Sera Markoff
@profsera.bsky.social
Professor Astrophysics/Astroparticle Physics @ U Amsterdam. All things black hole, member Event Horizon Telescope, Africa Millimeter Telescope, Cherenkov Telescope Array. Space, sci-fi, cats, music, valve amps, other unabashed geekery. www.seramarkoff.com
Pinned
An unbelievable privilege and experience today visiting the world leading #ALmA telescope at 5000m in Chile! 🧪🔭 Plus we saw some local fauna!
⭐️🔭Applications open at Anton Pannekoek Institute in Amsterdam for the 7th ASPIRE program: aspire.science.uva.nl. This 2026 summer school provides astronomy research experience for talented MSc students from countries where opportunities to move into a PhD program are limited. [1/2]
ASPIRE
aspire.science.uva.nl
November 18, 2025 at 3:41 PM
⭐️🔭Applications open at Anton Pannekoek Institute in Amsterdam for the 7th ASPIRE program: aspire.science.uva.nl. This 2026 summer school provides astronomy research experience for talented MSc students from countries where opportunities to move into a PhD program are limited. [1/2]
On the way up to #ALMA around 4000m we had to make way for one of the two massive telescope dish transporters, “Otto”. It weighs 130 tons and can lift 110 ton telescope dishes to reconfigure the array! 🔭🧪
November 10, 2025 at 5:03 PM
On the way up to #ALMA around 4000m we had to make way for one of the two massive telescope dish transporters, “Otto”. It weighs 130 tons and can lift 110 ton telescope dishes to reconfigure the array! 🔭🧪
An unbelievable privilege and experience today visiting the world leading #ALmA telescope at 5000m in Chile! 🧪🔭 Plus we saw some local fauna!
November 10, 2025 at 4:56 PM
An unbelievable privilege and experience today visiting the world leading #ALmA telescope at 5000m in Chile! 🧪🔭 Plus we saw some local fauna!
My first ever view of the amazing #ALMA telescope 🧪🔭 at 5000m in Chile, that forms the core of the @ehtelescope.bsky.social!
November 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM
My first ever view of the amazing #ALMA telescope 🧪🔭 at 5000m in Chile, that forms the core of the @ehtelescope.bsky.social!
Woke up to some unexpected good news today in the Netherlands: the centre-left party D66 won over the far right who were the lead party last election. Big sigh of relief. Also means: don’t listen to the polls.
October 30, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Woke up to some unexpected good news today in the Netherlands: the centre-left party D66 won over the far right who were the lead party last election. Big sigh of relief. Also means: don’t listen to the polls.
Hey all if you feel like helping ppl make ends meet post Hurricane Melissa, a Jamaican friend suggested this group is reliable
donate.wfpusa.org/page/Hurrica...
donate.wfpusa.org/page/Hurrica...
HURRICANE EMERGENCY: Save lives with your gift now
Hurricane Melissa is hitting the Caribbean as an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm. This is the strongest storm seen anywhere in the world this year and the 5th strongest ever in the Atlantic. Fami...
donate.wfpusa.org
October 29, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Hey all if you feel like helping ppl make ends meet post Hurricane Melissa, a Jamaican friend suggested this group is reliable
donate.wfpusa.org/page/Hurrica...
donate.wfpusa.org/page/Hurrica...
Reposted by Sera Markoff
A letter from the age of truth. Bertrand Russell to Oswald Mosley. We need more of this in our public discourse. Call vile ideologies and the people who peddle them out for who and what they are.
October 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM
A letter from the age of truth. Bertrand Russell to Oswald Mosley. We need more of this in our public discourse. Call vile ideologies and the people who peddle them out for who and what they are.
