Dr. Sammy Hasler
@sammyhasler.bsky.social
interested in directly imaging exoplanets and studying solar system analogs • postdoc at MIT • i love hiking, cooking, and my cats!
snhasler.github.io
snhasler.github.io
It’s Halloween week and I haven’t seen any talk about our favorite spooky #exoplanets yet this year!
Crowd-sourcing ideas for our exoplanet journal club this week — what’s your nomination for spookiest exoplanet? 👻
Crowd-sourcing ideas for our exoplanet journal club this week — what’s your nomination for spookiest exoplanet? 👻
October 28, 2025 at 2:47 PM
It’s Halloween week and I haven’t seen any talk about our favorite spooky #exoplanets yet this year!
Crowd-sourcing ideas for our exoplanet journal club this week — what’s your nomination for spookiest exoplanet? 👻
Crowd-sourcing ideas for our exoplanet journal club this week — what’s your nomination for spookiest exoplanet? 👻
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
For anyone applying to grad school in the US this fall, the @aas.org has made a working group to monitor which programs have faced cuts - this spreadsheet contains all the info: 🔭☄️
US Astronomy Graduate Admissions, AY 2025-2026
docs.google.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:48 AM
For anyone applying to grad school in the US this fall, the @aas.org has made a working group to monitor which programs have faced cuts - this spreadsheet contains all the info: 🔭☄️
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
Seeking PhD candidates that want to do a thesis on exoplanet atmosphere retrieval + machine learning inference. Please apply by 31 October to Dr. Max Dax's and my shared project here: is.mpg.de/news/new-max... . Abstract for the thesis project is attached to this thread below!
New Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Starts Call for Applications for its Ph.D. Program
The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is a Ph.D. Program that provides doctoral researchers with fully funded Ph.D. fellowships and a pool of outstanding faculty comprising directors and inde...
is.mpg.de
October 17, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Seeking PhD candidates that want to do a thesis on exoplanet atmosphere retrieval + machine learning inference. Please apply by 31 October to Dr. Max Dax's and my shared project here: is.mpg.de/news/new-max... . Abstract for the thesis project is attached to this thread below!
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
A lot of comments on Mars rovers or Moon landings, but it's important to remember that the planet NASA studies most is Earth. This is less about cutting flashy things like moonwalks and more about keeping communities in the dark on climate, weather, agriculture, pollution, natural hazards, and more.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off about 550 workers reut.rs/4302N2L
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off about 550 workers
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Monday it will cut nearly 550 jobs as part of a restructuring, not related to the current U.S. government shutdown.
reut.rs
October 13, 2025 at 10:43 PM
A lot of comments on Mars rovers or Moon landings, but it's important to remember that the planet NASA studies most is Earth. This is less about cutting flashy things like moonwalks and more about keeping communities in the dark on climate, weather, agriculture, pollution, natural hazards, and more.
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
It feels useless to point out but if we stop pointing it out that's definitely worse:
SURELY IT'S ILLEGAL FOR TRUMP TO ORGANIZE PRIVATE FINANCING FOR THE US MILITARY.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
SURELY IT'S ILLEGAL FOR TRUMP TO ORGANIZE PRIVATE FINANCING FOR THE US MILITARY.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
October 14, 2025 at 7:21 PM
It feels useless to point out but if we stop pointing it out that's definitely worse:
SURELY IT'S ILLEGAL FOR TRUMP TO ORGANIZE PRIVATE FINANCING FOR THE US MILITARY.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
SURELY IT'S ILLEGAL FOR TRUMP TO ORGANIZE PRIVATE FINANCING FOR THE US MILITARY.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
So many spectacular, kind, brave people who I've worked with for years being let go from JPL today. We will all be poorer for their absence from the forefront of human knowledge.
October 14, 2025 at 8:09 PM
So many spectacular, kind, brave people who I've worked with for years being let go from JPL today. We will all be poorer for their absence from the forefront of human knowledge.
