Nostr notes by Michael Busch

There is not yet any asteroid named for Walter Koenig, although ...

2026-10-30T21:18:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…2yh6
_________________________

There is not yet any asteroid named for Walter Koenig, although many other people involved in the original Star Trek have them.

If someone who has a block of naming rights wants to use them.

Make it so. QT Meg Schwamb @npub1tqe…fze5 2026 October 30 ...

2026-10-30T21:00:24Z

Make it so.

QT Meg Schwamb Meg Schwamb (npub1tqe…fze5)
2026 October 30

Patrick Stewart doesn't have an asteroid named after him. Team Inner Solar System do your thing. #DPS2026

https://bsky.app/profile/megschwamb.bsky.social/post/3mz4np3r5ls2b

Today on the #arXiv : Holman et al. 2026, "2026 ED138: A ...

2026-10-30T14:50:10Z

Today on the #arXiv :

Holman et al. 2026, "2026 ED138: A Large Trans-Neptunian Object in Early Rubin Observatory Data, and How Many More May Remain" - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.38693

Reporting on the discovery of #2026ED138 and estimating that there are a few more things like it out there.

There is also a report of a potential stellar occultation by ...

2026-10-28T17:10:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…e6dw
_________________________

There is also a report of a potential stellar occultation by #2026ED138 visible "over western South America" on 2026 October 31: https://groups.io/g/mpml/topic/121968279.

Does anyone have a map for that, in case anyone should want to try to chase the shadow?

Following the [@VRubinObs](https://astrodon.social/@VRubinObs ) ...

2026-10-28T14:17:48Z

Following the [@VRubinObs](https://astrodon.social/@VRubinObs ) discovery announcement for #2026ED138, Sam Deen found two potential images of the object from 1954: https://groups.io/g/mpml/topic/121968279.

It was simply not recognized on the old Palomar plates.

Octavia Butler, mid-1990s: "Imagine a future where food ...

2026-10-24T16:25:57Z

Octavia Butler, mid-1990s:

"Imagine a future where food prices are high because of climate change and war, while grocery store shoppers are subjected to invasive surveillance."

Me, shopping in the mid-2020s and being told I have to wait for someone to unlock the toothpaste:

"Wait a minute."

I am reminded again how in 1935, the US Congress passed a tax law ...

2026-10-21T16:50:45Z

I am reminded again how in 1935, the US Congress passed a tax law that created a new top tax bracket of nearly 80%.

That tax bracket contained exactly one person, John D. Rockefeller, and was designed to stop him from causing so much trouble.

In case anyone needs the precedent.

Check your sources. Even if you like what they are saying. QT ...

2026-10-13T18:38:18Z

Check your sources. Even if you like what they are saying.

QT Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social
2026 October 13

Y’all, I hate to rain on the dead bot parade, but the Yandex data center destruction doesn’t seem to have significantly impacted social media bots. I made temporal graphs of X posts about AfD around the time of the attack and there’s no sign of a sudden dip or residual impact on that conversation.
https://bsky.app/profile/katestarbird.bsky.social/post/3mxrjoq7cqs2b

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has a warning ...

2026-10-08T14:52:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…r247
_________________________

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has a warning out about "Unapproved Dairy Products Sold On Social Media & Other Internet Sites":

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS/Milk_and_Dairy_Food_Safety/docs/mdfs_dairy_online_sales.pdf

I know about that because ProPublica (npub1qmg…s6k5) reported on how those people keep poisoning kids and sending them to the hospital: https://www.propublica.org/article/california-raw-milk-regulation-emily-marris-moonlight-ridge-farm .

Margaret Hamilton is rightly remembered for her work programming ...

2026-10-07T22:05:46Z

Margaret Hamilton is rightly remembered for her work programming the flight computers for Apollo.

But she should also be remembered for her work on early weather prediction software, which informed the realization that weather is chaotic and the limits to predicting it.
https://news.mit.edu/2026/margaret-hamilton-computing-pioneer-dies-1007

My local newspaper relates a proposed "AI" policy for St. ...

2026-10-04T13:29:09Z

My local newspaper relates a proposed "AI" policy for St. Paul Public Schools.

It suggests that high school students use slop in place of search engines and pretends the text generators are "like a really smart study buddy".

Require that the schools simply prohibit the automated plagiarism machines instead, #SaintPaul.

That is ... not how the vitrification plant at Hanford works.

