
You’ve done enough this week.
I’ve done enough this week.
You’ve done enough this week.
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
One day the universe will contain only dark energy and JWST proposals.
STScI received a total of 2,935 #JWST proposals requesting almost 101,751 hours of observing time for GO, Survey, Pure Parallel, Archival Research, Target of Opportunity, and Joint programs, with an oversubscription rate of 13:1. Get the details: ow.ly/Fmiq50Xqy9Q
November 12, 2025 at 4:24 PM
One day the universe will contain only dark energy and JWST proposals.
Super interesting project I’ve been working on lately where we try do detect exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars! My colleague John explains here one of our recent results! 🔭
A little sneak peak from the MEAD survey of white dwarfs within 25 pc using MIRI 10 and 15 micron imaging filters. Visit 101 of the survey captured images of EGGR 199, which is just 16pc away. No planets down to 3 Mjup found nearby the white dwarf! (1/2) #astrosci 🔭
November 7, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Super interesting project I’ve been working on lately where we try do detect exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars! My colleague John explains here one of our recent results! 🔭
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
Congrats to NASA Citizen Scientist @melina-iras07572.bsky.social! In 2019, Melina discovered the oldest white dwarf with a debris disk. Now this white dwarf is in the news again. @astroerika.bsky.social et al. suggest it may have recently engulfed a rocky planet. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
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iopscience.iop.org
October 28, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Congrats to NASA Citizen Scientist @melina-iras07572.bsky.social! In 2019, Melina discovered the oldest white dwarf with a debris disk. Now this white dwarf is in the news again. @astroerika.bsky.social et al. suggest it may have recently engulfed a rocky planet. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
A dead star has been spotted ripping a planet apart! “Something clearly disturbed this system long after the star’s death,” said co-investigator John Debes of the Space Telescope Science Institute. (1/4) 🔭 🧪 🧵
October 23, 2025 at 3:44 PM
A dead star has been spotted ripping a planet apart! “Something clearly disturbed this system long after the star’s death,” said co-investigator John Debes of the Space Telescope Science Institute. (1/4) 🔭 🧪 🧵
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
This is very cool - LSPM J0207+3331 was discovered by citizen scientist Melina Thévenot while searching ESA's GAIA catalog for brown dwarfs.
blog.backyardworlds.org/2019/02/19/t...
Here's the paper that STScI quotes:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
blog.backyardworlds.org/2019/02/19/t...
Here's the paper that STScI quotes:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
October 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
This is very cool - LSPM J0207+3331 was discovered by citizen scientist Melina Thévenot while searching ESA's GAIA catalog for brown dwarfs.
blog.backyardworlds.org/2019/02/19/t...
Here's the paper that STScI quotes:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
blog.backyardworlds.org/2019/02/19/t...
Here's the paper that STScI quotes:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
Astronomers have determined that an elderly white dwarf star, 3 billion years into its final stage of life, is still busily crushing and devouring its planets.
Scientific data on the left. Artist's interpretation on the right. 🧪🔭
keckobservatory.org/white-dwarf/
Scientific data on the left. Artist's interpretation on the right. 🧪🔭
keckobservatory.org/white-dwarf/
October 22, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Astronomers have determined that an elderly white dwarf star, 3 billion years into its final stage of life, is still busily crushing and devouring its planets.
Scientific data on the left. Artist's interpretation on the right. 🧪🔭
keckobservatory.org/white-dwarf/
Scientific data on the left. Artist's interpretation on the right. 🧪🔭
keckobservatory.org/white-dwarf/
Want to know more about my recent paper about this cool geriatric white dwarf eating its planets? 🤩
It’s all detailed in this news article by @stsci.edu ! 🔭
It’s all detailed in this news article by @stsci.edu ! 🔭
Astronomers have found a rare, ancient planetary system 145 light-years away, where a white dwarf star is actively consuming debris from a disrupted planet—the oldest and most “polluted” disk ever seen around such a star: https://bit.ly/47mYktj 🔭 🧪
October 22, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Want to know more about my recent paper about this cool geriatric white dwarf eating its planets? 🤩
It’s all detailed in this news article by @stsci.edu ! 🔭
It’s all detailed in this news article by @stsci.edu ! 🔭
My latest paper is finally out! 🎊 Turns out that that odd white dwarf discovered by @melina-iras07572.bsky.social is accreting a MASSIVE rocky planetary object, hinting that planetary systems can stay active billions of years after the death of their star! 🌟 🪨🪐
For more: arxiv.org/abs/2510.08676
For more: arxiv.org/abs/2510.08676
Tracing Planetary Accretion in a 3 Gyr-old Hydrogen-Rich White Dwarf: The Extremely Polluted Atmosphere of LSPM J0207+3331
We report the detection of 13 heavy elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Sr) in the photosphere of LSPM J0207+3331, a ~3 Gyr old hydrogen-rich white dwarf with an effective te...
