Joe Callingham
LightNews LightNews
banner
astrojoe.bsky.social
Joe Callingham
@astrojoe.bsky.social
4.1K followers 260 following 220 posts
Dutch-Australian | Astrophysicist | Head of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Science Group at ASTRON | Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Joe Callingham
science.esa.int
📣 For the first time ever, scientists have confirmed seeing a giant explosion on a star other than our own!

Our XMM-Newton observatory and the LOFAR telescope contributed to making this long sought-after discovery 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

🔭 🧪 ☄️ ☀️ 1/
An artist’s impression of a large red star releasing a bright, explosive burst of light. Swirling red and orange patterns surround the star, suggesting intense activity. In the background, a smaller blue planet appears with a faint, wispy trail extending away from it, indicating its atmosphere being blown off. The scene is set against a dark space backdrop dotted with stars.
November 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Thrilled to announce our new Springer Nature paper is now live!
We’ve tuned into a massive stellar storm on the radio! 🌟📡
November 12, 2025 at 4:18 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
To message or not to message aliens? This short video by the BBC is excellently produced with fun visuals. www.bbc.com/videos/crl24...
Should we try to communicate with aliens?
Many experts think intelligent life is likely to exist elsewhere in the Universe. Should we try to connect with them?
www.bbc.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
One of the worst reference letter submitting experiences is with the International Max Planck Research School on Astrophysics. They ask you absurd questions outside of just uploading your letter, such as asking for arbitrary rankings of the student. There is no clarity how such information is used.
October 31, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Joe Callingham
astronomienl.bsky.social
Vidi voor astronomen @astrojoe.bsky.social en Matus Rybak

www.astronomie.nl/nieuws/vidi-...
Vidi voor astronomen Joe Callingham en Matus Rybak
www.astronomie.nl
October 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
I am privileged to be one of only two astronomers awarded an NWO (Dutch Research Council) Vidi grant this year! I will be using the 850,000 euros to create space weather reports of distant worlds.

The grant will be hosted by @astronnl.bsky.social and @api.uva.nl

www.astron.nl/vidi-granted...
Vidi granted to Joe Callingham to create space weather reports for distant worlds | ASTRON
Dr. Joe Callingham, Head of ASTRON's SKA Science Group, has been awarded a prestigious Vidi grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The grant, worth up to €850,000, will enable him to establish a...
www.astron.nl
October 23, 2025 at 3:15 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Check out this awesome work by Ben and his team! Really amazing stuff they can pull out of James Webb
benjaminpope.bsky.social Benjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · Oct 14
Thrilled to have two years' of work out, in a pair of papers led by @gradientrider.bsky.social and @maxecharles.bsky.social.

We've built a data-driven calibration of the James Webb Interferometer to near its fundamental limits for high-res imaging - explainer at @aunz.theconversation.com!
How we sharpened the James Webb telescope’s vision from a million kilometres away
The only Australian hardware on board the legendary telescope is starting to fulfil its duties.
theconversation.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:47 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
More cool state quantum work awarded the Nobel!
October 7, 2025 at 9:51 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Are you looking to do a PhD in astronomy? Are you interested in radio stars and exoplanets? Then you should apply to do a PhD at @api.uva.nl with me! You can find more about the exciting project below. Applications are due 3rd of November!

api.uva.nl/vacancies/ph...
PhD research topics - Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy
PhD research topics
api.uva.nl
October 1, 2025 at 6:49 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Universities are coming to a crossroads with demographic shifts, bloated administrations, and the raise of LLMs. What will they do in response?

www.newyorker.com/culture/open...
Should College Get Harder?
A.I. is coming for knowledge work, and yet college seems to be getting easier. Does something need to change?
www.newyorker.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:05 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
What an absolutely amazing result. May science erradicate this terrible disease www.bbc.com/news/article...
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.
www.bbc.com
September 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Are you excited about playing with some of the coolest radio telescopes in the world? Want to discover something new about the Universe? What independence to explore novel ideas? Well then I have the job for you! At @astronnl.bsky.social we are advertising for the Bell Burnell Fellowship.
September 18, 2025 at 8:32 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
It would be absolutely awesome if Australia formally joined Horizon Europe. I am sure we would get more back than we put in based on the calibre of scientists in the country.
science.org.au Australian Academy of Science @science.org.au · Sep 10
The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the announcement that the Australian Government has started exploratory talks on Australia’s possible association to Horizon Europe. Learn more: www.science.org.au/news-and-eve...
September 10, 2025 at 5:28 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
I have a desk companion today
September 2, 2025 at 12:41 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
A sentiment I agree with!
August 27, 2025 at 11:05 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
At CSIRO today to talk all about wide-field radio monitors. Exciting times ahead. Thanks Josh Pritchard for organising. Great opening talk by Ron Ekers on the history and future of all-sky monitors
August 4, 2025 at 1:19 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
I am enjoying learning about all things that go *bang* in the radio sky in Sydney this week. Thanks Dougal, Tara and team for organising!
taramurphy.bsky.social Tara Murphy @taramurphy.bsky.social · Jul 30
In the middle of a week of interesting talks on radio transients at Dynamic Radio Sky 2025.

Is great to welcome so many people to @sydney.edu.au and @ozgrav.bsky.social for our meeting - and particularly all postdoctoral reseachers and PhD students.

The next generation of #RadioAstronomy!
A photo of about 60-70 radio astronomers outside the School of Physics building at the University of Sydney. The building is a heritage sandstone building. It is a sunny day
July 30, 2025 at 10:41 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
A great result! Michele is awesome
July 29, 2025 at 11:49 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Once more to the old country. This time for The Dynamic Radio Sky Conference. Will be in Australia for 2 weeks (visiting CSIRO and USyd).
July 25, 2025 at 12:50 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
What an amazing image and a fantastic result by @astroryan.bsky.social. This JWST image casts a completely new light on the first image we made of this star in 2019 with @eso.org's VLT. Well done Ryan and team!
astroryan.bsky.social Ryan White @astroryan.bsky.social · Jul 22
Exciting news! My second first-author paper is out on the arXiv today!! arxiv.org/abs/2507.14610

We present a brand new JWST image of the Apep colliding wind binary in the mid-infrared, and we study what this nebula can tell us about the THREE stars in it's centre. Read on for more... 1/?🔭🧪
The image shows a false-colour image of the Apep colliding wind nebula as taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in the mid-infrared. In the centre of the image, there is an orange-coloured spiral coil of dust, not dissimilar in shape from a snail's shell. There are two concentric repeats of the coil that are larger and encompass the inner shell, and these further out shells of dust are coloured red and get dimmer as they get further from the centre of the image. These far out coils of dust look somewhat like translucent spheres. At the very centre of the image is a small spikey object which are the three stars in Apep that create and hide behind the dust shells. There are stars scattered throughout the image, each with a snowflake-like 'point spread function' that spreads the central brightness of the stars into diffraction spikes. Image credit: Shashank Dholakia for R M T White et al 2025. 'The Serpent Eating Its Own Tail: Dust Destruction in the Apep Colliding-Wind Nebula'. PI: Yinuo Han.
July 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Halifax completed another module in his PhDog - a visit to a radio telescope (along with some tinkering)
July 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Joe Callingham
taramurphy.bsky.social
Last chance to register for our upcoming conference "The Dynamic Radio Sky 2025"

Join us @sydney.edu.au from July 28th to August 1st, 2025 to discuss radio transients of all kinds!

#RadioAstronomy #AstroSci
taramurphy.bsky.social Tara Murphy @taramurphy.bsky.social · May 15
We have released the draft program for "The Dynamic Radio Sky 2025"!

Looking forward to welcoming #RadioAstronomy (transients) people from all around the world, to our wonderful @sydney.edu.au campus in July/August.

drs2025.github.io/programme/
Screenshot from the Dynamic Radio Sky 2025 conference website. The image consists of a telescope in the foreground, with a neutron star (half purple half blue) in the background.
July 16, 2025 at 8:31 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Largest number of flowers I have got from a single orchid - 47!
July 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
astrojoe.bsky.social
Another great result by @astrosanne.bsky.social. She has found an new long-period transient and found it contains another white dwarf - which is doing a weird dance in the sky with another star. Hear about it all here at this snazzy video: www.youtube.com/shorts/i8Re1...
Astronomers uncover white dwarf system emitting bright radio pulses with strange rhythm
YouTube video by AstronNL
www.youtube.com
July 17, 2025 at 9:34 AM
astrojoe.bsky.social
A very exciting time for the SKA project! It is in good hands with Jess! www.skao.int/en/news/654/...
Prof. Jessica Dempsey to be next SKA Observatory Director-General | SKAO
The SKA Observatory is delighted to announce that Prof. Jessica Dempsey will be its next Director-General, taking up the post in June 2026 for a five-year term.
www.skao.int
July 14, 2025 at 2:15 PM