Mark Marley
@markmarley.bsky.social
Personal account. Substellar science since the 80s.
On 3/17/23 daughters were randomly visiting Tucson and said, “today is 1st day of Taylor Swift’s new tour in Phoenix and we can get tickets for not crazy prices, we want to drive up, can we take the car?”. Of course we said yes and my wife also went up. I passed and thus missed seeing a phenomenon.
December 29, 2025 at 3:08 AM
On 3/17/23 daughters were randomly visiting Tucson and said, “today is 1st day of Taylor Swift’s new tour in Phoenix and we can get tickets for not crazy prices, we want to drive up, can we take the car?”. Of course we said yes and my wife also went up. I passed and thus missed seeing a phenomenon.
It’s a tourism photo day in SF.
December 27, 2025 at 7:49 PM
It’s a tourism photo day in SF.
Just caught @bmacastro.bsky.social explaining the Lick damage. Loved the mention of the steampunk look and inlaid wooden floors.
December 27, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Just caught @bmacastro.bsky.social explaining the Lick damage. Loved the mention of the steampunk look and inlaid wooden floors.
And since the APEX mission was restored to the congressional budget it looks like NASA will be rendezvousing not long after Earth flyby.
Friday 13 April 2029 is the day Earth gets lucky, as asteroid Apophis skims (safely) past our planet. 🔭 ESA & JAXA are launching the Ramses mission 🛰️ to rendezvous for a journey only seen every few millennia. It's time to #LookUp. My latest for #JAXA Cosmos 🤸♂️🧪: cosmos.isas.jaxa.jp/look-up-esa-...
December 27, 2025 at 4:35 PM
And since the APEX mission was restored to the congressional budget it looks like NASA will be rendezvousing not long after Earth flyby.
Reposted by Mark Marley
In not-very-good news, extreme winds (114 mph gusts) on the early morning of the 25th caused significant damage to the 36" Great Refractor at Lick Observatory. Half of the main shutter broke off and landed on the main building.
December 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM
In not-very-good news, extreme winds (114 mph gusts) on the early morning of the 25th caused significant damage to the 36" Great Refractor at Lick Observatory. Half of the main shutter broke off and landed on the main building.
Thinking of all the staff and my friend @bmacastro.bsky.social who have a new holiday task.
Powerful Christmas Day winds gusting up to 114 mph severely damaged UC Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, forcing the nearly 140-year-old facility to close while officials headquartered at UC Santa Cruz assess structural damage and begin repairs expected to take months.
Christmas Day winds up to 114 mph damage UC Lick Observatory
Powerful Christmas Day winds gusting up to 114 mph severely damaged UC Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, forcing the nearly 140-year-old facility to close while officials headquartered at UC Santa Cruz assess structural damage and begin repairs expected to take months.
buff.ly
December 26, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Thinking of all the staff and my friend @bmacastro.bsky.social who have a new holiday task.
Reposted by Mark Marley
AGU petition to save NCAR. Please share widely! agu.quorum.us/campaign/151...
Save NCAR from being dismantled today!
The Trump Administration has vowed to dissolve the center that provides critical extreme weather and climate data for our nation.
agu.quorum.us
December 18, 2025 at 12:23 AM
AGU petition to save NCAR. Please share widely! agu.quorum.us/campaign/151...
Busy solstice. I don’t think I’ve seen 3 adults before (did once see a mom and 3 offspring).
December 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Busy solstice. I don’t think I’ve seen 3 adults before (did once see a mom and 3 offspring).
I just drove through SF with the blackout. The Waymo’s did ok treating no light as a stop sign but just failed on left turns like this. They should have parked them all.
More FUBARed Waymo robots in different locations in this video:
Market and Valencia
Folsom and 9th
Waymo should at least fix their robots to pull to the curb on failure/MRC (Minimum Risk Condition). DMV should require them to do so and report their MRC performance.
OP: tiktok.nowhappening1
Market and Valencia
Folsom and 9th
Waymo should at least fix their robots to pull to the curb on failure/MRC (Minimum Risk Condition). DMV should require them to do so and report their MRC performance.
OP: tiktok.nowhappening1
December 21, 2025 at 4:30 AM
I just drove through SF with the blackout. The Waymo’s did ok treating no light as a stop sign but just failed on left turns like this. They should have parked them all.
Reposted by Mark Marley
"Marley's Ghost Appearing to Scrooge". Charles Green illustration for Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Pears' Christmas Annual 1892 (Day 3 of 7).
December 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
"Marley's Ghost Appearing to Scrooge". Charles Green illustration for Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Pears' Christmas Annual 1892 (Day 3 of 7).
