Shanil Virani
@shanilv.ca
🏆 Award-winning astronomer, passionate science educator, & creator of 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 — a podcast sharing the wonders of #science with everyone.
📷 Co-author of 𝙳𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, a photobook on #lightpollution.
🎓 @uwaterloo.ca & @yale.edu alum 🇨🇦➡️🇺🇸
📷 Co-author of 𝙳𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, a photobook on #lightpollution.
🎓 @uwaterloo.ca & @yale.edu alum 🇨🇦➡️🇺🇸
Pinned
Shanil Virani
@shanilv.ca
· Jul 20
“Wanderers Still”: On the Moon, Memory, and the Future We Choose
Reflections on the 56th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
tiny.cc
Happy #MoonDay?
It’s been 56 years since humanity first walked on the #Moon.
Are we still #explorers?
My new essay reflects on #Apollo, what we’ve forgotten, and what’s still possible.🔭🧪
🛰️ tiny.cc/MoonDay 🔗
📣 What are your thoughts?
#MoonDay #HumanFutures #Exploration #STEM #TheFutureWeChoose
It’s been 56 years since humanity first walked on the #Moon.
Are we still #explorers?
My new essay reflects on #Apollo, what we’ve forgotten, and what’s still possible.🔭🧪
🛰️ tiny.cc/MoonDay 🔗
📣 What are your thoughts?
#MoonDay #HumanFutures #Exploration #STEM #TheFutureWeChoose
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Extremely funny to call the pope “holier-than-thou”
December 25, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Extremely funny to call the pope “holier-than-thou”
Reposted by Shanil Virani
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the German constitution guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Through decrees and laws, the Nazis abolished these civil rights and destroyed German democracy. Starting in 1934, it was illegal to criticize the Nazi government.
December 24, 2025 at 3:29 AM
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the German constitution guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Through decrees and laws, the Nazis abolished these civil rights and destroyed German democracy. Starting in 1934, it was illegal to criticize the Nazi government.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
December 24, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Reposted by Shanil Virani
If ICE can threaten arrest for filming, then journalists, watchdogs, and protesters can all be silenced the same way. You don’t have freedom of the press if recording police is treated as terrorism. #holdfast
www.cato.org/blog/dhs-pol...
www.cato.org/blog/dhs-pol...
The Government Unconstitutionally Labels ICE Observers as Domestic Terrorists
A free country must have an absolute wall of protection for those who record government actions.
www.cato.org
December 24, 2025 at 8:08 PM
If ICE can threaten arrest for filming, then journalists, watchdogs, and protesters can all be silenced the same way. You don’t have freedom of the press if recording police is treated as terrorism. #holdfast
www.cato.org/blog/dhs-pol...
www.cato.org/blog/dhs-pol...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Jack Smith is calling for the House Judiciary Committee to release the recording of his full closed-door deposition before the panel.
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
December 24, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Jack Smith is calling for the House Judiciary Committee to release the recording of his full closed-door deposition before the panel.
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
"Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts."
Reposted by Shanil Virani
If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Accurate about a Pathological Liar and Convicted Felon who Incited an Insurrection, tried to Steal a Fair Election and is Covering up Sex Crimes against Children, shouldn't his Disgraceful Presidency be terminated? I say, YES!
December 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Accurate about a Pathological Liar and Convicted Felon who Incited an Insurrection, tried to Steal a Fair Election and is Covering up Sex Crimes against Children, shouldn't his Disgraceful Presidency be terminated? I say, YES!
Those with loved ones this time of year - hold them close.
Those who are missing someone — that’s okay too.
All of us, in our own way, know this:
the light is growing longer,
and the dark is slowly letting go.
📸credit: @ollycostello.bsky.social
Those who are missing someone — that’s okay too.
All of us, in our own way, know this:
the light is growing longer,
and the dark is slowly letting go.
📸credit: @ollycostello.bsky.social
December 24, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Those with loved ones this time of year - hold them close.
Those who are missing someone — that’s okay too.
All of us, in our own way, know this:
the light is growing longer,
and the dark is slowly letting go.
📸credit: @ollycostello.bsky.social
Those who are missing someone — that’s okay too.
All of us, in our own way, know this:
the light is growing longer,
and the dark is slowly letting go.
📸credit: @ollycostello.bsky.social
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Reposted by Shanil Virani
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.
🧵 1 of 9
🧵 1 of 9
December 21, 2025 at 2:51 AM
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.
