Tim Lichtenberg
@timlichtenberg.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Planetary Physics at Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen 🇪🇺 he/him | formingworlds.space | born at 351 ppm
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Are you a grad student interested in writing for Astrobites, or do you know one? We're recruiting! Apply by November 26 :)
astrobites.org/2025/10/31/a...
astrobites.org/2025/10/31/a...
Apply to Write for Astrobites 2025!
Love astronomy, astrophysics, and science communication? Come join the Astrobites team! Applications due November 26th.
astrobites.org
October 31, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Are you a grad student interested in writing for Astrobites, or do you know one? We're recruiting! Apply by November 26 :)
astrobites.org/2025/10/31/a...
astrobites.org/2025/10/31/a...
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
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The official home of the Python Programming Language
www.python.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
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Together with Kristina Kislyakova, Louis Müller, Anuja Raorane, and @exocytherean.bsky.social we are organising the session "Early Solar system: crucial timings for habitability" at @egu.eu 2026. Please consider submitting an abstract if you work on these issues. :)
Session PS5.2
meetingorganizer.copernicus.org
October 26, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Together with Kristina Kislyakova, Louis Müller, Anuja Raorane, and @exocytherean.bsky.social we are organising the session "Early Solar system: crucial timings for habitability" at @egu.eu 2026. Please consider submitting an abstract if you work on these issues. :)
@kapteynastro.bsky.social of @rug.nl invites applications for in total 7 PhD and 4 ERC-funded postdoc positions in our annual call. ⭐🔭
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
October 16, 2025 at 7:40 PM
@kapteynastro.bsky.social of @rug.nl invites applications for in total 7 PhD and 4 ERC-funded postdoc positions in our annual call. ⭐🔭
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
PhD positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
Postdoctoral positions:
aas.org/jobregister/...
#exoplanet #astronomy #geoscience 🧪🔭⭐
[Image credit: Mark A. Garlick.]
w/ Oli Shorttle, @johannateske.bsky.social & Eliza Kempton we reviewed our current understanding and prospects for peaking on the inside of small #exoplanets in "Constraining exoplanet interiors using observations of their atmospheres": www.science.org/stoken/autho... & arxiv.org/abs/2510.08844 🔭🧪⚒️☄️
October 13, 2025 at 12:27 PM
w/ Oli Shorttle, @johannateske.bsky.social & Eliza Kempton we reviewed our current understanding and prospects for peaking on the inside of small #exoplanets in "Constraining exoplanet interiors using observations of their atmospheres": www.science.org/stoken/autho... & arxiv.org/abs/2510.08844 🔭🧪⚒️☄️
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
How can we tell what's inside an #exoplanet? @timlichtenberg.bsky.social et al review how a planet's atmosphere interacts with its interior. Atmospheric observations can distinguish between lava worlds, water worlds, temperate surfaces or supercritical interiors. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 9, 2025 at 6:20 PM
How can we tell what's inside an #exoplanet? @timlichtenberg.bsky.social et al review how a planet's atmosphere interacts with its interior. Atmospheric observations can distinguish between lava worlds, water worlds, temperate surfaces or supercritical interiors. ☄️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
The goal of this workshop is to define and implement a roadmap for a detailed intercomparison project between multiple leading computational frameworks of magma ocean evolution. bit.ly/3IZbJyn
@timlichtenberg.bsky.social @lavainspace.bsky.social @astroyami.bsky.social @meteodenny.bsky.social
@timlichtenberg.bsky.social @lavainspace.bsky.social @astroyami.bsky.social @meteodenny.bsky.social
October 6, 2025 at 2:07 PM
The goal of this workshop is to define and implement a roadmap for a detailed intercomparison project between multiple leading computational frameworks of magma ocean evolution. bit.ly/3IZbJyn
@timlichtenberg.bsky.social @lavainspace.bsky.social @astroyami.bsky.social @meteodenny.bsky.social
@timlichtenberg.bsky.social @lavainspace.bsky.social @astroyami.bsky.social @meteodenny.bsky.social
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
📢 Don't forget to join us for this talk tomorrow (Thursday)!