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
An NSF Graduate Research Fellowship helped launch my career - the next generation of scientists deserves the same opportunity, just as Americans deserve the benefits of a well-supported scientific pipeline. But this year's solicitation is MIA.
Please take a minute to speak up for the program👇
Please take a minute to speak up for the program👇
Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
An Open Letter to U.S. STEM Leadership on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
An Open Letter to U.S. STEM Leadership on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io
September 26, 2025 at 2:31 AM
An NSF Graduate Research Fellowship helped launch my career - the next generation of scientists deserves the same opportunity, just as Americans deserve the benefits of a well-supported scientific pipeline. But this year's solicitation is MIA.
Please take a minute to speak up for the program👇
Please take a minute to speak up for the program👇
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
For those who may not know ... the magnetic field of Uranus is tilted ~60 deg relative to its spin axis.
So it looks like the aurorae are occurring near the equator, because, in fact, they are! Within ~ 30deg of the equator.
So it looks like the aurorae are occurring near the equator, because, in fact, they are! Within ~ 30deg of the equator.
#PPOD: This image of Uranus’ aurorae was taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on 10 October 2022. These observations were made by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and include both visible and ultraviolet data. 🧪 🔭
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Lamy, L. Sromovsky
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Lamy, L. Sromovsky
September 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
For those who may not know ... the magnetic field of Uranus is tilted ~60 deg relative to its spin axis.
So it looks like the aurorae are occurring near the equator, because, in fact, they are! Within ~ 30deg of the equator.
So it looks like the aurorae are occurring near the equator, because, in fact, they are! Within ~ 30deg of the equator.
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
Autism is not a "disease" or "epidemic".
Autism has a strong genetic component.
There is no evidence that vaccinees or Tylenol cause autism.
Access to autism diagnostics have dramatically increased as reported rates increased.
Neither Trump nor RFK Jr are scientists or medical professionals.
Autism has a strong genetic component.
There is no evidence that vaccinees or Tylenol cause autism.
Access to autism diagnostics have dramatically increased as reported rates increased.
Neither Trump nor RFK Jr are scientists or medical professionals.
September 22, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Autism is not a "disease" or "epidemic".
Autism has a strong genetic component.
There is no evidence that vaccinees or Tylenol cause autism.
Access to autism diagnostics have dramatically increased as reported rates increased.
Neither Trump nor RFK Jr are scientists or medical professionals.
Autism has a strong genetic component.
There is no evidence that vaccinees or Tylenol cause autism.
Access to autism diagnostics have dramatically increased as reported rates increased.
Neither Trump nor RFK Jr are scientists or medical professionals.
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
My first NASA position, as a contractor in the Kepler Science Office, was on a H-1b visa. NASA ended up giving me a medal and now I’m the Chief Scientist of NASA Exoplanet Science Institute and an American citizen to boot. Seems like a net win for the US, no? But now this:
Trump announces $1m ‘golden visa’ and raises fees for H-1B visas to $100,000 – US politics live
US president signs executive orders making it more expensive to get special skills visa while expediting process for those who can pay large sums
www.theguardian.com
September 19, 2025 at 10:34 PM
My first NASA position, as a contractor in the Kepler Science Office, was on a H-1b visa. NASA ended up giving me a medal and now I’m the Chief Scientist of NASA Exoplanet Science Institute and an American citizen to boot. Seems like a net win for the US, no? But now this:
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
🪐🔭 JWST is letting us learn about disks around PLANETARY-MASS OBJECTS!!!
Today is a special paper day for me: for the first time we can do chemistry in a circumplanetary disk around a planetary-mass companion! Gabriele Cugno and I used JWST to tease out the signal of CT Cha b, finding a rich carbon chemistry (7 molecules + 1 isotopolog detected)! arxiv.org/abs/2509.15209
September 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
🪐🔭 JWST is letting us learn about disks around PLANETARY-MASS OBJECTS!!!