arxiv.org
October 14, 2025 at 7:02 PM
My latest paper is finally out! 🎊 Turns out that that odd white dwarf discovered by @melina-iras07572.bsky.social is accreting a MASSIVE rocky planetary object, hinting that planetary systems can stay active billions of years after the death of their star! 🌟 🪨🪐
For more: arxiv.org/abs/2510.08676
For more: arxiv.org/abs/2510.08676
Thank god, one of the rare cool things in this world is not a carb.
Is dark matter a carb?
No, Gretchen, it's not, but we're trying to figure out what it is!
At 85% percent of the Universe's mass and energy, it's sort of like Gretchen's hair: big and full of secrets. 🔭🧪
📷: W. O'Mullane
No, Gretchen, it's not, but we're trying to figure out what it is!
At 85% percent of the Universe's mass and energy, it's sort of like Gretchen's hair: big and full of secrets. 🔭🧪
📷: W. O'Mullane
October 4, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Thank god, one of the rare cool things in this world is not a carb.
Did you know that white dwarfs were the coolest stars?
I’m totally unbiased here 😌
I’m totally unbiased here 😌
Look, when you're a zombie star eating the entrails of a hot planet, sometimes you just need to cool things down a bit.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/astronomer...
🔭🧪
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/astronomer...
🔭🧪
Astronomers found a dead star that might be munching on a Pluto-like planet
Yeah, some stories are just cooler than others
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Did you know that white dwarfs were the coolest stars?
I’m totally unbiased here 😌
I’m totally unbiased here 😌
Important message!
It's Friday night.
I've done enough this week.
You've done enough this week.
I've done enough this week.
You've done enough this week.
September 6, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Important message!
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
Americans Astronomers
watching watching
US politics Betelgeuse
🤝
“It could happen at any time”
watching watching
US politics Betelgeuse
🤝
“It could happen at any time”
September 1, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Americans Astronomers
watching watching
US politics Betelgeuse
🤝
“It could happen at any time”
watching watching
US politics Betelgeuse
🤝
“It could happen at any time”
I love studying these systems as we keep finding new things! 🪨🪐
The paper I just submitted has one of these super exciting discoveries for a super duper old white dwarf and I can’t wait to tell everyone about it! 😁
Hint: Planetary systems can hang around a LONG time after their death 🙊
The paper I just submitted has one of these super exciting discoveries for a super duper old white dwarf and I can’t wait to tell everyone about it! 😁
Hint: Planetary systems can hang around a LONG time after their death 🙊
Zombie stars feed off their children. And it happens a *lot*.
[This issue is for paid subscriptions only - sign up to get lots of articles by me on cool astronomy and other topics!]
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/white-dwar...
[This issue is for paid subscriptions only - sign up to get lots of articles by me on cool astronomy and other topics!]
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/white-dwar...
White Dwarf stars are dead, but they still feed... on planets
Observations show a lot of these stars are actually zombies. Also: moving an Earth-threatening asteroid just got a bit harder
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
July 31, 2025 at 3:15 PM
I love studying these systems as we keep finding new things! 🪨🪐
The paper I just submitted has one of these super exciting discoveries for a super duper old white dwarf and I can’t wait to tell everyone about it! 😁
Hint: Planetary systems can hang around a LONG time after their death 🙊
The paper I just submitted has one of these super exciting discoveries for a super duper old white dwarf and I can’t wait to tell everyone about it! 😁
Hint: Planetary systems can hang around a LONG time after their death 🙊
The replies made this insecure #WomanInSTEM smile. I love unsolicited mentions of women pioneers ❤️
Also, the main post says a lot about the state of journalism these days.
