what even is motivation

----- Ivy // 22 // UK ----- Pronouns: they/them I graduated with a 2:1 undergrad MPhys (Hons) in Astrophysics in July 2019. Main is aralioideae. Currently on indefinite hiatus

[astroaspirations]

This blog is now on indefinite hiatus

I’ve been putting off making this post for months but it’s now the time of year when I would be going back to uni if I was still studying so it’s probably time to make this post.

I graduated uni in July and am currently not really doing much of anything so this blog is now on indefinite hiatus. I am no longer in education and so I feel like this blog has served its purpose.

I do plan on doing a PhD next year but who really knows if that will actually happen and if I’ll want to revive this blog then or not, which is the reason I’m using the term ”indefinite hiatus” rather than saying that I’m never posting here again. I may also decide to revive in some other context, potentially as a general physics blog or something else.

I’m kinda sad to leave tbh and I wish everyone in the studyblr community the best of luck. If you want to find me in the meantime, I’m still active over on my main blog at aralioideae and this blog is connected to the same account so any messages will still reach me.

[calamitys-child]

Me reading academic papers: incoherent nonsense. Bullshit. I could write better than this in my sleep

Me writing academic papers: this sentence is 206 words long and contains 19 commas & a semicolon, fuck you

[xthehatchick]

You either die with a bachelors degree or you stay in college long enough to watch yourself become the villain.

[mindblowingscience]

Plans to build a massive telescope on sacred Hawaiian land have sparked protests—and arrests

The biggest telescope in the world was meant to start construction on Monday—here's why that's so controversial.

Mauna Kea is special. On that much, every stakeholder can agree. But that’s where the agreement stops.

The dormant volcano, whose peak is the highest point in the state of Hawai'i at almost 14,000 feet above sea level, is a sacred site to indigenous Hawaiians. It’s also prime scientific real estate. Some hope it will soon be home to the world’s biggest telescope—the Thirty Meter Telescope or TMT—which could peer back more than 13 billion years in time to the universe’s beginnings.

What’s happening?

All this has culminated in a historic conflict as attempts to construct the TMT get underway. A group of indigenous Hawaiians are peacefully protesting to protect their sacred site, while local authorities struggle with what action to take and the science community, including a number of indigenous Hawaiian scientists, works to figure out what to do next.

Local news source the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that more than 200 activists who blocked the access road to the mountain on Tuesday were prepared to be arrested if necessary. But the day ended with no arrests and no agreement between the authorities—who brought in non-local police as reinforcements—and the protestors. As of Wednesday morning local time, Hawaii News Nowis reporting that arrests have begun.

Continue Reading.

[prof-grace-aspen]

I’m a scientist. I’m a geologist. I love astronomy. I love giant telescopes.

There are plenty of mountains in the world to put them on. You don’t need to put one on Mauna Kea.

[kc-79-deactivated20250213]

Tumblr, Native Hawaiians need your help!

So the gist of it is the construction of the 30 meter telescope on top of Mauna Kea is starting. Its peak is 4,207.3 m above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Which is why it is deemed the perfect place for the telescope. The only thing is, Mauna Kea is sacred land, our ancestors never built on top of Mauna Kea and for good reason. Sacred land is to never be messed with. It's a burial ground for native Hawaiians' most revered ancestors, and believed to be a peak created by the gods as a place from which humans can ascend to heaven. A lot has been taken away from native Hawaiians and there is already telescopes built on Mauna Kea we do not need anymore desecration of our land. Please help me and my people by signing this petition. Sharing it will help our cause a lot. Follow @protectmaunakea

[fourdrinkamy]

reading an academic article moodboard

[astroaspirations]

I'm about to start my masters in astrophysics and I'm worried about the same thing :/ Good luck!!

Oh no, I'm sorry if my previous post alarmed you! I was being super pessimistic because I got rejected for a job I really wanted and I was feeling bad about it.

I have no idea what the job market is like in other countries but here if you want to go into research or teaching then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. If you want to do something else then it might be worth researching what sort of skills and experience would be needed but I'd advise that for any discipline tbh?

If you, like I was when I went in, are studying astrophysics out of love and nothing more, then you might want to do some research into the sort of jobs that are available at the moment to see what your options are so that you can start thinking about it.

Additionally, I have made some choices that, while I don't regret, have made it a little harder for me. While at uni, I did as little materials physics as I could because I hated it and a lot of the industry jobs going want a solid grounding in that sort of stuff. I'm also personally really uncomfortable with the idea of working for the government or for big energy companies so that really limits me. The last problem is that, while I know what I want to do and have relevant experience, there really aren't that many jobs at all in that sector for someone in my position.

I'm not going to pretend that it will be easy for you to find employment or that the graduate job market isnt bad right now, but you shouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage because you chose Astrophysics.

[astroaspirations]

looking for jobs and apparently an astrophysics masters doesn't qualify me for anything

[nowscience-blog]

The simulation hypothesis or simulation theory proposes that all of reality, including the Earth and the universe, is in fact an artificial simulation, most likely a computer simulation.

[the-real-numbers-deactivated202]

[the-real-numbers-deactivated202]

[astrophysical-bean]

I’m right and you all know it.

[astroaspirations]

Congrats on your degree!!

Thank you!!!! I technically don't have it yet b/c graduation is in July but I have no more work to do so!

[astroaspirations]

finished my degree today lads 😭😭😭

[astroaspirations]

my masters dissertation is now (hopefully) finished

it is unofficially dedicated to all the other poor souls who are also in this library working at 2am on a friday

[astroaspirations]

I'm at the point now where I've hit burnout which is a big problem b/c I have to finish my dissertation today and then make a presentation on it for early next week.

Its frustrating b/c I have stuff that I know I can add to make it better but I can't do it because my brain is refusing to understand physics or even the written word

[astroaspirations]

got to the point now where I'm taking sides in an academic argument despite not understanding enough to justify doing so

I am getting a little sick of it though like, I'm reading all these papers and people seem to just be going round in circles and its doubtful any progress is going to be made until observational evidence comes to light for one model over another

like, they've all mostly kind of decided that BZ is probably roughly it but we cant actually reach a consensus b/c no one can actually figure out what's going on with it b/c theres different models saying different things and no observational evidence for any of it

[astroaspirations]

today was going to be so productive and then last night my body decided that it no longer needs to sleep

[astroaspirations]

made a nest in the space at the foot of my bed b/c... I am not going to get any work done if I go to the library

[astroaspirations]

today was going to be so productive and then last night my body decided that it no longer needs to sleep

[astroaspirations]

this is a long shot but anyone wanna explain the BZ process for black holes to me?

this is like, the main subject of my masters project, which is due in like 2 weeks, which I have been working on all year, and I still do not understand it and neither does my supervisor soooo yeah thats how things are going right now

[astroaspirations]

freak-out over, I think I've kind of got it now? still seems kinda bs to me but most recent papers seem to think its p good so???

that said, if anyone still wants to explain it to me I wouldn't say no