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
11:11 on 11/11. Every year in school we read In Flanders Fields — a poem that still stops me cold.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
November 11, 2025 at 4:27 PM
11:11 on 11/11. Every year in school we read In Flanders Fields — a poem that still stops me cold.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row…
We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow.
— John McCrae (1915)
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦 #RemembranceDay
Reposted by Shanil Virani
“Science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.”
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
November 11, 2025 at 1:18 AM
“Science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.”
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
On what would have been Carl Sagan’s 91st birthday we celebrate one of #science’s greatest storytellers — a reminder that curiosity & wonder unite us all.
💫 Read @shanilv.ca reflection:
open.substack.com/pub/ourislan...
#CarlSaganDay #Astronomy #ASP
Reposted by Shanil Virani
A beautiful tribute. Sagan's greatest gift was showing that science wasn't just a collection of facts but a deeply human endeavor that fuels our sense of wonder. His mission to make the complex understandable is a huge inspiration. "The candle in the dark" is the perfect description.
November 11, 2025 at 8:58 AM
A beautiful tribute. Sagan's greatest gift was showing that science wasn't just a collection of facts but a deeply human endeavor that fuels our sense of wonder. His mission to make the complex understandable is a huge inspiration. "The candle in the dark" is the perfect description.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Queen Ghislaine even has a puppy at Club Fed. This is how convicted sex traffickers are coddled by the Trump admin. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
November 10, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Queen Ghislaine even has a puppy at Club Fed. This is how convicted sex traffickers are coddled by the Trump admin. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Furious Liberals Call for Schumer to Step Aside, Senate Dems Mostly Quiet
After their shutdown surrender, liberal lawmakers are begging their base to unite behind them anyway – as Trumpland celebrates that their opposition is a bunch of 'p*ssies.'
zeteo.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:23 AM
“If Schumer really wanted to use his considerable influence and leverage to stop this, he could have done that,” a senior Democratic Senate aide tells Zeteo. “He didn’t.”
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
On what would have been his 91st birthday, I reflect on how Carl Sagan helped humanity look up & inward, reminding us that science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.🔭🧪
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
𝘛𝘩𝘦 Candle in the Dark: Celebrating Carl Sagan and the Human Story of Science
Science is not a list of facts — it’s a human story.
medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM
On what would have been his 91st birthday, I reflect on how Carl Sagan helped humanity look up & inward, reminding us that science is a way of seeing, not just knowing.🔭🧪
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
💫 Read on #Medium —
The Candle in the Dark: #CarlSagan’s Legacy
🔗 medium.com/@shanil.vira...
#CarlSaganDay #Cosmos #PaleBlueDot
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Join us at our November Astronomy on Tap at @dc9club.bsky.social on Tuesday November 18th! Talk program TBA shortly.
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
November 8, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Join us at our November Astronomy on Tap at @dc9club.bsky.social on Tuesday November 18th! Talk program TBA shortly.
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
Make sure to RSVP for your free ticket: dice.fm/event/eow3y2...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Excited to attend the @astrosociety.org gala tonight & receive the Nancy Grace Roman Award! I read about her life & career on my way here. Did you know she was responsible for making NASA data archives public so that everyone could benefit, not just PIs? Such an amazing impact on our field. 🔭
November 9, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by Shanil Virani
We are so happy to see @juliaastro.org leading a #JuliaLang workshop at #AAS247!
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Would you or your colleague like to improve the performance of your data analysis? Then please join us at our @julialang.org workshop at the 247th @aas.org meeting on Jan 3, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The regular registration deadline is Nov 7.
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
AAS 247: Registration | American Astronomical Society
aas.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:39 PM
We are so happy to see @juliaastro.org leading a #JuliaLang workshop at #AAS247!
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Our inaugural #Astro101 for @unistellar.bsky.social #smart #telescope users introduced 30 participants to #Julia for data analysis — showing how #smartscope users can explore #astronomy with professional-grade tools.🧪🔭
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Would you or your colleague like to improve the performance of your data analysis? Then please join us at our @julialang.org workshop at the 247th @aas.org meeting on Jan 3, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The regular registration deadline is Nov 7.
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
AAS 247: Registration | American Astronomical Society
aas.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Would you or your colleague like to improve the performance of your data analysis? Then please join us at our @julialang.org workshop at the 247th @aas.org meeting on Jan 3, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. The regular registration deadline is Nov 7.
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
aas.org/meetings/aas...
#aas247 #JuliaLang #astrocode
A mom takes her daughter to school. She is stopped by the Gestapo & then violently detained because she did not have her SSN memorized. She showed her work permit, DL, SS card, & registration. That piercing scream is from her daughter. Listen to it. Soul-crushing.💔
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:41 AM
A mom takes her daughter to school. She is stopped by the Gestapo & then violently detained because she did not have her SSN memorized. She showed her work permit, DL, SS card, & registration. That piercing scream is from her daughter. Listen to it. Soul-crushing.💔
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
www.instagram.com/reel/DQZs1oi...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
"Canada was at war with Nazi Germany two years before us—and declared war on Imperial Japan the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach in conjunction with U.S. and British forces."
Totally Brazen. Comically Corrupt. Painfully Dumb.
Trump’s mask-off economic doctrine is on full display: Riches for friends, pain for enemies. Is it any wonder business leaders are falling in line?
www.thebulwark.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM
"Canada was at war with Nazi Germany two years before us—and declared war on Imperial Japan the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach in conjunction with U.S. and British forces."
Reposted by Shanil Virani
If you make 130% of the federal poverty level, you qualify for SNAP.