2026-10-02T01:24:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…6h9x
_________________________

That is ... not how the vitrification plant at Hanford works.

There are small reactor designs from groups like Westinghouse, ...

2026-09-30T23:34:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…x33q
_________________________

There are small reactor designs from groups like Westinghouse, who actually know how to build nuclear reactors that work and work safely.

This is not that.

Apart from the absurdity of the scam, these people do not ...

2026-09-30T14:12:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…3nzy
_________________________

Apart from the absurdity of the scam, these people do not understand the point of small nuclear reactors.

But that is not news.

(Small reactors are less efficient than larger ones, but can potentially provide power in places where there is no grid connection to the larger ones. Putting hundreds together in the same spot makes no sense.)

If you want another reason to never use the automated plagiarism ...

2026-09-28T14:44:18Z

If you want another reason to never use the automated plagiarism machines, scientists.

QT c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
2026 September 27

The obvious conclusion (to me): if you have proprietary research & you upload it into the Plagiarism Nexus, it's not YOUR proprietary research anymore.

Behave accordingly.
https://bsky.app/profile/c0nc0rdance.bsky.social/post/3mwjtpt2pm22m

Nostr event nevent1qqs0egj3vn52jus2lkdp6n6m54hqgg66qqj8mpe6nde9wkngqazqeyszyq25cvk8mkwts9y3x326lugz5l4ncalm52kaq8qc288yzd6997a3xp90kt0

2026-09-20T21:56:29Z

#AbolishICE

https://apnews.com/article/austin-texas-ice-shooting-immigration-37653feb8e2c5f5a85d64c5a6a38cba5

A new entry for @npub17v8…nhln 's list of "rich folks ...

2026-09-12T21:37:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…z4h4
_________________________

A new entry for Sarah Taber (npub17v8…nhln) 's list of "rich folks who pretend to be ranchers while not knowing anything" ?

At the Minnesota State Fair, I encountered a booth selling ...

2026-09-10T03:42:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…a3rc
_________________________

At the Minnesota State Fair, I encountered a booth selling "Shroomy Calamari" - by which they meant chunks of oyster mushroom, breaded and flash-fried.

Do that with the chicken of the woods and serve it as "mushroom fried chicken" ?

For those in #Minnesota : The state Department of Health is ...

2026-09-09T17:22:56Z

For those in #Minnesota :

The state Department of Health is investigating an animal testing group that apparently reported results for rabies tests that were not actually run.

If you have dealt with ASAP Wildlife Services MN in the last year, they would like to know.

https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2026/rabies090826.html

I have just gotten the current vaccines for influenza and COVID. ...

2026-09-07T20:49:58Z

I have just gotten the current vaccines for influenza and COVID.

So, a perennial reminder for everyone:

#GetYourFluShot and your COVID vaccines.

65 dB right outside the fence for the one Twitter is illegally ...

2026-09-05T17:47:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…d0e4
_________________________

65 dB right outside the fence for the one Twitter is illegally running outside Memphis: https://wpln.org/post/noise-pollution-from-data-centers-is-coming-the-gas-powered-xai-model-is-spreading/ .

ICE officer charged with four counts of second-degree assault by ...

2026-09-04T18:57:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…x68w
_________________________

ICE officer charged with four counts of second-degree assault by the state of Minnesota for the attempted murder of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.

For which the governor of Texas refused to extradite him and for which Trump appointees at DoJ fired the federal prosecutor who want to bring those charges.

QT AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org 2026 August 21 AGU ...

2026-08-21T15:05:17Z

QT AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org
2026 August 21

AGU is documenting the real-world impacts of recent U.S. Administration actions that have resulted in cuts, delays, and disruptions at NSF and other science agencies.

Take the AGU Survey today. Responses before 31 August are most immediately helpful.

http://spklr.io/63327ERxsD

https://bsky.app/profile/agu.org/post/3mtlyutksnd2f

Sometimes, sunlight shining on asteroids makes them explode. QT ...

2026-08-13T16:37:08Z

Sometimes, sunlight shining on asteroids makes them explode.

QT Riley Bruce @rileybruce.bsky.social
2026 August 13

What’s a thing from your area of expertise (or special interest) that you think it would behoove everyone else to know?
https://bsky.app/profile/rileybruce.bsky.social/post/3mswpqntbf223

May the odds be ever in your favor.

2026-08-11T17:37:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…ncf2
_________________________

May the odds be ever in your favor.

My other "the world is small" story is how there are only ...