🧵 1 of 9
🧵 1 of 9
Reposted by Shanil Virani
True! Many people live in cities where all but the brightest stars have been erased due to light pollution. When we can no longer see a dark starry night sky with the Milky Way blazing overhead, something fundamental to being human has been lost. I think that's what Calvin & Hobbes captures here. 🧪🔭
December 21, 2025 at 1:40 AM
True! Many people live in cities where all but the brightest stars have been erased due to light pollution. When we can no longer see a dark starry night sky with the Milky Way blazing overhead, something fundamental to being human has been lost. I think that's what Calvin & Hobbes captures here. 🧪🔭
Reposted by Shanil Virani
BREAKING: At least 16 files from the Epstein release disappeared from DOJ's webpage, including a photo of Trump, with no explanation.
At least 16 files have disappeared from the DOJ webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein
The Justice Department’s webpage for documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is missing at least 16 of its files a day after they were released.
bit.ly
December 20, 2025 at 9:30 PM
BREAKING: At least 16 files from the Epstein release disappeared from DOJ's webpage, including a photo of Trump, with no explanation.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
The winter solstice occurs Sunday morning at 10:03am EST — the longest night of the year.
Long before modern calendars, people knew this moment in advance. From Newgrange to Chankillo, ancient monuments show how careful skywatching became humanity’s first way of trusting time.
🧪🔭
bit.ly/WhySolstice
Long before modern calendars, people knew this moment in advance. From Newgrange to Chankillo, ancient monuments show how careful skywatching became humanity’s first way of trusting time.
🧪🔭
bit.ly/WhySolstice
December 20, 2025 at 5:18 PM
The winter solstice occurs Sunday morning at 10:03am EST — the longest night of the year.
Long before modern calendars, people knew this moment in advance. From Newgrange to Chankillo, ancient monuments show how careful skywatching became humanity’s first way of trusting time.
🧪🔭
bit.ly/WhySolstice
Long before modern calendars, people knew this moment in advance. From Newgrange to Chankillo, ancient monuments show how careful skywatching became humanity’s first way of trusting time.
🧪🔭
bit.ly/WhySolstice
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Love this. Thank you!
December 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Love this. Thank you!
The #winter #solstice arrives Sunday morning. And ~5,000 years later, sunrise on that day will still enter the #roofbox at #Newgrange, sending a narrow beam of light down the passage and illuminating the chamber at its center — exactly as its builders intended.🔭🧪
My essay:
🔗 bit.ly/Why-the-sols...
My essay:
🔗 bit.ly/Why-the-sols...
The Longest Night: Why Our Ancestors Watched the Winter Solstice
From Stonehenge to Newgrange to Peru’s Chankillo, our ancestors observed the winter solstice — and learned that time itself could be…
bit.ly
December 19, 2025 at 5:18 PM
The #winter #solstice arrives Sunday morning. And ~5,000 years later, sunrise on that day will still enter the #roofbox at #Newgrange, sending a narrow beam of light down the passage and illuminating the chamber at its center — exactly as its builders intended.🔭🧪
My essay:
🔗 bit.ly/Why-the-sols...
My essay:
🔗 bit.ly/Why-the-sols...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent. We are about to go to war for oil, while citing a lie as justification. Again.
December 13, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent. We are about to go to war for oil, while citing a lie as justification. Again.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
No.
Octopus could be the next commercially farmed seafood. Should it be? — Fast Company
They’re clever, they’re otherworldly, and if a growing band of companies and scientists have their way, they’re going to be raised for human consumption. Inside the birth of a new and controversial in...
apple.news
December 9, 2025 at 11:49 PM
No.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
AP: “Hundreds of immigrant children lingered in federal detention beyond a court-mandated limit, some more than five months… Attorneys highlighted the government’s own admissions to longer custody times, contaminated food, lack of medical care…” apnews.com/article/immi...
December 10, 2025 at 5:42 AM
AP: “Hundreds of immigrant children lingered in federal detention beyond a court-mandated limit, some more than five months… Attorneys highlighted the government’s own admissions to longer custody times, contaminated food, lack of medical care…” apnews.com/article/immi...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine just released
"A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of #Mars 2025"
www.nationalacademies.org/publications...
news release www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
#NASA
"A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of #Mars 2025"
www.nationalacademies.org/publications...
news release www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
#NASA
Digital Transformation in the Department of the Air Force
www.nationalacademies.org
December 9, 2025 at 5:35 PM
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine just released
"A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of #Mars 2025"
www.nationalacademies.org/publications...
news release www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
#NASA
"A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of #Mars 2025"
www.nationalacademies.org/publications...
news release www.nationalacademies.org/news/search-...
#NASA
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Every real economist in America warned at the time he was imposing tariffs that it would affect each of these things, and deportations have affected the ability of farmers to access labor. This is all happening because of one man.
December 8, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Every real economist in America warned at the time he was imposing tariffs that it would affect each of these things, and deportations have affected the ability of farmers to access labor. This is all happening because of one man.