Reposted by Mark Marley
The AAS is deeply concerned by the recent announcement that the NSF intends to “restructure” the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) by narrowing the scope of its scientific investigations and stripping it of key assets used in those investigations. aas.org/posts/news/2... 🔭
AAS Responds to Reported Dismantling of NCAR | American Astronomical Society
The AAS is deeply concerned by the recent announcement that the National Science Foundation (NSF) intends to “restructure” the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) by narrowing the scop...
aas.org
December 19, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The AAS is deeply concerned by the recent announcement that the NSF intends to “restructure” the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) by narrowing the scope of its scientific investigations and stripping it of key assets used in those investigations. aas.org/posts/news/2... 🔭
Reposted by Mark Marley
While nature's resilience to natural disasters has long been recognized, not much is known about how organisms colonize brand-new habitats for the first time. A new study led by LPL scientists provides glimpses into a poorly understood process. news.arizona.edu/news/life-la...
Life on lava: How microbes colonize new habitats
Taking advantage of a "natural laboratory" in Iceland, a research team from the University of Arizona studied how microbes colonize fresh lava flows as soon as they cooled.
news.arizona.edu
December 19, 2025 at 8:47 PM
While nature's resilience to natural disasters has long been recognized, not much is known about how organisms colonize brand-new habitats for the first time. A new study led by LPL scientists provides glimpses into a poorly understood process. news.arizona.edu/news/life-la...
I always post drinking clips. Here is a typical post hydration routine.
December 18, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I always post drinking clips. Here is a typical post hydration routine.
Every commencement I look at the freshly emailed platform party seating chart and puzzle about where LPL is supposed to sit. Then I remember, "oh, they still haven't fixed that yet".
December 18, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Every commencement I look at the freshly emailed platform party seating chart and puzzle about where LPL is supposed to sit. Then I remember, "oh, they still haven't fixed that yet".
Reposted by Mark Marley
HiPOD: 100,000 Images of Mars
On 7 October 2025, the HiRiSE camera aboard MRO acquired this image of the Syrtis Major plains. This marks over 100,000 HiRISE images of Mars, which is a fabulous milestone!
More: https://uahirise.org/ESP_089986_1980
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars
On 7 October 2025, the HiRiSE camera aboard MRO acquired this image of the Syrtis Major plains. This marks over 100,000 HiRISE images of Mars, which is a fabulous milestone!
More: https://uahirise.org/ESP_089986_1980
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars
December 16, 2025 at 5:30 PM
HiPOD: 100,000 Images of Mars
On 7 October 2025, the HiRiSE camera aboard MRO acquired this image of the Syrtis Major plains. This marks over 100,000 HiRISE images of Mars, which is a fabulous milestone!
More: https://uahirise.org/ESP_089986_1980
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars
On 7 October 2025, the HiRiSE camera aboard MRO acquired this image of the Syrtis Major plains. This marks over 100,000 HiRISE images of Mars, which is a fabulous milestone!
More: https://uahirise.org/ESP_089986_1980
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars
Reposted by Mark Marley
HiRISE is an amazing camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) that has been mapping the surface of Mars since MRO arrived at Mars in 2006! That's two decades and 100,000 images of stunning views of the Red Planet.
Celebrating the 100,000th image taken by the HiRISE camera!
www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...
www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...
One of NASA’s Key Cameras Orbiting Mars Takes 100,000th Image - NASA
Mesas and dunes stand out in the view snapped by HiRISE, one of the imagers aboard the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
www.nasa.gov
December 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM
HiRISE is an amazing camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) that has been mapping the surface of Mars since MRO arrived at Mars in 2006! That's two decades and 100,000 images of stunning views of the Red Planet.
Celebrating the 100,000th image taken by the HiRISE camera!
www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...
www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...
One of NASA’s Key Cameras Orbiting Mars Takes 100,000th Image - NASA
Mesas and dunes stand out in the view snapped by HiRISE, one of the imagers aboard the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
www.nasa.gov
December 16, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Celebrating the 100,000th image taken by the HiRISE camera!
www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...
www.nasa.gov/missions/mar...
Unsuccessful hunt yesterday for our friend. Note how he just vanishes onto the rock. Sound on.
December 16, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Unsuccessful hunt yesterday for our friend. Note how he just vanishes onto the rock. Sound on.