2026-08-09T03:26:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…ddcq
_________________________

My other "the world is small" story is how there are only 5 handshakes between me and Napoleon.

Since I once met the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and then three more jumps gets back to various 1810s European nobility.

I once heard @npub1k3q…dqpt open for Megadeth in Tokyo. (This ...

2026-08-09T02:54:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…e7hq
_________________________

I once heard Andy Rivkin (npub1k3q…dqpt) open for Megadeth in Tokyo.

(This is a joke - we were both at a conference that happened to be happening next door to where the band was setting up for their show.)

I am surprised that they have opened the case with Galileo's ...

2026-08-06T15:41:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…m0tu
_________________________

I am surprised that they have opened the case with Galileo's finger in it - when I visited that museum, it was behind multiple layers of glass.

After the scandal where they lost some of the bones for a while.

When I was in grad school, I had a part-time job as an assistant ...

2026-08-05T02:46:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…jhe3
_________________________

When I was in grad school, I had a part-time job as an assistant for the cooking classes Caltech ran to ensure that people were eating more than instant noodles.

Legend told of someone who had gotten scurvy once upon a time.

But that might have been a misunderstanding based on the residents of the Ricketts House dormitory also being called "scurves" ...

And Hughesnet was the one with the actually sustainable business ...

2026-08-03T15:59:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…s3hq
_________________________

And Hughesnet was the one with the actually sustainable business model...

The local water systems here in Minnesota that were recently ...

2026-07-31T21:26:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…heja
_________________________

The local water systems here in Minnesota that were recently targeted by a cyberattack simply switched everything to the manual controls - because that is what they do whenever the cell network goes down anyway.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/07/28/30-minnesota-municipal-water-systems-targeted-cyberattack

Recursive vaporware. Great.

2026-07-30T19:34:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…wmgl
_________________________

Recursive vaporware. Great.

Wait. Are they saying that they are magically going to build an ...

2026-07-30T17:15:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…9ng2
_________________________

Wait. Are they saying that they are magically going to build an entire new rocket in 3 months?

This really is quite the scam.

Yet again, USA: Do not allow anything like this. And require that ...

2026-07-30T01:30:26Z

Yet again, USA:

Do not allow anything like this.

And require that Congress #ImpeachDuffy.

"Proposed rule would exempt commercial launch licensing from environmental regulations"

https://spacenews.com/proposed-rule-would-exempt-commercial-launch-licensing-from-environmental-regulations/

Elon Musk continues to be an ombigoted sexual predator and liar ...

2026-07-29T01:00:17Z

Elon Musk continues to be an ombigoted sexual predator and liar who has caused mass death.

And it remains way past time for everyone to stop giving him money & power.

I once confused a telescope operator when my playlist rolled over ...

2026-07-29T00:29:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…8jqz
_________________________

I once confused a telescope operator when my playlist rolled over to Carmina Burana in the middle of the night.

My most-recently-played music selection is best described as ...

2026-07-29T00:14:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…v492
_________________________

My most-recently-played music selection is best described as "eclectic".

That seems quite similar.

2026-07-20T21:29:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…t6ve
_________________________

That seems quite similar.

Checking, I seem to have lost that file somewhere in the last 20 ...

2026-07-20T02:41:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…rwjq
_________________________

Checking, I seem to have lost that file somewhere in the last 20 years of moves.

Sorry.

We also had a "make things with pumpkin, but replace half of the pumpkin with mashed cooked zucchini" substitution for mixing zucchini into other things (e.g. zucchini and pumpkin pie).

Some recipes work with all zucchini in place of the pumpkin, but I do not like the color that gives.

In the midst of a large disease outbreak caused by contaminated ...

2026-07-20T01:39:30Z

In the midst of a large disease outbreak caused by contaminated produce, RFK Jr. is spending his time bragging about relaxing pasteurization standards for orange juice.

Yet again, USA:

#ImpeachRFKJr.

I am reminded of the zucchini bread (really a cake) recipe I got ...

2026-07-20T01:34:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…3ezz
_________________________

I am reminded of the zucchini bread (really a cake) recipe I got to teach people how to make when I was working the Caltech cooking class.

Since "how to use up extra zucchini" is sometimes an important skill.

Sumner Starrfield teaches intro to astronomy at ASU, when he is ...