Got or gifting a #Unistellar #telescope?!
Pair it with the perfect upgrade — a 5-part #ASP × Unistellar × #SETI #online workshop that teaches you to turn images into real #science: #photometry, light curves, FITS analysis, #exoplanet transits + more.
Starts Jan 21 → bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
Pair it with the perfect upgrade — a 5-part #ASP × Unistellar × #SETI #online workshop that teaches you to turn images into real #science: #photometry, light curves, FITS analysis, #exoplanet transits + more.
Starts Jan 21 → bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
Unistellar Telescope Training: Learn, Image & Do Real Science (Jan 21)
Master your Unistellar telescope and contribute to real astronomy. Five live online workshops start Jan 21. Early bird $199. Beginner-friendly.
bit.ly
December 9, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Got or gifting a #Unistellar #telescope?!
Pair it with the perfect upgrade — a 5-part #ASP × Unistellar × #SETI #online workshop that teaches you to turn images into real #science: #photometry, light curves, FITS analysis, #exoplanet transits + more.
Starts Jan 21 → bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
Pair it with the perfect upgrade — a 5-part #ASP × Unistellar × #SETI #online workshop that teaches you to turn images into real #science: #photometry, light curves, FITS analysis, #exoplanet transits + more.
Starts Jan 21 → bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Giving a @unistellar.bsky.social #telescope? Pair it with the perfect gift — a workshop that teaches you to turn images into real #science.
ASP × Unistellar × @setiinstitute.bsky.social
Starts Jan 21 · 5 live #online sessions
Light curves, photometry, exoplanets + more.
👉 bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
ASP × Unistellar × @setiinstitute.bsky.social
Starts Jan 21 · 5 live #online sessions
Light curves, photometry, exoplanets + more.
👉 bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
Unistellar Telescope Training: Learn, Image & Do Real Science (Jan 21)
Master your Unistellar telescope and contribute to real astronomy. Five live online workshops start Jan 21. Early bird $199. Beginner-friendly.
bit.ly
December 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Giving a @unistellar.bsky.social #telescope? Pair it with the perfect gift — a workshop that teaches you to turn images into real #science.
ASP × Unistellar × @setiinstitute.bsky.social
Starts Jan 21 · 5 live #online sessions
Light curves, photometry, exoplanets + more.
👉 bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
ASP × Unistellar × @setiinstitute.bsky.social
Starts Jan 21 · 5 live #online sessions
Light curves, photometry, exoplanets + more.
👉 bit.ly/UnistellarWorkshop
Reposted by Shanil Virani
this shit is just beyond parody, man
December 5, 2025 at 5:33 PM
this shit is just beyond parody, man
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Ever notice how certain songs become time machines?
I thought about how @pearljam.com & their music ties me to my brother, to the past, & to the versions of ourselves we never fully lose.
If a song has ever hit you like memory itself, this essay will speak to you.
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
I thought about how @pearljam.com & their music ties me to my brother, to the past, & to the versions of ourselves we never fully lose.
If a song has ever hit you like memory itself, this essay will speak to you.
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
When the Soul of the Universe Remembers in Song
How music binds our lives into constellations — and how loss reveals the universe’s quiet tenderness.
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Ever notice how certain songs become time machines?
I thought about how @pearljam.com & their music ties me to my brother, to the past, & to the versions of ourselves we never fully lose.
If a song has ever hit you like memory itself, this essay will speak to you.
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
I thought about how @pearljam.com & their music ties me to my brother, to the past, & to the versions of ourselves we never fully lose.
If a song has ever hit you like memory itself, this essay will speak to you.
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
Some songs don’t just play — they open a portal.
I thought about @pearljam.com, my brother & how music becomes the #universe’s way of remembering those we’ve loved & lost.
If a song has ever carried you back in time, this is for you. "Music is how your soul remembers."
substack.com/@ourislandun...
I thought about @pearljam.com, my brother & how music becomes the #universe’s way of remembering those we’ve loved & lost.
If a song has ever carried you back in time, this is for you. "Music is how your soul remembers."
substack.com/@ourislandun...
When the Soul of the Universe Remembers in Song
How music binds our lives into constellations — and how loss reveals the universe’s quiet tenderness.
substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Some songs don’t just play — they open a portal.
I thought about @pearljam.com, my brother & how music becomes the #universe’s way of remembering those we’ve loved & lost.
If a song has ever carried you back in time, this is for you. "Music is how your soul remembers."
substack.com/@ourislandun...
I thought about @pearljam.com, my brother & how music becomes the #universe’s way of remembering those we’ve loved & lost.
If a song has ever carried you back in time, this is for you. "Music is how your soul remembers."
substack.com/@ourislandun...