Hannah Wakeford

Hannah Wakeford

@stellarplanet.bsky.social

Exoplanet scientist. Science communicator. Author. Podcaster. Miniature painter. Wife. Cat mum.

1.2K followers210 following259 posts

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Replying to @leighfletcher.bsky.social

STScI also wants to hear from #JWST users through their annual user survey. Observers who submitted Cycle 6 proposals or who have worked with JWST data in any capacity are encouraged to complete the survey. Deadline November 20th: 🔭 www.surveymonkey.com/r/DTKXW73

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Should have mentioned the time. 11am-1pm EST, 8am-10am PST!

Sarah E Moran@offallingstars.bsky.social

Next Wed 11/4, Ella Sciamma-O'Brien & Lora Jovanovic of NASA Ames, James Mang (UT Austin), and I are leading a JWebbinar on how to use the Optical Constants Database for your science. Learn to run atmospheric models using the most up-to-date lab data! Join and share! www.stsci.edu/contents/eve...

Super excited by the idea of finding rings around exoplanets. This thread looks at how we might see them through direct imaging 🪐

Dr. Sammy Hasler@sammyhasler.bsky.social

It's paper day! 🪐 Have you ever wondered what rings around an exoplanet might look like in direct imaging? And how might those rings change our understanding of our observations? We explored this in my new paper, "Entering the Era of Circumplanetary Ring Detection with Direct Imaging." 1/5 🧵👇

Hannah Wakeford reposted

A new method maps a hot Jupiter's atmosphere all the way around its rim, from equator to pole. WASP-17 b's evening side is about 650 K hotter than its morning side, and water and CO2 stay constant around the limb. #AstroSky #exoplanets @lili-alderson.bsky.social @stellarplanet.bsky.social

frontierresearch.coA spatial map of the atmospheric limb of a hot Jupiter | FrontierPlanets are three-dimensional objects shaped by their thermal structure and dynamics, and observations of transiting exoplanets have begun to uncover that…

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Replying to @lili-alderson.bsky.social

We picked WASP-17b because it's got a decent signal for transmission and emission methods, but it's not necessarily the best target for either (a jack of all trades, master of none) This means that transmission strings will be able to get awesome results for many better targets in the future!

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Transmission strings is an exciting new way that we can disentangle the spatial changes in a planets atmosphere from just east➡️ vs west⬅️ or hot🔥 vs cold❄️. By mapping each angle📐 around the planet we can examine & spatially resolve true weather🌫️🌪️ patterns on these distant alien worlds🪐 10/10🔭🧪

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@lili-alderson.bsky.social then took all of the measurements & modeled the spectrum with loads of methods to work out if there were trends in the property of the planet's atmosphere at 10 different angles around the limb 🤯 Previous methods have only ever done this for half a planet at a time!😱 8/n🔭🧪

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To ensure that our measurements of the shape of the planet were accurate we had to refine the planet 🪐 parameters for the period ⏱️, inclination of the system📐, and the distance of the planet from the star📏. This allowed us to model the transit as precisely as possible. 6/n🔭🧪

We then implemented a statistical method used in Machine Learning & AI called k-fold cross-validation (statistical methods developed and implemented since the 1950's) on our shape models (our transmission strings) to robustly map any deviations from a circular planet (🌑 or 🪨). 7/n🔭🧪

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The atmosphere of WASP-17b has a smooth transition in temperature, T, from hot 🔥 on the evening decreasing across the poles with the coldest temperature ☃️ on the morning. This is caused by vast winds🌬️ that blow air from the permanent day to the night where it cools before restarting the loop. 4/n🔭🧪

Excitingly our new measurements, which show finer details around the atmosphere, match well to predictions for the planet as well as other studies our JWST-TST DREAMS program have produced such as, dayside maps🗺️ by @danvalentine.bsky.social, dayside 🌕 and nightside 🌑 temp, & some work in prep 5/n🔭🧪

In this paper we measure the shape of WASP-17b's atmosphere, a gas giant exoplanet orbiting in just 3.7 days around a star 1300 light years from Earth. We use a method called transmission strings 🧵 which traces the shape of the atmosphere as an angle 📐 around the limb for each color of light🌈 2/n🔭🧪

This is the 1st application of this new mapping technique to real data & only combined with the exceptional precision of JWST 🛰️ can we extract the needed info. We map 🗺️, for the 1st time, the the changing shape of the 🪐 with radius & track the changes in shape relating to T, chemistry, & ☁️ 3/n🔭🧪

Hannah Wakeford reposted

I'm looking for a new #postdoc to join Leicester's #planetsci atmospheres team, working with us on the treasure-trove of #JWST giant planet data to study atmospheric composition, weather, and variability. Deadline Nov 5th with a start date in early 2027. jobs.le.ac.uk/vacancies/13...

jobs.le.ac.ukResearch Associate in Planetary Atmospheric Science in Leicester | University of Leicester Recruitment TeamView details and apply for this Research Associate in Planetary Atmospheric Science vacancy in Leicester. Infrared observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have rapidly become a corner...
Planetary Research Jobs@jobs.planetary-research.org

Job Announcement Category: Postdocs and fellowships Research Associate in Planetary Atmospheric Science. University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom https://jobs.planetary-research.org/a163-15f8

This shows a MASSIVE effort from the community to make the most of science time on a world leading and uniquely capable telescope 🔭And yes, I do believe it will only get harder to get time from here on out. 5.5% chance this year. how many will be 1st quintile not selected this year?

