Bill Nye is stepping down as CEO of The Planetary Society on February 17.

He will stay on as Vice Chair of the board and stepping into a new role as Chief Ambassador.

I grew up watching Bill Nye the Science Guy, so having him take what feels like another step towards retirement is somewhat gut wrenching. The team at The Planetary Society is amazing and I know they’ll do just fine.

#ThePlanetarySociety

“You might think that astronomers were having a little fun when they chose the name ‘Cloud-9’ for the newly-discovered dark matter cloud. But its idiomatic familiarity is just a coincidence: Cloud-9 was named for being the ninth gas cloud found on the outskirts of a nearby spiral galaxy.”

The Downlink Newsletter
January 9, 2026

#ThePlanetarySociety
#Astronomy
#Cosmology

https://www.planetary.org/space-images/cloud-9?utm_campaign=downlink&utm_medium=email&utm_source=20260109&s_src=downlink&s_subsrc=20260109

PayPal be gone! After I-don't-know-how-many-years, I closed my account. It was surprisingly easy and pain-free, unlike certain other sites I've closed.

I switched to #Helcim which was also surprisingly easy and pain-free. Special thanks to Monish for the online meeting where he answered all my questions and gave me pointers which will prove valuable.

That's the last USA-based organisation I deal with, but one. The one exception is #ThePlanetarySociety. I can't hold it against them that Carl Sagan was American. Oh, and #scientificamerican. I have almost every issue since about 1974, can't break that streak!

I just remembered, I also have a subscription to #finewoodworking. I don't know what I'll do about that one.

As shutdown continues, science community keeps focus on long-term budget concerns

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://spacenews.com/as-shutdown-continues-science-community-keeps-focus-on-long-term-budget-concerns/

Solar flares are sudden bursts of magnetic energy from the Sun that release electromagnetic radiation and charged particles into space. The radiation from a solar flare typically reaches Earth in about 8 minutes, whereas the particles take 1–3 days to arrive.

~The Downlink Newsletter, August 29, 2025, The Planetary Society

#ThePlanetarySociety
#Cosmology

#SomewhereDeepInTheNight -- Plumes rising off the surface of Io as the result of volcanic activity, viewed side-on here by the Juno spacecraft.
Check out more of this month's coolest space pictures: -- #ThePlanetarySociety

https://www.planetary.org/worlds/coolest-space-pictures?fbclid=IwAR3SsIAqYBv4cZlAjHcz081xGGVRD90jWcxMTpG951Gw1FdBwWqJ0rYVpkU

Nice interview with Louis Friedman, looking forward to listening to his latest book

Alone but not lonely with Louis Friedman

https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2023-alone-but-not-lonely #space #astronomy #ThePlanetarySociety #ExtraterrestrialLife