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
September 18, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
You are cordially invited to our next AoT Boston event at Aeronaut Brewing on Thursday, September 4!!! We're bringing you some exciting talks about the Rubin Observatory (@vrubinobs.bsky.social), which will capture the ultimate time-lapse movie of the universe in the next 10 years 🔭💫
August 31, 2025 at 11:29 PM
You are cordially invited to our next AoT Boston event at Aeronaut Brewing on Thursday, September 4!!! We're bringing you some exciting talks about the Rubin Observatory (@vrubinobs.bsky.social), which will capture the ultimate time-lapse movie of the universe in the next 10 years 🔭💫
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
As a resident of the Boston metro, I find it so interesting that narratives about the whiteness of Boston persist as the dominant national story even though it's a majority minority metro and the actual city is led by a Chinese-American woman.
Also, she's more presidential than Gavin Belson
Also, she's more presidential than Gavin Belson
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu:
“Silence in the face of oppression is not an option. The U.S. Attorney General asked for a response by today. So here it is…Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration's failures.”
“Silence in the face of oppression is not an option. The U.S. Attorney General asked for a response by today. So here it is…Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration's failures.”
August 19, 2025 at 5:58 PM
As a resident of the Boston metro, I find it so interesting that narratives about the whiteness of Boston persist as the dominant national story even though it's a majority minority metro and the actual city is led by a Chinese-American woman.
Also, she's more presidential than Gavin Belson
Also, she's more presidential than Gavin Belson
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
So pleased to see these results published and get the attention they deserve! For the nerds, I do encourage you to read the Beichman paper, section 2 AND all the way to the end, as it details the technical challenges involved in performing these observations. Because holy sh*t, it was HARD 🔭
New from Nature: “I had to take a moment of silence to appreciate what I was seeing.”
Astronomers reveal what could be the first ever image of a planet in its star’s habitable zone—and in the same star system as Avatar, no less
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Astronomers reveal what could be the first ever image of a planet in its star’s habitable zone—and in the same star system as Avatar, no less
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Alien planet glimpsed in star's 'habitable zone'
A smudge of light spotted by the James Webb telescope near Alpha Centauri A could be the planet with the tightest orbit ever to be imaged directly.
www.nature.com
August 7, 2025 at 6:58 PM
So pleased to see these results published and get the attention they deserve! For the nerds, I do encourage you to read the Beichman paper, section 2 AND all the way to the end, as it details the technical challenges involved in performing these observations. Because holy sh*t, it was HARD 🔭
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
WHOA.
Astronomers may have found a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest sun-like star to the Sun! It's a binary system, too, so if this is confirmed it'll be an AMAZING discovery!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-planet-f...
🔭🧪
Astronomers may have found a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest sun-like star to the Sun! It's a binary system, too, so if this is confirmed it'll be an AMAZING discovery!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-planet-f...
🔭🧪
A planet for Alpha Centauri A?
JWST spots what might be a Jupiter-sized world around the nearest Sun-like star
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
August 7, 2025 at 3:11 PM
WHOA.
Astronomers may have found a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest sun-like star to the Sun! It's a binary system, too, so if this is confirmed it'll be an AMAZING discovery!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-planet-f...
🔭🧪
Astronomers may have found a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest sun-like star to the Sun! It's a binary system, too, so if this is confirmed it'll be an AMAZING discovery!
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-planet-f...
🔭🧪
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
Will I ever remember the emojis...history indicates no
🔭🧪
🔭🧪
I am community sourcing a list of people who are actively in search of MS/PhD students in planetary science/astrobiology/exoplanets for Fall 2026. If you are such a person, please fill out the following google form:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Planetary Science MS/PhD Positions for Fall 2026
Crowd sourced list of people who are looking for MS/PhD students to help connect prospective students with advisors so we can do even more fabulous planetary science! (Submitting a response indicates ...
docs.google.com
August 5, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Will I ever remember the emojis...history indicates no
🔭🧪
🔭🧪
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
"ChatGPT is great for brainstorming!"
Actually we have a tool for that already! It's called thinking. We use our brain. It's called brainstorming! Clue is in the name.
Actually we have a tool for that already! It's called thinking. We use our brain. It's called brainstorming! Clue is in the name.
