Stopped by the Smithonian Air and Space museum this weekend to say hi to the Hubble model.
I also got to see the backup mirror (that was not ground to the wrong curvature) and the actual Hubble WFPC2 instrument that astronauts returned from space.
Remote
Kelly Lepo
@KellyLepo@scicomm.xyz
mastodon 4.7.3Astronomer | Science communicator | Adult Lisa Simpson
Freelance writer and editor. Former Education and Outreach Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute supporting JWST.
Formerly @kellylepo@astrodon.social
5040 Followers
365 Following
17 Posts
Joined June 09, 2025
Website:
Posts about:
I'm glad this is finally out after the government shutdown!
In this new JWST image, we see shells of dust surrounding the Apep system.
As the two Wolf-Rayet stars complete their 190-year orbit, they will get close enough that their winds will collide for about 25 years. These colliding winds produce carbon-rich dust that surrounds the stars in a shell. The shells then get blown outward by the winds.
A third star, a massive O-type star, orbits the pair of Wolf-Rayet stars in a wider orbit and destroys some of the top part of the dust shell. All three of these stars appear as a single point of light in the center of the image.
The result: At least four nested shells of dust, showing the history of the system like tree rings.
Replying to
It's been 25 years since Hubble's last full view of the Crab Nebula, and we can actually see it expand.
The way it is expanding is somewhat unique. The expansion of the Crab is driven by the pulsar wind nebula, rather shockwaves from the initial explosion. Filaments around the edge of the nebula appear to have moved more compared to those in the center, and that rather than stretching out over time, they appear to have simply moved outward.
See it in action:
https://youtu.be/xsXH2MGIXbI
Tour the Crab Nebula
Ugh. This is happening at the worst possible time. I have two days to finish all of my grading and set up three sections of summer class, and Canvas gets hacked 🫠
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/05/07/hackers-target-canvas-again
One of the last things I worked on at STScI is finally out.
Learn what JWST has taught us about how stars form, and get excited about what we will learn in the future. We're just getting started!
Narrated by yours truly.
Webb: Transforming Our Understanding of Star Formation
Happy launch anniversary JWST!
The telescope launched on December 25, 2021 on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Spaceport near Kourou, French Guiana.
Thanks to the hard work of the people at ESA, JWST had a fantastic start to its trip out to its parking spot 1.5 million km away at L2.
James Webb Space Telescope Launch Highlights
Intro video I made for last night's Astronomy on Tap Baltimore:
I, Tonya, but the Figure Skaters are Astronomers
I, Tonya but the Figure Skaters are Astronomers - Astronomy on Tap Baltimore
My latest video for Astronomy on Tap Baltimore: Heated Rivalry
In a world where there are no out gay observatories, NASA Astrophysics and NASA Earth Science begin a romance. Can they keep their love a secret?
Heated Rivalry - Astronomy on Tap Baltimore
Replying to
If you like my content on here, and you want to support me as I figure things out, you can buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/kellylepo
Replying to
@MedeaVanamonde I haven't seen any claims a detection of planets or a debris disk around the Crab pulsar. This thing has been so well studied, I think we would know if any were there.
But that's a good question since the first exoplanets were found around a pulsar!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsar_planet
Replying to
@cosmos4u This release was one of many that was delayed by the shutdown. I don't know any of the details on ApJ's side of things.