Reposted by Mark Marley
Dr. Victoria Meadows leads the massively interdisciplinary NASA Virtual Planetary Laboratory, which she started in 2001 with the goal of developing a scientific foundation for the search for habitability and life beyond the Solar System. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
#Exoplanets #Space #Science #SETI #NotJustAliens
#Exoplanets #Space #Science #SETI #NotJustAliens
December 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Dr. Victoria Meadows leads the massively interdisciplinary NASA Virtual Planetary Laboratory, which she started in 2001 with the goal of developing a scientific foundation for the search for habitability and life beyond the Solar System. 🧪 🔭 👩🔬
#Exoplanets #Space #Science #SETI #NotJustAliens
#Exoplanets #Space #Science #SETI #NotJustAliens
Sometime mid 70s (before any of the movies) I went to a Star Trek event at Grady Gammage (big venue at ASU). I think some TOS writers were speaking. At the end they showed the original pilot as film and I remember thinking “wow the Enterprise looks great on this giant screen”.
Raising the always fun question: What are your most memorable theater-going experiences?
Mine also include The Matrix, Blair Witch, and being way too stoned in Belgium when Fellowship of the Ring was sold out so we sat in the back row for Mulholland Drive instead.
Mine also include The Matrix, Blair Witch, and being way too stoned in Belgium when Fellowship of the Ring was sold out so we sat in the back row for Mulholland Drive instead.
It was hands-down one of the most memorable theater-going experiences I can remember, a collective 30-minute butt-clench/armrest-grab for the final climb. And we knew he lived! Wild.
December 13, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Sometime mid 70s (before any of the movies) I went to a Star Trek event at Grady Gammage (big venue at ASU). I think some TOS writers were speaking. At the end they showed the original pilot as film and I remember thinking “wow the Enterprise looks great on this giant screen”.
Reposted by Mark Marley
New orbit movie just dropped. This one is for the newly discovered circumbinary planet HD 143811 AB b. This 9-year timelapse was made through an international collaboration with me, Nathalie Jones (Northwestern graduate student), and Vito Squicciarini (Exeter postdoc)
A discovery fit for Star Wars: CIERA astronomers have directly imaged a Tatooine-like planet orbiting two suns — and it’s closer to its stars than any other directly imaged planet in a binary system. 🌟🌟🪐https://bit.ly/4q8Dfto
@thejason.wang #Exoplanets #Astronomy #Northwestern #CIERA
@thejason.wang #Exoplanets #Astronomy #Northwestern #CIERA
December 12, 2025 at 5:54 PM
New orbit movie just dropped. This one is for the newly discovered circumbinary planet HD 143811 AB b. This 9-year timelapse was made through an international collaboration with me, Nathalie Jones (Northwestern graduate student), and Vito Squicciarini (Exeter postdoc)
Reposted by Mark Marley
Fun time doing and informal interview / discussion with Supercluster. Can read it here:
Inside the Daily Life of a Doomsday Asteroid Hunter
As the Senior Operations Specialist at the Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded planetary defense program that utilizes the telescopes atop the Santa Catalina Mountains, David Rankin spends hours lookin...
www.supercluster.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Fun time doing and informal interview / discussion with Supercluster. Can read it here:
Reposted by Mark Marley
I'm a day late with this because I was at the National Academies for this briefing. The big takeaway is that the search for life should be the top science priority when we send humans to land on #Mars! 🪐🧪🔭 #Astrobiology www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
Search for Life Should Be Top Science Priority for First Human Landing on Mars, Says New Report
When astronauts set foot on Mars, it will be one of humanity’s greatest milestones, marking the start of a new era of discovery on another planet. A new National Academies report identifies the highes...
www.nationalacademies.org
December 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I'm a day late with this because I was at the National Academies for this briefing. The big takeaway is that the search for life should be the top science priority when we send humans to land on #Mars! 🪐🧪🔭 #Astrobiology www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
Reposted by Mark Marley
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is Open!
roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu/roman-propos...
Proposal Deadline: March 17, 2026
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
"Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026."
#NASA #astronomy #AAS
roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu/roman-propos...
Proposal Deadline: March 17, 2026
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
"Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026."
#NASA #astronomy #AAS
Cycle 1 Call for Proposals - Roman User Documentation
This article contains...
The complete details of this Call for Proposals are contained within this downloadable PDF document: Roman_Cycle1_Call.pdf.
Executive S
roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu
December 10, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is Open!
roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu/roman-propos...
Proposal Deadline: March 17, 2026
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
"Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026."
#NASA #astronomy #AAS
roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu/roman-propos...
Proposal Deadline: March 17, 2026
www.nasa.gov/missions/rom...
"Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026."
#NASA #astronomy #AAS