Jason Wright
@astrowright.bsky.social
Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State.
Son, father, partner, scientist, teacher, student, human, Earthling.
Mostly posting astronomy. Mostly.
Son, father, partner, scientist, teacher, student, human, Earthling.
Mostly posting astronomy. Mostly.
Pinned
This is so good. I definitely misread that scene!
Mary ends up a spinster in the alternate timeline not because he was not around to save her, but because he wasn't around for her to build up and love. It is her strength, not her life, that is wasted without him.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
Mary ends up a spinster in the alternate timeline not because he was not around to save her, but because he wasn't around for her to build up and love. It is her strength, not her life, that is wasted without him.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
www.thebulwark.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:13 AM
This is so good. I definitely misread that scene!
Mary ends up a spinster in the alternate timeline not because he was not around to save her, but because he wasn't around for her to build up and love. It is her strength, not her life, that is wasted without him.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
Mary ends up a spinster in the alternate timeline not because he was not around to save her, but because he wasn't around for her to build up and love. It is her strength, not her life, that is wasted without him.
www.thebulwark.com/p/there-is-n...
Reposted by Jason Wright
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
open.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
Forgot to tag 🧪🔭!
Christmas on the archive!
@ericmamajek.bsky.social leads a paper with his usual precision, asking us astronomers (especially exoplanet folks) to clean up their jargon.
Introducing the Solirad: the nominal average flux the Earth receives from the Sun = 1361 W/m^2
arxiv.org/abs/2512.20126
@ericmamajek.bsky.social leads a paper with his usual precision, asking us astronomers (especially exoplanet folks) to clean up their jargon.
Introducing the Solirad: the nominal average flux the Earth receives from the Sun = 1361 W/m^2
arxiv.org/abs/2512.20126
The Solirad (So) as a Convenient Unit for Quoting Astronomical Irradiances for Planetary Insolations and Exoplanetary Instellations
Measurements of physical parameters for stars and (exo)planets are often quoted in units normalized to the Sun and/or Earth. The nominal total solar irradiance, ${S}^{\rm N}_{\odot}$, while based on a...
arxiv.org
December 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Forgot to tag 🧪🔭!
Christmas on the archive!
@ericmamajek.bsky.social leads a paper with his usual precision, asking us astronomers (especially exoplanet folks) to clean up their jargon.
Introducing the Solirad: the nominal average flux the Earth receives from the Sun = 1361 W/m^2
arxiv.org/abs/2512.20126
@ericmamajek.bsky.social leads a paper with his usual precision, asking us astronomers (especially exoplanet folks) to clean up their jargon.
Introducing the Solirad: the nominal average flux the Earth receives from the Sun = 1361 W/m^2
arxiv.org/abs/2512.20126
The Solirad (So) as a Convenient Unit for Quoting Astronomical Irradiances for Planetary Insolations and Exoplanetary Instellations
Measurements of physical parameters for stars and (exo)planets are often quoted in units normalized to the Sun and/or Earth. The nominal total solar irradiance, ${S}^{\rm N}_{\odot}$, while based on a...
arxiv.org
December 24, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Christmas on the archive!
@ericmamajek.bsky.social leads a paper with his usual precision, asking us astronomers (especially exoplanet folks) to clean up their jargon.
Introducing the Solirad: the nominal average flux the Earth receives from the Sun = 1361 W/m^2
arxiv.org/abs/2512.20126
@ericmamajek.bsky.social leads a paper with his usual precision, asking us astronomers (especially exoplanet folks) to clean up their jargon.
Introducing the Solirad: the nominal average flux the Earth receives from the Sun = 1361 W/m^2
arxiv.org/abs/2512.20126
My take on NFL rule changes is that they should make defense much easier (loosen PI rules for instance) and also be much less prescriptive about how the offense must run.
Let teams get clever again to get around tough D. Bring back the fumblerooski. Why not let offenses advance a fumble?
Let teams get clever again to get around tough D. Bring back the fumblerooski. Why not let offenses advance a fumble?
December 23, 2025 at 2:14 AM
My take on NFL rule changes is that they should make defense much easier (loosen PI rules for instance) and also be much less prescriptive about how the offense must run.
Let teams get clever again to get around tough D. Bring back the fumblerooski. Why not let offenses advance a fumble?
Let teams get clever again to get around tough D. Bring back the fumblerooski. Why not let offenses advance a fumble?
The last few were both big hits:
When We Were Kings—all the drama of a Rocky genre film, and also a documentary about probably the most important fight in boxing. Bonus for lots of Ali trash talk.
