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
You may have seen pictures, but have you ever seen video of a gigantic jet #TLE from space?
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
January 30, 2026 at 9:09 PM
You may have seen pictures, but have you ever seen video of a gigantic jet #TLE from space?
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
Heading home after a superb week at the Les Houches Winter School for #ESAJuice. I gave lectures about Jupiter and JWST, but I learned so much from all the other lecturers, from magnetospheres, to satellites, and exoplanet connections. What a stunningly beautiful place to wake up to each morning.
January 30, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Heading home after a superb week at the Les Houches Winter School for #ESAJuice. I gave lectures about Jupiter and JWST, but I learned so much from all the other lecturers, from magnetospheres, to satellites, and exoplanet connections. What a stunningly beautiful place to wake up to each morning.
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
I’m hiring! Looking for someone with excellent communication skills, knows Python, and wants a career enabling science by creating user-facing content for astronomers. This is a full-time, long-term position that does NOT require a PhD! recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/... 🔭 Apply by Feb 21st!
January 21, 2026 at 8:01 PM
I’m hiring! Looking for someone with excellent communication skills, knows Python, and wants a career enabling science by creating user-facing content for astronomers. This is a full-time, long-term position that does NOT require a PhD! recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/... 🔭 Apply by Feb 21st!
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
Beautiful aurora seen last night during high geomagnetic activity❗
Automatic auroral recognition routine classifying All-Sky Camera images acquired at the Kevo station in Northern Finland by FMI as a demonstration product👇
🌐 swe.ssa.esa.int/fmi-federated
Automatic auroral recognition routine classifying All-Sky Camera images acquired at the Kevo station in Northern Finland by FMI as a demonstration product👇
🌐 swe.ssa.esa.int/fmi-federated
January 20, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Beautiful aurora seen last night during high geomagnetic activity❗
Automatic auroral recognition routine classifying All-Sky Camera images acquired at the Kevo station in Northern Finland by FMI as a demonstration product👇
🌐 swe.ssa.esa.int/fmi-federated
Automatic auroral recognition routine classifying All-Sky Camera images acquired at the Kevo station in Northern Finland by FMI as a demonstration product👇
🌐 swe.ssa.esa.int/fmi-federated
Good write-up from @planetarysociety.bsky.social on the budget bill that passed Congress, explaining what space science has gained and lost, and which projects appear to be funded for FY26 (including Uranus, HabWorlds, & contributions to international missions).
www.planetary.org/articles/adv...
www.planetary.org/articles/adv...
You just saved NASA's budget
Here's what Congress rejected of the draconian cuts faced by NASA in FY 2026.
www.planetary.org
January 16, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Good write-up from @planetarysociety.bsky.social on the budget bill that passed Congress, explaining what space science has gained and lost, and which projects appear to be funded for FY26 (including Uranus, HabWorlds, & contributions to international missions).
www.planetary.org/articles/adv...
www.planetary.org/articles/adv...
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
Our website for the British Planetary Society Conference 2026 is now live!
📅 9-11 June, 2026
🎯 St Andrews, Scotland 🏴
Our website contains details on how to get to St Andrews and the conference accommodation. Registration details will be added soon.
bpsc2026.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
📅 9-11 June, 2026
🎯 St Andrews, Scotland 🏴
Our website contains details on how to get to St Andrews and the conference accommodation. Registration details will be added soon.
bpsc2026.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
January 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Our website for the British Planetary Society Conference 2026 is now live!
📅 9-11 June, 2026
🎯 St Andrews, Scotland 🏴
Our website contains details on how to get to St Andrews and the conference accommodation. Registration details will be added soon.
bpsc2026.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
📅 9-11 June, 2026
🎯 St Andrews, Scotland 🏴
Our website contains details on how to get to St Andrews and the conference accommodation. Registration details will be added soon.
bpsc2026.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
21 years ago, humanity landed on Saturn's moon Titan.
January 14, 2026 at 4:03 AM
21 years ago, humanity landed on Saturn's moon Titan.
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
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...
Citizen scientists, such as those in the British Astronomy Association (BAA), do an amazing job summarising the weather patterns and banded appearance of #Jupiter. This is John Roger's latest summary for 2025-26, a treasure trove of detail (Map Credit: Shinji Mizumoto)
britastro.org/section_info...
britastro.org/section_info...
January 10, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Citizen scientists, such as those in the British Astronomy Association (BAA), do an amazing job summarising the weather patterns and banded appearance of #Jupiter. This is John Roger's latest summary for 2025-26, a treasure trove of detail (Map Credit: Shinji Mizumoto)
britastro.org/section_info...
britastro.org/section_info...
The #Jupiter fleet is aided by a huge community of talented amateur astronomers, observing the shifting clouds of the gas giant using backyard telescopes, and uploading their images to databases like PVOL for scientists to analyse (Image on Jan 2nd from Gary Walker, USA)
pvol2.ehu.eus/pvol2/
pvol2.ehu.eus/pvol2/
January 10, 2026 at 2:18 PM
The #Jupiter fleet is aided by a huge community of talented amateur astronomers, observing the shifting clouds of the gas giant using backyard telescopes, and uploading their images to databases like PVOL for scientists to analyse (Image on Jan 2nd from Gary Walker, USA)
pvol2.ehu.eus/pvol2/
pvol2.ehu.eus/pvol2/
I've learned not to try to understand the complexities of our language.... I just hope to recognise it when I see it!