JWST Observer@jwstobserver.bsky.social

STScI received 3,203 GO proposals for 138,460 hours (with an additional 8,971 Pure and Coordinated parallel hours requested). This corresponds to an oversubscription of 18:1 with respect to the 7,700 hours offered in #JWST Cycle 6: ow.ly/uqAt50ZWSwG

Had so much fun doing this panel @latitudefestival.bsky.social. And yes! this is the best screenshot they could find of my face. Must learn to lead with my teeth more 😁

The Cosmic Shambles Network@cosmicshambles.com

Patreon subscribers can now watch the video of our exoplanets panel from this year's Latitude Festival with @mattbothwell.com, @stellarplanet.bsky.social and Larissa Palethorpe. Podcast version out next week. Subscribe at patreon.com/cosmicshambles

Hannah Wakeford reposted

'There is an amazing diversity of worlds out there, and each one requires different questions and different techniques to explore them.' Exoplanet scientist, @stellarplanet.bsky.social, on uncovering the universal mechanisms that govern planetary formation. @expeditions.bsky.social #WorldSpaceWeek

media.leverhulme.ac.ukMaking planetsIn this EXPeditions video, Hannah Wakeford discusses how exoplanet research is fundamentally about understanding the diverse ways that worlds are constructed and how they evolve within their stellar…

Oh wow 🤯 I gave a talk there once for their open science nights and it was fantastic. One that I will always remember. Truly the end of a massively important public institution.

NPR@npr.org

Beloved for its dinosaurs, Philadelphia's storied Academy of Natural Sciences closed down this week, amid an intense fight by local residents, politicians and scientists to save it. n.pr/4y2SrM3

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Still server issues. Now Laura Watkins (head of science policy at STScI) is saying new deadline tomorrow, Oct. 1st at 5pm EDT for all proposers.

Sarah E Moran@offallingstars.bsky.social

STScI says deadline extended 1 hour to 9pm EDT, unless issues persist in which case this time will be updated

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Visiting London this weekend? Why not come and tour the RAS! 🔭🪐 We'll be open tomorrow for self-guided tours as part of Open House festival, giving visitors the chance to learn about the history of astronomy. Morning: 10am-1pm (last entry 12.30pm) Afternoon: 2pm-5pm (last entry 4.30pm)

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Quartz is not only terrestrial making up a huge amount of our planet crust but also forming clouds in the atmospheres of #exoplanets, in the exploding shell of dying stars, and in the heart of the galaxy around super massive black holes. #Quartz #MinCup 🧪🔭🪨

Mika McKinnon@mikamckinnon.bsky.social

It’s interesting. The vast majority of #MinCup26 campaigning is for #Quartz with just a handful for #Asagiite across platforms. Asagiite’s is mostly focused on novelty and aesthetics, while quartz’s supporters are covering physics, art, prehistory, utility, & more. Yet the votes are near-tied.

Hannah Wakeford reposted

The BOWIE+ seminar autumn schedule is out! Next week, we will begin with a talk by Matthäus Schulik of Imperial on his work on atmospheric escape. The rest of the autumn will be highlight talks by early career researchers. To get the zoom links, see the details in our bio. #exoplanets #astronomy

Super excited to be part of the @cosmicshambles.com Nine Lessons line up this year. I will be there on the Sunday so book your tickets and come along for a great show of science, music, comedy, and poetry.

The Cosmic Shambles Network@cosmicshambles.com

Here's a look at your first lot of guests for Nine Lessons 2026! Joining @robinince.bsky.social will be the likes of @astrokatie.com, @helenczerski.bsky.social, @seismatters.bsky.social, Zoe Barnett, Tadiwa Mahlunge, James Payne and many more! Tix & more guests - cosmicshambles.com/ninelessons

This is the next step towards linking our solar system to exoplanets and a way towards the future hopeful success of the Habitable Worlds Observatory. NGRST will potentially find evidence for thousands of worlds microlensing, transits, and direct imaging 🤩🔭🧪

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team has successfully activated the mission’s Coronagraph Instrument, which will block starlight to view planets and dusty disks around nearby stars. #NASARoman 🔭

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Today is Day 1 of my all-time favourite sports tournament: the Mineral Cup #MinCup26 💎🪨 and my annual excuse to talk about pretty crystals for a whole MONTH I’ve been a fan since 2018 (!) and it may even have nudged me into planetary science 🙈 If you’re not familiar, now’s the time to check it out!

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 1: It's carbonate-vs-carbonate with copper-rich #Azurite against zinc-rich #Smithsonite. Which has your vote? VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Perfectly times solar eclipse coming up today just before sunset. Great coverage from the UK with the path of Totality going through Iceland and Spain #solareclipse 🌍🌓☀️ let’s see if the reset helps, nice chance to at least enjoy and marvel at nature.

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Hannah Wakeford reposted

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Here's a little highlight reel of our @latitudefestival.bsky.social 2026. Full panels and podcast and more to come! From killer crabs to astronauts and puppet cows to battery tech, there really was something for every type of curious mind in the Cosmic Shambles Forest this year. See you in 2027!

youtube.comLatitude Festival 2026 | Highlights from the Cosmic Shambles Forest of Science & CultureYouTube video by The Cosmic Shambles Network

So excited to bring the ExoClimes conference series to Asia where we have a load of amazing Exoplaneteers. See you in Tokyo next summer!

ExoClimesVIII@exoclimesviii.bsky.social

🔈Save the date! ExoClimes VIII will take place at the Institute of Science Tokyo, from 11–16 July 2027. The conference will bring together the international community studying planetary climates, atmospheres, and habitability🌏 Stay tuned for more updates!  exoclimes.org

Hannah Wakeford reposted

Short-sighted, stupid cuts to the UKRI budget include shutting down Jodrell Bank, the icon of British astronomy. (Many other cuts too, including 20% to our brand new @vrubinobs.bsky.social). Interesting politically to shut down a major facility in...um..Manchester 🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.ukJodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understandsAstronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained.