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jenwillis.bsky.social
Jen Willis 💫🎃
@jenwillis.bsky.social
850 followers 440 following 1.2K posts
Writer. Editor. @SkyandTelescope columnist.
Chronic illness/pain/optimism. ND. Astronerd. Fangirl of trees, otters, & more. She/her.
jennifer-willis.com
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jenwillis.bsky.social
Jen Willis 💫🎃 @jenwillis.bsky.social · Nov 28
You know what all the cool kids* are doing? Checking their voter registration on a regular basis, and/or registering for the first time.

vote.org

(*I mean, maybe? I am not cool. But voting is super important.)
Everything You Need to Vote - Vote.org
Register to vote. Check your registration status. Get your absentee ballot. Fast, free, easy, secure, nonpartisan.
vote.org
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Jupiter - PJ50-11 - From Kevin M. Gill (kevinmgill.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2ouCwzV
JNCE_2023097_50C00011_V01 NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill
January 24, 2026 at 9:00 AM
jenwillis.bsky.social
Part of me is starting to hope there is a Hell, because that's probably the only way some of these people will be held accountable.
January 23, 2026 at 11:16 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
I'm one of the seeming few who love "Joe Versus the Volcano," and this insightful essay from @chadperman.bsky.social does the movie delightful justice.
chadperman.bsky.social Chad Perman @chadperman.bsky.social · 12d
I’ve had the honor of defending Joe Versus the Volcano for about 25 years now, and it’s always worth it, because when someone else watches it and gets it they really get it. (I readily admit that plenty do not, and that’s ok too!). Here’s my offering my best pitch in 2014:
January 23, 2026 at 11:12 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
"It is a hopeless time. But there's a lot of reason to have hope."

Thank you, @anamariecox.bsky.social.
January 23, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
False Color View of Mercury - From Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/dWWbct
This colorful view of Mercury was produced by using images from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER's primary mission. These colors are not what Mercury would look like to the human eye, but rather the colors enhance the chemical, mineralogical, and physical differences between the rocks that make up Mercury's surface. Young crater rays, extending radially from fresh impact craters, appear light blue or white. Medium- and dark-blue areas are a geologic unit of Mercury's crust known as the "low-reflectance material", thought to be rich in a dark, opaque mineral. Tan areas are plains formed by eruption of highly fluid lavas. The crater in the upper right whose rays stretch across the planet is Hokusai. To watch a movie of this colorful view of Mercury as a spinning globe go here: www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/8497927473 Young crater rays, extending radially from fresh impact craters, appear light blue or white. Medium- and dark-blue areas are a geologic unit of Mercury's crust known as the "low-reflectance material", thought to be rich in a dark, opaque mineral. Tan areas are plains formed by eruption of highly fluid lavas. The giant Caloris basin is the large circular tan feature located just to the upper right of center of the image. The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the So...
January 23, 2026 at 6:00 AM
jenwillis.bsky.social
Because I seem to be doing some random reading this afternoon, I'll share this thoughtful and compelling piece by @danfalk.bsky.social about Carl Sagan and his wonderful novel and movie, Contact.

nautil.us/a-surprising...
A Surprising Side of Carl Sagan
In Contact, the great science advocate posed a religious question about the cosmos.
nautil.us
January 22, 2026 at 10:53 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
My latest message to my electeds, via Resitbot. Feel free to copy, if you're so moved. (But maybe correct my typo first?)
"Just in case you were thinking of doing so, please do not under any circumstances vote to fund DHS and/or ICE. Just don't. Do not. ICE is tantamount to an American Gestapo. DO NOT VOTE TO FUND ICE, regardless of any concessions on body cams, training, etc. that might be offers. Just don't do it."
January 22, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
stsci.edu
HIRING: The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore is searching for a Office of Public Outreach Division Head. The person would lead the science communication and public outreach activities for the Institute.

Apply today or share this post with your network: https://bit.ly/4qeUTMt
Logo of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) with the tagline "Expanding the Frontiers of Space Astronomy" over a vibrant cosmic background.
January 9, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
alleycat.org
With much of the country facing severe temperature drops and winter weather in the next days due to an #ArcticBlast, Alley Cat Allies is sharing tips to help community cats stay warm and safe.

8 severe weather tips: www.alleycat.org/arctic-blast...