January 10, 2026 at 12:45 PM
I've learned not to try to understand the complexities of our language.... I just hope to recognise it when I see it!
Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a grammar specialist... but convention seems to use super-Earths, sub-Neptunes... so super-Jupiters feels right. Planet names are proper nouns after all?
January 10, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Dammit, I'm a doctor, not a grammar specialist... but convention seems to use super-Earths, sub-Neptunes... so super-Jupiters feels right. Planet names are proper nouns after all?
When you look at that bright point of light this evening, think of the Jovian fleet. #Juno (2016) is there right now, peering beneath the cloudy veil. #EuropaClipper (2030) and #ESAJuice (2031) are sailing through interplanetary space with a mission to explore Jupiter's ocean moons. (Credit: ESA)
January 10, 2026 at 12:21 PM
When you look at that bright point of light this evening, think of the Jovian fleet. #Juno (2016) is there right now, peering beneath the cloudy veil. #EuropaClipper (2030) and #ESAJuice (2031) are sailing through interplanetary space with a mission to explore Jupiter's ocean moons. (Credit: ESA)
Happy #Jupiter opposition for 2026, very bright with a clear sky to the east this evening. Castor and Pollux (the twins of Gemini) to the left; red Betelgeuse and the rest of Orion to the right; Procyon (Canis Minor) and Sirius (the 'Dog Star' of Canis Major) closer to SE horizon. Happy #stargazing
January 10, 2026 at 11:32 AM
Happy #Jupiter opposition for 2026, very bright with a clear sky to the east this evening. Castor and Pollux (the twins of Gemini) to the left; red Betelgeuse and the rest of Orion to the right; Procyon (Canis Minor) and Sirius (the 'Dog Star' of Canis Major) closer to SE horizon. Happy #stargazing
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
I'm excited to announce the official Nullschool app is here!
earth.nullschool.net on mobile browsers works fine, but the app is nicer. Full screen display, persistence across sessions, text size that matches device settings. Even landscape works well.
And, like the website: no ads!
Links below ⬇️
earth.nullschool.net on mobile browsers works fine, but the app is nicer. Full screen display, persistence across sessions, text size that matches device settings. Even landscape works well.
And, like the website: no ads!
Links below ⬇️
January 7, 2026 at 3:12 PM
I'm excited to announce the official Nullschool app is here!
earth.nullschool.net on mobile browsers works fine, but the app is nicer. Full screen display, persistence across sessions, text size that matches device settings. Even landscape works well.
And, like the website: no ads!
Links below ⬇️
earth.nullschool.net on mobile browsers works fine, but the app is nicer. Full screen display, persistence across sessions, text size that matches device settings. Even landscape works well.
And, like the website: no ads!
Links below ⬇️
Reposted by Leigh Fletcher
Come work with me! STScI is hiring a new head of the Office of Public Outreach. It's a great opportunity for scicomm for NASA's flagship missions: recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/...
recruiting2.ultipro.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Come work with me! STScI is hiring a new head of the Office of Public Outreach. It's a great opportunity for scicomm for NASA's flagship missions: recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/...
Tomorrow, January 7th, is the deadline for CENTA-funded #PhD applications for those interested in studying #Earth Observation Science here @uniofleicester.bsky.social, starting in September.
www.findaphd.com/phds/departm...
(You have until Jan 18th for everything else!)
www.findaphd.com/phds/departm...
(You have until Jan 18th for everything else!)
January 6, 2026 at 10:05 AM
Tomorrow, January 7th, is the deadline for CENTA-funded #PhD applications for those interested in studying #Earth Observation Science here @uniofleicester.bsky.social, starting in September.
www.findaphd.com/phds/departm...
(You have until Jan 18th for everything else!)
www.findaphd.com/phds/departm...
(You have until Jan 18th for everything else!)
There's so much amazing information in this figure - Sun, Moon, clouds - these keograms make for some excellent #dataviz
Happy new year! My all sky camera imaged the sky every 15 seconds and this picture shows what happened in the sky in 2025. It shows the length of the night and day with the hourglass shape, the monthly lunar cycle with the diagonal bands, the elevation of the Sun at local noon, and lots of clouds.
January 6, 2026 at 9:34 AM
There's so much amazing information in this figure - Sun, Moon, clouds - these keograms make for some excellent #dataviz
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. 🧪⚛️
Happy Christmas to the Seniors. Just a tiny wafer thin mint to finish, sir?
December 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Happy Christmas to the Seniors. Just a tiny wafer thin mint to finish, sir?
Nice alternative title, I missed a trick there.... ;-)
December 18, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Nice alternative title, I missed a trick there.... ;-)
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 🔭🪐