Dr. Heloise Stevance
@sydonahi.bsky.social
Astrophysicist - Schmidt A.I. in Science Fellow - Oxford Uni - she/they
Sky surveys
Exploding stars
Hungry black holes
AI Literacy
Beatrice Tinsley Lecturer 2021
Caroline Herschel Prize 2024
hfstevance.com
Sky surveys
Exploding stars
Hungry black holes
AI Literacy
Beatrice Tinsley Lecturer 2021
Caroline Herschel Prize 2024
hfstevance.com
Pinned
Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture - How can AI help us find exploding stars and hungry black holes?
YouTube video by University of Bath
www.youtube.com
Tonight I'm speaking at the Cambridge Astronomical society delivering my Caroline Herschel Prize Talk "How can AI help us find explosive stars and hungry black holes?".
You can watch it online for free as it was recorded by the University of Bath in November!
🔭
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtCj...
You can watch it online for free as it was recorded by the University of Bath in November!
🔭
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtCj...
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
Bitterly disappointing to see the Astronomer Royal—who should be advocating for the importance of astronomy and its contributions to society—imposing the greatest cuts to astronomy research in a generation
Glad to see that the Astronomer Royal for Scotland is fulfilling her role properly 🏴
☄️🔭
Glad to see that the Astronomer Royal for Scotland is fulfilling her role properly 🏴
☄️🔭
STFC CEO responds to @jonbutterworth.bsky.social
"it is important for all of our ... programmes ... to contribute to us making savings across our entire portfolio"
No mention that *all* is disproportionately falling on the particle-astro-nuclear programme 🤷♀️😡
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
"it is important for all of our ... programmes ... to contribute to us making savings across our entire portfolio"
No mention that *all* is disproportionately falling on the particle-astro-nuclear programme 🤷♀️😡
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
February 27, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Bitterly disappointing to see the Astronomer Royal—who should be advocating for the importance of astronomy and its contributions to society—imposing the greatest cuts to astronomy research in a generation
Glad to see that the Astronomer Royal for Scotland is fulfilling her role properly 🏴
☄️🔭
Glad to see that the Astronomer Royal for Scotland is fulfilling her role properly 🏴
☄️🔭
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
The largest spot-the-difference effort EVER has begun!🚨
On the night of Feb 24, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially released its first ~800,000 public alerts of detected changes in the night sky!🔍
A new era of discovery is here✨ 🔭🧪☄️
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
On the night of Feb 24, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially released its first ~800,000 public alerts of detected changes in the night sky!🔍
A new era of discovery is here✨ 🔭🧪☄️
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
February 25, 2026 at 6:10 PM
The largest spot-the-difference effort EVER has begun!🚨
On the night of Feb 24, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially released its first ~800,000 public alerts of detected changes in the night sky!🔍
A new era of discovery is here✨ 🔭🧪☄️
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
On the night of Feb 24, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially released its first ~800,000 public alerts of detected changes in the night sky!🔍
A new era of discovery is here✨ 🔭🧪☄️
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
These first alerts use early, pre-survey observations while Rubin finishes preparations to begin its decade-long survey. 🔭🧪☄️
This is just the start for a system that is expected to produce up to ~7 million of these alerts per night! ✨
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
This is just the start for a system that is expected to produce up to ~7 million of these alerts per night! ✨
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
February 25, 2026 at 6:10 PM
These first alerts use early, pre-survey observations while Rubin finishes preparations to begin its decade-long survey. 🔭🧪☄️
This is just the start for a system that is expected to produce up to ~7 million of these alerts per night! ✨
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
This is just the start for a system that is expected to produce up to ~7 million of these alerts per night! ✨
🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
We catch up with Héloïse Stevence @sydonahi.bsky.social to talk astronomy and machine learning – and discover how many Rubin images this Schmidt AI in Science Fellow can classify per minute with the human eye. Read our latest In the Spotlight interview: www.lsst.ac.uk/news/2026-02... 🔭
February 24, 2026 at 5:42 PM
We catch up with Héloïse Stevence @sydonahi.bsky.social to talk astronomy and machine learning – and discover how many Rubin images this Schmidt AI in Science Fellow can classify per minute with the human eye. Read our latest In the Spotlight interview: www.lsst.ac.uk/news/2026-02... 🔭
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
🚀 Astro-COLIBRI v2.26.0 is live! ☄️
This update brings cool new tools and better accessibility:
🌍 Multi-language support (EN, DE, FR, ES, IT)
👤 #Google Login
🔭 Observation planning for #Fermi & #IceCube
🌌 New Host-Galaxy Cross Matching tool
Read the full changelog here: tinyurl.com/ver2-26
This update brings cool new tools and better accessibility:
🌍 Multi-language support (EN, DE, FR, ES, IT)
👤 #Google Login
🔭 Observation planning for #Fermi & #IceCube
🌌 New Host-Galaxy Cross Matching tool
Read the full changelog here: tinyurl.com/ver2-26
🚀 Astro-COLIBRI v2.26.0 is now available!
