Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
@leilabelkora.bsky.social
Science writer. Roots in US (NE/CO), Morocco, Switzerland. She/her. Current project: poet Robert Frost as amateur astronomer, to come from Clemson @cupress.bsky.social
Agent Henry Thayer at Brandt & Hochman.
Agent Henry Thayer at Brandt & Hochman.
Took the rainbow picture before going into grocery store. This is what greeted me upon exiting. Very heavy downpour (not snow as it may look).
November 21, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Took the rainbow picture before going into grocery store. This is what greeted me upon exiting. Very heavy downpour (not snow as it may look).
California rainbow just now. Happy Friday!
November 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
California rainbow just now. Happy Friday!
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
It takes 225 million years or so for the Solar System to make one orbit around the galaxy. Sharks evolved long enough ago that they’ve done it twice.
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 3:14 AM
It takes 225 million years or so for the Solar System to make one orbit around the galaxy. Sharks evolved long enough ago that they’ve done it twice.
I couldn’t believe it at first, thought this was a prank.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Adversarial poems!
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I couldn’t believe it at first, thought this was a prank.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Finished draft of index.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
November 20, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Finished draft of index.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Francophones, looking for a translation of 'Souillard' – the late medieval name of a Very Good Dog. It clearly has 'dirty' or 'grubby' connotations, but how best to translate it? Google focuses its modern meaning of a sink plug-hole but I don't think that was meant in the C15! Please RT!
November 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Francophones, looking for a translation of 'Souillard' – the late medieval name of a Very Good Dog. It clearly has 'dirty' or 'grubby' connotations, but how best to translate it? Google focuses its modern meaning of a sink plug-hole but I don't think that was meant in the C15! Please RT!
I agree, though I would put the emphasis on the endurance of the project rather than the technology. An interesting story!
This is so great: a technology that endured, and achieved the intended goal, because of human relationships.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/forb...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/forb...
I Sent Hundreds of Thousands of E-mails to the Future. Here’s the Story
Twenty years ago Forbes.com sent hundreds of thousands of messages to the future. Here’s what happened next
www.scientificamerican.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:31 AM
I agree, though I would put the emphasis on the endurance of the project rather than the technology. An interesting story!
I grew up in Switzerland and studied American history in a rather superficial way. I’m finding this new series engaging and informative. Learning some surprising details.
"I think understanding the origin story, and understanding what the intention was, of the creation of the United States as it morphed, and as it changed as it went along, helps us today understand not only where we are, but where we could be going," Ken Burns said. https://to.pbs.org/4p6Y47H
Ken Burns' 'The American Revolution' explores the beginnings of the nation's democracy
"The American Revolution," the latest work from filmmaker Ken Burns, begins this Sunday on PBS. The six-part, 12-hour history of the war of independence from Britain and the beginnings of the American...
to.pbs.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I grew up in Switzerland and studied American history in a rather superficial way. I’m finding this new series engaging and informative. Learning some surprising details.
Genealogy and archaeology of the stars used to find more “sisters” of the Pleiades asterism!
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
The ‘Lost Sisters’ of the Pleiades Fill the Entire Night Sky
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Genealogy and archaeology of the stars used to find more “sisters” of the Pleiades asterism!
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
Rain.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
November 15, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Rain.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
I now see why this plant, Dracaena fragrans “Warneckii,” has “fragrans” in its name. On this humid rainy night it is releasing a very sweet odor. It’s a lot like jasmine to me.
November 15, 2025 at 3:21 AM
I now see why this plant, Dracaena fragrans “Warneckii,” has “fragrans” in its name. On this humid rainy night it is releasing a very sweet odor. It’s a lot like jasmine to me.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
"The health of our community depends on the health of these landscapes. Now, their future seems increasingly uncertain." @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com
The government shutdown is over. The nightmare facing public lands under Trump may have just begun
During the recent government shutdown, it appeared that public lands were operating as if business was as usual. In reality, the Trump administration may have been preparing for a new, more extractive...
www.latimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:34 AM
"The health of our community depends on the health of these landscapes. Now, their future seems increasingly uncertain." @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com
A great poem about a meadowlark, in a beautiful short piece of appreciation. You’ll like both, birding and ecology pals.
November 14, 2025 at 3:25 PM
A great poem about a meadowlark, in a beautiful short piece of appreciation. You’ll like both, birding and ecology pals.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Daina Taimina, a Cornell University mathematician uses crochet to demonstrate Hyperbolic Geometry #womensart
November 13, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Daina Taimina, a Cornell University mathematician uses crochet to demonstrate Hyperbolic Geometry #womensart
“To maintain the drag-minimizing and edge-on orientation [for] greater distances, the plant launches its seeds at about 10 m/s with a backspin of > 1200 Hz. That frequency makes hairyflower wild petunia seeds the fastest-rotating natural thing on Earth.” 🧪
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...
How plant seeds fly
Although plants often rely on wind and water to carry their seeds and spores, some have evolved extraordinary launch mechanisms to disperse them.
physicstoday.aip.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:28 PM
“To maintain the drag-minimizing and edge-on orientation [for] greater distances, the plant launches its seeds at about 10 m/s with a backspin of > 1200 Hz. That frequency makes hairyflower wild petunia seeds the fastest-rotating natural thing on Earth.” 🧪
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...
physicstoday.aip.org/quick-study/...
