Professor of Space Physics at
@LancasterUni
and lover of all things spacey. Fell-runner, EV enthusiast, film/soundtrack geek and curry fan. My own views etc.
📷🌋It was only a matter of time until someone managed it, but this is an *epic* photo of the northern lights over the
#volcano
in Fagradalsfjall
#Iceland
by Christopher Mathews!
#aurora
#Auroraborealis
(via )
I really wish folks would stop saying that universities are planning for “business as usual”. It‘s a huge disservice to tens of thousands of academic + professional services staff who’ve spent the last 6 months trying to prepare for the most unusual academic year in a generation.
Although I've been a union member for almost 20 years, the current
#USSstrike
is the 1st time that I've stood on the picket line. I'm not an "activist" or a "militant" but pension changes being forced through by
@UniversitiesUK
are beyond the pale.
#IdRatherBeTeaching
[Thread]
The aurora hunters who chase the Northern Lights. Great story from
@BBCNewsScotland
about the folks who watch and capture the
#auroraborealis
on camera, including a little clip of me talking about what generates the
#northernlights
.
The
@aurorawatchuk
red alert issued at 19:02 BST understandably got a lot of people excited. The magnetic field spike at
@SumburghHead
looks plausible (I can see a similar spike in the
@BritGeoSurvey
Lerwick sensor) but was short lived. Activity calming down again now [1/2]
I’m excited to share that I’ve recently joined the
@StarTrek
team as a Science Consultant. Can’t wait to be working alongside the incredible cast & crews of the
#StarTrekUniverse
!
A colleague said he bet our story would get picked up by HIGNFY, and I replied that if it did, I’d retire. Better start planning the leaving do.
Our research paper behind the story:
It’s that time of year. The
@LancasterUni
ducklings are wandering campus. This Mum has her hands full 🦆
(For the faint-heated: yes, I stopped some traffic so they could cross the road)
Wow! I’ve won the
@LancsUniSciTech
2023 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Faculty of Science and Technology at
@LancasterUni
. A huge thank you to all of the colleagues who nominated me 🙏
Yesterday, Solar Orbiter (currently about halfway between Earth and Sun) was passed by a significant CME with southward magnetic field, expected to arrive later today (20/3). Potential to trigger some
#aurora
displays. Keep an eye on
@aurorawatchuk
! 👀
#SpaceWeather
Solar Orbiter is currently very well aligned with Earth. ESA's data systems have not had a good few days but we now have the latest data which show a CME with strong Southward fields. Expected arrival late on 20th. More info tomorrow.
Plan in place. Online forms created. Website updated. Applicants emailed. Answering calls. Replying to social media posts.
WELL DONE to everyone involved in admissions at
@LancasterUni
👏
GOOD LUCK to all the applicants whose situation has changed 🤞
Following yesterday's announcement, we've updated our information regarding how your CAG grades can be used for your university place.
If you would like us to review your application due to changed grades, head to our self service tool found here 👉
Thanks again to the colleagues who nominated me for this. The really lovely quotes included in the citation reminded me what a great team got us through a tough time (and some of those 🦠 times were really tough!) 🙏
#LoveLancaster
@LancsUniSciTech
The solar wind is blasting past Earth at 900 km/s, but the interplanetary magnetic field strength has fallen back to near-normal levels. If another CME arrives everything could change, but at the moment tonight is looking much quieter than last night.
#aurora
#SpaceWeather
#spaceweather
in action! Stunning image of Comet Leonard’s tail being disconnected due to interactions between the plasma in the tail and the magnetised solar wind. Awesome photo by Gerald Rhemann
The amazing
@PSB_HQ
blowing the roof off the Orbit tent at
@bluedotfestival
tonight. Such a great band. Such a amazing show. Standing in for Spiritualized at short notice, flying in EERA from Berlin for an amazing set. Wow 👏
As a counterpoint to the outside-the-Russell-Group-quality-will-be-low narrative, here are the 2020 National Student Survey results (with survey overlapping with lockdown slightly). NSS has its (many) faults but no evidence that RG offer a premium experience to students.
“few beyond the Russell Group go beyond online lectures to offer online seminars and tutorials, so raising questions about the justification for £9,250 tuition fees”. What planet is Will Hutton on? 😡
Bantshire call York University for the The Waterfowl University Rankings but less than 100 votes in it. Press conference from the
@LancasterUni
duck team expected shortly
#FakeNews
Isaac Newton may have developed calculus while sheltering from the bubonic ‘Great Plague’ of 1665–6, but I bet his garage wasn’t as tidy as mine is right now 💪🏻
#LockdownEaster
Well that was pretty special. An arc going from horizon to horizon off to the south of Lancaster. So bright you could capture it in a video with your phone 😍
#aurora
#spaceweather
In the office early this morning - expecting to be interviewed on
#BBC
#R4Today
shortly about last night’s display of the
#auroraborialis
over the UK 🎤
Not everyday your research makes the front-page! Great work by Cameron Patterson
@CardiffCam
highlighted in the Daily Star. Love the headline! Our research paper with all the details should be published in
@theAGU
's Space Weather journal later today
@LancasterUni
@LancUniPhysics
This won't just impact my pension, it will hurt the pensions of all those who come after me and the whole Higher Education system. I think that
@UniversitiesUK
*seriously* mis-judged the depth of feeling in the sector
#IdRatherBeTeaching
I'm a Prof, a Deputy Head of Dept + Director of Teaching. I work with senior management regularly + enjoy an excellent working relationship with them. But I hope the sight of even moderate, management-engaged academics taking action causes pause for thought
#IdRatherBeTeaching
I'm a space scientist in a film. My desk's piled high with papers and I work on a blackboard. A solar superstorm threatens Earth so in 15 min I create a beautifully rendered simulation of the coming apocalypse. Somebody lends me a tie and I present to the UN wearing beige chinos.