We are excited to announce the release of Astro-COLIBRI v2.26.0 (January 28, 2026). This update brings again significant improvements to the user interface, powerful new science tools for observation ...
tinyurl.com
January 31, 2026 at 8:24 AM
🚀 Astro-COLIBRI v2.26.0 is live! ☄️
This update brings cool new tools and better accessibility:
🌍 Multi-language support (EN, DE, FR, ES, IT)
👤 #Google Login
🔭 Observation planning for #Fermi & #IceCube
🌌 New Host-Galaxy Cross Matching tool
Read the full changelog here: tinyurl.com/ver2-26
This update brings cool new tools and better accessibility:
🌍 Multi-language support (EN, DE, FR, ES, IT)
👤 #Google Login
🔭 Observation planning for #Fermi & #IceCube
🌌 New Host-Galaxy Cross Matching tool
Read the full changelog here: tinyurl.com/ver2-26
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to speak at the AI and Ethics conference organised at Oxford - my talk has now been put online and summarised in a written piece you can read for free!
After the shenanigans at NeurIPS, scientific rigour is more important than ever
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01...
After the shenanigans at NeurIPS, scientific rigour is more important than ever
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01...
Expert Comment: Computers can help us to do science, but they can’t
Dr Heloise Stevance, Schmidt AI in Science Fellow in Oxford University’s Physics Department, is a computational astrophysicist developing intelligent recommendation systems for sky surveys. In this
www.ox.ac.uk
January 30, 2026 at 3:05 PM
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to speak at the AI and Ethics conference organised at Oxford - my talk has now been put online and summarised in a written piece you can read for free!
After the shenanigans at NeurIPS, scientific rigour is more important than ever
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01...
After the shenanigans at NeurIPS, scientific rigour is more important than ever
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01...
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
One Rubin image = up to ~10,000 alerts! 🌌🔭
From supernovae to asteroids, comets, and more, Rubin will capture the Universe in action every night. ☄️✨
See what kinds of events Rubin will alert us to: https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/alerts
From supernovae to asteroids, comets, and more, Rubin will capture the Universe in action every night. ☄️✨
See what kinds of events Rubin will alert us to: https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/alerts
December 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
One Rubin image = up to ~10,000 alerts! 🌌🔭
From supernovae to asteroids, comets, and more, Rubin will capture the Universe in action every night. ☄️✨
See what kinds of events Rubin will alert us to: https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/alerts
From supernovae to asteroids, comets, and more, Rubin will capture the Universe in action every night. ☄️✨
See what kinds of events Rubin will alert us to: https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/alerts
This week my work on the Virtual Research Assistant that helps our teams find extra galactic transients appeared in a very big French news Magazine (glossy paper and all).
Now I'm making my VRAs for LSST 👀. Watch this space in 2026 for more coll science #astrosci
www.instagram.com/p/DR6k7owDnt...
Now I'm making my VRAs for LSST 👀. Watch this space in 2026 for more coll science #astrosci
www.instagram.com/p/DR6k7owDnt...
Le Point on Instagram: "🔭Chaque nuit, les télescopes du réseau ATLAS scrutent le ciel à la recherche d'astéroïdes menaçants, d'explosions d'étoiles et d'autres événements cosmiques éphémères.
⏰Chaqu...
47 likes, 0 comments - lepointfr on December 6, 2025: "🔭Chaque nuit, les télescopes du réseau ATLAS scrutent le ciel à la recherche d'astéroïdes menaçants, d'explosions d'étoiles et d'autres événement...
www.instagram.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:11 AM
This week my work on the Virtual Research Assistant that helps our teams find extra galactic transients appeared in a very big French news Magazine (glossy paper and all).
Now I'm making my VRAs for LSST 👀. Watch this space in 2026 for more coll science #astrosci
www.instagram.com/p/DR6k7owDnt...
Now I'm making my VRAs for LSST 👀. Watch this space in 2026 for more coll science #astrosci
www.instagram.com/p/DR6k7owDnt...
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
The interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS ☄️ cruising through our Solar System is no alien spaceship and won't hit Earth.
Still, the buzz around it is far from unfounded 🤩
Discover why with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiqLxfSiVI
🔭 🧪
Still, the buzz around it is far from unfounded 🤩
Discover why with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiqLxfSiVI
🔭 🧪
December 5, 2025 at 10:03 AM
The interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS ☄️ cruising through our Solar System is no alien spaceship and won't hit Earth.
Still, the buzz around it is far from unfounded 🤩
Discover why with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiqLxfSiVI
🔭 🧪
Still, the buzz around it is far from unfounded 🤩
Discover why with #ChasingStarlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtiqLxfSiVI
🔭 🧪
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
We've just released a massive update to Astro-COLIBRI! 🔭☄️🧪⚛️
Version 2.25.0 features a completely redesigned mobile experience (yes, you can finally swipe between screens!) and adds powerful new data sources like the RAPAS network and LAST Observatory.
More details in our forum: tinyurl.com/ACv2-25
Version 2.25.0 features a completely redesigned mobile experience (yes, you can finally swipe between screens!) and adds powerful new data sources like the RAPAS network and LAST Observatory.
More details in our forum: tinyurl.com/ACv2-25
Release Notes v2.25.0: Major Mobile UX Update, RAPAS Photometry & LAST Integration
Dear Astro-COLIBRI community, We are excited to announce the release of version 2.25.0! This update brings a significant overhaul to the mobile user interface to make navigation smoother during your ...
forum.astro-colibri.science
December 2, 2025 at 9:19 AM
We've just released a massive update to Astro-COLIBRI! 🔭☄️🧪⚛️
Version 2.25.0 features a completely redesigned mobile experience (yes, you can finally swipe between screens!) and adds powerful new data sources like the RAPAS network and LAST Observatory.
More details in our forum: tinyurl.com/ACv2-25
Version 2.25.0 features a completely redesigned mobile experience (yes, you can finally swipe between screens!) and adds powerful new data sources like the RAPAS network and LAST Observatory.
More details in our forum: tinyurl.com/ACv2-25
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
A giant impact between proto-Earth and a planet called Theia produced the Moon. Hopp et al. use isotopic measurements of lunar samples and cosmochemical modelling to show that Theia formed in the inner Solar System, probably closer to the Sun than Earth. ☄️ #planetsci
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The Moon-forming impactor Theia originated from the inner Solar System
The Moon formed from a giant impact of a planetary body, called Theia, with proto-Earth. It is unknown whether Theia formed in the inner or outer Solar System. We measured iron isotopes in lunar sampl...
www.science.org
November 20, 2025 at 8:52 PM
A giant impact between proto-Earth and a planet called Theia produced the Moon. Hopp et al. use isotopic measurements of lunar samples and cosmochemical modelling to show that Theia formed in the inner Solar System, probably closer to the Sun than Earth. ☄️ #planetsci
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Last week I had the honour to speak at the 5th Innovation Forum for Intelligent Computing at Zheijang Lab, and share my voice on a panel with experts with a lot more seniority.
