Peter Plavchan
@plavchanpeter.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University
"Professor Says Mysterious Interstellar Object May Be Releasing Sentinels Around Jupiter". Is it also releasing a tea kettle? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell...
Russell's teapot - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:41 PM
"Professor Says Mysterious Interstellar Object May Be Releasing Sentinels Around Jupiter". Is it also releasing a tea kettle? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell...
"3I/ATLAS may be revving an engine, Harvard professor suggests". As the comet starts its journey out of our Solar System as expected, paying us no special attention, I am reminded of the insignificance of humankind or any one individual in the grand scheme of the Universe.
November 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM
"3I/ATLAS may be revving an engine, Harvard professor suggests". As the comet starts its journey out of our Solar System as expected, paying us no special attention, I am reminded of the insignificance of humankind or any one individual in the grand scheme of the Universe.
The thin veneer of the appearance of a two-party democracy for all is gone. This shutdown and list of the donors for the new ballroom destroying part of the people's house just shows the ruling class isn't even trying to maintain appearances any more.
October 28, 2025 at 2:25 PM
The thin veneer of the appearance of a two-party democracy for all is gone. This shutdown and list of the donors for the new ballroom destroying part of the people's house just shows the ruling class isn't even trying to maintain appearances any more.
Talking about light pollution on CBS-DC - WUSA9:
www.wusa9.com/video/life/d...
www.wusa9.com/video/life/d...
Dr. Peter Plavchan interview | Light Pollution
Dr. Peter Plavchan, professor at George Mason University, joins WUSA9 to discuss artificial light and it's impact on wildlife.
www.wusa9.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Talking about light pollution on CBS-DC - WUSA9:
www.wusa9.com/video/life/d...
www.wusa9.com/video/life/d...
At where it all started.
October 6, 2025 at 5:35 PM
At where it all started.
never had the time to learn how to write an iOS app, so trying to do it for the first time with some vibe-coding with AI... we'll see how it goes.
August 22, 2025 at 11:46 AM
never had the time to learn how to write an iOS app, so trying to do it for the first time with some vibe-coding with AI... we'll see how it goes.
One of my favorite objects as a senior in HS to star hop to with my 8 inch Newtonian that I paid $500 for used after saving up my job $$ from working as a telemarketer. 30 years ago now.
Would you like to see the #Andromeda galaxy? Here's how. 🌌
Tonight, try star-hopping to the Andromeda galaxy - 2.5 million light-years away - from the constellation #Cassiopeia. If your sky is dark, you might even spot this hazy patch of light with no optical aid.
buff.ly/zgwwj0y
📸 EarthSky.
Tonight, try star-hopping to the Andromeda galaxy - 2.5 million light-years away - from the constellation #Cassiopeia. If your sky is dark, you might even spot this hazy patch of light with no optical aid.
buff.ly/zgwwj0y
📸 EarthSky.
August 14, 2025 at 2:37 AM
One of my favorite objects as a senior in HS to star hop to with my 8 inch Newtonian that I paid $500 for used after saving up my job $$ from working as a telemarketer. 30 years ago now.
Retraction by social media critique on my part, apparently. I'm sorry the HS student (now a Caltech undergrad) had to have this research note retracted. retractionwatch.com/2025/08/12/h...
High school student who volunteered at NASA-sponsored lab gets retraction
An astronomical society journal has issued its first retraction in its 10-year history — for work done by a NASA researcher and a high school student. The duo set out to confirm an astrophysics law…
retractionwatch.com
August 13, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Retraction by social media critique on my part, apparently. I'm sorry the HS student (now a Caltech undergrad) had to have this research note retracted. retractionwatch.com/2025/08/12/h...
I don't know - are humans really that much better outside of their training data? Isn't this similar to making educated guesses and trial and error in problem-solving? Sometimes we get it wrong. arxiv.org/abs/2508.01191
Is Chain-of-Thought Reasoning of LLMs a Mirage? A Data Distribution Lens
Chain-of-Thought (CoT) prompting has been shown to improve Large Language Model (LLM) performance on various tasks. With this approach, LLMs appear to produce human-like reasoning steps before providi...
arxiv.org
August 11, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I don't know - are humans really that much better outside of their training data? Isn't this similar to making educated guesses and trial and error in problem-solving? Sometimes we get it wrong. arxiv.org/abs/2508.01191
I have now held professional employment or education at the same place for the longest in my career, starting my 9th year as faculty at Mason. Caltech/IPAC/NExScI was the previous record holder at 8 years. If you throw in my undergrad years though, Caltech is still on top.
August 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I have now held professional employment or education at the same place for the longest in my career, starting my 9th year as faculty at Mason. Caltech/IPAC/NExScI was the previous record holder at 8 years. If you throw in my undergrad years though, Caltech is still on top.
. @davidkipping.bsky.social representing science and Astro really well on the Rogan experience.
David Kipping on Joe Rogan
https://www.ufofeed.com/142071/david-kipping-on-joe-rogan/
Just finished the podcast. It was enjoyable. However, I did roll my eyes at the UFO bits and Rogan side tangents, but that's to be expected. I wish David had brought up the Trump cuts to NASA, but I understand …
https://www.ufofeed.com/142071/david-kipping-on-joe-rogan/
Just finished the podcast. It was enjoyable. However, I did roll my eyes at the UFO bits and Rogan side tangents, but that's to be expected. I wish David had brought up the Trump cuts to NASA, but I understand …
David Kipping on Joe Rogan
Just finished the podcast. It was enjoyable. However, I did roll my eyes at the UFO bits and Rogan side tangents, but that's to be expected. I wish David had brought up the Trump cuts to NASA, but I understand not wanting to upset Joe about his president. by TheWorldRider
www.ufofeed.com
August 10, 2025 at 4:51 AM
. @davidkipping.bsky.social representing science and Astro really well on the Rogan experience.