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Like everyone else on the Internet, I've been mesmerized by the images of spectacular aurora, these last couple of days. But powerful solar storms can cause real damage -- a subject I tackled recently for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social:
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... #science #physics
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... #science #physics
How Prepared Are We for a Rare and Powerful Solar Event?
A coronal mass ejection could knock out power and disrupt communication on Earth
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Like everyone else on the Internet, I've been mesmerized by the images of spectacular aurora, these last couple of days. But powerful solar storms can cause real damage -- a subject I tackled recently for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social:
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... #science #physics
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... #science #physics
I didn’t know it was this bad at Goddard. Infuriating. 🧪
"They are throwing US science into the trash": www.npr.org/2025/11/12/n...
Goddard Space Center staff say they're 'constantly being attacked' by the White House
The Goddard Space Center is one NASA's crown jewels of science. But in recent months, staff say they've been in the White House's crosshairs, subjected to a campaign of chaos and reorganization.
www.npr.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I didn’t know it was this bad at Goddard. Infuriating. 🧪
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
The intense solar activity that has made beautiful auroras visible far south has prompted NASA to postpone the launch of its ESCAPADE mission to Mars
ESCAPADE: Twin spacecraft to launch on Mission to Mars despite FAA restrictions
Nicknamed "Blue" and "Gold," the probes will study how hazardous space weather interacts with the red planet to help scientists design better protection for spacecraft and astronauts
substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The intense solar activity that has made beautiful auroras visible far south has prompted NASA to postpone the launch of its ESCAPADE mission to Mars
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
A while back I sent an artist friend who does printmaking a cutting mat from one of my paper pieces and she sent this back. I love how it reflects my art-making process! She doesn't have bandwidth for more, but I'd like to find someone local to collaborate on a series. Credit Left: Linda Fox #SciArt
November 11, 2025 at 9:24 PM
A while back I sent an artist friend who does printmaking a cutting mat from one of my paper pieces and she sent this back. I love how it reflects my art-making process! She doesn't have bandwidth for more, but I'd like to find someone local to collaborate on a series. Credit Left: Linda Fox #SciArt
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Also! Since you’re in California, my books are available to check out from the San Diego county library via inter library loan.
November 11, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Also! Since you’re in California, my books are available to check out from the San Diego county library via inter library loan.
In the annals of my neglected garden… I have a gangly, Dr. Seuss-ish plant, inherited from the previous homeowner decades ago. It lives in a pot by the front door. It seems to do nothing at all, and then suddenly at years-long intervals, it blooms. This foggy morning was the day.
November 11, 2025 at 3:40 PM
In the annals of my neglected garden… I have a gangly, Dr. Seuss-ish plant, inherited from the previous homeowner decades ago. It lives in a pot by the front door. It seems to do nothing at all, and then suddenly at years-long intervals, it blooms. This foggy morning was the day.
My Ode to the Merlin app, with thanks to Light magazine, and including a link to a polyphonic reading, from the Sewanee workshop: lightpoetrymagazine.com/a-e-stalling...
A.E. Stallings
BACK | CONTENTS | NEXT Ode to Merlin (To be performed polyphonically, as a round.*) All the poets love the bird app.They all sign up for it ASAP.Hear a twitter, give a quick tap.All the poets love...
lightpoetrymagazine.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:37 PM
As I posted on the other site… a terrific, wide-ranging, stimulating conversation! Close reading, teaching today’s students, timeliness, intellectual community, surrendering to the text, trusting oneself in reaction to the text. I even jotted a note on philosophy of science. A rich discussion.
look, when the legendary City Lights asks to record a conversation about close reading, you respond “yes, I’ll hide upstairs in a room in my parents‘ house, put on a clean shirt, and talk a lot with my hands!!!”
join @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social , Yael Segalovitz, @samantharhill.bsky.social, and me!
join @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social , Yael Segalovitz, @samantharhill.bsky.social, and me!
City Lights has long been a beacon of bookishness for me. It was a thrill to do CITY LIGHTS LIVE!: a conversation about close reading with Yael Segalovitz and my co-editor on Close Reading for the 21C, @johannawinant.bsky.social moderated by @samantharhill.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehZ0...
November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM
As I posted on the other site… a terrific, wide-ranging, stimulating conversation! Close reading, teaching today’s students, timeliness, intellectual community, surrendering to the text, trusting oneself in reaction to the text. I even jotted a note on philosophy of science. A rich discussion.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Delightful detail from the Roman “unswept floor” mosaic by Heraclitus, showing a mouse nibbling a walnut.
Superb use of darker tiles for subtle shadow effect!
2nd century AD. Vatican Museums www.museivaticani.va/content/muse...
#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology
Superb use of darker tiles for subtle shadow effect!
2nd century AD. Vatican Museums www.museivaticani.va/content/muse...
#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology
November 10, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Delightful detail from the Roman “unswept floor” mosaic by Heraclitus, showing a mouse nibbling a walnut.
Superb use of darker tiles for subtle shadow effect!
2nd century AD. Vatican Museums www.museivaticani.va/content/muse...
#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology
Superb use of darker tiles for subtle shadow effect!
2nd century AD. Vatican Museums www.museivaticani.va/content/muse...
#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology