#aas247 — Public Fediverse posts

The final (8th) #AAS247 presser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyIBkNlk5A about Active Galactic Nuclei Across the Universe covered e.g. https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/scientists-find-more-active-black-holes-dwarf-and-milky-way-sized-galaxies-cutting-through-glare and https://www.sdss.org/black-holes-flip-galaxies and https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/01/red-geyser-galaxies/ - but *the* most important announcement from this astronomy conference could well have been the philanthropic donation (!) of an optical 3.1 meter space telescope - #Lazuli, described in detail the paper https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.02556 - and several large ground observatories (see https://www.schmidtsciences.org/schmidt-observatory-system/) like the #ArgusArray to the astronomical community: https://carolinastories.unc.edu/developing-the-worlds-largest-sky-survey-telescope/ and https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/eric-schmidt-will-massively-invest-in-private-telescopes-including-hubble-replacement/ and https://www.astronomy.com/science/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-to-fund-space-telescope-three-ground-based-observatories/ and https://www.space.com/space-exploration/former-ceo-of-google-spearheads-4-next-gen-telescopes-3-on-earth-and-1-in-space and https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/schmidt-sciences-announces-plan-for-lazuli-a-private-space-telescope/

The final (8th) #AAS247 presser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyIBkNlk5A about Active Galactic Nuclei Across the Universe covered e.g. https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/scientists-find-more-active-black-holes-dwarf-and-milky-way-sized-galaxies-cutting-through-glare and https://www.sdss.org/black-holes-flip-galaxies and https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/01/red-geyser-galaxies/ - but *the* most important announcement from this astronomy conference could well have been the philanthropic donation (!) of an optical 3.1 meter space telescope - #Lazuli, described in detail the paper https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.02556 - and several large ground observatories (see https://www.schmidtsciences.org/schmidt-observatory-system/) like the #ArgusArray to the astronomical community: https://carolinastories.unc.edu/developing-the-worlds-largest-sky-survey-telescope/ and https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/eric-schmidt-will-massively-invest-in-private-telescopes-including-hubble-replacement/ and https://www.astronomy.com/science/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-to-fund-space-telescope-three-ground-based-observatories/ and https://www.space.com/space-exploration/former-ceo-of-google-spearheads-4-next-gen-telescopes-3-on-earth-and-1-in-space and https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/schmidt-sciences-announces-plan-for-lazuli-a-private-space-telescope/

The final (8th) #AAS247 presser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyIBkNlk5A about Active Galactic Nuclei Across the Universe covered e.g. https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/scientists-find-more-active-black-holes-dwarf-and-milky-way-sized-galaxies-cutting-through-glare and https://www.sdss.org/black-holes-flip-galaxies and https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/01/red-geyser-galaxies/ - but *the* most important announcement from this astronomy conference could well have been the philanthropic donation (!) of an optical 3.1 meter space telescope - #Lazuli, described in detail the paper https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.02556 - and several large ground observatories (see https://www.schmidtsciences.org/schmidt-observatory-system/) like the #ArgusArray to the astronomical community: https://carolinastories.unc.edu/developing-the-worlds-largest-sky-survey-telescope/ and https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/eric-schmidt-will-massively-invest-in-private-telescopes-including-hubble-replacement/ and https://www.astronomy.com/science/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-to-fund-space-telescope-three-ground-based-observatories/ and https://www.space.com/space-exploration/former-ceo-of-google-spearheads-4-next-gen-telescopes-3-on-earth-and-1-in-space and https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/schmidt-sciences-announces-plan-for-lazuli-a-private-space-telescope/

The final (8th) #AAS247 presser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyIBkNlk5A about Active Galactic Nuclei Across the Universe covered e.g. https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/scientists-find-more-active-black-holes-dwarf-and-milky-way-sized-galaxies-cutting-through-glare and https://www.sdss.org/black-holes-flip-galaxies and https://news.ucsc.edu/2026/01/red-geyser-galaxies/ - but *the* most important announcement from this astronomy conference could well have been the philanthropic donation (!) of an optical 3.1 meter space telescope - #Lazuli, described in detail the paper https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.02556 - and several large ground observatories (see https://www.schmidtsciences.org/schmidt-observatory-system/) like the #ArgusArray to the astronomical community: https://carolinastories.unc.edu/developing-the-worlds-largest-sky-survey-telescope/ and https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/eric-schmidt-will-massively-invest-in-private-telescopes-including-hubble-replacement/ and https://www.astronomy.com/science/eric-and-wendy-schmidt-to-fund-space-telescope-three-ground-based-observatories/ and https://www.space.com/space-exploration/former-ceo-of-google-spearheads-4-next-gen-telescopes-3-on-earth-and-1-in-space and https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/schmidt-sciences-announces-plan-for-lazuli-a-private-space-telescope/

Dear undergrads attending #aas247: It's that time of year! The SETI Institute, a non-profit private scientific research institution located in California’s Silicon Valley, invites you to apply for a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program for highly motivated students who are interested in research related to astronomy, astrobiology, and planetary science.

#undergrad #reu #science