Also, the main post says a lot about the state of journalism these days.
I'd just like to point out how weird it is that places with hundreds or even thousands of reporters — the NYT, WaPo, CBS, NBC, AP, etc. — are all getting pummeled on every major story by the dozen computerboys at Wired. To fumble the bag this consistently is, at some point, cowardice and a choice.
NEW: Metadata from the “raw” Epstein prison video shows approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds were removed from one of two stitched-together clips. The cut starts right at the “missing minute.”
July 15, 2025 at 9:37 PM
The replies made this insecure #WomanInSTEM smile. I love unsolicited mentions of women pioneers ❤️
Also, the main post says a lot about the state of journalism these days.
Also, the main post says a lot about the state of journalism these days.
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
Exoclimes VII has officially begun!! 👽🧑🚀👩🚀🚀🚀 Things have kicked off with some welcoming words from our fearless leaders Lisa Dang @astrolisadang.bsky.social & Romain Allart! And now off to our first review talk from Nicolas Cowan about Exoplanet atmospheric Dynamics 🪐☄️
July 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Exoclimes VII has officially begun!! 👽🧑🚀👩🚀🚀🚀 Things have kicked off with some welcoming words from our fearless leaders Lisa Dang @astrolisadang.bsky.social & Romain Allart! And now off to our first review talk from Nicolas Cowan about Exoplanet atmospheric Dynamics 🪐☄️
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
ExoSLAM is done!!! 🔭🪐☄️The summer school has been a great success and we learned so much! Special thank you to the organizers, lecturers and of course participants for making it such a great time!! Onto ExoClimes! 💫🤩
July 5, 2025 at 5:04 PM
ExoSLAM is done!!! 🔭🪐☄️The summer school has been a great success and we learned so much! Special thank you to the organizers, lecturers and of course participants for making it such a great time!! Onto ExoClimes! 💫🤩
👇🏻
It’s not aliens. It’s never aliens.
April 17, 2025 at 7:27 PM
👇🏻
This white dwarf astrophysicist (me) loves it when the field gets media attention 🥰 I always tell this story to my exoplaneteers colleagues:
The first trace of exoplanets were found INSIDE a white dwarf!! ☄️
The first trace of exoplanets were found INSIDE a white dwarf!! ☄️
When was the first exoplanet discovered? You might read it was in 1992, but in fact the first evidence for the existence of alien worlds was found before then. Way before then.
Like, in *1917*.
I love this story.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/when...
🔭 🧪
Like, in *1917*.
I love this story.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/when...
🔭 🧪
When Was the First Exoplanet Discovered?
Evidence of alien worlds goes back farther than you think
www.scientificamerican.com
March 29, 2025 at 12:15 PM
This white dwarf astrophysicist (me) loves it when the field gets media attention 🥰 I always tell this story to my exoplaneteers colleagues:
The first trace of exoplanets were found INSIDE a white dwarf!! ☄️
The first trace of exoplanets were found INSIDE a white dwarf!! ☄️
Reposted by Érika Le Bourdais
FOR ADMITTED PARTICIPANTS: Registration is going to open next week!!! 🚀
For all Applicants, results were sent a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't heard anything and its not in your junk mail please reach out to our gmail! (find the email address and details here: exoclimes.org/index.html)
For all Applicants, results were sent a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't heard anything and its not in your junk mail please reach out to our gmail! (find the email address and details here: exoclimes.org/index.html)
Exoclimes VII
exoclimes.org
March 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM
FOR ADMITTED PARTICIPANTS: Registration is going to open next week!!! 🚀
For all Applicants, results were sent a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't heard anything and its not in your junk mail please reach out to our gmail! (find the email address and details here: exoclimes.org/index.html)
For all Applicants, results were sent a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't heard anything and its not in your junk mail please reach out to our gmail! (find the email address and details here: exoclimes.org/index.html)