#CosmicStories is all about the connection between #sciencefiction and #science, #astronomy in particular. In today's new blog, we take a look at what attendees of this year's @royalastrosoc.bsky.social #NAM2026 conference thought of using SF for science communication.
warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/phys...
warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/phys...
August 23, 2026 at 7:58 AM
#CosmicStories is all about the connection between #sciencefiction and #science, #astronomy in particular. In today's new blog, we take a look at what attendees of this year's @royalastrosoc.bsky.social #NAM2026 conference thought of using SF for science communication.
warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/phys...
warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/phys...
Very cool behind the scenes at #NAM2026. @drbecky.bsky.social is our guide... Enjoy!
#RoyalAstroSoc
🔭🎢🧪
#RoyalAstroSoc
🔭🎢🧪
A day in the life of an Astrophysicist...
YouTube video by Dr. Becky
youtu.be
July 31, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Very cool behind the scenes at #NAM2026. @drbecky.bsky.social is our guide... Enjoy!
#RoyalAstroSoc
🔭🎢🧪
#RoyalAstroSoc
🔭🎢🧪
That's it for NAM2026 🚀🔭
Thank you so much to the organising committee, to our hosts the @unibirmingham.bsky.social and to everyone who came along or joined us online.
Next year's NAM will be hosted by the @universityofleeds.bsky.social - we look forward to seeing you there! 👋
Thank you so much to the organising committee, to our hosts the @unibirmingham.bsky.social and to everyone who came along or joined us online.
Next year's NAM will be hosted by the @universityofleeds.bsky.social - we look forward to seeing you there! 👋
July 24, 2026 at 4:19 PM
That's it for NAM2026 🚀🔭
Thank you so much to the organising committee, to our hosts the @unibirmingham.bsky.social and to everyone who came along or joined us online.
Next year's NAM will be hosted by the @universityofleeds.bsky.social - we look forward to seeing you there! 👋
Thank you so much to the organising committee, to our hosts the @unibirmingham.bsky.social and to everyone who came along or joined us online.
Next year's NAM will be hosted by the @universityofleeds.bsky.social - we look forward to seeing you there! 👋
Our final scientific update from NAM2026 concerns NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will search for Earth-like planets when it launches in the 2040s.
UK astronomers are a step closer to playing a leading role in the mission, after receiving £3m from the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social.
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UK astronomers are a step closer to playing a leading role in the mission, after receiving £3m from the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social.
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July 24, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Our final scientific update from NAM2026 concerns NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will search for Earth-like planets when it launches in the 2040s.
UK astronomers are a step closer to playing a leading role in the mission, after receiving £3m from the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social.
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UK astronomers are a step closer to playing a leading role in the mission, after receiving £3m from the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social.
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Finished with #NAM2026, and off for brief holidays. A lovely conference with lots of good people, conversations, & science; I will probably do a science roundup when I am less tired. 🔭
July 24, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Finished with #NAM2026, and off for brief holidays. A lovely conference with lots of good people, conversations, & science; I will probably do a science roundup when I am less tired. 🔭
Thank you to everyone who joined us for last night's NAM2026 Conference Dinner & RAS Awards Ceremony in the University of Birmingham's stunning Great Hall.
Congratulations again to all of this year's award winners 🏆️🏅
Congratulations again to all of this year's award winners 🏆️🏅
July 24, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Thank you to everyone who joined us for last night's NAM2026 Conference Dinner & RAS Awards Ceremony in the University of Birmingham's stunning Great Hall.
Congratulations again to all of this year's award winners 🏆️🏅
Congratulations again to all of this year's award winners 🏆️🏅
It's the final day here at NAM2026... but the science isn't over yet!
Could alien signals be hiding on a different radio channel? 👽️📻️ That's what @manchester.ac.uk PhD student Louisa Mason will be exploring later this afternoon.
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Could alien signals be hiding on a different radio channel? 👽️📻️ That's what @manchester.ac.uk PhD student Louisa Mason will be exploring later this afternoon.
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July 24, 2026 at 9:06 AM
It's the final day here at NAM2026... but the science isn't over yet!
Could alien signals be hiding on a different radio channel? 👽️📻️ That's what @manchester.ac.uk PhD student Louisa Mason will be exploring later this afternoon.
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Could alien signals be hiding on a different radio channel? 👽️📻️ That's what @manchester.ac.uk PhD student Louisa Mason will be exploring later this afternoon.