13:00 UTC = 15:00 CEST = 09:00 EDT = 06:00 PDT = 22:00 JST
If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 #exoplanet livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMr2...
13:00 UTC = 15:00 CEST = 09:00 EDT = 06:00 PDT = 22:00 JST
If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 #exoplanet livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMr2...
Cloudy with a chance of... haze? Aerosol? Carbon dioxide?!🌦️
Next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 2 Oct @ 13:00 UTC will feature Kazumasa Ohno (NAOJ) and recent JWST results that lift the hazy veil on the composition of sub-Neptune #exoplanet GJ 1214 b 🪐🔭🧪
More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail...
Next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 2 Oct @ 13:00 UTC will feature Kazumasa Ohno (NAOJ) and recent JWST results that lift the hazy veil on the composition of sub-Neptune #exoplanet GJ 1214 b 🪐🔭🧪
More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail...
October 1, 2025 at 2:20 PM
📢 Don't forget to join us for this talk tomorrow (Thursday)!
13:00 UTC = 15:00 CEST = 09:00 EDT = 06:00 PDT = 22:00 JST
If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 #exoplanet livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMr2...
13:00 UTC = 15:00 CEST = 09:00 EDT = 06:00 PDT = 22:00 JST
If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 #exoplanet livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMr2...
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ✨ figured out what stars are made of ✨ when she was just 25. 🔭🧪
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
September 24, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ✨ figured out what stars are made of ✨ when she was just 25. 🔭🧪
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.
I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:
A very nice article by @elisecutts.bsky.social in @sciam.bsky.social, highlighting the surprise of the discovery and the potential implications for our larger understanding of how atmospheres form and decay.
This is such a cool result!
TOI-561 b is basically the worst possible place to go looking for an atmosphere: too hot, too small, and too old.
But it looks like someone forgot to tell the planet that. Because it has air, anyways 🧪🔭
Me for @sciam.bsky.social:
TOI-561 b is basically the worst possible place to go looking for an atmosphere: too hot, too small, and too old.
But it looks like someone forgot to tell the planet that. Because it has air, anyways 🧪🔭
Me for @sciam.bsky.social:
September 23, 2025 at 12:02 PM
A very nice article by @elisecutts.bsky.social in @sciam.bsky.social, highlighting the surprise of the discovery and the potential implications for our larger understanding of how atmospheres form and decay.
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
This is such a cool result!
TOI-561 b is basically the worst possible place to go looking for an atmosphere: too hot, too small, and too old.
But it looks like someone forgot to tell the planet that. Because it has air, anyways 🧪🔭
Me for @sciam.bsky.social:
TOI-561 b is basically the worst possible place to go looking for an atmosphere: too hot, too small, and too old.
But it looks like someone forgot to tell the planet that. Because it has air, anyways 🧪🔭
Me for @sciam.bsky.social:
September 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
This is such a cool result!
TOI-561 b is basically the worst possible place to go looking for an atmosphere: too hot, too small, and too old.
But it looks like someone forgot to tell the planet that. Because it has air, anyways 🧪🔭
Me for @sciam.bsky.social:
TOI-561 b is basically the worst possible place to go looking for an atmosphere: too hot, too small, and too old.
But it looks like someone forgot to tell the planet that. Because it has air, anyways 🧪🔭
Me for @sciam.bsky.social:
Very exciting paper on arXiv today: arxiv.org/abs/2509.17231. The best evidence yet for a secondary atmosphere on an ultra-hot super-Earth. 🔭🌋 Very surprising given the theoretical predictions of rapid atmospheric escape ("cosmic shoreline") on these planets; [...]
A Thick Volatile Atmosphere on the Ultra-Hot Super-Earth TOI-561 b
Ultra-short period (USP) exoplanets -- with $R_p \leq 2~$R$_{\oplus}$ and periods $\leq$1 day -- are expected to be stripped of volatile atmospheres by intense host star irradiation, which is corrobor...
arxiv.org
September 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Very exciting paper on arXiv today: arxiv.org/abs/2509.17231. The best evidence yet for a secondary atmosphere on an ultra-hot super-Earth. 🔭🌋 Very surprising given the theoretical predictions of rapid atmospheric escape ("cosmic shoreline") on these planets; [...]