Signs of the times in science.
July 6, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Signs of the times in science.
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
New paper out! This is a review of the published JWST observations of rocky exoplanets so far: arxiv.org/abs/2507.00933
Quick summary of the key points:
Quick summary of the key points:
arxiv.org
July 2, 2025 at 8:34 AM
New paper out! This is a review of the published JWST observations of rocky exoplanets so far: arxiv.org/abs/2507.00933
Quick summary of the key points:
Quick summary of the key points:
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
Astronomers may have just discovered the third interstellar object passing through the Solar System!
ESA’s Planetary Defenders are observing the object, provisionally known as #A11pl3Z, right now using telescopes around the world.
ESA’s Planetary Defenders are observing the object, provisionally known as #A11pl3Z, right now using telescopes around the world.
July 2, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Astronomers may have just discovered the third interstellar object passing through the Solar System!
ESA’s Planetary Defenders are observing the object, provisionally known as #A11pl3Z, right now using telescopes around the world.
ESA’s Planetary Defenders are observing the object, provisionally known as #A11pl3Z, right now using telescopes around the world.
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
One of the employees fired from NASA told me how much their career meant to them: "Prior to everything happening today, NASA has been an incredible place to work — to dream big, to innovate, to do things that I never thought I could have done.”
Words by me. 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Words by me. 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NASA begins mass firings of scientists ahead of Trump team’s deadline
Top advisers in the Office of the Chief Scientist are among the first to go amid downsizing effort.
www.nature.com
March 11, 2025 at 1:13 PM
One of the employees fired from NASA told me how much their career meant to them: "Prior to everything happening today, NASA has been an incredible place to work — to dream big, to innovate, to do things that I never thought I could have done.”
Words by me. 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Words by me. 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Critical mass of professional scientists? Seems that way.
November 19, 2024 at 12:31 PM
Critical mass of professional scientists? Seems that way.
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
Merry Christmas to YOU, you don't have to wait two weeks between Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers episodes, we are pushing out a bonus one today (so we don't have to try to put one out between Christmas and New Year 😅)
It's the second part of my interview with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social!
It's the second part of my interview with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social!
Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 8 Peter Plavchan (part 2)
All Roads Lead to TrantorIs there a planet near the center of our galaxy like Trantor? Jessie shares what she's found in the NASA Exoplanet Archive, and Pete...
www.youtube.com
December 21, 2023 at 5:26 PM
Merry Christmas to YOU, you don't have to wait two weeks between Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers episodes, we are pushing out a bonus one today (so we don't have to try to put one out between Christmas and New Year 😅)
It's the second part of my interview with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social!
It's the second part of my interview with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social!
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
IT'S EPISODE SEVEN!!!
Please join me as I chat with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social about his parents trying to scare him straight (away from astronomy) and his Official Twitter discovery of AU Mic b.
Please join me as I chat with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social about his parents trying to scare him straight (away from astronomy) and his Official Twitter discovery of AU Mic b.
Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers; Ep. 7 Peter Plavchan
All Roads Lead to AU Mic ⛔🔭🪐Despite denial, discouragement and telemarketing jobs, Dr. Peter Plavchan found a path to a career in astronomy...and a famous ...
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2023 at 9:36 PM
IT'S EPISODE SEVEN!!!
Please join me as I chat with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social about his parents trying to scare him straight (away from astronomy) and his Official Twitter discovery of AU Mic b.
Please join me as I chat with @plavchanpeter.bsky.social about his parents trying to scare him straight (away from astronomy) and his Official Twitter discovery of AU Mic b.
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
Paper describing exofast's transit only eccentricity parameterization out today: arxiv.org/abs/2309.14410
September 27, 2023 at 4:51 AM
Paper describing exofast's transit only eccentricity parameterization out today: arxiv.org/abs/2309.14410
Informal astro-poll: who else is delinquent on grant reports besides me? One, it's not a fun activity but understandably necessary; two a lot of PIs/faculty are already overloaded with work; three the process is not entirely streamlined.
September 18, 2023 at 11:34 PM
Informal astro-poll: who else is delinquent on grant reports besides me? One, it's not a fun activity but understandably necessary; two a lot of PIs/faculty are already overloaded with work; three the process is not entirely streamlined.
form.jotform.com/232251987986... A lot of astronomers (including educators) are not aware of this survey. Please spread the word!
September 14, 2023 at 2:52 PM
form.jotform.com/232251987986... A lot of astronomers (including educators) are not aware of this survey. Please spread the word!
Reposted by Peter Plavchan
Exoplanet news! Astronomers have used #JWST to peer into the atmosphere of K2-18 b, a planet with a size and mass that could mean an ocean world with a gaseous atmosphere.
They found a potential hint of dimethyl sulfide, which you might not have heard of, but is only formed by life here on Earth. 👀
They found a potential hint of dimethyl sulfide, which you might not have heard of, but is only formed by life here on Earth. 👀
Nasa says distant exoplanet could have rare water ocean and possible hint of life
Space agency said potential finding of dimethyl sulfide on K2-18 b, produced only by life on Earth, is yet to be confirmed
www.theguardian.com
September 12, 2023 at 6:53 PM
Exoplanet news! Astronomers have used #JWST to peer into the atmosphere of K2-18 b, a planet with a size and mass that could mean an ocean world with a gaseous atmosphere.
They found a potential hint of dimethyl sulfide, which you might not have heard of, but is only formed by life here on Earth. 👀
They found a potential hint of dimethyl sulfide, which you might not have heard of, but is only formed by life here on Earth. 👀
This looks just like a simpler version of the OG twitter!
September 8, 2023 at 6:44 PM
This looks just like a simpler version of the OG twitter!