National Science Foundation’s posts

Oct 5

A "ring of fire," plasma storms, auroras – did you know they’re all part of solar science? Join us for a #takeovernsf event Wed., Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. EDT to learn more about the science behind solar #eclipses. Bring your questions! 📸: A. Woodward; NSO; D. Pickell

An orange and red solar flare erupting from the sun's surface.

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A black total solar eclipse with white flares of plasma shooting into space. S. Habbal, M. Druckmuller, P. Aniol.

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You're looking at the first ever image of a black hole. It was captured by the #NSFFunded

project. #ehtblackhole #RealBlackHole nsf.gov/news/special_r

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Jan 29, 2020

See the Sun like never before!

’s Inouye Solar Telescope produces first detailed images of the sun’s surface. bit.ly/2tOX9Db #SolarVision2020 📷:

@NatSolarObs

@AURADC

/ NSF

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The NSF's Inouye Solar Telescope provides unprecedented close-ups of the sun’s surface, but ultimately it will measure the sun’s corona – no total solar eclipse required. 😎 More: bit.ly/36FAjLo #SolarVision2020

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May 12, 2022

Our own black hole! Astronomers have just revealed the 1st image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy using the

- a planet-scale array of radio telescopes that emerged from decades of NSF support. bit.ly/38rC85z #ourblackhole

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Dec 1, 2020

The instrument platform of the 305m telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico fell overnight. No injuries were reported. NSF is working with stakeholders to assess the situation. Our top priority is maintaining safety. NSF will release more details when they are confirmed.

Arecibo Observatory

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AURA and National Solar Observatory

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's Inouye Solar Telescope helps us better understand the sun and its impact on our planet. #SolarVision2020

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How scientists at the #NSFFunded

captured the first-ever image of a black hole. #EHTBlackHole #RealBlackHole

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The

team built an Earth-sized telescope by linking radio dishes around the world. In April 2017, all they all swiveled to look at the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87, a galaxy in Virgo constellation. #RealBlackHole #EHTBlackHole

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Nov 19, 2020

Following engineering assessments concluding damage to Arecibo Observatory cannot be addressed without endangering the lives and safety of crew and staff, NSF plans to decommission the 305-meter telescope: bit.ly/2IU6ctZ

Arecibo Observatory

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The story of

’s quest to capture the first image of a black hole was covered by

@SmithsonianChan

’s documentary “Black Hole Hunters” premiering this Friday. #RealBlackHole #EHTBlackHole

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From

Smithsonian Channel

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To be able to image a black hole #ehtblackhole researchers needed to create a telescope with the same level of detail as seeing an date on a quarter from in L.A. from D.C

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Jan 29

Three years ago today,

's #DKIST– the world's most powerful solar telescope – released its first amazing images of the boiling surface of the sun. Here's the latest look! DKIST helps us study the sun's impact on Earth. bit.ly/3WKg3T6 📷: @NatSolarObs/AURA/NSF

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Apr 13, 2021

When black holes collide, space itself moves. For a century, the idea of gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of space-- was only theory. Enter NSF's

, the facility that first observed the existence of gravitational waves. bit.ly/2PYAcs8 #BlackHoleWeek

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Very excited to hear

Administrator

's STEM spark! Can you remember the moment that sparked your interest in #science? Share your #MySTEMspark!

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NASA Astronauts and 2 others

Feb 2, 2021

Ever wonder about life or science in space? Wonder no more! NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan will be chatting with

@NASA

astronauts LIVE from

@Space_Station

TOMORROW at 12:40pm ET. Watch here: bit.ly/3r8gl6P

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EGO & the Virgo Collaboration and LIGO

Sep 27, 2017

This is the 1st time a #gravitationalwave detection was observed by observatories, located thousands of miles apart bit.ly/2hwbKge

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May 12, 2022

🚨The image shows a bright ring around a spot of darkness, a spot we have come to understand as a shadow of a black hole, the direct visual evidence of the black hole's existence. bit.ly/3sv0OAS #SgrABlackHole #OurBlackHole

Event Horizon 'Scope

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Apr 12, 2021

Black holes are among the most mysterious objects in the universe– they're especially hard to study because nothing escapes their gravity, including the light and radio waves that often make astronomy possible. bit.ly/3mI95xC #BlackHoleWeek

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Jul 12, 2018

We caught it! NSF’s

@uw_icecube

catches first high-energy neutrino in the Antarctic ice and telescopes around the world confirmed it. bit.ly/2lVT88d #BlazarNeutrino