Here are some tips for early career researchers for when you're the youngest in the room and feeling small
🧪🔭
Here are some tips for early career researchers for when you're the youngest in the room and feeling small
🧪🔭
November 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Last week I had the honour to speak at the 5th Innovation Forum for Intelligent Computing at Zheijang Lab, and share my voice on a panel with experts with a lot more seniority.
Here are some tips for early career researchers for when you're the youngest in the room and feeling small
🧪🔭
Here are some tips for early career researchers for when you're the youngest in the room and feeling small
🧪🔭
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
This person is paying OpenAI two hundred dollars a month to have a chatbot gaslight them about making an excel spreadsheet
October 20, 2025 at 2:08 AM
This person is paying OpenAI two hundred dollars a month to have a chatbot gaslight them about making an excel spreadsheet
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
We are pleased to announce that the Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger Studies in Europe (ACME) EU-funded project has officially launched its online platform for virtual access to multi-messenger expertise. 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
support.acme-astro.eu
Details in the thread below and on: www.acme-astro.eu
support.acme-astro.eu
Details in the thread below and on: www.acme-astro.eu
ACME VA platform
support.acme-astro.eu
October 10, 2025 at 8:44 PM
We are pleased to announce that the Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger Studies in Europe (ACME) EU-funded project has officially launched its online platform for virtual access to multi-messenger expertise. 🔭🧪⚛️☄️
support.acme-astro.eu
Details in the thread below and on: www.acme-astro.eu
support.acme-astro.eu
Details in the thread below and on: www.acme-astro.eu
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
Today is the release day of Gazan physics student Wasim Said's memoir of life under the genocide. 🧪
You should grab a copy. #BookSky
1804books.com/products/wit...
You should grab a copy. #BookSky
1804books.com/products/wit...
Witness to the Hellfire of Genocide
I didn’t write this to make you cry.Not for you to tell me: “Poor you.”I write this so I can hang these words around your neck—to make you bear the responsibility of my perspective,the responsibility ...
1804books.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Today is the release day of Gazan physics student Wasim Said's memoir of life under the genocide. 🧪
You should grab a copy. #BookSky
1804books.com/products/wit...
You should grab a copy. #BookSky
1804books.com/products/wit...
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
"no evidence supporting a statistically significant trend of [O star] multiplicity properties with metallicity" still high (~70%) in the SMC - interesting! 🔭🧪 #AstroSci #extragalactic
A high fraction of close massive binary stars at low metallicity - Nature Astronomy
The analysis of radial velocity variations of O-type stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud reveals a large fraction of close binaries, suggesting that binary physics also plays a prominent role in the l...
www.nature.com
September 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
"no evidence supporting a statistically significant trend of [O star] multiplicity properties with metallicity" still high (~70%) in the SMC - interesting! 🔭🧪 #AstroSci #extragalactic
How long do we give the techno-bros to start weaponising DEI by saying their fave AI is conscious and has feelings and saying otherwise is "dehumanizing" and cruel?
September 25, 2025 at 5:20 AM
How long do we give the techno-bros to start weaponising DEI by saying their fave AI is conscious and has feelings and saying otherwise is "dehumanizing" and cruel?
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
That’s a much better title yeah
My preferred title "Bot does Astronomers' Cosmic Laundry"
But I guess it didn't sound serious enough.
Fun fact the tool still works even though we added a whole new telescope in the stream this summer and without retraining 🤣🫶
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...
But I guess it didn't sound serious enough.
Fun fact the tool still works even though we added a whole new telescope in the stream this summer and without retraining 🤣🫶
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...
AI tool developed at Oxford helps astronomers find supernovae in a
A new AI-powered tool has reduced astronomers’ workload by 85% - filtering through thousands of data alerts to identify the few genuine signals caused by supernovae (powerful explosions from dying
www.ox.ac.uk
September 11, 2025 at 11:42 AM
That’s a much better title yeah
My preferred title "Bot does Astronomers' Cosmic Laundry"
But I guess it didn't sound serious enough.
Fun fact the tool still works even though we added a whole new telescope in the stream this summer and without retraining 🤣🫶
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...
But I guess it didn't sound serious enough.
Fun fact the tool still works even though we added a whole new telescope in the stream this summer and without retraining 🤣🫶
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...
AI tool developed at Oxford helps astronomers find supernovae in a
A new AI-powered tool has reduced astronomers’ workload by 85% - filtering through thousands of data alerts to identify the few genuine signals caused by supernovae (powerful explosions from dying
www.ox.ac.uk
September 11, 2025 at 10:25 AM
My preferred title "Bot does Astronomers' Cosmic Laundry"
But I guess it didn't sound serious enough.
Fun fact the tool still works even though we added a whole new telescope in the stream this summer and without retraining 🤣🫶
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...
But I guess it didn't sound serious enough.
Fun fact the tool still works even though we added a whole new telescope in the stream this summer and without retraining 🤣🫶
www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09...
"AI-powered" is obviously a marketing term.
My models use a nifty little trick called Histogram Based Gradient Boosted Decision trees.
TL;DR it approximates complex probability distributions by adding loads of small functions (here trees).
Why is it smart if it's so simple?
1/2 #AstroSci
My models use a nifty little trick called Histogram Based Gradient Boosted Decision trees.
TL;DR it approximates complex probability distributions by adding loads of small functions (here trees).
Why is it smart if it's so simple?
1/2 #AstroSci
September 11, 2025 at 6:14 AM
"AI-powered" is obviously a marketing term.
My models use a nifty little trick called Histogram Based Gradient Boosted Decision trees.
TL;DR it approximates complex probability distributions by adding loads of small functions (here trees).
Why is it smart if it's so simple?
1/2 #AstroSci
My models use a nifty little trick called Histogram Based Gradient Boosted Decision trees.
TL;DR it approximates complex probability distributions by adding loads of small functions (here trees).
Why is it smart if it's so simple?
1/2 #AstroSci
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
September 10, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
For the last two years, I've been paying for the Astronomy feeds hosting myself.
It has been a privilege to grow our community here, but I also shouldn't keep doing it for free 😅
That's why I'm delighted to announce that we now have a donations page on Open Collective! 🔭☄️ #astrophotography
It has been a privilege to grow our community here, but I also shouldn't keep doing it for free 😅
That's why I'm delighted to announce that we now have a donations page on Open Collective! 🔭☄️ #astrophotography
The Astrosky Ecosystem - Open Collective
We're building an open-source ecosystem of social media tools for the space science & astronomy communities.
opencollective.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:51 PM
For the last two years, I've been paying for the Astronomy feeds hosting myself.
It has been a privilege to grow our community here, but I also shouldn't keep doing it for free 😅
That's why I'm delighted to announce that we now have a donations page on Open Collective! 🔭☄️ #astrophotography
It has been a privilege to grow our community here, but I also shouldn't keep doing it for free 😅
That's why I'm delighted to announce that we now have a donations page on Open Collective! 🔭☄️ #astrophotography
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
New from Wynn Jacobson-Galán ! it’s so cool to see such an expansive spectral energy distribution (SED) of such an extraordinary event.
arxiv.org/abs/2508.11747
🧪🔭☄️
arxiv.org/abs/2508.11747
🧪🔭☄️
August 19, 2025 at 7:07 AM
New from Wynn Jacobson-Galán ! it’s so cool to see such an expansive spectral energy distribution (SED) of such an extraordinary event.
arxiv.org/abs/2508.11747
🧪🔭☄️
arxiv.org/abs/2508.11747
🧪🔭☄️
Reposted by Dr. Heloise Stevance
Well... the discussion around 3I/ATLAS continues to... evolve. This object is super exciting, fascinating, worthy of a LOT of study and press! ALSO so far as I have seen, & from every solar system expert I've talked to (and I know a lot of 'em!), it looks like a comet, not a spaceship.
🔭🧪☄️
🔭🧪☄️
August 15, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Well... the discussion around 3I/ATLAS continues to... evolve. This object is super exciting, fascinating, worthy of a LOT of study and press! ALSO so far as I have seen, & from every solar system expert I've talked to (and I know a lot of 'em!), it looks like a comet, not a spaceship.
🔭🧪☄️
🔭🧪☄️