2026-07-16T00:07:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…z0c7
_________________________

Sumner Starrfield teaches intro to astronomy at ASU, when he is not studying how stars explode: https://search.asu.edu/profile/16

Ethanol was first detected in the interstellar medium back in the ...

2026-07-13T16:24:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…llke
_________________________

Ethanol was first detected in the interstellar medium back in the 1970s.

Hence Jillian Scudder's popular-science book "The Milky Way Smells of Rum & Raspberries'.

For anyone who wants the whole paper: Jimenez-Serra et al. 2026, ...

2026-07-13T15:58:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…0vup
_________________________

For anyone who wants the whole paper:

Jimenez-Serra et al. 2026, "Detection of a four-carbon sugar in interstellar space" -https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.03313

My local public library has already ordered two copies.

2026-07-13T13:09:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…xtr2
_________________________

My local public library has already ordered two copies.

When I was applying to grad schools in 2004, one position I was ...

2026-07-10T08:24:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…7qhn
_________________________

When I was applying to grad schools in 2004, one position I was offered would have been working on building electronics for BepiColombo.

It's great that it is finally getting to Mercury.

But it has been a very long road.

I continue to wonder how many kinetic impactor deflection ...

2026-07-10T08:06:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…hnes
_________________________

I continue to wonder how many kinetic impactor deflection demonstrations we really need.

If everyone who can launch an asteroid mission can do the navigation; all more tests would give us is more values for beta.

Knowing that range would be useful. But is it so useful as to need more impact demonstrations?

The #Hayabusa2 team has demonstrated that they can do kinetic ...

2026-07-10T07:46:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…wnw3
_________________________

The #Hayabusa2 team has demonstrated that they can do kinetic impactor deflection if they want to - the uncertainty region was considerably smaller than Torifune.

But this way, they got a lot more information and can send the spacecraft off to another asteroid again.

#ACM2026

The uncertainty region for #Hayabusa2 approaching #Torifune was ...

2026-07-10T07:19:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…7504
_________________________

The uncertainty region for #Hayabusa2 approaching #Torifune was about 300 m long. That combined with the asteroid's maximum radius to set the minimum safe flyby distance of 800 m. #ACM2026

The last session of #ACM2026 starts with Makoto Yoshikawa ...

2026-07-10T07:07:37Z

The last session of #ACM2026 starts with Makoto Yoshikawa presenting the preliminary results of the #Hayabusa2 flyby of #Torifune on behalf of the mission team, who are still quite busy.

I could do without members of the United States Congress who have ...

2026-07-09T01:27:36Z

I could do without members of the United States Congress who have been in office longer than ICE has existed pretending that calls to #AbolishICE are "not a realistic public policy".

RE: https://social.linux.pizza/@Archivist/116802042662843380 The ...

2026-06-24T01:13:33Z

RE: https://social.linux.pizza/@Archivist/116802042662843380

The Fast Fourier Transform was originally developed to study the structures of crystals observed with X-rays.

It then proliferated through seismology and astronomy to become essential for a great many things including digital music and wireless networks.

Context for this one: How does one measure the material ...

2026-06-19T16:31:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…cm5y
_________________________

Context for this one:

How does one measure the material properties of a rock pile in space, without damaging the very expensive robotic spacecraft?

Nostr event nevent1qqs833lfxazjy6wt2aacufwrxznvfnt9wrar626e6y8znvledv4enwqzyq25cvk8mkwts9y3x326lugz5l4ncalm52kaq8qc288yzd6997a3xwwx5mk

2026-06-19T08:18:09Z

"Poke it with a stick." #ThingsActualScientistsSay

#subpost No, the text generators cannot do statistics. And it ...

2026-06-17T19:36:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…6lm0
_________________________

#subpost

No, the text generators cannot do statistics.

And it remains disappointing to witness people who should know better pretend that software can do things it cannot.

The version here in Minnesota would involve "age ...

2026-06-15T15:47:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…4nly
_________________________

The version here in Minnesota would involve "age estimation" done explicitly by surveilling everyone online.

I am just wondering if this is Facebook / Google / etc. pushing for bans that enable them to do more of the surveillance capitalism they already do to avoid actual effective regulation.

Or if there is some other motivation.

I continue to wonder where the push for these blanket bans on ...

2026-06-15T14:58:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…4czn
_________________________

I continue to wonder where the push for these blanket bans on social media, cell phones, etc. are coming from.

Since they manifestly do not help anyone.

I appreciate everywhere where community emergency response is run ...