Waiting for Bobby Fischer—perfect kids movie for my budding chess nerd. Bonus for real characters.
When We Were Kings—all the drama of a Rocky genre film, and also a documentary about probably the most important fight in boxing. Bonus for lots of Ali trash talk.
Waiting for Bobby Fischer—perfect kids movie for my budding chess nerd. Bonus for real characters.
Now that we’ve finished the Rocky/Creed movies A(11) and I have moved on to other sports films. Field of Dreams, The Natural, Eight Men Out. All winners!
I wasn’t sure how he’d like it, but tonight we did Strictly Ballroom.
Huge hit! So good. And not the formula film I remembered!
I wasn’t sure how he’d like it, but tonight we did Strictly Ballroom.
Huge hit! So good. And not the formula film I remembered!
December 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The last few were both big hits:
When We Were Kings—all the drama of a Rocky genre film, and also a documentary about probably the most important fight in boxing. Bonus for lots of Ali trash talk.
Waiting for Bobby Fischer—perfect kids movie for my budding chess nerd. Bonus for real characters.
When We Were Kings—all the drama of a Rocky genre film, and also a documentary about probably the most important fight in boxing. Bonus for lots of Ali trash talk.
Waiting for Bobby Fischer—perfect kids movie for my budding chess nerd. Bonus for real characters.
Just saw It’s a Wonderful Life at our old-timey theater downtown. It is still just a perfect film. I’m blown away and surprised at how good it is every time I watch it.
Would be really interesting someday to do a doubleheader with Back to the Future part II! So many references…
Would be really interesting someday to do a doubleheader with Back to the Future part II! So many references…
December 22, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Just saw It’s a Wonderful Life at our old-timey theater downtown. It is still just a perfect film. I’m blown away and surprised at how good it is every time I watch it.
Would be really interesting someday to do a doubleheader with Back to the Future part II! So many references…
Would be really interesting someday to do a doubleheader with Back to the Future part II! So many references…
Reposted by Jason Wright
For 3I/ATLAS's closest approach to Earth, have an accepted paper: as it got closer to the Sun, 3I's production of atomic nickel and iron in its coma evolved to a ratio like that of Solar System comets and 2I ☄️🔭
Hutsemékers et al. A&A arxiv.org/abs/2509.26053
Hutsemékers et al. A&A arxiv.org/abs/2509.26053
Pre-perihelion evolution of the NiI/FeI abundance ratio in the coma of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. From extreme to normal
Emission lines of FeI and NiI are commonly found in the coma of Solar System comets, even at large heliocentric distances. These atoms are most likely released from the surface of the comet's nucleus ...
arxiv.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:10 PM
For 3I/ATLAS's closest approach to Earth, have an accepted paper: as it got closer to the Sun, 3I's production of atomic nickel and iron in its coma evolved to a ratio like that of Solar System comets and 2I ☄️🔭
Hutsemékers et al. A&A arxiv.org/abs/2509.26053
Hutsemékers et al. A&A arxiv.org/abs/2509.26053
Yes! This is a HUGE issue in SETI where many social scientists and other non-physicists have contributed influential ideas in the astrophysics, and astrophysicists have contributed many influential ideas in the social sciences.
The results are decidedly mixed.
Get co-authors in fields new to you!
The results are decidedly mixed.
Get co-authors in fields new to you!
I think actually we should encourage interdisciplinarity and astronomy has a history of welcoming outsiders to help us solve computational problems especially but this is why it’s important for peer review to work correctly. If you’re new to a discipline, submit to standard journals in *that* field.
Beware natural scientists doing social science
You wouldn't trust an economist doing physics or chemistry or astronomy. So don't trust the reverse
You wouldn't trust an economist doing physics or chemistry or astronomy. So don't trust the reverse
December 18, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Yes! This is a HUGE issue in SETI where many social scientists and other non-physicists have contributed influential ideas in the astrophysics, and astrophysicists have contributed many influential ideas in the social sciences.
The results are decidedly mixed.
Get co-authors in fields new to you!
The results are decidedly mixed.
Get co-authors in fields new to you!
Reposted by Jason Wright
Ahead of 3I/ATLAS's closest approach to Earth (at nearly 2 au) tomorrow, here's our Elaine P. Snowden Fellow @astrohopkins.bsky.social on how we determined 3I's age 🇳🇿☄️🔭
Matthew Hopkins (Univ. of Oxford & Univ. of Canterbury) chats about his article on 3I/ATLAS and what it tells us about the interstellar object population — and what comes next. 🔭
📺 Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz3e...