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Enjoyed #NAM2026 @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Awards Dinner. Stimulating conversations with young #astronomy researchers i had never met before and who all spoke with such passion for the subject and what it can offer - UK is lucky to have such a community… but i did miss out on a clear night 🤦🏻♂️🤣🔭
July 23, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Enjoyed #NAM2026 @royalastrosoc.bsky.social Awards Dinner. Stimulating conversations with young #astronomy researchers i had never met before and who all spoke with such passion for the subject and what it can offer - UK is lucky to have such a community… but i did miss out on a clear night 🤦🏻♂️🤣🔭
The RAS Awards Ceremony has just begun at NAM2026. 🏅🏆
Conference chair Ben Gompertz welcomes everybody to the event, before RAS President Jim Wild takes to the stage to begin handing out the prizes to our brilliant 2026 Award Winners. 👏
Conference chair Ben Gompertz welcomes everybody to the event, before RAS President Jim Wild takes to the stage to begin handing out the prizes to our brilliant 2026 Award Winners. 👏
July 23, 2026 at 6:17 PM
The RAS Awards Ceremony has just begun at NAM2026. 🏅🏆
Conference chair Ben Gompertz welcomes everybody to the event, before RAS President Jim Wild takes to the stage to begin handing out the prizes to our brilliant 2026 Award Winners. 👏
Conference chair Ben Gompertz welcomes everybody to the event, before RAS President Jim Wild takes to the stage to begin handing out the prizes to our brilliant 2026 Award Winners. 👏
Reminder that the winner of the 2026 MNRAS Student Prize will be announced at NAM2026 tomorrow.
If you're here at the @unibirmingham.bsky.social, please join us in room LG18 at 11am!
If you're here at the @unibirmingham.bsky.social, please join us in room LG18 at 11am!
July 23, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reminder that the winner of the 2026 MNRAS Student Prize will be announced at NAM2026 tomorrow.
If you're here at the @unibirmingham.bsky.social, please join us in room LG18 at 11am!
If you're here at the @unibirmingham.bsky.social, please join us in room LG18 at 11am!
Remember the spectacular Northern Lights show that lit up the UK in May 2024?
Well, the geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest test in a generation of the UK's preparedness for severe space weather. So did it pass?
Find out from research at NAM2026 👉️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Well, the geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest test in a generation of the UK's preparedness for severe space weather. So did it pass?
Find out from research at NAM2026 👉️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
July 23, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Remember the spectacular Northern Lights show that lit up the UK in May 2024?
Well, the geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest test in a generation of the UK's preparedness for severe space weather. So did it pass?
Find out from research at NAM2026 👉️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
Well, the geomagnetic storm behind it also served as the biggest test in a generation of the UK's preparedness for severe space weather. So did it pass?
Find out from research at NAM2026 👉️ ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
![xkcd: Survivorship bias
Transcript courtesy of Explain xkcd:
[Hairy, holding an arm out towards an unseen crowd, is standing on a podium with five large bags around him, each having a dollar sign on it.]
Hairy: Never stop buying lottery tickets, no matter what anyone tells you.
Hairy: I failed again and again, but I never gave up. I took extra jobs and poured the money into tickets.
Hairy: And here I am, proof that if you put in the time, it pays off!
[Caption below the panel:]
Every inspirational speech by someone successful should have to start with a disclaimer about survivorship bias.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qgkte62puf4w7v6hwevwhshd/bafkreicqni7zgceyjppxr5j4lnz6roi53ziisubriywfmuihrvahws27qu)
July 23, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Not exactly refreshing, original, or as edgy as it seems to end a talk on a confirmation of the “publish or perish” mentality. ECRs should take this as informative about one person’s attitude, one which is not necessarily broadly shared in modern astrophysics culture #NAM2026
July 23, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Not exactly refreshing, original, or as edgy as it seems to end a talk on a confirmation of the “publish or perish” mentality. ECRs should take this as informative about one person’s attitude, one which is not necessarily broadly shared in modern astrophysics culture #NAM2026
To those at the #NAM2026 plenary hearing things like “and that’s when I knew we were going to win [over other survey teams]”, know that you can do brilliant science in a collaborative and mutually encouraging way, rather than treating everyone else as a competitor. We decide/set our culture. 🔭
July 23, 2026 at 11:26 AM
To those at the #NAM2026 plenary hearing things like “and that’s when I knew we were going to win [over other survey teams]”, know that you can do brilliant science in a collaborative and mutually encouraging way, rather than treating everyone else as a competitor. We decide/set our culture. 🔭
'You can't build an anomaly detector...this is a very childish idea' says Shrinivas Kulkarni at #NAM2026. So much for those of us working in the field, then. 🔭
July 23, 2026 at 11:10 AM
'You can't build an anomaly detector...this is a very childish idea' says Shrinivas Kulkarni at #NAM2026. So much for those of us working in the field, then. 🔭
Good morning! 👋
Day 3 of NAM2026 celebrates outstanding achievement as we prepare for plenary talks from the RAS Gold Medal winners and look forward to the Conference Dinner and RAS Awards Ceremony at the University of Birmingham's spectacular Great Hall this evening.
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Day 3 of NAM2026 celebrates outstanding achievement as we prepare for plenary talks from the RAS Gold Medal winners and look forward to the Conference Dinner and RAS Awards Ceremony at the University of Birmingham's spectacular Great Hall this evening.