This is quite possibly the most bizarre advert for a “research” post-doc job I have ever seen. Stunned that an HR department would sign off on this! 🤦🏻♂️
This is definitely not a repeat of last Friday’s geomagnetic storm. Solar and interplanetary
#spaceweather
conditions are much quieter at the moment.
Scenes like this (over Lancaster) last week are very unlikely tonight [2/2]
If you’re thinking “Why don’t universities just close?” then keep in mind that in some cases, a campus is home to many thousands of students and even some staff. Some don’t have anywhere else to go to right now.
Very proud to stand with family and cheer on my breast-cancer surviving wife at today's
@LancasterUni
triathlon. The event raised funds St John's Hospice Lancaster and CancerCare Lancashire and South Lakeland
#kickingcancersbutt
#onyerbike
Extreme solar storm generated aurorae—and ‘surprise’, including a great quote from
@mathewjowens
: “We spend all this time looking out for the Big One, and sometimes the Big One is seven little ones in a trench coat.” 🫡
Really lovely to meet lots of young people (and many parents) today at the
@LancasterUni
open day. The world is far from back to normal, but it was heartening to feel the excitement and optimism for exciting futures 😍
Inspired by
@ProfChrisScott
’s
#HamaYourResearch
challenge, the Wild family (OK - mainly me) had a go at representing my research at
@LancasterUni
using Hama beads. Here we have a spiral
#aurora
, captured by my all-sky camera over Tjornes, Iceland at 21:32 UTC on 27 Sep 2009.
I'm on a poster! I'll be speaking on Sunday afternoon at
@bluedotfestival
about the (often hilarious) portrayal of solar storms and space weather in the movies ☀️
Heading out for my Christmas break, so that’s it for my stint as the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) in
@LancsUniSciTech
at
@LancasterUni
. Time to retire the Faculty open day badge and dust off the the Departmental one!
Jim Wild, Professor of Space Physics at Lancaster University, will explore our planet’s intimate relationship with the Sun and reveal the science behind the wonder in a captivating discussion titled The Northern Lights: A Rough Guide.
Does anybody remember how earlier in the summer, universities were effectively banned from making unconditional offers because the government/regulator was concerned it would destabilise the admissions system? 🤔
“Boffins mystified” and “baffled eggheads”. Is there a recognised accreditation pathway that leads to Boffin status? Does one have to take an exam, or produce a reflective portfolio? Is “Egghead” a senior or associate-level status? 🤔
#AskingForAFriend
“few beyond the Russell Group go beyond online lectures to offer online seminars and tutorials, so raising questions about the justification for £9,250 tuition fees”. What planet is Will Hutton on? 😡
“Daddy - I want to be the first person on Mars”
Fantastic inspiration via
@LibbyJackson__
- thank you!
(I was also thrilled it didn’t occur to her to say “first woman on Mars”. Long may it continue!)
I met Isobel Mawby in her 1st week as an undergraduate in
@LancUniPhysics
four years ago. Really pleased to see her being awarded a
@LancasterUni
Chancellor’s Medal this afternoon for her outstanding academic performance. Congratulations Isobel!
#Deserved
👩🏻🎓👏🏻 🎉
#Graduation2019
The
@ucu
action seems to be having an impact. Let's see some meaningful talks. Let's see some leadership. Let's get this sorted now and for the future. Please.
And to my students...
#IdRatherBeTeaching
Thanks for your support
#LoveLancaster
.
It's the start of term, which means the
@LancUniPhysics
Space & Planetary Physics Group meetings have resumed! Brilliant to have everyone in the "room" after the summer break. Not everyone could be in the group photo, but lovely familiar faces and five new starters 👋 ☀️🚀🌍🛰🪐
What a great day!
@LancUniPhysics
Space & Planetary Physics student Sofija Durward passed her PhD viva. Well done Sofija - your supervisors are proud of you! Thanks to Profs
@PlanetAndrewC
Andrew Coates and Farideh Honary for acting as examiners 👏🍾🥂
Interesting paper exploring how
#spaceweather
led to the loss of 38 Starlink satellites.
Unveiling the Space Weather During the Starlink Satellites Destruction Event on 4 February 2022
With several coronal mass ejections inbound towards Earth - and most likely they have merged to form a smaller number of large structures - most agencies are predicting a v. strong geomagnetic storm later this evening and into tomorrow. Good likelihood of
#AuroraBorealis
tonight!
With plenty of clear skies in the forecast, there is a good chance of seeing the Aurora across the northern half of the UK, and perhaps further south with long exposure photography 📷
However, as the nights are shorter, the duration of any sightings may be limited ✨
Today I ran my first ultra since pre-Covid times. “The Lap” - an anti-clockwise lap of Windermere in the
#LakeDistrict
, 75km and 2500m of ascent - a grand day out 😬
Back from leave and straight into A-level results week - probably the most complicated and challenging university admissions and clearing process in years.
Good luck to all the applicants and staff involved!
#Clearing2020
#AlevelResults
#alevels2020
Fantastic news that two of my favourite
@esa
missions have been extended!
@ESA_Cluster
has been extended to September 2024 and
#MarsExpress
has been extended to at least 2026 (and possibly 2028) 🥳
Announcement:
Treated myself to a nostalgic wristwatch. THe trouble is that every time I check the time a deep part of my brain tells me I’m late for double geography and I still haven’t finished my French vocab homework.