Erin M. May, PhD

@[email protected]
225 Followers
191 Following
630 Posts

Professional Astrophysicist. Crafting Enthusiast.

You can find me studying atmospheres of planets around far away stars with space telescopes

(she/her)

Header picture is from a simulation of the atmosphere of an Earth-like exoplanet.

Other things I like and will occasionally toot about: Star Trek, Knitting, Books, Cats

(all follows welcome, no need to ask!)

Websitehttps://erinmmay.github.io/
Etsyhttps://SiderealStickers.etsy.com
Goodreadshttps://goodreads.com/_astronomay
Etsy Mastodon Account@SiderealSticker
Show threadErin M. May, PhDNov 5, 2022

My favorite #CatFact on this beautiful #Caturday is that most calico cats are female! The regions of different colors are due to different X chromosomes being "turned on" for the fur color (at least that's how I understand it in my poor grasp of genetics)

So if you see a rare male calico, chances are it has XXY chromosomes, not XY.

Erin M. May, PhDNov 5, 2022
The Wee Owl Studio, ArtNov 4, 2022
I filled a little buff sketchbook full of drawings last year. It was a lovely project and I sold the book when I was finished. Here are a few of the drawings from it.
I'll be honest it was hard to part with the little book, but It's my living so I had to do it.
#drawings #MastoArt #CreativeToots
Erin M. May, PhDNov 5, 2022

🎶It's the best day of the week!🎶

#caturday #catsofmastodon

Erin M. May, PhDNov 5, 2022
Tim LichtenbergNov 4, 2022

So let's see how this site does. 😃

I am looking for two PhD students to study the evolution of hot rocky exoplanets at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, with a focus on magma ocean interiors and atmospheres. 🌍🌋🔭 Application deadline is 1st December. Details at: https://formingworlds.space/post/phd-positions-october-2022. Please boost. 🙂 #exoplanets #Astrodon #astronomy #phd

Erin M. May, PhDNov 4, 2022
Kelly LepoNov 4, 2022

Hello #Astrodon!

I guess it's time for an #introduction. I'm an outreach scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (yes, that is a real job, and yes it is mostly awesome).

I get to talk about all of the cool science coming out of #JWST and lead the Subject Matter Expert engagement project for NASA's Universe of Learning.

I'm mostly here to learn about the cool stuff you all are doing, so I don't have to read the arXiv myself.

Erin M. May, PhDNov 4, 2022
Show threadAtelier du CapenduNov 4, 2022
@Curator Hi, I'm a creole fiber artist. I specialize in embroidered jacquard and I like electric colors.
This year, I have worked on two series of handknit sweaters in collab' with @rhumxstamp
Here are some photos of my work.
The sweaters will soon be available to purchase. My shop will be open at the end of this year.
Erin M. May, PhDNov 4, 2022

I typically use https://colororacle.org/ to test the accessibility of my plots, but it seems to not be working for me after updating to Monterey 😩

Sooo what other tools do people use to check that their plots are accessible to those with color blindness?

#astrodon

Color Oracle | Color Oracle

Erin M. May, PhDNov 4, 2022
Show threadMark McCaughreanNov 4, 2022
The conflation of “open access” with zero proprietary period is misleading in my view. All data go public after 12 months at most – nothing is hidden away forever.

Open access should more meaningfully apply to the results of the data analysis, i.e. the scientific papers. Those absolutely should not be hidden from the tax-payer behind journal paywalls as many are today, but that’s a completely different issue.
Erin M. May, PhDNov 4, 2022
Juan Carlos MuñozNov 4, 2022

Ever heard the term "galactic archaeology"? It refers to astronomers using stars as fossils to understand the history of the Milky Way and some nearby galaxies.

My colleague Rebecca Forsberg, one our science communication interns at ESO, is working on this topic for her PhD, and she just wrote this lovely piece about how ESO's Very Large Telescope and ESA's Gaia mission joined forces to unveil the secrets of our home galaxy:

➡️ https://www.eso.org/public/blog/galactic-archaeology/

📷 ESO/B. Tafreshi

#astrodon #astronomy

Erin M. May, PhDNov 3, 2022
Dr. Heloise Stevance✨🐍Nov 3, 2022

Well butter my a$$ and call me a crumpet because MY NATURE ASTRONOMY PAPER THAT I SUBMITTED IN JANUARY JUST GOT ACCEPTED!

It was a long journey of major revisions. First I had NO IDEA how the nature process works and I didn't provide supplementary info in the first submission (BAD BAD don't do that). Second: referee 3 just HATES our code.

But that's it. Just Editorial revisions to make but that's it. 🫠🫠🫠 I did it.

#Astrodon