Linn Boldt-Christmas
@nplinnspace.bsky.social
🇸🇪 Exoplanet atmospheres + chemistry + formation at Uppsala University 🪐🔭 Also into astrobiology, policy, climate, equality/EDI, and scicomm ✨ (she/her) – linnboldtchristmas.wordpress.com
Pinned
VLT/CRIRES+ observations of warm Neptune WASP-107 b: Molecular detections and challenges in ground-based transmission spectroscopy of cooler and cloudy exoplanets
Atmospheres of transiting exoplanets can be studied spectroscopically using space-based or ground-based observations. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so there are benefits to both approache...
arxiv.org
Do you love WASP-107 b? Do you love making use of *both* ground VLT + space JWST obs to detect molecules in a "warm" (Teq<800K) #exoplanet in transmission, even in a crazy confusing cloudy atmosphere?!
🚨 It's PAPER* DAY! Which means #scicomm thread!
🧵⬇️🔭🪐🧪
*pre-print!
arxiv.org/abs/2508.18964
🚨 It's PAPER* DAY! Which means #scicomm thread!
🧵⬇️🔭🪐🧪
*pre-print!
arxiv.org/abs/2508.18964
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Fascinating Astronomy.
Happy 11th anniversary of me losing my fucking mind over this QVC clip
January 18, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Fascinating Astronomy.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
P.S. Follow along on Bluesky with #RockyWorlds4 (h/t @nplinnspace.bsky.social 🙌🏻)
I'm excited to spend the week hearing and talking about rocky worlds! This is one of my favorite meeting series, I leave energized and with new ideas. 😁 You can follow along with the talks on YouTube if you aren't joining us in person or on Zoom: www.youtube.com/@rockyworlds...
Wondering why we've been so quiet this month? That's because we're busy preparing to welcome everyone *next week* to Groningen 🇳🇱 for...
🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️
Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪
🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️
Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪
January 17, 2026 at 11:18 PM
P.S. Follow along on Bluesky with #RockyWorlds4 (h/t @nplinnspace.bsky.social 🙌🏻)
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
We used to do real science
January 12, 2026 at 1:59 AM
We used to do real science
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
China has suffered 2 launch failures within hours of each other. A Long March 3B lifted off from Xichang at 1655 UTC Jan. 16, but Shijian-32 satellite was lost after a 3rd stage anomaly. The debut launch of the solid Ceres-2 from Jiuquan at 0408 UTC Jan. 17 also failed.
January 17, 2026 at 8:05 AM
China has suffered 2 launch failures within hours of each other. A Long March 3B lifted off from Xichang at 1655 UTC Jan. 16, but Shijian-32 satellite was lost after a 3rd stage anomaly. The debut launch of the solid Ceres-2 from Jiuquan at 0408 UTC Jan. 17 also failed.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Wondering why we've been so quiet this month? That's because we're busy preparing to welcome everyone *next week* to Groningen 🇳🇱 for...
🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️
Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪
🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️
Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪
January 16, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Wondering why we've been so quiet this month? That's because we're busy preparing to welcome everyone *next week* to Groningen 🇳🇱 for...
🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️
Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪
🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️
Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
See that larger white blob at lower left, and the smaller blob to its right?
That's Earth and the Moon.
Photographed from the orbit of Mercury.
That's Earth and the Moon.
Photographed from the orbit of Mercury.
January 15, 2026 at 2:45 AM
See that larger white blob at lower left, and the smaller blob to its right?
That's Earth and the Moon.
Photographed from the orbit of Mercury.
That's Earth and the Moon.
Photographed from the orbit of Mercury.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Plato passes vibe check ✅
The spacecraft was vigorously shaken to mimic the powerful jolts and vibrations that Plato will experience during launch.
The vibration tests are part of a series of tough exams that Plato has to pass to graduate for launch 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 #exoplanets
The spacecraft was vigorously shaken to mimic the powerful jolts and vibrations that Plato will experience during launch.
The vibration tests are part of a series of tough exams that Plato has to pass to graduate for launch 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 #exoplanets
January 15, 2026 at 9:01 AM
Plato passes vibe check ✅
The spacecraft was vigorously shaken to mimic the powerful jolts and vibrations that Plato will experience during launch.
The vibration tests are part of a series of tough exams that Plato has to pass to graduate for launch 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 #exoplanets
The spacecraft was vigorously shaken to mimic the powerful jolts and vibrations that Plato will experience during launch.
The vibration tests are part of a series of tough exams that Plato has to pass to graduate for launch 👉 www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
🔭 #exoplanets
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
It's "very unlikely" NASA will be able to recover the MAVEN Mars orbiter, NASA planetary science division director Louise Prockter says at the Small Bodies Assessment Group meeting this morning. Efforts to restore contact will resume Friday, after solar conjunction ends.