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The team from

just released the first ever image of a black hole. How did they capture something that until now has never been seen? #EHTBlackHole #RealBlackHole medium.com/@NSF/why-are-b

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Feb 12, 2019

In 1837, Charles Darwin drew his first evolutionary tree in his notebook, with the words “I think” famously sketched off to the side. That “I think” was one of the first hypotheses in what would become the field of evolutionary biology! #DarwinDay #DarwinDay2019

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Oct 11, 2018

We must promote diversity in STEM & support women every step along their paths to science and engineering careers. Every child has a moment when their imagination is sparked by S&E. Let's keep that spark alive & nurture it. #DayOfTheGirl

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Dec 1, 2020

Replying to

Arecibo Observatory and UCF

Additional details regarding the collapse at the Arecibo Observatory’s 305-meter telescope are available now at NSF's site: bit.ly/37mWpF3 Engineers are on-site. Top priorities are maintaining safety at the site and assessing damage.

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Sep 14, 2022

NSF-supported USAP scientists in #Antarctica are over the moon! Starlink is testing polar service with a newly deployed user terminal at McMurdo Station, increasing bandwidth and connectivity for science support.

The Starlink terminal, on the roof of the building in the foreground, could one day supply high-performance broadband and connectivity to Antarctic scientists.

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SpaceX

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Feb 11, 2019

This #WomenInScience day, we remember these 6 women who broke the ice ceiling by becoming the first women to ever visit the South Pole: bit.ly/2RUZ92y "If women are in science and science is in the Antarctic, then women belong there.” -Dr. Mary Odile Cahoon #WomenInSTEM

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Nov 12, 2018

Stan Lee, thank you for being a strong supporter of kids in STEM. You’ll be missed. #Excelsior

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Nov 28, 2016

Watch this special video from @TheRealStanLee! Then go check out #GenNano and create your own #nanotech superhero: bit.ly/2cN5Lyr

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LIGO and EGO & the Virgo Collaboration

Sep 27, 2017

The observation was a merger of 2 #blackholes, and the #gravitationalwave event has been designated “GW170814.” More bit.ly/2hwbKge

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Jul 25, 2018

Happy birthday to #RosalindFranklin! Without her work, DNA's structure would still be a mystery -- as would critical details of coal, graphite and other forms of carbon. #OTD #WisdomWednesday

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Sep 7, 2018

How accurate is the new topographical Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) map? It shrunk resolution from 1 km to 8 meters. Learn how it will help scientists study changes in climate: bit.ly/2NVCPF2

@UMNews

@NGA_GEOINT

@NSF_GEO #NSFfunded

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Oct 11, 2019

"Remember that you can be yourself – with all your interests and talents – and still become a scientist or engineer. You don't have be like anyone else or pretend to not be excited or good at what you are." --NSF Director France Córdova #DayoftheGirl

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Feb 11

#OTD in 2016, NSF’s

announced that we had found proof of gravitational waves – ripples in the fabric of space-time from the distant merger of black holes. This amazing feat proved Einstein was right! bit.ly/3XiK38M 📹: Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes (SXS) Project

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Apr 7, 2019

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Dan Marrone of @UofA says in a few weeks of observing,

project collected approx 1000 disks, 5 petabytes of data, equivalent to "all of the selfies that 40k people will take in their lifetime." #RealBlackHole #ehtblackhole

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Nov 8, 2018

What a best way to celebrate #NationalStemDay than nominating an outstanding, 7-12th grade #STEM educator: bit.ly/PAEMST19

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Major announcement on #blackholes today from

and

[LIVE] Unveiling First Ever Image of Black Hole

at 9 am EDT. Watch live here: nsf.gov/blackholes or

youtube.com

For the image and information on all things black hole, go to https://www.nsf.gov/blackholes

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Jul 16, 2019

In the inky dark of space, no one can hear you scream...but here on Earth, we can hear black holes collide. In this clip, we can hear the sound of two black holes colliding #broughtoyoubyNSF's

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Jun 18, 2020

Today, the Senate unanimously confirmed Sethuraman Panchanathan as the new

Director. We are looking forward to having you onboard, Dr. Panchanathan! 📷:

@ASU

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Shep Doeleman

director and sr. research fellow at

@saoastro

: Black holes are objects so massive and so compact that light cannot escape. We think they exist throughout the universe, but we have never seen one. #RealBlackHole #ehtblackhole

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Jun 28, 2020

⁣Too small for a #blackhole, too large for a neutron star – what is it?

’s LIGO has discovered an unusual object that has scientists just as puzzled as they are excited. Check it out: bit.ly/2Ziv96A.⠀ ⠀ 📷 :

@Caltech

@MIT

/R. Hurt (IPAC)⠀ #NSFfunded

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Dec 1, 2020

Replying to

NSF is saddened by this development. As we move forward, we will be looking for ways to assist the scientific community and maintain our strong relationship with the people of Puerto Rico.

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Apr 9, 2019

Major announcement 4-10-19 9 a.m. EDT Watch live: nsf.gov/blackholes #EHTBlackHole

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LIGO and EGO & the Virgo Collaboration

Oct 16, 2017

Discovery marks 1st cosmic event observed in both #gravitationalwaves and light. #LIGO

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Aug 9, 2018

Engineers like Mary Ross are an inspiration to women everywhere. Women and minorities continue to face challenges and break through barriers in #engineering -- while doing incredible work to make the world a better place. google.com/doodles/mary-g #GoogleDoodle #womeninSTEM

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May 13, 2022

People have been imagining what #blackholes look like since they were predicted by Einstein more than a century ago. We don’t have to imagine anymore! Watch 👇 Learn more about #OurBlackHole: bit.ly/38rC85z

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Sep 23, 2020

⁣Can you wobble? The M87 black hole does! The

debuted the first #realblackhole image in 2019, but with NSF support, it was gathering data long before that. This data showed that the "shadow" of the M87 black hole wobbles over time: bit.ly/2HrF4Bt

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May 28, 2021

Today the President released the FY 2022 budget request which includes $10.17 billion for NSF, an increase of 20%. bit.ly/3yU9djh This request represents an investment in American prosperity, innovation, & the diverse STEM workforce of tomorrow.

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Nov 19, 2020

Replying to

NSF’s first priority is safety. Multiple assessments by independent engineering companies found the telescope structure is in danger of a catastrophic failure and its cables may no longer be capable of carrying the loads they were designed to support. bit.ly/2IU6ctZ

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Apr 15, 2021

Look familiar? It's the supermassive black hole at the center of M87, a galaxy 55M light-yrs from Earth. (left) 2019: 1st-ever #realblackhole pic (right) 2021: image mapping polarization of light Both 📷 by #NSFfunded

: bit.ly/3uRmYMD #BlackHoleWeek ⚫

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May 12, 2022

Today is the day! 🚨 NSF and the

will announce a groundbreaking discovery in our galaxy at 9 am EDT. Watch LIVE here: youtu.be/4Ws0iPDSqI4

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Dec 9, 2017

Happy birthday to Adm. #GraceHopper! Her work in computer science, moving from simplistic programming languages to sophisticated ones, helped lead to the technology we use today.

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Sep 24, 2018

NSF announces $31M in awards to explore applications of #quantum mechanics, advance next-generation sensing, computing, modeling & communication: bit.ly/2xATw1e #WHQISsummit

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Feb 11, 2022

Barbara McClintock changed genetics when she discovered that individual genes can change places in chromosomes. Since the discovery was contradictory to genetics theory at the time, it took 40yrs until her findings were accepted & she was awarded the #NobelPrize. #WomenInScience

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Feb 7, 2021

Nearly every atom inside you was crafted in the intense furnaces of distant suns, or the chaos of their fiery deaths. Our new video The Stars Within Us tracks the birth of every element in the Periodic Table. Watch the full video here: bit.ly/36L8pRb #PeriodicTableDay

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Nov 26, 2021

Happy #BlackHoleFriday! This simulated video shows what a #blackhole system would look like up close. We haven’t seen one with our own eyes—yet—since our Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole is over 25,000 light-years away. 📹: Chael, Wielgus, Palumbo, Johnson, Bouman

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Dec 19, 2019

We are excited to announce that Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan will be nominated as the next

Dr. Sethuraman (Panch) Panchanathan and 2 others

director. bit.ly/2PZYOwG

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Feb 25, 2019

New live-imaging technique reveals cellular repair crew plugging leaky biological barrier that protect us from bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing invaders. See how: bit.ly/2tzMtEH via

@UMich

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detects #gravitationalwaves. 1.usa.gov/1SIWaZG #NSFLIGO

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Apr 28, 2022

🚨 NSF and the

will announce a groundbreaking discovery in the Milky Way May 12 at 9 am bit.ly/3LwJ4Na. 📷: Dr. Daniel Michalik, NSF

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Dec 26, 2018

Due to a lapse in appropriations, NSF will not be posting or responding to any comments. We will return as soon as possible.

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Apr 10, 2020

We're seeing the unseeable! Black holes have sparked imaginations for decades. #OTD a year ago, we saw the first-ever image of a #realblackhole-- captured by #NSFfunded

, a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes. 🤯 nsf.gov/blackholes

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May 2, 2022

In a huge day for astrophysics, on 4/10/19,

and

shared the first image of a black hole. EHT is a planet-wide array of radio telescopes built to capture a historic leap in astronomy. bit.ly/3vz7gZE #BlackHoleWeek 📷: EHT Collaboration, et al.

The Event Horizon Telescope captured this historic first image of a black hole

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Apr 19, 2019

It’s #FossilFriday! Check out a newly described species of extinct mammal called Simbakubwa kutokaafrika. This 22 million-year-old hyaenodont was found in Kenya and was a formidable carnivorous predator—considerably larger than a modern lion.

@ohiou

bit.ly/2UMcj8k

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May 5

Fire-breathing dragons, monsters of the universe, pocket-size powerhouses – black holes beggar the imagination & attempts to study them. On #BlackHoleWeek,

recommits to research that can open a wider window to the cosmos. bit.ly/3NICB5J 📷: D. Dayag CC-BY-SA-4.0

An artist's impression of the spiral galaxy Andromeda with a bright center that hides a black hole.

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Jan 28, 2019

We're back! Here's a look back at our most popular stories of 2018, from octopuses 🐙 to astrophysics 🔭, we fund it all! bit.ly/2WmMn0e #NSFfunded

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This is just the beginning!

National Solar Observatory and AURA

's Inouye Solar Telescope will collect more information about our sun during the first 5 years of its lifetime than all the solar data gathered since Galileo first pointed a telescope at the sun in 1612. 🤯bit.ly/3aXqv2X #SolarVision2020

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Apr 2, 2020

❤️ t.co/vjGlD2P1ih

This post is unavailable.

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Apr 8, 2019

Major announcement 4-10-19 9 a.m. EDT ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇

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Mar 4, 2021

In 1969, six women linked arms as they walked down the ramp of a plane in Antarctica. They were the first all-female research team to ever set foot there, paving the way for countless women to follow. Learn more about their expedition: bit.ly/2qeoE6T #WHM

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From our Director France Córdova: A Historic Day for Astrophysics #EHTBlackHole #RealBlackHole nsfdirectorfieldnotes.tumblr.com/post/184084391

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May 10, 2018

It's our birthday! Help us celebrate nearly seven decades of #innovation and discovery that have changed not just the United States, but the world. bit.ly/2ry1Qwy #NSFfunded #science

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Feb 11

It's #WomenInScienceDay! 👩‍🔬👷🏾‍♀️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏿‍🔬👩🏿‍🏫 NSF celebrates the strides women are making in STEM and supports the next generation of female scientists, engineers, technicians, educators and entrepreneurs as they pursue their STEM dreams. Your dreams are NSF's dreams, too.

Silhouette of woman, a microscope, a rocket and other science elements. Banner reads: International Day of Women and Girls Science

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Nov 26, 2018

Can you remember the moment that sparked your interest in #science? This week and next, we want to draw attention to the power of #STEM education. Share your story (with a video or photo) using #MySTEMspark: bit.ly/2P3zWBD

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Aug 24, 2020

You can be a scientist, no matter who you are, where you're from, or what you look like. ✨ #STEM

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Nov 24, 2017

For Native American Heritage Day - share how researchers

@UCBerkeley

are saving early 20th century native american audio recordings: bit.ly/2iJl8uM #NativeAmericanHeritageDay

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Mar 29, 2019

Talitha Washington, Mathematician and NSF Program Director shares how math didn't come easy for her, and if not for other amazing women in her life, she might not have become the award winning mathematician she is today!

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Feb 8, 2018

NSF announces new actions to help eliminate sexual harassment in science & engineering: NSF.gov/harassment.

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Dec 28, 2022

#YearInReview: Here are some of our most popular Twitter stories of 2022! (In no particular order) First up: NSF-supported

revealed the FIRST image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy: bit.ly/3C4wn9u #ourblackhole #bye2022

The first image of Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Image shows a glowing, orange, donut-shaped hole with three bright patches and a dark center against a dark background.