July 31, 2025 at 7:49 PM
"ChatGPT is great for brainstorming!"
Actually we have a tool for that already! It's called thinking. We use our brain. It's called brainstorming! Clue is in the name.
Actually we have a tool for that already! It's called thinking. We use our brain. It's called brainstorming! Clue is in the name.
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
I said this recently at #HWO2025, but I'll also say it here in light of the upcoming @nancyromansci.bsky.social call for white papers for the coronagraph: If you don't do planets and disks, please put a white paper in! I'm happy to give advice #astrosci 🔭
July 31, 2025 at 6:31 PM
I said this recently at #HWO2025, but I'll also say it here in light of the upcoming @nancyromansci.bsky.social call for white papers for the coronagraph: If you don't do planets and disks, please put a white paper in! I'm happy to give advice #astrosci 🔭
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
To reiterate: Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a sear
Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Cha
July 23, 2025 at 12:35 AM
To reiterate: Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a search engine. Chat GPT is not a sear
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
My brain has said "no."
I don't know what the question was.
But my brain has said "no."
I don't know what the question was.
But my brain has said "no."
July 17, 2025 at 5:59 PM
My brain has said "no."
I don't know what the question was.
But my brain has said "no."
I don't know what the question was.
But my brain has said "no."
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
Uranus is hot. And I'm not just saying that because it is one of my fave planets despite its unfortunate name. uh.edu/news-events/...
UH Researchers Help Solve Uranus Heat Mystery
A new study led by University of Houston researchers, in collaboration with planetary scientists worldwide, suggests Uranus does have its own internal heat. This advance that not only informs NASA’s f...
uh.edu
July 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Uranus is hot. And I'm not just saying that because it is one of my fave planets despite its unfortunate name. uh.edu/news-events/...
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
Actual, Current, Real-World Cuts to NASA Planetary R&A
research.ssl.berkeley.edu/~mikewong/bl... "ROSES 2025 Research and analysis proposal opportunities were just announced yesterday. I did a graphical deep dive into how bad the situation is for soft money researchers working on NASA science."
research.ssl.berkeley.edu/~mikewong/bl... "ROSES 2025 Research and analysis proposal opportunities were just announced yesterday. I did a graphical deep dive into how bad the situation is for soft money researchers working on NASA science."
July 11, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Actual, Current, Real-World Cuts to NASA Planetary R&A
research.ssl.berkeley.edu/~mikewong/bl... "ROSES 2025 Research and analysis proposal opportunities were just announced yesterday. I did a graphical deep dive into how bad the situation is for soft money researchers working on NASA science."
research.ssl.berkeley.edu/~mikewong/bl... "ROSES 2025 Research and analysis proposal opportunities were just announced yesterday. I did a graphical deep dive into how bad the situation is for soft money researchers working on NASA science."
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
Technicians installed solar panels onto #NASARoman, one of the final steps in assembling the observatory. Collectively called the Solar Array Sun Shield, these panels will power and shade the observatory, enabling all the mission’s observations and helping keep the instruments cool: bit.ly/453CTvd 🔭
July 10, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Technicians installed solar panels onto #NASARoman, one of the final steps in assembling the observatory. Collectively called the Solar Array Sun Shield, these panels will power and shade the observatory, enabling all the mission’s observations and helping keep the instruments cool: bit.ly/453CTvd 🔭
Reposted by Dr. Sammy Hasler
It’s important to point out that many of the cuts at NASA are to astrophysics and earth science, not just the space program
Most of that does not involve anyone going to space but involves us learning things that help us live better on earth
Most of that does not involve anyone going to space but involves us learning things that help us live better on earth
I mean, if we're going to fuck up this planet so bad. Should humans even be allowed to go into space?
July 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
It’s important to point out that many of the cuts at NASA are to astrophysics and earth science, not just the space program
Most of that does not involve anyone going to space but involves us learning things that help us live better on earth
Most of that does not involve anyone going to space but involves us learning things that help us live better on earth