Wandering Adventure Party

You've seen countless pics of them but have you ever wondered just what *exactly* is a galaxy?

Astronomers have wondered that too, and it's not so easy to define.

What Is a Galaxy?

Galaxies come in many shapes and sizes, and trying to define them is difficult

Scientific American (www.scientificamerican.com)

It's easy to be somewhat amused by people who believe in ridiculously brain-melting anti-science conspiracy theories. But now they have access to the White House, and I'm very much not amused.

An example of why being a skeptic has eternal job security

White House press corps being stacked with believers in nonsense

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

@rf That's terrific! I'm glad he liked it. I love hearing when that happens!

Paid subbies to my newsletter can read today about an encounter I had with President Bartlet, Josh Lyman, and Charlie Young, allowing me to achieve a life goal.

That one time I met some West Wingers

It was worth the wait. Also, Congrats to Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn for getting an asteroid!

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

Good news for a change: It looks like WR 104, the potential source of a mind-vaporizingly powerful gamma-ray burst death ray, is not pointed exactly at Earth.

Is the WR 104 system pointing a gamma-ray burst at Earth? Probably not.

New observations indicate it’s aimed away from us

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

Here's a fun question. Astronomers have found that about once per century, sun-like stars are capable of blasting out immense superflares *thousands of times* more powerful than regular solar flares.

So, um... can the Sun do that as well?

Should We Worry about Solar Superflares?

Stars like the sun might erupt with extreme explosions about once per century

Scientific American (www.scientificamerican.com)

@prezbiz Thanks!

Paid subscribers to my newsletter can learn today about a citizen science project to find asteroids that think they're comets.

Pin the tail on the asteroid

Citizen science group is finding “active asteroids”

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

I dumped all things Meta. Zuck can kiss my ass.

Goodbye, Meta. Also, a first planetary discovery for JWST

Waving bye-bye to Zuck’s domain, and a new (to us) planet is tugging on others in its system

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

Also, paid subscribers can learn about a new planet discovered by accident in JWST observations!

@mountdiscovery

I've got an update on the exoplanet K2-18b, and it doesn't look good for the biosignatures. Also, I have opinions on how this has played out.

As an assuagement, a gorgeous galaxy for Hubble's 35th.

UPDATE: Was *anything* seen from K2-18b? Also, a gorgeous galaxy for Hubble’s 35th

New study shows no sign of chemicals at all from the exoplanet, let alone biosignatures

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

So it turns out Alien was wrong.

In space, no one can hear you scream… unless you're in the right place, and you scream really, *really* loudly.

Space Isn’t as Silent as You Might Think

It seems contrary to common knowledge, but sound can travel through some parts of space quite well

Scientific American (www.scientificamerican.com)

Paid subscribers to my newsletter can read all about the extremely cool close-up images (and video!) of the asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson taken by the Lucy spacecraft… and why the names are so important.

Lucy takes a close-up look at an asteroid with an appropriate name

52246 Donaldjohanson is a space rock full of surprises

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

Astronomers found a pair of orbiting white dwarfs pretty close to Earth that will spiral together and go supernova.

If you know anything about me then you know what I'm gonna say next: don't panic.

It'll be a while before they explode. 20 gigayears.

https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-couple-of-interviews-and-a-kinda-sorta-nearby-supernova-progenitor

So, did astronomers REALLY find the best evidence yet of alien life on another planet?

I'm gonna go with "no".

https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/no-astronomers-almost-certainly-didn-t-find-biosignatures-of-life-on-another-planet

FInding Orcs in Middle Earth is one thing, but finding ORCs in the heavens is entirely another.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-are-orcs-astronomers-still-dont-know/

Ho hum, just another staggeringly gorgeous Hubble image of a nearby kooky galaxy that you can make super huge and gawp at.

Hubble tips hat to the Sombrero Galaxy, More weird white dwarfs

Celebrate Hubble’s 35th, and more two-faced white dwarfs are popping up

Bad Astronomy Newsletter (badastronomy.beehiiv.com)

NGC 1514 is a nebula, the gas and dust ejected from a dying star. But hoo boy, is it *weird*. When you observe it with JWST, it looks like, well…

… a transparent tuna fish can with bright glowing rims.

Why?

Good question. We don't know.

https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/incredible-jwst-image-of-ngc-1514-s-double-ringed-mystery

Something very, very weird is going on over at Andromeda.

https://badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/more-cosmic-weirdness-what-s-going-on-with-the-andromeda-galaxy-s-satellites

If you're up before dawn over the next couple of weeks, a planetary delight awaits you in the east: Saturn, Mercury, and Venus all huddled together! Words by me:

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/planetary-cluster-april-2025