#winterstorm #communitycats #wintertips

(1/3)
January 21, 2026 at 12:23 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
notable foam art that brightened my day
A delightful bear drawn in foam on a flat white
January 21, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Arp 314 - From Judy Schmidt (geckzilla.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2hQWksS
Trying to get caught up on some galaxies from Prop15446 again. Here is a pair of interacting galaxies. Visible at the bottom left edge is a third member. Another galaxy that may have had an encounter with this group is not visible within the image. You can see a beautiful widefield color view from the Legacy Survey viewer: legacysurvey.org/viewer?ra=344.5309&dec=-3.7903&l... Establishing HST's Low Redshift Archive of Interacting Systems All Channels: ACS/WFC F606W North is 1.40° clockwise from up.
January 21, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
apodunofficial.bsky.social
#apod 2026-01-21
Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1365 from Webb
Web page: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260121.html
apod.2469518908.bin
January 21, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
weratedogs.com
This is Chloe. She doesn't understand why she can't have any of your Chinese food. Brought over a clean plate and everything. 13/10 (TT: morgansieberrr)
January 21, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
daleivan.bsky.social
Fantastic images and a front row to seat last night’s auroras.
astroroyalscot.bsky.social Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 3d
Frogston Primary totally lucked out on their first night away at 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Lagganlia outdoor centre: clear skies and #aurora! Just as well we told them all about sun-spew in last week's planetarium show! Super proud of our P7 trained-astronomers who braved -2℃ to take these fantastic space photos. #SYTN 🤗🥳🔭🧪
January 20, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
eso.org
#Aurora over Europe!

We're currently experiencing a strong geomagnetic storm, which caused a stunning auroral display all over Europe last night. This time-lapse was captured by our colleague Stefan Ströbele over our headquarters in Garching near Munich. 🔭 🧪

📹 S. Ströbele/ESO
January 20, 2026 at 4:35 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
Every damn day.
jenwillis.bsky.social Jen Willis 💫🎃 @jenwillis.bsky.social · Dec 19
When I was younger, I fully expected to live through the US's waning influence on the world stage and our loss of status as a superpower. Never once, however, did I imagine the decline would be this stupid.
January 20, 2026 at 4:34 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
Well, it's been a year.
January 20, 2026 at 3:59 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
A strategy I have not yet tried.
bbolander.bsky.social Bo Bolander @bbolander.bsky.social · 4d
as an author getting any kind of sales bump out of a viral post is so rare you might as well hope to gain notoriety by standing in a field and waiting to be the first writer to catch a meteorite with your teeth instead
January 20, 2026 at 3:58 PM
jenwillis.bsky.social
You cannot appease the hungry void. Bottomless greed will never be satisfied.
January 20, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Titan's Northern Wetlands and Atmosphere - From Val Klavans (valklavans.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/mdN4EV
This is a false color view of Titan, put together in different filters: infrared, methane band, and visible (green) light. These filters combined allow us to see Titan's north polar lakes and seas as well as a glimpse into its atmosphere. The large circle is Titan's north polar hood. (In this view, we are looking down on Titan's north pole.) This composite is made of images that were taken by Cassini's camera system, the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) on March 17, 2014 and received on Earth March 18, 2014. The camera was pointing toward TITAN at approximately 1,061,907 miles (1,708,973 kilometers) away, and the images were taken using the CL1, CB3, GRN and MT3 filters. Credit: NASA / JPL / SSI / Val Klavans about.me/valerieklavans
January 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
susankayequinn.bsky.social
Someday the retailers will have a category for "solarpunk" or "hopeful climate fiction"...but today is not that day.

You'll find my books under "Metaphysical Sci-Fi" (which it is)

Book 2 is also kicking butt on the charts while it's free!
(Psst Bk1 is free too)
susankayequinn.com/series/nothi...
You Knew the Price by Susan Kaye Quinn, Book 2 in the Nothing is Promised solarpunk novel series 100 Reviews $0 Best Sellers in Metaphysical Science Fiction
January 5, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
themountaingoats.bsky.social
in case you stan Pluto and you didn’t click through on my other post you really have to see this.
sleestak.bsky.social Sleestak @sleestak.bsky.social · 5d
These are the icy mountains of Pluto. It took 9 years to get these magnificent images… and 4.8 billion kilometers.
January 19, 2026 at 11:44 AM
jenwillis.bsky.social
Note to self:
Gazing through binoculars at the celestial disco ball that is Sirius, and then coming inside to look at images of and documentaries about Titan, one of the moons of Saturn? Always a good idea.
January 19, 2026 at 5:08 AM
jenwillis.bsky.social
Well, butts.
January 19, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Reposted by Jen Willis 💫🎃
octocon.bsky.social
Registration for Octocon 2026 is now open! Clayton Hotel, Cork City & Online on 3rd-4th of October with GOHs @cemurphy.bsky.social y.bsky.social & @aptshadow.bsky.social.

€10 off limited Early Bird memberships:
octocon.com/join-us/

#Octocon #Fantasy #SciFi #Fandom #CorkCity
Poster states: Octocon 2026. Saturday 3rd October – Sunday 4th October. Clayton Hotel Cork City and Online. Registration is now Open! €10 off limited Early Bird memberships. octocon.com. Poster includes the Octocon logo and our mascot, Octo the Octopus with a programme book and a badge.
January 18, 2026 at 4:50 PM