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May 30, 2018

Some #WednesdayWisdom from chemist Rosalind Franklin! 🙌 #science

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Sep 21, 2020

Last year,

released the first image of a black hole. A stunning feat, the image had decades of tech behind it, like new ways to process petabytes of data, equivalent to billions(!) of cat videos. How

made that possible? bit.ly/3iSNnnD

NASA Goddard

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Mar 11, 2016

Pioneering #womeninSTEM – how many do you know? Take the test: bit.ly/1TwXM95 #WomensHistoryMonth

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Apr 28, 2018

Art of healing: kirigami-inspired bandages developed by

@MIT

, possibly also for wearable electronics, featured on NSF's Science360 Radio: bit.ly/2JvQ1h8

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MBARI and Monterey Bay Aquarium

Oct 31, 2017

The vampire squid got its name bc it looks like it wears a cloak. It’s truly elegant & often misunderstood. Doesn’t suck blood. #takeoverNSF

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May 10, 2017

Today is a great day! Today, we celebrate 67 years of funding groundbreaking science and engineering. 🎂🎉 To many more!! #NSFbday

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May 10, 2021

Happy birthday to us! For more than 7️⃣ decades,

has funded science and engineering research— from astronomy to zoology and everything in between — that has led to discoveries and innovations that transform our world. bit.ly/2SDMd7o #NSFfunded

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Jul 17, 2017

Can you explain your research using emojis? At NSF, we provide💰 for 🏫👩🏻‍🔬👨🏻‍🔬 working in 🐞, 🖥️, 🔭, 👫, 🌋,👩🏻‍🎓👨🏻‍🎓and 🤖. #WorldEmojiDay

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May 2, 2022

Happy #BlackHoleWeek⚫️! But, what's a #blackhole? A pocket of cosmic matter with ferocious mass but extremely compact, with a gravitational pull so powerful it warps space-time, and nothing, not even light, can escape it. More about black holes 👉 bit.ly/3Kyr2J5

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Feb 22, 2021

When a rare astronomical event happens, sometimes you want to get another look. 👀 Accurately identifying the source of a high-energy neutrino requires multiple messenger signals, like high-energy particles and visible, radio, and X-ray signals, to all, tell the same story.

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Dec 3, 2020

Replying to

Arecibo Observatory and UCF

New details on the collapse of the Arecibo Observatory's 305-meter telescope, including video, are available on NSF's website: nsf.gov/arecibo

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Feb 11, 2016

Computer simulation shows the collision of two black holes, event detected by #LIGO. #gravitationalwaves ht...

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Dec 5, 2018

On this #NationalDayOfMourning, we recall the late President George H. W. Bush’s support and admiration for science and engineering research.

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National Solar Observatory and 2 others

Jul 23, 2019

They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so we’ll keep it short and sweet. These are a few of our favorite NSF-supported space pics, share yours this week with #NSFspace or #BroughtToYouByNSF.

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Mar 19, 2020

Your kids can learn how to code... and more! We've got 7⃣ NSF-supported #STEM resources for learners of all ages that are perfect for at-home learning: bit.ly/3a1Cgo8 #virtuallearning #socialdistancing

SciStarter and 3 others

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Oct 7, 2020

Congratulations to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for being awarded the #NobelPrize in chemistry! Their work discovering CRISPR has given the world one of our most promising tools for genetic editing.

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Caltech and Harvard University

Aug 5, 2020

A chemist who is looking at microbes to understand their influence on human lives and an engineer who looks to animals to build better wind turbines and other technology... Congrats to the 2020 #NSFwaterman winners Emily Balskus and John O. Dabiri 🎉 bit.ly/3fpuvu0

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May 11, 2019

Black holes, star births and deaths, colliding galaxies and more - it's all in a day’s work at the Very Large Array observatory: bit.ly/2H9mPwS Happy Astronomy Day! #WomeninSTEM #AstronomyDay

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Apr 14

Have you ever wondered if quantum is in your future or your career? This #WorldQuantumDay, join

@levarburton

as he explores those questions, engaging students, researchers and even a

astronaut on the

! From

. 📽 bit.ly/3MOBvoJ

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Feb 27, 2015

Thank you for inspiring generations of scientists and engineers, Leonard Nimoy. We raise an eyebrow in your honor.

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Mar 24, 2021

The

collaboration, who produced the first-ever image of a #realblackhole, have imaged the magnetic fields at the edge of M87’s #blackhole 😱 More on this discovery here ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ bit.ly/2OU8A77

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Jul 16, 2020

The #MagicSchoolBus will always be part of our childhood. Thank you Joanna Cole for so many great adventures. To the bus! RIP 💛

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Sep 18, 2019

Replying to @NSF @wamu885 and 2 others

#DYK Support from @NSF helped bring the Magic School Bus series to the airwaves and to young viewers (like you!) sitting frog-legged on living room floors across the country. To the bus! #BroughtToYouByNSF

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