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Caltech IPAC
@caltechipac.bsky.social
IPAC at Caltech partners with NASA, NSF, JPL, and the worldwide research community to advance the exploration of our Universe. www.ipac.caltech.edu
⏰Time to Register for #sagan2026⏰

The hybrid workshop focuses on expected #exoplanet science from the @nasaromantelescope.bsky.social Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey. Travel support requests for early-career participants are due 3/5. nexsci.caltech.edu/workshop/2026
🔭 #astrocode #instrumentation
February 6, 2026 at 11:22 PM
#OTD 40 years ago, IPACers moved to @caltech.edu campus!

This memo details the move to IPAC (the Morrisroe building) the week of February 3rd, 1986. Before moving, IPACers worked in an office building on Lake Avenue, a few blocks from Caltech.

#IPAC40 🔭
February 4, 2026 at 7:35 AM
Catch the IPAC Director @tom-greene.bsky.social at Astronomy on Tap Feb. 9, 2026 @ 7:30pm!

The event is free and open to the public 🔭 🧪 ⚛️ #SciComm
What do we know about the atmospheres around distant worlds? What happened to NASA's budget and what is the future of funding for space? Join us Monday, February 9th at 7:30PM for our next Astronomy on Tap.
outreach.astro.caltech.edu/aot
January 30, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Big applause for the SPHEREx mission team for receiving the Explorers Club's 2026 Sylvia A. Earle Award for Exploration Excellence!👏👏👏

The award recognizes the mission's accomplishment of completing the first infrared map of the sky in 102 colors.
🌈🔭🏆 www.explorers.org/ecad-2026-awardees
January 29, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
The twenty-fourth public data release from the Zwicky Transient Facility contains approximately 69.7 million images, 1043 billion source detections extracted from these images, and 5.32 billion light curves. irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/Missions/ztf...
January 22, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Another #AAS247 🔭 in the books = another wonderful, whirlwind of exciting astronomy happening and coming soon! 💨

From topics like Roman, Euclid, and SPHEREx, to NExScI, NED, IRSA, NITARP, Firefly, PRIMA, and SHERA — there was something for everyone. Thank you to all!
January 21, 2026 at 2:21 AM
IPAC scientist Vivian U presented on wobbly black holes at her #AAS247 press conference! This work offers new insights into how galaxies evolve, and it was published in @science.org on Jan. 8, 2026

Read more here:
www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/astrono...
January 20, 2026 at 8:21 PM
IPACer @aussiastronomer.bsky.social & team shared the SHERA Mission Concept at #AAS247 🦸‍♀️ 🔭

Searching for Habitable Exoplanets with Relative Astrometry (SHERA) will look for rocky planets in the habitable zones of Sun-like stars for the 1st time & potentially discover the nearest Earth-like planets!
January 16, 2026 at 2:00 AM
We're thrilled to welcome @caltech.edu President-Elect Ray Jayawardhana!

As a grad student, Jayawardhana (a.k.a RayJay) attended the first Michelson Interferometry Summer School in 1999. Today, it lives on as NExScI's Sagan Summer Workshop—and both the workshop and RayJay are still going strong.🔭🚀
January 15, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Go Pandora! 🛰️ 🔭

Like Jessie said, all of the mission data will be archived at NExScI, the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech IPAC!
Now that I can take a breath, I'm SUPER EXCITED we can share that NASA's first Pioneer-class mission, Pandora, is launching this weekend, January 11, at 5:19am!!! I was the Mission Archive Scientist on the proposal, and the NASA Exoplanet Archive will host the mission data.

svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14945/
NASA Scientific Visualization Studio | NASA’s Pandora Satellite to Explore Exoplanets and Stars
Artist’s concept of NASA’s Pandora mission, which will help scientists untangle the signals from exoplanets’ atmospheres — worlds beyond our solar system — and their stars.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space...
svs.gsfc.nasa.gov
January 14, 2026 at 10:57 PM
At #AAS247, IPAC scientist Andreas Faisst presented at a press conference on Jan. 6. His work shows that early galaxies are maturing faster than researchers previously believed.

"It's like seeing 2-year-old children act like teenagers."

www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/young-g...
@press.aas.org @aas.org
January 14, 2026 at 2:54 AM
Deadline Reminder: Abstracts are due tomorrow, Jan. 14!

RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science is only ~2 months away. We can't wait to discuss and hear about exciting time-domain science with you! conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwiring2026/ 🔭
🚨Conference Announcement🚨

The #RAPID #PIT will host a meeting to envision the software+ science powering the time-domain revolution!

RAPID Response: Hot-wiring the Next Generation of Time-Domain Science

📍 Caltech, Pasadena, CA
📅 Mar 23–27, 2026
🔗 bit.ly/47bBgxz
January 13, 2026 at 8:22 PM
2 IPAC-related sessions? 2 much fun!

Check out the #AAS247 Roman RAPID session and the Euclid Q1 session, both at 10am MT today! 🔭🔭

📍Roman: 226 C
📍Euclid: 225 B

www.ipac.caltech.edu/page/aas247

@aas.org @press.aas.org
IPAC at Winter AAS 2026
The 247th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting is being held January 4-8, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona. This page contains the schedule and links to activities that feature IPAC staff, scientists...
www.ipac.caltech.edu
January 8, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
Packed splinter session at #AAS247 for the announcement of The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Observatory System—a modular, rapid-response network of four novel observatories designed to democratize access to the cosmos.

Read more about the initiatives here: www.schmidtsciences.org/focus-area-a...
January 7, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Educators + students present at #AAS247!

NITARP continues its 20-year program of pairing educators with astronomers for year-long, authentic research projects using NASA data. They presented their results to fellow researchers at IPAC's booth.🚀🔭📊
www.ipac.caltech.edu/news/teachin...
January 7, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
More Astrophysics for More People ✨

Join us for a virtual #AAS247 session and a first look at The Schmidt Observatory System—a new network of ground and space-based initiatives designed to break the traditional limits of discovery.

📆 Jan 7 | 3-5:30pm MT / 5-7:30pm ET
Register here: buff.ly/kbbNFuB
January 5, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
Meet Roman experts to learn more about the mission, learn about the Cycle 1 Call for Proposals (due March 17), and get some stickers! 👾

Come visit the NASA, STScI, and IPAC booths in Phoenix Convention Exhibit Hall throughout the week.

#AAS247 #ExpandOurView #NASARoman
January 5, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Are you at #AAS247 & interested in submitting a Roman proposal? 🔭

Come to the "Roman Space Telescope Proposal and Science Planning" splinter session Tuesday Jan. 6 at 10:0am - 12:00pm MT.

Find the call for proposals here: roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu/roman-propos...
@nancyromansci.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 3:55 PM
IPAC has landed in the desert 🏜️

Come say hello to your favorite science and data center in the expo hall at #AAS247 in Phoenix, AZ!

@aas.org @press.aas.org 🔭
January 6, 2026 at 3:34 PM
⭐️ ⛄️ Happy Holidays from IPAC! ❄️ 🪐

While we get excited to celebrate 40 years of IPAC at Caltech in 2026, we're looking back at some of the highlights of 2025.

Check them out here: www.ipac.caltech.edu/holiday-card 🔭
December 24, 2025 at 8:12 PM
NASA’s SPHEREx space telescope has completed its first infrared map of the entire sky!
This is the most comprehensive spectral view of the infrared sky, with 102 colors (or wavelengths) of infrared light from observations made between May and December 2025.
🧪 ⚛️ 🔭
December 23, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
🚀The Roman Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is OPEN!

Unlock new discoveries with the Wide Field Instrument—your science starts here! Apply for funding to analyze Roman data, perform theory/lab research, and propose new observations. 🔭☄️

📅 Deadline: Mar 17, 2026 (5 PM PDT)
📝 bit.ly/4q3jbbL
December 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now fully assembled! 🔧

roman.ipac.caltech.edu/news/nasa-co...

IPAC hosts the Roman Science Support Center, conducting Coronagraph Instrument operations, data processing, proposal management, and community engagement.

🧪 ⚛️ 🔭 @nancyromansci.bsky.social
December 10, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Caltech IPAC
Congratulations to @caltechipac.bsky.social on its fortieth anniversary! Kudos to IPAC for leading the science operations, data processing, community support, and archiving for many missions and observatories over the years, with many more to come! Stay tuned as IPAC celebrates through 2026.
December 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
How do we hot-wire the transient universe to enable breakthrough science?🤔🔌💡

The time-domain community is invited to a meeting by the
NASA Roman Alerts Promptly from Image Differencing (RAPID) team. Abstract submission and registration are now open!

conference.ipac.caltech.edu/rapid-hotwir...
November 7, 2025 at 8:24 PM