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history, and its lessons are a massive human achievement. “How We Came To Know Earth,” our new series, is a guide to the modern understanding of fundamental climate science. www.quantamagazine.org/series/clima...
How We Came To Know Earth | Quanta Magazine
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from...
www.quantamagazine.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history, and its lessons are a massive human achievement. “How We Came To Know Earth,” our new series, is a guide to the modern understanding of fundamental climate science. www.quantamagazine.org/series/clima...
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Hi! Today @quantamagazine.bsky.social published a special issue on climate science, featuring stories about how Earth's climate fundamentally works that I needed to read after covering climate impacts for so many years. I hope you'll check it out! <3 www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
How We Came To Know Earth | Quanta Magazine
Climate science is the most significant scientific collaboration in history. This series from Quanta Magazine guides you through basic climate science — from quantum effects to ancient hothouses, from...
www.quantamagazine.org
September 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Hi! Today @quantamagazine.bsky.social published a special issue on climate science, featuring stories about how Earth's climate fundamentally works that I needed to read after covering climate impacts for so many years. I hope you'll check it out! <3 www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
Two days left to submit abstract to Rocky Words 4 Groningen in January 2026: groningen2026.rockyworlds.org @rockyworlds.bsky.social #exoplanets #astronomy #geoscience #planetaryscience
September 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Two days left to submit abstract to Rocky Words 4 Groningen in January 2026: groningen2026.rockyworlds.org @rockyworlds.bsky.social #exoplanets #astronomy #geoscience #planetaryscience
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Exoplanets 🔭 and Planetary Science 🪐 : Two Different Worlds 🌍 ?
What can planetary scientists learn from exoplanet research? Read all about it in our interview with @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
www.europlanet.org/exoplanets-a...
@europlanetmedia.bsky.social
What can planetary scientists learn from exoplanet research? Read all about it in our interview with @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
www.europlanet.org/exoplanets-a...
@europlanetmedia.bsky.social
Exoplanets and Planetary Science: Two Different Worlds? – Europlanet
www.europlanet.org
September 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Exoplanets 🔭 and Planetary Science 🪐 : Two Different Worlds 🌍 ?
What can planetary scientists learn from exoplanet research? Read all about it in our interview with @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
www.europlanet.org/exoplanets-a...
@europlanetmedia.bsky.social
What can planetary scientists learn from exoplanet research? Read all about it in our interview with @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
www.europlanet.org/exoplanets-a...
@europlanetmedia.bsky.social
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
📣 +++ ANNOUNCEMENT! +++
They are the winners of the Europlanet Career Medals!
🥇 Early-Career Medal Winner, @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
🥇 Mid-Career Medal Winner, Benoit Carry
🥇 Lifetime Achievement Winner, Jean Schnieder
👉 Discover more: www.europlanet.org/tim-lichtenb...
They are the winners of the Europlanet Career Medals!
🥇 Early-Career Medal Winner, @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
🥇 Mid-Career Medal Winner, Benoit Carry
🥇 Lifetime Achievement Winner, Jean Schnieder
👉 Discover more: www.europlanet.org/tim-lichtenb...
September 3, 2025 at 2:15 PM
📣 +++ ANNOUNCEMENT! +++
They are the winners of the Europlanet Career Medals!
🥇 Early-Career Medal Winner, @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
🥇 Mid-Career Medal Winner, Benoit Carry
🥇 Lifetime Achievement Winner, Jean Schnieder
👉 Discover more: www.europlanet.org/tim-lichtenb...
They are the winners of the Europlanet Career Medals!
🥇 Early-Career Medal Winner, @timlichtenberg.bsky.social
🥇 Mid-Career Medal Winner, Benoit Carry
🥇 Lifetime Achievement Winner, Jean Schnieder
👉 Discover more: www.europlanet.org/tim-lichtenb...