2026-06-11T18:59:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…wj0d
_________________________

I appreciate everywhere where community emergency response is run by fire departments or medics rather than by cops.

No Blue Moon?

2026-06-09T18:25:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…5s0g
_________________________

No Blue Moon?

#subpost No, the text generators trained on stolen scraped text ...

2026-06-05T21:21:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…3asr
_________________________

#subpost

No, the text generators trained on stolen scraped text cannot be used for signal processing either.

This is quite the week for me encountering bad "AI" ideas.

I am glad to find the American Geophysical Union organizing its ...

2026-06-05T15:54:10Z

I am glad to find the American Geophysical Union organizing its membership in opposition to the attempt by Russell Vought and OMB to upend all US government grant funding: https://agu.quorum.us/campaign/163877/

May other professional societies do likewise.

The people affiliated with the "LessWrong" apocalyptic AI ...

2026-06-05T14:09:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…ap98
_________________________

The people affiliated with the "LessWrong" apocalyptic AI cult - including several members of Anthropic's management - have been pretending that "self-improving AI" will magically happen for the last 25 years now.

It hasn't.

But the hype remains unconstrained by facts.

#subpost No, you cannot "vibe-code" ray tracing and ...

2026-06-03T15:03:44Z

#subpost

No, you cannot "vibe-code" ray tracing and optics.

If you should get the right answer doing so, it was just a matter of chance.

Wait. "space station" and not "satellite" ?

2026-05-31T23:12:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…9d2h
_________________________

Wait. "space station" and not "satellite" ?

It remains way past time to stop letting corporations ...

2026-05-28T02:54:21Z

It remains way past time to stop letting corporations unilaterally make a mess of the sky.

And, no, we cannot avoid the problem by putting telescopes in space.

Borlaff et al. 2026, "SPHEREx confirms predictions for artificial satellite trail pollution in Low Earth Orbit" - https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.27501

Today in the Planetary Science Journal: Schettino & Rossi ...

2026-05-18T00:30:20Z

Today in the Planetary Science Journal:

Schettino & Rossi 2026, "Potential Interaction of 99942 Apophis with the High Earth Orbit Population during the 2029 Close Approach" - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ae5dc3

Please do not put any orbital debris where #Apophis might run into it.

Software vendor: "Use our new generative AI tools." Also ...

2026-05-14T20:18:58Z

Software vendor: "Use our new generative AI tools."

Also software vendor: "Scammers are using generative AI to try to steal from you."

You could simply have not have hyped the "AI" slop generator in the first place...

Regarding what burning up Starlinks can do to stratospheric ...

2026-05-11T21:14:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…7zl2
_________________________

Regarding what burning up Starlinks can do to stratospheric ozone, refer to Ferreira et al. 2024 - https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GL109280 .

And since SpaceX and similar groups assume continued frequent rocket launches to keep replacing the things, refer also to Revell et al. 2025 about rocket exhaust and the ozone layer: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-01098-6 .

The effects persist for decades.

Link to Törnqvist et al. 2026. ...

2026-05-11T05:49:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…sglp
_________________________

Link to Törnqvist et al. 2026.

https://social.coop/@ZaneSelvans/116553928668601180

quoting
note1uw6…2250

Paper up here:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-026-01820-z.epdf?sharing_token=36uzfydAffUjYyYn9S4TEtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0MlKJdRcTWB_eBmhQntD4aKg460oCdZdOh3l4vKQm2tKuPh7ec8sehTAOxp3V_JugAeLgWJrG-MdYTj-MsnWobeclnul44WJnF2OPW-3MJACX31iAYWL814or6M7c0B36A2wzjlS6T6oeSsKCNbqGvkqmrxfZHK5UVsF5DrfvtMDKffHcjMsSAU5M8M1nPXXWc%3D&tracking_referrer=www.theguardian.com

Duffy's blatant lie is apparently based on an executive order ...

2026-04-22T00:26:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…6rkk
_________________________

Duffy's blatant lie is apparently based on an executive order by Donald Trump that purports to end the prohibition on commercial supersonic flight over the United States (which is why the Concorde only flew into New York and Dulles).

Checking, Boom Aero lobbied Trump last year to do that.

I am reminded that while there is value to quoting just how ...

2026-04-21T21:37:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…vf24
_________________________

I am reminded that while there is value to quoting just how absurd and blatant the lies and propaganda are, they really do need to be preceded and followed by the actual facts.

