Leigh Fletcher
@leighfletcher.bsky.social
Planetary scientist, Dad-in-training, space enthusiast, Professor based at the University of Leicester
https://linktr.ee/leigh.fletcher
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5834-9588
https://linktr.ee/leigh.fletcher
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5834-9588
Pinned
Leigh Fletcher
@leighfletcher.bsky.social
· Nov 16
#Uranus reaches 2024 opposition tomorrow. For more than 30 years, #Hubble has watched the shifting Uranian seasons, from southern summer solstice (seen by Voyager 2 in 1986), through equinox in 2007, and (hopefully) on to northern summer solstice in 2030. #planetaryscience 📸 NASA/ESA/STScI/Fletcher
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
I'm hiring!
3-year postdoc on an exciting new @royalsociety.org funded project on Martian glaciers @sheffielduni.bsky.social
Advert: tinyurl.com/6rzzk5d4
Terrestrial folks encouraged to apply (e.g. GIS, glacier modelling, geomorphology, or deep learning)
Closes 19th Jan. Queries via email.
3-year postdoc on an exciting new @royalsociety.org funded project on Martian glaciers @sheffielduni.bsky.social
Advert: tinyurl.com/6rzzk5d4
Terrestrial folks encouraged to apply (e.g. GIS, glacier modelling, geomorphology, or deep learning)
Closes 19th Jan. Queries via email.
Research Associate in Mars Glaciology at University of Sheffield
An academic position as a Research Associate in Mars Glaciology is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job opportunities.
tinyurl.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:11 AM
I'm hiring!
3-year postdoc on an exciting new @royalsociety.org funded project on Martian glaciers @sheffielduni.bsky.social
Advert: tinyurl.com/6rzzk5d4
Terrestrial folks encouraged to apply (e.g. GIS, glacier modelling, geomorphology, or deep learning)
Closes 19th Jan. Queries via email.
3-year postdoc on an exciting new @royalsociety.org funded project on Martian glaciers @sheffielduni.bsky.social
Advert: tinyurl.com/6rzzk5d4
Terrestrial folks encouraged to apply (e.g. GIS, glacier modelling, geomorphology, or deep learning)
Closes 19th Jan. Queries via email.
Make a Bond movie academic.
Thunderball: A Study of Lightning on Jupiter
Thunderball: A Study of Lightning on Jupiter
Make a Bond movie academic.
Dr No: the outcome of your grant application.
Dr No: the outcome of your grant application.
Make a Bond movie academic.
A View to a Kill: An Introduction to Crime Scene Photography.
A View to a Kill: An Introduction to Crime Scene Photography.
December 27, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Make a Bond movie academic.
Thunderball: A Study of Lightning on Jupiter
Thunderball: A Study of Lightning on Jupiter
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
Final of ✨ #planetaryScience image of 2025 ✨ is here:
Uranus vs. Earth
or
outer vs. inner Solar System
🗳️ The vote link is 3 posts down. Voting ends on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. UTC/4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST/midnight JST. 🧪⚛️
Uranus vs. Earth
or
outer vs. inner Solar System
🗳️ The vote link is 3 posts down. Voting ends on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. UTC/4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST/midnight JST. 🧪⚛️
December 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Final of ✨ #planetaryScience image of 2025 ✨ is here:
Uranus vs. Earth
or
outer vs. inner Solar System
🗳️ The vote link is 3 posts down. Voting ends on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. UTC/4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST/midnight JST. 🧪⚛️
Uranus vs. Earth
or
outer vs. inner Solar System
🗳️ The vote link is 3 posts down. Voting ends on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 3 p.m. UTC/4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST/midnight JST. 🧪⚛️
Join my amazing colleague Stefanie Milam later today (9pm UK) for a discussion of Solar System #planetsci from #JWST.
www.youtube.com/live/BgrD1bd...
www.youtube.com/live/BgrD1bd...
Planets, Asteroids, and Interstellar Interlopers, OH MY! Revealing the Solar System with JWST
YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute
www.youtube.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Join my amazing colleague Stefanie Milam later today (9pm UK) for a discussion of Solar System #planetsci from #JWST.
www.youtube.com/live/BgrD1bd...
www.youtube.com/live/BgrD1bd...
If you've proposed to #JWST in recent years, or you're working with the data, take a look at the presentations from our recent JWST User Committee meeting at STScI - particularly those on the amazing efforts that go into pipeline development, the TAC process, user support, & telescope scheduling 🔭🪐
The December JSTUC meeting included presentations on a variety of topics: #JWST Mission updates, Cycle 5 results, Cycle 6 plans, policy changes for the Director's Discretionary programs, grants allocations, and other updates. Read more: ow.ly/Rl8W50XHs49
December 11, 2025 at 3:34 PM
If you've proposed to #JWST in recent years, or you're working with the data, take a look at the presentations from our recent JWST User Committee meeting at STScI - particularly those on the amazing efforts that go into pipeline development, the TAC process, user support, & telescope scheduling 🔭🪐
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
🛰️ New Europlanet webinar with @esa.int's Juice mission! This webinar will outline the current status of radar sounding for Earth observation and its connection to RIME’s science for the exploration of the Jupiter icy moons 👉 Register us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
December 4, 2025 at 10:35 AM
🛰️ New Europlanet webinar with @esa.int's Juice mission! This webinar will outline the current status of radar sounding for Earth observation and its connection to RIME’s science for the exploration of the Jupiter icy moons 👉 Register us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
I still can’t believe they said my name!! I got the Global Space Award 2025 in the category of Science Breakthrough for my leadership of the M-MATISSE mission concept to Mars! A really wonderful night! Next step is to do our super best for the mission to be selected in June 2026!