📺 Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz3e...
AAS Journal Author Series: Matthew Hopkins on 2025ApJ...990L..30H
YouTube video by AAS
www.youtube.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Ahead of 3I/ATLAS's closest approach to Earth (at nearly 2 au) tomorrow, here's our Elaine P. Snowden Fellow @astrohopkins.bsky.social on how we determined 3I's age 🇳🇿☄️🔭
Reposted by Jason Wright
A nice overview from our media folks of the theoretical and observational work our team has out so far on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ☄️
Kiwi team lead ‘out of this world’ study of new comet | UC
A Kiwi team is reaching for the stars with world-leading research into a new interstellar comet described as a ‘dusty snowball’.
www.canterbury.ac.nz
December 17, 2025 at 9:36 AM
A nice overview from our media folks of the theoretical and observational work our team has out so far on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ☄️
Reposted by Jason Wright
Accepted papers thus far - several more still in peer review, or underway
A nice overview from our media folks of the theoretical and observational work our team has out so far on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ☄️
Kiwi team lead ‘out of this world’ study of new comet | UC
A Kiwi team is reaching for the stars with world-leading research into a new interstellar comet described as a ‘dusty snowball’.
www.canterbury.ac.nz
December 17, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Accepted papers thus far - several more still in peer review, or underway
Reposted by Jason Wright
For @newscientist.com subscribers--which includes library users who access content online!--here is my Christmas 2025 column!
"As a cosmologist who knows she isn’t an expert on comets, I believe all of the experts who say that, without a doubt, comet 3I/Atlas isn’t an alien object." 🔭🧪🙏🏽👀
"As a cosmologist who knows she isn’t an expert on comets, I believe all of the experts who say that, without a doubt, comet 3I/Atlas isn’t an alien object." 🔭🧪🙏🏽👀
Comets were on fire this year – for better or worse
Field Notes From Space-Time columnist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on how comets grabbed the headlines in 2025
www.newscientist.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:25 PM
For @newscientist.com subscribers--which includes library users who access content online!--here is my Christmas 2025 column!
"As a cosmologist who knows she isn’t an expert on comets, I believe all of the experts who say that, without a doubt, comet 3I/Atlas isn’t an alien object." 🔭🧪🙏🏽👀
"As a cosmologist who knows she isn’t an expert on comets, I believe all of the experts who say that, without a doubt, comet 3I/Atlas isn’t an alien object." 🔭🧪🙏🏽👀
Reposted by Jason Wright
One way that the reaction to Rob Reiner's murder mirrors Charlie Kirk's is that the best way to eulogize each of them is to quote their words, and in both cases, doing so pisses off conservatives.
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."
December 15, 2025 at 8:52 PM
One way that the reaction to Rob Reiner's murder mirrors Charlie Kirk's is that the best way to eulogize each of them is to quote their words, and in both cases, doing so pisses off conservatives.
My favorite Rob Reiner performance/production, with his dad, a few days before Carl died, from a COVID-era fan super-edit of fan remakes of The Princess Bride:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=29s1...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=29s1...
The Princess Bride Home Movie FULL
YouTube video by Jenna
www.youtube.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:27 PM
My favorite Rob Reiner performance/production, with his dad, a few days before Carl died, from a COVID-era fan super-edit of fan remakes of The Princess Bride:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=29s1...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=29s1...
Lots of discussion about the challenges of data centers in space.
It's obviously much harder than data centers on Earth in *almost* every way, but there are people I respect (like Phil Metzger) who are optimistic for one BIG reason: the externalities might be lower in space.
It's obviously much harder than data centers on Earth in *almost* every way, but there are people I respect (like Phil Metzger) who are optimistic for one BIG reason: the externalities might be lower in space.
December 12, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Lots of discussion about the challenges of data centers in space.
It's obviously much harder than data centers on Earth in *almost* every way, but there are people I respect (like Phil Metzger) who are optimistic for one BIG reason: the externalities might be lower in space.
It's obviously much harder than data centers on Earth in *almost* every way, but there are people I respect (like Phil Metzger) who are optimistic for one BIG reason: the externalities might be lower in space.
Just saw a Muppets Christmas Carol again and I am once again reminded that it is, in fact, probably the best and most faithful adaptation of the novel ever.
Caine’s decision to play the role completely straight was absolutely perfect and brilliant.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2019/12/20/a...
Caine’s decision to play the role completely straight was absolutely perfect and brilliant.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2019/12/20/a...