This ‘extra credit’ also awards people who put themselves first instead of eg promoting the careers of their students and junior collaborators. 🧪
🧪For those of us who do complex collaborations with multiple corresponding authors this is terrible . I suspect it will also hit female authors disproportionately as they tend to have more collaborations across fields…https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03281-4
Google Scholar tool gives extra credit to first and last authors
Researchers welcome the initiative, but say it doesn’t go far enough to capture the nuance of researcher productivity and impact.
www.nature.com
October 25, 2025 at 10:06 PM
This ‘extra credit’ also awards people who put themselves first instead of eg promoting the careers of their students and junior collaborators. 🧪
Reposted by Sera Markoff
We cannot wait! 🖖🤘
Discover the story of #ESACluster as told by the people who lived it.
Join us on 30 October from 19:00 CET for the premiere of 'Seas of the Sun: The story of Cluster' 🥹 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go_r...
🔭 ☀️ @spacerocksofficial.bsky.social
Join us on 30 October from 19:00 CET for the premiere of 'Seas of the Sun: The story of Cluster' 🥹 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go_r...
🔭 ☀️ @spacerocksofficial.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 5:37 PM
We cannot wait! 🖖🤘
Reposted by Sera Markoff
🔤EHT A–Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 J is for Jet
Black holes can launch powerful streams of particles moving at nearly the speed of light - we call these jets.
Just look at the striking one in M87!
#blackholes #EHTAZ #astronomy
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 J is for Jet
Black holes can launch powerful streams of particles moving at nearly the speed of light - we call these jets.
Just look at the striking one in M87!
#blackholes #EHTAZ #astronomy
October 24, 2025 at 7:20 PM
🔤EHT A–Z
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 J is for Jet
Black holes can launch powerful streams of particles moving at nearly the speed of light - we call these jets.
Just look at the striking one in M87!
#blackholes #EHTAZ #astronomy
We’re breaking down the science behind the Event Horizon Telescope - one letter at a time.
📡 J is for Jet
Black holes can launch powerful streams of particles moving at nearly the speed of light - we call these jets.
Just look at the striking one in M87!
#blackholes #EHTAZ #astronomy
Just one week until the @mayodarkskies.bsky.social festival! I'm excited to give a public talk, but also to see @paraphrasestudio.bsky.social again. Rae achieves the impossible by making insane visualisations of talks in real time! 🔭🧪Here's the one she made during my #blackhole talk back in 2022:
October 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Just one week until the @mayodarkskies.bsky.social festival! I'm excited to give a public talk, but also to see @paraphrasestudio.bsky.social again. Rae achieves the impossible by making insane visualisations of talks in real time! 🔭🧪Here's the one she made during my #blackhole talk back in 2022:
Reposted by Sera Markoff
Wait a minute.
Why aren't we celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin's dissertation.
Why aren't we celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin's dissertation.
September 23, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Wait a minute.
Why aren't we celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin's dissertation.
Why aren't we celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin's dissertation.
Reposted by Sera Markoff
📈 Record interest in ERC Starting Grants 2026!
4,807 proposals - a 22% increase compared to last year’s call.
👩🔬 Women submitted nearly 43% of proposals - the highest share ever recorded in an ERC call.
More stats 👉 bit.ly/4hcYJln
#ChooseEurope
4,807 proposals - a 22% increase compared to last year’s call.
👩🔬 Women submitted nearly 43% of proposals - the highest share ever recorded in an ERC call.
More stats 👉 bit.ly/4hcYJln
#ChooseEurope
Starting Grants 2026 applications: Facts and figures
The ERC Starting Grants 2026 call closed for applications on 14 October 2025. These are the preliminary data on submitted proposals:
bit.ly
October 16, 2025 at 12:40 PM
📈 Record interest in ERC Starting Grants 2026!
4,807 proposals - a 22% increase compared to last year’s call.
👩🔬 Women submitted nearly 43% of proposals - the highest share ever recorded in an ERC call.
More stats 👉 bit.ly/4hcYJln
#ChooseEurope
4,807 proposals - a 22% increase compared to last year’s call.
👩🔬 Women submitted nearly 43% of proposals - the highest share ever recorded in an ERC call.
More stats 👉 bit.ly/4hcYJln
#ChooseEurope
It’s starting!! @spacerocksofficial.bsky.social stage at #ESAOpenDay with mission update by ESA DG, Joseph Aschbachen. 🧪🔭 We’re up next!