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
#RockyWorldsDiscussion is back from our summer break! 🔭🧪
Our next speaker is Laura Schaefer from Stanford University, who will tell us about redox gradients in planet formation simulations of terrestrial planets 🌍🌕🪨 Join us on Zoom on Thu 4 Sep @ 16:00 UTC
More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail...
Our next speaker is Laura Schaefer from Stanford University, who will tell us about redox gradients in planet formation simulations of terrestrial planets 🌍🌕🪨 Join us on Zoom on Thu 4 Sep @ 16:00 UTC
More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail...
September 2, 2025 at 9:38 AM
#RockyWorldsDiscussion is back from our summer break! 🔭🧪
Our next speaker is Laura Schaefer from Stanford University, who will tell us about redox gradients in planet formation simulations of terrestrial planets 🌍🌕🪨 Join us on Zoom on Thu 4 Sep @ 16:00 UTC
More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail...
Our next speaker is Laura Schaefer from Stanford University, who will tell us about redox gradients in planet formation simulations of terrestrial planets 🌍🌕🪨 Join us on Zoom on Thu 4 Sep @ 16:00 UTC
More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail...
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
August 16, 2025 at 4:26 AM
@marattia.bsky.social, postdoc in our group, won the Edith Alice Müller Award 2025 of the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy for their outstanding PhD thesis in the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Great achievement @marattia.bsky.social, congratulations! 🥳🎉 @kapteynastro.bsky.social
ssaa.ch
August 5, 2025 at 10:14 AM
@marattia.bsky.social, postdoc in our group, won the Edith Alice Müller Award 2025 of the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy for their outstanding PhD thesis in the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Great achievement @marattia.bsky.social, congratulations! 🥳🎉 @kapteynastro.bsky.social
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
In our now-published paper we model the early history of three exoplanets to specifically study the role of tidal heating on their capacity to solidify. A physically robust feedback mechanism can keep them molten, even with relatively thin atmospheres, which may extend to lots of rocky exoplanets.
Published in #MNRAS: "Self-limited tidal heating and prolonged magma oceans in the L 98-59 system", Nicholls et al. This is Fig. 1: for the caption & to read the paper please visit academic.oup.com/mnras/articl... @oxfordacademic.bsky.social @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
July 25, 2025 at 9:04 AM
In our now-published paper we model the early history of three exoplanets to specifically study the role of tidal heating on their capacity to solidify. A physically robust feedback mechanism can keep them molten, even with relatively thin atmospheres, which may extend to lots of rocky exoplanets.
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Published in #MNRAS: "Self-limited tidal heating and prolonged magma oceans in the L 98-59 system", Nicholls et al. This is Fig. 1: for the caption & to read the paper please visit academic.oup.com/mnras/articl... @oxfordacademic.bsky.social @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
July 25, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Published in #MNRAS: "Self-limited tidal heating and prolonged magma oceans in the L 98-59 system", Nicholls et al. This is Fig. 1: for the caption & to read the paper please visit academic.oup.com/mnras/articl... @oxfordacademic.bsky.social @royalastrosoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social writes.
4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment
In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.
www.newyorker.com
July 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Globally, roughly a third more power is being generated from the sun this spring than last. If this exponential rate of growth can continue, we will soon live in a very different world, @billmckibben.bsky.social writes.
Reposted by Tim Lichtenberg
We performed an analysis of the 2024 NWO VIDI awardees. Conceived to support researchers transitioning from
postdoc positions into independent scientific leadership, the VIDI has become more of a mid-career consolidation grant.
Read our full analysis and recommendations: ap-net.nl/wp-content/u...
postdoc positions into independent scientific leadership, the VIDI has become more of a mid-career consolidation grant.
Read our full analysis and recommendations: ap-net.nl/wp-content/u...
July 18, 2025 at 8:13 AM
We performed an analysis of the 2024 NWO VIDI awardees. Conceived to support researchers transitioning from
postdoc positions into independent scientific leadership, the VIDI has become more of a mid-career consolidation grant.
Read our full analysis and recommendations: ap-net.nl/wp-content/u...
postdoc positions into independent scientific leadership, the VIDI has become more of a mid-career consolidation grant.
Read our full analysis and recommendations: ap-net.nl/wp-content/u...