Dr. Skylar Grayson

Dr. Skylar Grayson

@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Astrophysics PhD ✨ studies black holes and galaxy evolution 🌌Science Communicator (find me other places at “Space According to Skylar”)

7.9K followers170 following776 posts

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Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Time for a new introduction: Hi! I’m Dr. Skylar Grayson, an astrophysicist and science communicator ✨ I study how black holes impact the universe by comparing hydrodynamic simulations with observations of diffuse gas. On here I talk about space news, physics, astronomy, and life as a scientist! 🧪🔭

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Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

The IceCube observatory has opened up a new way of studying our universe, detecting high-energy neutrinos from across our galaxy and beyond. Since neutrinos interact so rarely with matter, they are great messengers that can teach us a lot about the super energetic processes that create them

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

For most of human existence, we have relied on light to teach us about the universe. But projects like these give us a whole new way to probe the cosmos, and are a testament to human creativity, curiosity and collaboration. Ultimately, that's what the Nobel Prize should be about, if you ask me!

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Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

This super-luminal motion generates light, called Cherenkov radiation, that can be detected by the sensors in the ice! By looking at the path the light takes we can learn about the neutrino that caused it: its energy, direction, and even maybe its source.

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

In the 80s, Francis Halzen realized that all this was possible. He became the PI of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, which detected its first super-high energy astrophysical neutrinos in 2013. And now, in 2026, Halzen has won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions.

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Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

One way you can do it is by drilling holes multiple kilometers deep in the Antarctic ice and sending down thousands of light sensors. Occasionally, one of the trillions of neutrinos passing through the ice won't actually pass through: they'll hit something.

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Neutrinos hitting the atoms in the ice can launch out super fast moving particles-particles that create the visual equivalent of a sonic boom. Because light travels more slowly in ice than in a vacuum, it's actually possible for particles to move faster than that local speed of light.

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Neutrinos are tiny, electrically neutral particles (thus their very cute name). They can come from many different sources: radioactive decay, nuclear fusion and fission, cosmic rays interacting with our atmosphere, and supermassive black hole activity, to name a few. And there's a ton of them...

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

About 100 trillion neutrinos pass through your body every SECOND. But because they're tiny and neutral, you (and the atoms that make you up) don't notice them. This general dislike of interacting with other stuff makes neutrinos incredibly difficult to detect-but not impossible!

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

In a very full circle moment, the day I found my grandpa’s Apollo memorabilia is the day my PhD dissertation came in the mail. I’m the first in my family to become a doctor, so holding this book with my (and his) name on it is kind of surreal

Dr. Skylar Grayson@skylargrayson.bsky.social

My grandfather, like thousands of others, worked on the Apollo missions. I just found some of the things he kept from that time and it’s pretty amazing to think about the small way he contributed to these historic events #space #moonlandings

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

My grandfather, like thousands of others, worked on the Apollo missions. I just found some of the things he kept from that time and it’s pretty amazing to think about the small way he contributed to these historic events #space #moonlandings

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

He was an engineer that worked on the team that designed the nuclear generator that powered the scientific experiments brought to the moon on Apollo 12 (the small black box to the right of the astronaut in this image from the magazine)

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Here it is folks: the very first photons detected by NASA's newest space telescope!!! The Nancy Grace Roman telescope launched a couple weeks ago, and now that it's out in space en route to it's home at L2, the commissioning process has begun. 1/3 📸: NASA GSFC, T. Desjardins (STScI)

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

That means cooling down the instruments, checking the element wheel and the coronagraph, and focusing the telescope. In this first image, we see stars that have taken a donut appearance because the telescope is out of focus. 2/3

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

If you’re following this account might I gently suggest you don’t…lots of fake images and images without credit. This one is absolutely not a real image from NASA-while there is a hexagonal storm on Saturn’s pole it does not look like this! 1/2

Space@redditspaceviewes.bsky.social

NASA releases insane new image of the mighty hexagonal storm on Saturn's North Pole.

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Turns out I am not capable of simultaneously wrapping up a PhD, prepping for an international move, planning a wedding, AND posting regularly on here so the ball has been dropped a bit this summer 😅 I will be back to being active soon, just gotta get through this bonkers phase of life first

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

So in the month of May I had my bachelorette party, defended my PhD thesis, graduated, went to the UK for two weeks for a family wedding, and watched my team win the premier league. I’ll get back to science soon, I’m just…processing 😅

Dr. Skylar Grayson reposted

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory
@rubinobservatory.org

Not all galaxies wander space alone...and sometimes they're too close for comfort 😬 Galaxies can interact, collide, and merge. By studying snapshots of these interactions, scientists can gain insight into how galaxies evolve over billions of years⏳

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

If you’re wondering what the big concerns are for astronomy from the White House budget request and what you can do about it, check out this article!!!

Astrobites@astrobites.bsky.social

From Tori Bonidie and Skylar Grayson: The president’s budget requests for NASA and the NSF were released last week. We summarizes the major cuts and their impacts while providing resources to help fight back against this attack on science. ⚛️ 🔭 ☄️ 🧪 astrobites.org/2026/04/16/budget-request-fy2027/

astrobites.orgBack to work to save science funding! All you need to know about the FY2027 Budget RequestThe president’s budget requests for NASA and the NSF were released last week. We summarizes the major cuts and their impacts while providing resources to help fight back against this attack on science...
Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Alrighty so NASA (and me and a lot of other people) had a little goof. But I think it’s a great opportunity to remind people that sometimes mistakes can actually be pretty cool and lead to a lot of new perspectives and understanding! 🧪🔭

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Holy sh*t. A solar eclipse, seen for the first time by human eyes during a lunar flyby. The Earthlight illuminating the crescent of the moon and part of the spacecraft, the stars and planets in the background…I’m in tears 🤯 📸: NASA 🔭🧪

Dr. Skylar Grayson
@skylargrayson.bsky.social

Don’t mistake my excitement about Artemis as apathy towards what’s happening here on Earth. The behavior of the president is terrifying and despicable, literally threatening war crimes and crimes against humanity on social media.