Dr. Scott W. Fleming
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scottwfleming.bsky.social
Dr. Scott W. Fleming
@scottwfleming.bsky.social
780 followers 300 following 110 posts
Branch Manager at Space Telescope Science Institute working in the MAST archive. Astronomy PhD. Studies stars and exoplanets. Loves programming. Opinions are my own. He/Him/His
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scottwfleming.bsky.social
Dr. Scott W. Fleming @scottwfleming.bsky.social · Aug 23
For my fIrst post, I want to highlight our open-source sonification Python package, Astronify! It's a package to sonify 1D data, esp. light curves from Kepler/K2/TESS. It provides alternative ways to analyze/preview, and most importantly increases accessibility to the data! astronify.readthedocs.io
The Astronify logo is the word "Astronify", with the "O" in the middle showing a sinusoidal curve that turns into musical notes at the end. Below it says "A Python package for sonifying astronomical data - turning telescope observations into sound!"
scottwfleming.bsky.social
We added some nice features to our JWST Search interface. HST rolling out in next couple months, along with more goodies.
mast-news.bsky.social MAST - Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes @mast-news.bsky.social · Oct 2
Feature update: we've added album previews to our JWST Search interface! Also included with our update is a Light/Dark mode toggle. archive.stsci.edu/contents/new...
The JWST image preview feature; seven images are displayed in a grid.
October 2, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
Technicians recently tested two major deployments for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: the Deployable Aperture Cover (DAC) and the Solar Array Sun Shield (SASS): go.nasa.gov/41X95PN #NASARoman 🔭 🧪
August 27, 2025 at 5:22 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
When I decided to pursue astronomy as a career, inspired by Star Wars, there were no known real planets orbiting stars like the Sun. Now we can take baby photos and SEE them. Incredible, and building off of decades of work by others who came before to get us collectively to this place.
eso.org ESO @eso.org · Aug 26
A very hungry planet! 🪐

What appears to be a ripple in space is actually a newborn planet, eating its way through its dusty cradle around a younger version of our Sun 🌞

Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2534a/

🔭 🧪 #exoplanets
📷 ESO/R. van Capelleveen et al.
A white protoplanetary disc at the centre of the picture takes up most of the frame. The elliptical cloud of dust and gas consists of some gaps creating a ring-like structure to the cloud. In one of the larger gaps/rings a little dot (a planet) is visible.
August 26, 2025 at 3:09 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
Four years' worth of Ca HK activity measurements with more planned on the way. Great dataset for anyone exploring stellar activity now at MAST!
mast-news.bsky.social MAST - Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes @mast-news.bsky.social · Aug 20
New HLSP: OWLS, a long-term spectroscopic stellar activity monitoring program with the ARC 3.5 m Telescope at Apache Point Observatory led by @brettmorr.is . OWLS produces time series Ca II H & K emission measurements to probe activity levels + search for activity cycles. archive.stsci.edu/hlsp/owls
Time series of S-indices for five targets with a range of spectral types. The top three panels show data from 1965 to 2024 for HD 78366 (F dwarf), HD 81809 (G dwarf), and the K-dwarf HD 26965, including historic MWO data (timespan in yellow) and newly obtained OWLS measurements (timespan in blue). We plot a curve on the G and K stars with three Lomb-Scargle (sinusoidal) terms, with periods ranging from 8 to 15 years. The OWLS S-indices from 2020-2024 for two M~dwarfs GJ 388 B and GJ 494 are shown in the bottom row.
August 20, 2025 at 3:51 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
@commondescentpod.bsky.social Motivation for a Silver Screen episode on Star Wars? Best Star Wars planets for optimal fossilization? What kind of dinosaur was Boba Fett riding in the Christmas Special? Were krayt dragons actually dragons? Dragon*con topic perhaps!? www.wired.com/story/an-anc...
August 19, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
The more we look with #NASAWebb, the more we find! The latest discovery? A tiny new moon orbiting Uranus. It’s just six miles (9.6 kilometers) in diameter: science.nasa.gov/blogs/webb/2... 🔭 🧪
August 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
brettmorr.is
Job for AWS experts – become Senior Cloud Software Developer at @stsci.edu, apply by Sept 19:

recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/...
recruiting2.ultipro.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
Tim Rhue, education specialist at STScI, packs up new tactile panels based on the first #NASAWebb image of Uranus. These panels are being sent to museums, libraries, and other educational sites, so that they can share this tactile experience with their audiences. 🔭
An individual pulls tape from a dispenser at a desk with stacks of white boxes and astronomical images in the background. A tactile panel of Uranus shows the blue planet and rings on a black background. A tactile panel of Uranus shows the blue planet and rings on a black background. The image was taken from a side to show the three dimensional component. The panel is sitting on a wooden table.
August 12, 2025 at 8:37 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
Ever wondered what the "MAST Sky" looks like, from our ~6 PB of data spanning 3 decades...check this out! spacetelescope.github.io/mast-blog/ma...

Really fun project led by the very talented Julie Imig at MAST, showing mission coverage sky-projected! They make VERY good video backgrounds, btw. 🔭
MAST background in "standard" sky projection, in hues of blue. Lighter blue areas mark lots of observations, while darker areas are less. Numerous patterns are visible, like the continuous viewing zones as ovals in the lower-left and upper right, patterns from overlapping TESS FFIs, or the Kepler footprint shapes stamped along the ecliptic and in the original Kepler field in the upper-right. A grid of 16 images, 4x4, showing the sky background only for specific missions to get a sense of where in the sky and how much of it each mission observed to at least some depth.
July 31, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
coreyspowell.bsky.social
NASA's new PUNCH mission is a constellation of 4 small satellites that collectively provide an unprecedented view of giant eruptions breaking free from the Sun.

This first-release video compresses about 6 days of observations. 🧪🔭

science.nasa.gov/blogs/punch/...
July 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
Hooray for three years of paw-sitively amazing #NASAWebb science! To celebrate, the telescope examined a singular “toe bean” of the Cat’s Paw Nebula, a massive star-forming region. Webb reveals gas, dust, and massive young stars: webbtelescope.pub/4khJK9T 🔭

Reply with an image of your pet’s paws! 🐾
A section of the Cat’s Paw Nebula, a local star-forming region composed of gas, dust, and young stars. Four roughly circular areas are toward the center of the frame: a small oval toward the top left, a large circle in the top center, and two ovals at bottom left and right. Each circular area has a luminous blue glow, with the top center and bottom left areas the brightest. Brown-orange filaments of dust, which vary in density, surround these four bluish patches and stretch toward the frame’s edges. Small zones, such as to the left and right of the top-center blue circular area, appear darker and seemingly vacant of stars. Toward the center are small, fiery red clumps scattered among the brown dust. Many small, yellow-white stars are spread across the scene, some with eight-pointed diffraction spikes that are characteristic of Webb. A few larger blue-white stars with diffraction spikes are scattered throughout, mostly toward the top left and bottom right.
July 10, 2025 at 2:05 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
This is what we are doing after Roman. But only if NASA science funding is kept at the levels we need. It takes decades to plan and build these missions, and it’s only possible through steady public support AND stable federal funding throughout the years.
July 8, 2025 at 8:49 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
The work our talented team does to ensure the public learns about discoveries made with NASA telescopes, and our place in the Universe, risks being lost without at least keeping NASA’s funding flat. The current budget plan removes almost all of it. If this matters to you, make sure your reps know.
July 2, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
blackinastro.bsky.social
Links to register to all our events!

www.blackinastro.com/black-space-...
June 14, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
astrokeat.bsky.social
I present the #astrocode Pyriod for interactive or scripted pre-whitening frequency analysis of astronomical time series data. See the demo of #stellarastro #TESS data analysis of a pulsating white dwarf star. Check it out at github.com/keatonb/Pyriod/.
astrokeat.bsky.social Keaton Bell @astrokeat.bsky.social · Jun 9
Had to withdraw my #AAS246 poster due to COVID, but let me demo "Pyriod: Interactive Pre-Whitening Frequency Analysis in Python." Here is a quick guide to reproducing the analysis of TESS data on a pulsating white dwarf from Bell et al. (2019, ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019A%26A...632A..42B).
June 9, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
capricephillips.bsky.social
Excited for #BlackSpaceWeek 2025! #BlackInAstro
blackinastro.bsky.social Black In Astro @blackinastro.bsky.social · May 23
Schedule for #BlackSpaceWeek 2025! Links to register coming soon🤭 Which event/panels pique your interest? 👀
Image promoting #BlackSpaceWeek 2025, scheduled for June 15–21. Each day has a theme and event: • June 15, Sunday: #IntroducingTheUniverse – Virtual mixer and reading with StriveHigher • June 16, Monday: #PicturingTheUniverse – Black in Planetarium Panel • June 17, Tuesday: #AccessingTheUniverse – Black in Space Policy Panel • June 18, Wednesday: #SharingTheUniverse – Black in Journalism Panel • June 19, Thursday: #ShowcasingTheUniverse – Social Media Scavenger Hunt • June 20, Friday: #ReadingTheUniverse – Black in Storytelling Panel • June 21, Saturday: #CraftingTheUniverse – Virtual Craft Night Background features a starry sky. Logo includes a purple raised fist with “BIA.” Graphic by @CheyennePolius, website: www.blackinastro.com.
May 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
millionconcepts.com
Have you ever started a Python process, realized that you made a mistake, immediately hit Ctrl+C to interrupt it and then waited a surprisingly long time to get the command line back?

This delay is caused by a bug in the compiled #Python extension.