January 13, 2026 at 2:54 PM
It's "very unlikely" NASA will be able to recover the MAVEN Mars orbiter, NASA planetary science division director Louise Prockter says at the Small Bodies Assessment Group meeting this morning. Efforts to restore contact will resume Friday, after solar conjunction ends.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Have you met Astris? 🤔
It's an orbital transfer vehicle under development for Ariane 6.
Astris will add on Ariane 6's capabilities, by allowing it to transport payloads between orbits and reach more destinations.
Here's how it will look ↓
It's an orbital transfer vehicle under development for Ariane 6.
Astris will add on Ariane 6's capabilities, by allowing it to transport payloads between orbits and reach more destinations.
Here's how it will look ↓
January 12, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Have you met Astris? 🤔
It's an orbital transfer vehicle under development for Ariane 6.
Astris will add on Ariane 6's capabilities, by allowing it to transport payloads between orbits and reach more destinations.
Here's how it will look ↓
It's an orbital transfer vehicle under development for Ariane 6.
Astris will add on Ariane 6's capabilities, by allowing it to transport payloads between orbits and reach more destinations.
Here's how it will look ↓
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
TIL There's more than 1 paper per day published using TESS data: 🔭🧪
January 12, 2026 at 7:23 PM
TIL There's more than 1 paper per day published using TESS data: 🔭🧪
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Breaking: SKA-Mid achieved first fringes last month! This is the first step towards individual dishes becoming an interferometer. It's kind of a big deal. Congrats to the SKA Mid Commissioning Team! Looking forward to first SKA Mid image in 2026. 🔭 📡 🧪
www.skao.int/en/news/693/...
www.skao.int/en/news/693/...
![Quoted from the email announcement: "The figure shows the amplitude and phase data averaged over the 5 minute observation period (top panels) and the waterfall plots showing their variation with time. The phases are flat as a function of frequency, as expected for an isolated point source at the center of the field. Additionally, they are constant in time. This indicates that the system is stable and working as expected. Regions of strong, well-known RFI from geolocation satellites can be clearly seen in the amplitude plots. [Image produced by Shin’ichiro Asayama from data taken by the System AIV team with support from the ATLAS team]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:o5oksvbvqshrqbg4bfcsfhch/bafkreiht3timqi5af776rhiai25te6zshhpqrodzq675fnvtemiesawgqi@jpeg)
January 9, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Breaking: SKA-Mid achieved first fringes last month! This is the first step towards individual dishes becoming an interferometer. It's kind of a big deal. Congrats to the SKA Mid Commissioning Team! Looking forward to first SKA Mid image in 2026. 🔭 📡 🧪
www.skao.int/en/news/693/...
www.skao.int/en/news/693/...
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
From the Smile mission launch and new data sets from Euclid, to Plato getting ready for launch, a total solar eclipse and BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury, 2026 is set to be a packed year for Science!
2026 will be one of the most mission-dense and strategically important years in our history.
Together with our Member States and partners, we are strengthening Europe’s role in space for science, security, sustainability, and exploration. 🌍✨
🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueBf...
Together with our Member States and partners, we are strengthening Europe’s role in space for science, security, sustainability, and exploration. 🌍✨
🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueBf...
ESA preview 2026
YouTube video by European Space Agency, ESA
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2026 at 8:10 AM
From the Smile mission launch and new data sets from Euclid, to Plato getting ready for launch, a total solar eclipse and BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury, 2026 is set to be a packed year for Science!
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
"Why astronomy needs a giant in the Canary Islands"
phys.org/news/2026-01...
phys.org/news/2026-01...
Why astronomy needs a giant in the Canary Islands
Size matters when it comes to telescopes. The bigger they are, the farther they can see. Prioritizing constructing large ones is therefore high on the priority list for many observational organization...
phys.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:00 AM
"Why astronomy needs a giant in the Canary Islands"
phys.org/news/2026-01...
phys.org/news/2026-01...
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Sentinel-2 image of the fire to the East of Albury.
It's big, about 10km across (roughly derived from scale).
Second image from Himawari-9.
It's big, about 10km across (roughly derived from scale).
Second image from Himawari-9.
January 9, 2026 at 6:11 AM
Sentinel-2 image of the fire to the East of Albury.
It's big, about 10km across (roughly derived from scale).
Second image from Himawari-9.
It's big, about 10km across (roughly derived from scale).
Second image from Himawari-9.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Finally! Tens of thousands of asteroids are found each year. Yet 2026 had ZERO through Jan 6.
The drought is over.
Possibly as big as a jet liner. Possibly as large as a football field. Meet 2026 AA.
Blame the Full Moon for the drought.🌕 Expect many more soon.
The drought is over.
Possibly as big as a jet liner. Possibly as large as a football field. Meet 2026 AA.