A family of four, making $40,560, qualifies for SNAP benefits meaning thousands of Missouri teachers qualify.
I’m tired of the bullshit. Most of the people who receive snap benefits work.
A family of four, making $40,560, qualifies for SNAP benefits meaning thousands of Missouri teachers qualify.
I’m tired of the bullshit. Most of the people who receive snap benefits work.
October 27, 2025 at 9:03 PM
If you make 130% of the federal poverty level, you qualify for SNAP.
A family of four, making $40,560, qualifies for SNAP benefits meaning thousands of Missouri teachers qualify.
I’m tired of the bullshit. Most of the people who receive snap benefits work.
A family of four, making $40,560, qualifies for SNAP benefits meaning thousands of Missouri teachers qualify.
I’m tired of the bullshit. Most of the people who receive snap benefits work.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
What we're witnessing with #Melissa is ultra rare in the history of known hurricanes in the Atlantic. This level of sustained intensity and feasting on every joule of ocean heat content without any real disruption is incredible.
Not hyperbole: Jamaica is facing a generational catastrophic event.
Not hyperbole: Jamaica is facing a generational catastrophic event.
October 28, 2025 at 2:23 AM
What we're witnessing with #Melissa is ultra rare in the history of known hurricanes in the Atlantic. This level of sustained intensity and feasting on every joule of ocean heat content without any real disruption is incredible.
Not hyperbole: Jamaica is facing a generational catastrophic event.
Not hyperbole: Jamaica is facing a generational catastrophic event.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
The Walton family (who own Walmart) are worth over $400 billion, yet many of their employees are on SNAP.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
October 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
The Walton family (who own Walmart) are worth over $400 billion, yet many of their employees are on SNAP.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
Bezos is worth over $400 billion, many Amazon employees require SNAP.
The people who need help are not the problem.
It’s corporate greed. It’s an unwillingness to pay a living wage.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
So,
1) The Kirk tweet I was criticizing was about Mamdani, not me. But sure, we Muslims look all the same, right?
2) He spells my name wrong.
3) Kirk's murder was bad, that doesn't make his Islamophobia good.
4) Does the VP really have nothing to do all day except... quote-tweet at people like me?
1) The Kirk tweet I was criticizing was about Mamdani, not me. But sure, we Muslims look all the same, right?
2) He spells my name wrong.
3) Kirk's murder was bad, that doesn't make his Islamophobia good.
4) Does the VP really have nothing to do all day except... quote-tweet at people like me?
October 27, 2025 at 4:48 PM
So,
1) The Kirk tweet I was criticizing was about Mamdani, not me. But sure, we Muslims look all the same, right?
2) He spells my name wrong.
3) Kirk's murder was bad, that doesn't make his Islamophobia good.
4) Does the VP really have nothing to do all day except... quote-tweet at people like me?
1) The Kirk tweet I was criticizing was about Mamdani, not me. But sure, we Muslims look all the same, right?
2) He spells my name wrong.
3) Kirk's murder was bad, that doesn't make his Islamophobia good.
4) Does the VP really have nothing to do all day except... quote-tweet at people like me?
Reposted by Shanil Virani
October 28, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Tribute to Professor Jim Peacock
We are saddened by the passing of Professor Jim Peacock, a visionary scientist and former Chief Scientist of Australia (2006–2008). His groundbreaking work on water-efficient cotton and his leadership in Australian science leave a lasting legacy.
We are saddened by the passing of Professor Jim Peacock, a visionary scientist and former Chief Scientist of Australia (2006–2008). His groundbreaking work on water-efficient cotton and his leadership in Australian science leave a lasting legacy.
October 27, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Tribute to Professor Jim Peacock
We are saddened by the passing of Professor Jim Peacock, a visionary scientist and former Chief Scientist of Australia (2006–2008). His groundbreaking work on water-efficient cotton and his leadership in Australian science leave a lasting legacy.
We are saddened by the passing of Professor Jim Peacock, a visionary scientist and former Chief Scientist of Australia (2006–2008). His groundbreaking work on water-efficient cotton and his leadership in Australian science leave a lasting legacy.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Today, Mike Johnson will keep the House adjourned for the 84th day out of the last 96.
12 days of work in over 3 months.
With full pay and benefits.
The senate has been working, so this is not about the shutdown.
It is about avoiding a vote to release the Epstein files.
12 days of work in over 3 months.
With full pay and benefits.
The senate has been working, so this is not about the shutdown.
It is about avoiding a vote to release the Epstein files.
October 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Today, Mike Johnson will keep the House adjourned for the 84th day out of the last 96.
12 days of work in over 3 months.
With full pay and benefits.
The senate has been working, so this is not about the shutdown.
It is about avoiding a vote to release the Epstein files.
12 days of work in over 3 months.
With full pay and benefits.
The senate has been working, so this is not about the shutdown.
It is about avoiding a vote to release the Epstein files.
Reposted by Shanil Virani
This is a very old culture
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Ancient rock art in northern WA shows Tasmanian tiger, Tasmanian devil
There are more than 2 million artworks on the rocks at Murujuga, with more stories under the waves.
www.abc.net.au
October 25, 2025 at 7:08 AM
This is a very old culture
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Reposted by Shanil Virani
Wrong.
It is is the Jeffrey Epstein Commemorative Ballroom.
That name will stick.
It is is the Jeffrey Epstein Commemorative Ballroom.
That name will stick.
October 25, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Wrong.
It is is the Jeffrey Epstein Commemorative Ballroom.
That name will stick.
It is is the Jeffrey Epstein Commemorative Ballroom.
That name will stick.