December 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I still can’t believe they said my name!! I got the Global Space Award 2025 in the category of Science Breakthrough for my leadership of the M-MATISSE mission concept to Mars! A really wonderful night! Next step is to do our super best for the mission to be selected in June 2026!
Leicester has partnered with the China Scholarship Council to provide #PhD funding for Chinese students, with astro/planetary @physicsuol.bsky.social specifically mentioned as a priority. If you have contacts with Chinese undergrads, please do share - deadline Dec 11th.
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
China Scholarship Council and University of Leicester joint PhD scholarships | Postgraduate research | University of Leicester
China Scholarship Council and University of Leicester joint PhD scholarships
le.ac.uk
December 5, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Leicester has partnered with the China Scholarship Council to provide #PhD funding for Chinese students, with astro/planetary @physicsuol.bsky.social specifically mentioned as a priority. If you have contacts with Chinese undergrads, please do share - deadline Dec 11th.
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
☄️ Our #ESAJuice team couldn't wait until February, when they will receive data on #3IATLAS from the mission's science instruments.
So they downloaded just a quarter of an image from its navigation camera to get a surprise sneak preview.
More info and annotations 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 🧪
So they downloaded just a quarter of an image from its navigation camera to get a surprise sneak preview.
More info and annotations 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 🧪
December 4, 2025 at 2:09 PM
☄️ Our #ESAJuice team couldn't wait until February, when they will receive data on #3IATLAS from the mission's science instruments.
So they downloaded just a quarter of an image from its navigation camera to get a surprise sneak preview.
More info and annotations 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 🧪
So they downloaded just a quarter of an image from its navigation camera to get a surprise sneak preview.
More info and annotations 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 🧪
After a whirlwind week of deadlines, I finally had a moment to download some data from a telescope run I was leading.... and.... they managed to point it at the wrong planet. I mean, seen one giant planet, seen 'em all, right? Time for a beer....
November 28, 2025 at 5:16 PM
After a whirlwind week of deadlines, I finally had a moment to download some data from a telescope run I was leading.... and.... they managed to point it at the wrong planet. I mean, seen one giant planet, seen 'em all, right? Time for a beer....
Reading through ESA's draft #CM25 resolution on the level of resources to be committed between now and 2030 - strong support for the proposal to complete #CosmicVision and get #Voyage2050 (M7, L4) underway. Particularly like that line on international flagship partnerships (HabWorlds? Uranus?).
November 27, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reading through ESA's draft #CM25 resolution on the level of resources to be committed between now and 2030 - strong support for the proposal to complete #CosmicVision and get #Voyage2050 (M7, L4) underway. Particularly like that line on international flagship partnerships (HabWorlds? Uranus?).
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
🎵 One of these moons is not like the others, one of these moons just doesn’t belong… 🎵 (it’s Mab, so weird, we love her) 🧪🔭🪐
My latest for @eos.org ahead of #AGU25:
eos.org/articles/ura...
My latest for @eos.org ahead of #AGU25:
eos.org/articles/ura...
Uranus’s Small Moons Are Dark, Red, and Water-Poor - Eos
…Except for Mab, which is even weirder than expected.
eos.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:03 PM
🎵 One of these moons is not like the others, one of these moons just doesn’t belong… 🎵 (it’s Mab, so weird, we love her) 🧪🔭🪐
My latest for @eos.org ahead of #AGU25:
eos.org/articles/ura...
My latest for @eos.org ahead of #AGU25:
eos.org/articles/ura...
Couldn't make out #Saturn's rings at all just now through my telescope (admittedly from a light-polluted vantage point). We are now at the secondary "almost ring-plane crossing" due to Earth's orbit, and we'll have #JWST taking some infrared spectra of Saturn's southern spring next week.. exciting!
#Saturn's simulated appearance from Earth from Jan'25 to Dec'26, showing the changing perspective of the rings as the gas giant moves into southern spring. SkySafari doesn't render the ring shadows, & Saturn is out of view on the other side of the Sun for the ring-plane crossing tomorrow, Mar 23rd.
November 23, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
November 21, 2025 at 5:11 PM
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
With #Uranus and #Neptune being among the best Solar System targets for JWST, I'm hoping to offer a #PhD studentship for Sep'2026 analysing NIRSpec and MIRI observations of both Ice Giant atmospheres. Contact me for details, deadline Jan 18th! #planetsci
🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Exploring the Atmospheres of Uranus & Neptune with JWST
We're advertising this project with Prof Leigh Fletcher, using infrared spectral data to investigate the changing atmospheres of the ice giants
For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢
We're advertising this project with Prof Leigh Fletcher, using infrared spectral data to investigate the changing atmospheres of the ice giants
For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢
November 19, 2025 at 6:24 PM
With #Uranus and #Neptune being among the best Solar System targets for JWST, I'm hoping to offer a #PhD studentship for Sep'2026 analysing NIRSpec and MIRI observations of both Ice Giant atmospheres. Contact me for details, deadline Jan 18th! #planetsci
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
My most important service to solar system planetary science was being a part of the Science Definition Team (SDT), nearly a decade ago, that made the science case for an NASA Ice Giants Orbiter and Entry Probe. Check out our 2017 document: arxiv.org/abs/2511.13946
Ice Giants Pre-Decadal Survey Mission Study Report
The Ice Giants Study was commissioned by NASA to take a fresh look (as of 2017) at science priorities and concepts for missions to the Uranus and Neptune systems in preparation for the third Planetary...
arxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 4:33 AM
My most important service to solar system planetary science was being a part of the Science Definition Team (SDT), nearly a decade ago, that made the science case for an NASA Ice Giants Orbiter and Entry Probe. Check out our 2017 document: arxiv.org/abs/2511.13946
Our #ESAJuice meeting is over, so a quick moment for some sightseeing. This is the Gänseliesel "goose girl" statue in Göttingen... apparently it's tradition for newly minted PhDs to climb the fountain, kiss the statue, and present a bunch of flowers...
November 14, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Our #ESAJuice meeting is over, so a quick moment for some sightseeing. This is the Gänseliesel "goose girl" statue in Göttingen... apparently it's tradition for newly minted PhDs to climb the fountain, kiss the statue, and present a bunch of flowers...
Although it's not an easy journey (involving planes, trains, & automobiles), I finally made it to @mpsgoettingen.bsky.social for the #ESAJuice Science Team Meeting (our 26th!). Personal first for me: I've never been to Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and this bit of Germany before.
November 12, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Although it's not an easy journey (involving planes, trains, & automobiles), I finally made it to @mpsgoettingen.bsky.social for the #ESAJuice Science Team Meeting (our 26th!). Personal first for me: I've never been to Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and this bit of Germany before.
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
UK science and technology is suffering from a lack of investment, a hostile immigration system, and fragile university finances, reports @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 🧪 #scipolicy
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.K. science sector is ‘bleeding to death,’ lawmakers say in report
House of Lords committee urges government to stem exodus of science and technology companies
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:08 PM
UK science and technology is suffering from a lack of investment, a hostile immigration system, and fragile university finances, reports @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 🧪 #scipolicy
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Looking to start a PhD in Physics & Astronomy in 2026? The team @physicsuol.bsky.social have announced their STFC-funded projects on offer next year, spanning astrophysics, planetary science, and space instrumentation. Deadline: Jan 18th, contact us to learn more!
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
November 7, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Looking to start a PhD in Physics & Astronomy in 2026? The team @physicsuol.bsky.social have announced their STFC-funded projects on offer next year, spanning astrophysics, planetary science, and space instrumentation. Deadline: Jan 18th, contact us to learn more!
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
le.ac.uk/study/resear...
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
In 2023, #NASAWebb observed a spectacular light show on Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. The planet’s auroras are hundreds of times brighter and more energetic than Earth’s. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Nichols (University of Leicester), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb). 🔭 🧪
November 4, 2025 at 3:23 PM
In 2023, #NASAWebb observed a spectacular light show on Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. The planet’s auroras are hundreds of times brighter and more energetic than Earth’s. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Nichols (University of Leicester), M. Zamani (ESA/Webb). 🔭 🧪
End of an amazing week @stsci.edu, enormous thanks to @chrisinbaltimore.bsky.social & the ESA team for making me feel so welcome, and to all the researchers from STScI, Johns Hopkins, and APL that came to chat. I'm going home brimming with ideas, and in awe of the work everyone's doing with #JWST.
October 31, 2025 at 7:39 PM
End of an amazing week @stsci.edu, enormous thanks to @chrisinbaltimore.bsky.social & the ESA team for making me feel so welcome, and to all the researchers from STScI, Johns Hopkins, and APL that came to chat. I'm going home brimming with ideas, and in awe of the work everyone's doing with #JWST.
Fourth day of meetings and talks here in Baltimore, and I'd like to say a massive thank-you to those who decided that I was only allowed to meet people called Sarah on Thursday afternoon. Some top-quality trolling there, almost spat out my coffee. #SarahThursday
October 30, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Fourth day of meetings and talks here in Baltimore, and I'd like to say a massive thank-you to those who decided that I was only allowed to meet people called Sarah on Thursday afternoon. Some top-quality trolling there, almost spat out my coffee. #SarahThursday