:thread:
A code block labeled "A Common Bug (in compiled extension modules)." The code shows an attempt to exit a calculation of a large array of random numbers, and then indicates that a Ctrl+C interrupt takes 3.5 seconds to return, rather than returning immediately as is probably the desired and expected behavior.
May 20, 2025 at 3:46 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
Professional astronomers: Follow this official account that will keep researchers up to date on preparing for and participating in Roman research!
nancyromansci.bsky.social Roman for Scientists @nancyromansci.bsky.social · May 8
🚀We are ready for launch...of the official social media account for doing science with #NASARoman!

This account will keep researchers informed about opportunities for preparing for and participating in Roman science.

Follow us to stay involved. #ExpandOurView
May 16, 2025 at 1:54 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
Learn how to use our powerful cloud platforms at the AAS meeting in Alaska! We need more interested attendees! 🔭
mast-news.bsky.social MAST - Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes @mast-news.bsky.social · May 15
Join us at AAS246 for our data challenge workshop!

Working on our cloud platform, you'll learn about astroquery, catalog cross-matching, cutouts, and more. There are still PLENTY of spots open for those attending #aas246 in Alaska!

Registration: aas.org/meetings/aas...
AAS 246: Registration | American Astronomical Society
aas.org
May 15, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
NEW: Those undulations aren’t clouds—they’re Jupiter’s aurora as seen by #NASAWebb. Webb observed light from a particular molecule, represented in orange, and found that the planet’s aurora fluctuates on timescales of minutes or seconds: webbtelescope.pub/4kbsB20 🔭 🧪
May 12, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
Experience the Cosmic Cliffs like never before! #NASAWebb’s iconic image of dusty “mountains” and “valleys” is featured in a new 3D visualization from NASA’s Universe of Learning: webbtelescope.pub/4jRHIh9 🔭 🧪
May 7, 2025 at 6:02 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
For those attending the AAS in the summer, consider signing up to take our data workshop where you'll learn how to effectively use our cloud platforms to query for data, access catalogs, and create image cutouts! Very relevant for TESS and Roman astronomers in particular, but all are welcome!
mast-news.bsky.social MAST - Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes @mast-news.bsky.social · Apr 30
Join us at AAS246 for our Dr. Nefarious data challenge workshop!

Working on our cloud platform, you'll learn about astroquery, catalog cross-matching, cutouts, and more. Can you solve the challenges in time to prevent the evil Dr. Nefarious from erasing MAST?

Registration: aas.org/meetings/aas...
The MAST logo consists of a sailing ship's mast in the foreground in black. In the background is a sky blue sky with white stars of different sizes scattered throughout. It is a circular logo, and along the perimeter of the logo are the words "Barbara A. Mikulski Archive For Space Telescopes", and along the bottom perimter the word "MAST".
April 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
stsci.edu
Astronomers will use #NASARoman to improve our understanding of the universe. See the bigger picture with Roman. Credit: NASA, STScI, Caltech/IPAC. 🔭 🧪
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Mapping the Universe
YouTube video by Space Telescope Science Institute
youtu.be
April 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Dr. Scott W. Fleming
kellylepo.bsky.social
A project I worked on got its official release today.

ViewSpace Interactive Image Tours offer a guided exploration of astronomical images.

Designed to be used on touch screens in museums and science centers, they are also fun to explore on your own 🔭🧪🎢

www.universe-of-learning.org/contents/new...
Three astronomical objects, each represented as a cutout image separated by diagonal lines. The left cutout shows a colorful field of dust and gases. One ridge of dust and gas is outlined with a dotted green line. Slightly below the outline, a bright red light is circled with a dotted green line. Three dotted green arrows point from the circled red light toward the outlined ridge. The central cutout shows one arm of a spiral galaxy. The spiral arm, a thick filament of dust and gas, begins near a bright yellow core and swirls outward, clockwise. There are pockets of pink, which are star-forming regions. All other details within the region are covered with a darkened overlay. The right cutout shows two jets of hot gas shooting out from central stars.  There is a white dashed line outlining a thick line of soft brown dust and gas, which is the edge of the nebula. This edge and its outline stretch from the bottom left of the cutout to the bottom-center before curving upward and ending at the top-right.
April 29, 2025 at 5:33 PM
scottwfleming.bsky.social
New high level science product at MAST used paid citizen scientists to help train an image similarity algorithm. Could be used in the future to enable searches like "find me all the MAST images that look like this one". Neat stuff. 🔭
mast-news.bsky.social MAST - Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes @mast-news.bsky.social · Apr 29
New HLSP: The Hubble Image Similarity Project (HISP) used citizen scientists to compare sub-regions of HST images. The data can test the accuracy of image search algorithms. Download images, citizen scientist reviews, and the distance matrix from archive.stsci.edu/hlsp/hisp 🔭
A grid of images, with 3 rows and 5 columns, displaying 15 total example cutout images used in the HISP project. Each image is a square showing a nebula, stars, or galaxies in black and white. A total of 2,098 HST images like these were used in HISP.
April 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM