Astrobytes
Papers, in plain language
Astronomy papers, explained. What was measured, the mechanism behind the result, and — the part papers usually bury — what it does not show. Written for students and curious readers, not for specialists.
If you have ever opened an astronomy paper and bounced off the first paragraph, these are for you. No prior coursework assumed — I define the jargon where it comes up, and I try to be clear about what a result actually establishes as opposed to what it hints at.
Looking for my formal publication record instead? It lives on Publications.
Named in the spirit of Astrobites, the graduate-student-run paper digest where I was an early author — but with a computational flair. These posts are my own and are not affiliated with Astrobites.
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When more data makes you more certain of the wrong answer
Unresolved binaries bias the measured slope of the stellar initial mass function by a fixed amount. Statistical error shrinks with sample size; that bias does not.
on Confidently Wrong: Why Ignoring Binaries Biases IMF Inference at Large Sample Sizes — Rosen, A. L. (2026)