October 12, 2025 at 8:40 AM
It’s starting!! @spacerocksofficial.bsky.social stage at #ESAOpenDay with mission update by ESA DG, Joseph Aschbachen. 🧪🔭 We’re up next!
Gearing up to channel my inner goth for the "Dark Side of the Universe" panel at tomorrows #ESAOpenDay, on the Space Rocks stage, together with JWST scientist Mark McCaughrean and EUCLID project scientist Valeria Pettorino! 🧪🔭
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
COME SEE US AT THE ESTEC OPEN DAY — Space Rocks
The ESTEC Open Day in the Netherlands isn’t far away, and we’re incredibly proud to be returning to host the Space Rocks stage on Sunday with a programme that’s guaranteed to bring space down to Earth...
www.spacerocksofficial.com
October 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Gearing up to channel my inner goth for the "Dark Side of the Universe" panel at tomorrows #ESAOpenDay, on the Space Rocks stage, together with JWST scientist Mark McCaughrean and EUCLID project scientist Valeria Pettorino! 🧪🔭
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
I’m excited to be part of this event for #ESAOpenDay tomorrow, also celebrating their 50th bday! And I def need a photo op with the alien egg!
The @nl.esa.int Open Days are go and we’re welcoming visitors from all over the galaxy including this one which is just having a once-over in the clean room before a visit to the LEAF chamber where you can see it face to face!
#buildingbetterworlds #weylandyutani #ESAOpenDay #SpaceRocks
#buildingbetterworlds #weylandyutani #ESAOpenDay #SpaceRocks
October 11, 2025 at 9:52 AM
I’m excited to be part of this event for #ESAOpenDay tomorrow, also celebrating their 50th bday! And I def need a photo op with the alien egg!
Reposted by Sera Markoff
... For a snapshot of the awesome weekend ahead, hit the link below, and may the force be with you.
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
October 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
... For a snapshot of the awesome weekend ahead, hit the link below, and may the force be with you.
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
www.spacerocksofficial.com/news/come-se...
Reposted by Sera Markoff
We’re hard at work prepping for the ESTEC Open Days this weekend. As @esa.int celebrates its 50th, come see the Creative Space near the Space Rocks stage in Escape on Sunday to see a concept for long-term deep space travel...
October 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
We’re hard at work prepping for the ESTEC Open Days this weekend. As @esa.int celebrates its 50th, come see the Creative Space near the Space Rocks stage in Escape on Sunday to see a concept for long-term deep space travel...
Reposted by Sera Markoff
Bit last minute note but if you’re in Ireland check out this free talk tomorrow about the Mayo Dark Skies project!
And come see me talk about black holes at their festival in a few weeks! www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie
And come see me talk about black holes at their festival in a few weeks! www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie
Discover Mayo’s night skies!
Join us for a free talk on @mayodarkskies.bsky.social at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park.
📅 Sat 11 Oct, 15:30–16:30
🔗 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...
Free admission, booking required.
#Mayo #Stargazing #DarkSkies
Join us for a free talk on @mayodarkskies.bsky.social at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park.
📅 Sat 11 Oct, 15:30–16:30
🔗 www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museum...
Free admission, booking required.
#Mayo #Stargazing #DarkSkies
October 10, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Bit last minute note but if you’re in Ireland check out this free talk tomorrow about the Mayo Dark Skies project!
And come see me talk about black holes at their festival in a few weeks! www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie
And come see me talk about black holes at their festival in a few weeks! www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie
Breathing a sigh of relief that my alma mater @mit.edu refused to sign onto the so-called “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”.
October 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Breathing a sigh of relief that my alma mater @mit.edu refused to sign onto the so-called “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”.
I went to a gastropub with my group today while visiting the UK and they had this adorable doggy menu!!
October 7, 2025 at 10:47 PM
I went to a gastropub with my group today while visiting the UK and they had this adorable doggy menu!!