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July 23, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Good morning! 👋
Day 3 of NAM2026 celebrates outstanding achievement as we prepare for plenary talks from the RAS Gold Medal winners and look forward to the Conference Dinner and RAS Awards Ceremony at the University of Birmingham's spectacular Great Hall this evening.
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Day 3 of NAM2026 celebrates outstanding achievement as we prepare for plenary talks from the RAS Gold Medal winners and look forward to the Conference Dinner and RAS Awards Ceremony at the University of Birmingham's spectacular Great Hall this evening.
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I'm not at the UK #NAM2026 but will be at the Irish version which is in Maynooth in September:
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/even...
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/even...
Irish National Astronomy Meeting 2026
The Department of Physics is delighted to welcome you to Maynooth University for the Irish National Astronomy Meeting 2026, the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of Ireland. The meeting will
www.maynoothuniversity.ie
July 22, 2026 at 7:25 PM
I'm not at the UK #NAM2026 but will be at the Irish version which is in Maynooth in September:
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/even...
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/even...
Best thing about #NAM2026: meeting lots of fantastic early career researchers and demanding they tell me all about the cool science in their posters. 🥳
Not so best thing about NAM2026: giving the why/what/how of #STFC funding cuts explainer, while trying to not jettison all their hopes and dreams.🔭
Not so best thing about NAM2026: giving the why/what/how of #STFC funding cuts explainer, while trying to not jettison all their hopes and dreams.🔭
Astronomer Royal for Scotland @astroroyalscot.bsky.social giving overview of the state of UK astronomy funding
Rising facility costs has led to a budget chasm. Huge cuts to labs. Postdocs protected, but at historically low level. To balance this, projects will be cut.
🔭 #SaveUKAstronomy #NAM2026
Rising facility costs has led to a budget chasm. Huge cuts to labs. Postdocs protected, but at historically low level. To balance this, projects will be cut.
🔭 #SaveUKAstronomy #NAM2026
July 22, 2026 at 6:45 PM
How delightful it is to meet BlueSky friends in real life at #NAM2026
Here is me interrupting @drcarpineti.bsky.social in the NAM press room when he was frantically trying to type up a story 😇
Here is me interrupting @drcarpineti.bsky.social in the NAM press room when he was frantically trying to type up a story 😇
Lovely seeing @astroroyalscot.bsky.social here at NAM
July 22, 2026 at 6:34 PM
How delightful it is to meet BlueSky friends in real life at #NAM2026
Here is me interrupting @drcarpineti.bsky.social in the NAM press room when he was frantically trying to type up a story 😇
Here is me interrupting @drcarpineti.bsky.social in the NAM press room when he was frantically trying to type up a story 😇
Good to finally catch up with @planet4589.bsky.social in the flesh! A great asset for Team Space in UK #NAM2026 @ukspaceagency.bsky.social
July 22, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Good to finally catch up with @planet4589.bsky.social in the flesh! A great asset for Team Space in UK #NAM2026 @ukspaceagency.bsky.social
Community Session #NAM2026 on UK astro-funding and govt support (or not) for sector. Great observations from @astroroyalscot.bsky.social and updates from @ukspaceagency.bsky.social #stfc - “watchful waiting” but praise for @royalastrosoc.bsky.social actions in raising the profile of the sector
July 22, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Community Session #NAM2026 on UK astro-funding and govt support (or not) for sector. Great observations from @astroroyalscot.bsky.social and updates from @ukspaceagency.bsky.social #stfc - “watchful waiting” but praise for @royalastrosoc.bsky.social actions in raising the profile of the sector
Tuning into the #NAM2026 townhall, between the news on STFC, institutions across the UK being in the red, and the ever increasing emphasis away from curiosity driven research it’s very hard to feel anything but bleak about the future of us PPAN ECRs 🫠
July 22, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Tuning into the #NAM2026 townhall, between the news on STFC, institutions across the UK being in the red, and the ever increasing emphasis away from curiosity driven research it’s very hard to feel anything but bleak about the future of us PPAN ECRs 🫠
Astronomer Royal for Scotland @astroroyalscot.bsky.social giving overview of the state of UK astronomy funding
Rising facility costs has led to a budget chasm. Huge cuts to labs. Postdocs protected, but at historically low level. To balance this, projects will be cut.
🔭 #SaveUKAstronomy #NAM2026
Rising facility costs has led to a budget chasm. Huge cuts to labs. Postdocs protected, but at historically low level. To balance this, projects will be cut.
🔭 #SaveUKAstronomy #NAM2026
July 22, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Astronomer Royal for Scotland @astroroyalscot.bsky.social giving overview of the state of UK astronomy funding
Rising facility costs has led to a budget chasm. Huge cuts to labs. Postdocs protected, but at historically low level. To balance this, projects will be cut.
🔭 #SaveUKAstronomy #NAM2026
Rising facility costs has led to a budget chasm. Huge cuts to labs. Postdocs protected, but at historically low level. To balance this, projects will be cut.
🔭 #SaveUKAstronomy #NAM2026