Blame the Full Moon for the drought.🌕 Expect many more soon.
January 8, 2026 at 7:19 AM
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Everybody wants to feel cozy during winter 🧣
And that's how payloads feel under our fairings!
Vega-C's fairing protects payloads from harmful natural environments (humidity, rain, sunlight, and dust particles) on the launch pad and from aero-thermal fluxes during the atmospheric flight phase.
And that's how payloads feel under our fairings!
Vega-C's fairing protects payloads from harmful natural environments (humidity, rain, sunlight, and dust particles) on the launch pad and from aero-thermal fluxes during the atmospheric flight phase.
January 7, 2026 at 10:38 AM
Everybody wants to feel cozy during winter 🧣
And that's how payloads feel under our fairings!
Vega-C's fairing protects payloads from harmful natural environments (humidity, rain, sunlight, and dust particles) on the launch pad and from aero-thermal fluxes during the atmospheric flight phase.
And that's how payloads feel under our fairings!
Vega-C's fairing protects payloads from harmful natural environments (humidity, rain, sunlight, and dust particles) on the launch pad and from aero-thermal fluxes during the atmospheric flight phase.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
This week we are hosting the @terrahunting.bsky.social science team in Oxford. Terra Hunting will use HARPS3 which is right now being installed on the Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma to search for nearby Earth analogues. Exciting times! @oxfordphysics.bsky.social @oxoplanets.bsky.social
January 7, 2026 at 1:13 PM
This week we are hosting the @terrahunting.bsky.social science team in Oxford. Terra Hunting will use HARPS3 which is right now being installed on the Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma to search for nearby Earth analogues. Exciting times! @oxfordphysics.bsky.social @oxoplanets.bsky.social
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
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
🔭🧪 Further evidence that everyone's favourite powerpuff girl, the super-puff popcorn #exoplanet WASP-107 b, has an orbit that is in fact more eccentric than previously thought! "These new measurements are consistent with [it being] in the final stage of high-eccentricity migration" 👀 Great result!
That's right! Eccentric! Popcorn Planet! :)
arxiv.org/abs/2601.00640
arxiv.org/abs/2601.00640
Evidence for a Nonzero Eccentricity Superpuff Exoplanet WASP-107 b Using JWST Occultation Observation
WASP-107~b is an extremely low-density super-puff exoplanet whose inflated radius and evidence of strong internal heating make it a key target for understanding planetary structure and evolution. Its ...
arxiv.org
January 6, 2026 at 1:27 PM
🔭🧪 Further evidence that everyone's favourite powerpuff girl, the super-puff popcorn #exoplanet WASP-107 b, has an orbit that is in fact more eccentric than previously thought! "These new measurements are consistent with [it being] in the final stage of high-eccentricity migration" 👀 Great result!
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
2025 goes down as the ~3rd-warmest year on record (based on ERA5).
Like in 2024, every single day this past year was warmer than the average of even the most recent reference period (1991-2020).
Like in 2024, every single day this past year was warmer than the average of even the most recent reference period (1991-2020).
January 4, 2026 at 5:38 PM
2025 goes down as the ~3rd-warmest year on record (based on ERA5).
Like in 2024, every single day this past year was warmer than the average of even the most recent reference period (1991-2020).
Like in 2024, every single day this past year was warmer than the average of even the most recent reference period (1991-2020).
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Happy solstice! 🌍❄️ Today (Dec 21) at 16:03 (CET or UTC+1) winter officially begins. Shortest day of the year, but your noon shadow will be the longest. From now on, days slowly start getting longer again. Animation by NAAP labs (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) 🧪⚛️🔭#astronomy
December 21, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Happy solstice! 🌍❄️ Today (Dec 21) at 16:03 (CET or UTC+1) winter officially begins. Shortest day of the year, but your noon shadow will be the longest. From now on, days slowly start getting longer again. Animation by NAAP labs (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) 🧪⚛️🔭#astronomy
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Terrifying headline if you don’t realize they are sports teams.
December 19, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Terrifying headline if you don’t realize they are sports teams.
Reposted by Linn Boldt-Christmas
Did all life start with RNA? Some scientists think so – and a new experiment suggests it might have formed naturally on many worlds.
Story by me in Scientific American
www.scientificamerican.com/article/rna-...
Story by me in Scientific American
www.scientificamerican.com/article/rna-...
Rocky Planets May Make Life’s Precursor, RNA, All across the Universe
New experiments show how RNA might form not just on Earth but on other rocky planets, too
www.scientificamerican.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Did all life start with RNA? Some scientists think so – and a new experiment suggests it might have formed naturally on many worlds.
Story by me in Scientific American
www.scientificamerican.com/article/rna-...
Story by me in Scientific American
www.scientificamerican.com/article/rna-...