Issue of January 9, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller
[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]
This week's issues:
1. Crosspost: Picture an Astronomer: Best Practices for Retaining Talent in Astrophysics
2. Women and Girls in Astronomy
3. Roman's Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is Now Open
4. The IAU Women in Astronomy Working Group (WiA WG) opens the second call for nominations for the IAU STEM Ambassador Recognition Award 2025-2026.
5. Caroline Herschel Medal
6. Woman Astronomers Day
7. Vera C. Rubin Observatory discovers ernormous asteroid
8. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
9. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
10. Access to Past Issues
An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.
Women are consistently underrepresented in astrophysics yet are simultaneously subject to disproportionate attrition at every career stage. This disparity between demonstrated efficacy in job performance and ultimate career outcome was the primary motivation for the Picture an Astronomer series, which included both targeted public outreach to increase representation of women in astrophysics and high-level, solution-oriented discussions among professional astronomers.
Read the preprint
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.24465
Read more at:
https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2026/01/crosspost-picture-astronomer-best.html
The International Astronomical Union's Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) was established in 2012 as a legacy of the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. This international year highlighted the profound impact that astronomy can have when shared with society, inspiring the creation of a dedicated office -- the OAO -- to strengthen the connection between the academic and scientific community and the public.
The OAO works to break down barriers between professional astronomers and society, fostering inclusive engagement and encouraging dialogue about the Universe and humanity's place within it. By opening the doors of the scientific community, we aim to make astronomy accessible to everyone, inspiring curiosity, discovery, and a sense of shared wonder.
Every year, Women and Girls in Astronomy brings together people from around the world to celebrate and highlight the contributions of women and girls to astronomy.
Through this Global Theme, the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach aims to inspire the next generation of future scientists and engineers, promote gender equity in science, and foster a more inclusive astronomical community. All over the world, people can engage in workshops, talks and hands-on events, connecting stories and discoveries that remind us the Universe is open to everyone.
Read More At: https://iauoutreach.org/global-projects/women-and-girls-in-astronomy
We are pleased to announce that the Roman Research Nexus is now available for use!
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will deliver an estimated 20 PB of data in its primary 5 year mission. In just one month, Roman will generate roughly twice the data volume produced by Hubble over 30 years. The Roman Research Nexus will provide thescience community with a cloud-based science platform to efficiently access, explore, and analyze Roman's large volume of data.
The Nexus cloud-based scientific computing environment includes pre-installed software, Jupyter notebook tutorials, access to simulated datasets, team workspaces, and real-time collaboration tools. Once Roman science operations start, all Roman data willbe accessible through the Nexus.
Check out the Nexus now to start exploring existing simulated Roman datasets, quickly simulate your own Roman data using pre-installed simulation tools and pedagogical notebooks, and get familiar with Roman's data formats. All you need is a myST account to login and get started.
Read more about the Nexus: https://roman-docs.stsci.edu/data-handbook/roman-research-nexus
Access the Nexus: https://roman.science.stsci.edu/hub/
Dear Colleagues,
We wish you a very Happy New Year and hope that 2026 brings you good health, success, and inspiration.
The IAU Women in Astronomy Working Group (WiA WG) is pleased to open the second call for nominations for the IAU STEM Ambassador Recognition Award 2025-2026. This award recognises individuals who have made significant and sustained contributions to advancing gender equity and inclusion in astronomy through leadership, policy development, mentorship, outreach, and advocacy.
Each year, one STEM Ambassador Recognition Medalist and at least five STEM Ambassador Advocates are selected.
Read Moe At:
https://www.iau.org/IAU/News/Ann2025/stem-ambassador-awardees-2025.aspx
The Caroline Herschel Medal is a joint award by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) (UK) and the German Astronomical Society (AG) (Germany) to honor outstanding women astrophysicists, recognizing excellence in research and leadership, alternating between the UK and Germany annually, and celebrating scientific collaboration between the nations. Established in 2021 with UK government support, it honors Caroline Herschel, a pioneering astronomer who was the first woman to receive the RAS Gold Medal and the first woman in Britain to get a government pension for astronomy.
Read More At:
https://ras.ac.uk/awards-and-grands/caroline-herschel-medal
Woman Astronomers Day is celebrated on August 1 every year. This holiday celebrates the many achievements of women in science that have long gone unrecognized. The contributions that female astronomers have made are even more impressive considering they practiced astronomy as a hobby, having been denied a chance at formal education. The most well-known is Maria Mitchell, who made a name for herself not only by her accomplishments in astronomy but by her dedication to furthering women's education. This holiday celebrates her achievements and sheds light on the importance of recognizing women's contributions to science.
Read More At:
https://nationaltoday.com/woman-astronomers-day/
In its preliminary data release, taken from just seven nights of observations, the powerful Vera C. Rubin Observatory has discovered an enormous, fast-spinning asteroid that sets a new record.
The record-breaking space rock, called 2025 MN45, is larger than most skyscrapers on Earth at about 2,300 feet (710 meters) wide. The massive rock completes a rotation in about 113 seconds making it the fastest-spinning known asteroid over 1,640 feet (500 meters) in diameter. Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters Wednesday (Jan. 7)
Read More At:
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