A Grand Yuletide Theory: The Muppet Christmas Carol is the Best Adaptation of A Christmas Carol
Only one movie has ever managed to recreate that uniquely Dickens magic, achieving it not so much through adaptation as through transmutation.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Just saw a Muppets Christmas Carol again and I am once again reminded that it is, in fact, probably the best and most faithful adaptation of the novel ever.
Caine’s decision to play the role completely straight was absolutely perfect and brilliant.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2019/12/20/a...
Caine’s decision to play the role completely straight was absolutely perfect and brilliant.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2019/12/20/a...
Since the waste heat associated with computers and space seems to be all the rage on social media these days, I’ll point out this paper I wrote on the theoretical maximum number of computations you can do given that it’s hard to cool things in space:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
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iopscience.iop.org
December 11, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Since the waste heat associated with computers and space seems to be all the rage on social media these days, I’ll point out this paper I wrote on the theoretical maximum number of computations you can do given that it’s hard to cool things in space:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Christmas Wrapping came on and I told the kids it was a pun because there’s rapping in it and they didn’t believe me! Straight up thought I was dad trolling them.
So I put on Blondie’s Rapture and Sugarhill and the Gang’s Rappers Delight. Told them when I was their age that was rap AND WE LIKED IT.
So I put on Blondie’s Rapture and Sugarhill and the Gang’s Rappers Delight. Told them when I was their age that was rap AND WE LIKED IT.
December 11, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Christmas Wrapping came on and I told the kids it was a pun because there’s rapping in it and they didn’t believe me! Straight up thought I was dad trolling them.
So I put on Blondie’s Rapture and Sugarhill and the Gang’s Rappers Delight. Told them when I was their age that was rap AND WE LIKED IT.
So I put on Blondie’s Rapture and Sugarhill and the Gang’s Rappers Delight. Told them when I was their age that was rap AND WE LIKED IT.
Since the waste heat associated with computers and space seems to be all the rage on social media these days, I’ll point out this paper I wrote on the theoretical maximum number of computations. You can do giving that it’s hard to cool things in space:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Radware Bot Manager Captcha
To ensure we keep this website safe, please can you confirm you are a human by ticking the box below.
iopscience.iop.org
December 11, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Since the waste heat associated with computers and space seems to be all the rage on social media these days, I’ll point out this paper I wrote on the theoretical maximum number of computations. You can do giving that it’s hard to cool things in space:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Reposted by Jason Wright
New results from the International Gemini Observatory 🔭 on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, in which it continues to do fun cometary things! The new spectrum confirms 3I/ATLAS is actively emitting CN, C3, and C2 gases, plus a visible dust fan. www.astronomerstelegram.org?read=17503
December 9, 2025 at 8:52 PM
New results from the International Gemini Observatory 🔭 on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, in which it continues to do fun cometary things! The new spectrum confirms 3I/ATLAS is actively emitting CN, C3, and C2 gases, plus a visible dust fan. www.astronomerstelegram.org?read=17503
Reposted by Jason Wright
I'm happy to report that "Scenario 2" won't be necessary, as NASA has just communicated to us that SciX funding will continue in 2026 (albeit at a reduced level). Therefore, we will not be forcing astronomers to leave ADS, but rather develop a plan that allows a longer transition.
December 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
I'm happy to report that "Scenario 2" won't be necessary, as NASA has just communicated to us that SciX funding will continue in 2026 (albeit at a reduced level). Therefore, we will not be forcing astronomers to leave ADS, but rather develop a plan that allows a longer transition.
I adore this interview.
I've always been fond of Penn Jillette but his staunch libertarianism was always a sour note for me. This interview is quite the antidote: he comes across as deeply curious, intelligent, humble, and, most of all, humane.
I've always been fond of Penn Jillette but his staunch libertarianism was always a sour note for me. This interview is quite the antidote: he comes across as deeply curious, intelligent, humble, and, most of all, humane.
Glad to see people talking about Penn Jillette. The 2024 interview was done by me. I found him to be a refreshingly reflective, self-critical individual who has remained curious and willing to evolve.
December 9, 2025 at 3:44 AM
I adore this interview.
I've always been fond of Penn Jillette but his staunch libertarianism was always a sour note for me. This interview is quite the antidote: he comes across as deeply curious, intelligent, humble, and, most of all, humane.
I've always been fond of Penn Jillette but his staunch libertarianism was always a sour note for me. This interview is quite the antidote: he comes across as deeply curious, intelligent, humble, and, most of all, humane.