Otherwise, posts like Aaron Rupar's are simply stenography.

There are exactly zero commercial supersonic aircraft in ...

2026-04-21T21:27:08Z

There are exactly zero commercial supersonic aircraft in production and have not been for well over 20 years.

Nobody wants them.

Sean Duffy is simply blatantly lying, again.

But I am wondering who prompted this particular outrageous nonsense by Duffy and Trump.

QT Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com‬
2026 April 21

... Sean Duffy: "We're on the cusp of bringing back land-based supersonic flight. So supersonic flight from LA to New York in two and a half hours. Wild."
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mjznl3efu22l

If you should want another way to get planetary scientists to ...

2026-04-16T16:34:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…mm55
_________________________

If you should want another way to get planetary scientists to argue, here is another question:

Is Mercury a comet?

Today in Research Notes of the AAS: Lin & Sie 2026, ...

2026-04-16T16:32:30Z

Today in Research Notes of the AAS:

Lin & Sie 2026, "Mercury: A Planet by Solar Proxy?" - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ae5e75

Provocative title aside, the interesting thing here is the review of how fast volcanoids get destroyed:

Tens of thousands of years for ~1 km objects and hundreds of thousands of years for ~100 m ones at 0.387 au.

Is there confirmation that none of the flashes were recorded? I ...

2026-04-14T16:31:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…kw9x
_________________________

Is there confirmation that none of the flashes were recorded?

I had thought that the external monitoring cameras were running nearly continuously, just with the video recorded to onboard storage rather than downlinked?

I ask because camera recordings would distinguish between actual impact flashes and phosphenes from cosmic ray hits to the crew's eyeballs.

The IAU naming conventions have often been justifiably critiqued. ...

2026-04-13T17:44:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…pety
_________________________

The IAU naming conventions have often been justifiably critiqued.

There is also a quota, because the working group can only consider so many names.

And while names may be assigned, everyone can ignore them and call things by other names instead (as has happened with exoplanets).

For those unaware: There are internationally-agreed upon ...

2026-04-13T17:43:01Z

For those unaware:

There are internationally-agreed upon conventions for naming things in space.

Here is the convention for the Moon:

https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories#the-moon

Anyone can suggest a name, which gets sent over to the relevant International Astronomical Union working group.

SpaceX takes out massive loans to litter low Earth orbit with ...

2026-04-11T21:05:14Z

SpaceX takes out massive loans to litter low Earth orbit with Starlinks, running up interest.

Then SpaceX says "If you ignore all of the costs from building the Starlinks, they are making money. Give us your cash so we can further mess up the sky."

Quite the scam.

I read people disappointed there was not more science done on the ...

2026-04-11T01:26:45Z

I read people disappointed there was not more science done on the flight around the Moon.

There was a plan to combine asteroid science, asteroid deflection, and space resources work with Orion spacecraft tests in lunar orbit.

Donald Trump & Republicans then in Congress canceled that plan in 2017.

#Apophis will be flying by Earth, closer than the geosynch ...

2026-04-09T19:18:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…phcn
_________________________

#Apophis will be flying by Earth, closer than the geosynch satellites, just about exactly 3 years from now.

OSIRIS-APEX already is in the sky on the way to the asteroid to see exactly what happens.

And Trump appointees have now twice tried to shut it down.

Yet again, USA: Require that Congress ensure that NASA operate as ...

2026-04-09T19:15:31Z

Yet again, USA:

Require that Congress ensure that NASA operate as it has ordered. Instead of anything like what Donald Trump and those with him keep trying to do.

QT Emily J @emexastris.bsky.social‬
2026 April 9

The hidden cancelations of space missions in the NASA budget, via
@planetarysociety.bsky.social

Congress has already made clear they do not want to destroy our space program. The administration keeps trying.
https://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdfs/FY-2027-NASA-Budget-Request-List-of-Cancelled-Science-Missions.pdf

https://bsky.app/profile/emexastris.bsky.social/post/3mj3czbibic24

I read people continuing to try to make "lunar 3He for ...

2026-04-06T23:36:28Z

I read people continuing to try to make "lunar 3He for power" a thing.

They should read Pepin et al. 1970, "Rare gases in Apollo 11 lunar material" - https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1970LPSC....1.1435P

(I had the privilege of learning from Bob Pepin as an undergrad.)

This is a reminder that UFOs are a social phenomenon based on ...

2026-04-05T13:27:24Z

This is a reminder that UFOs are a social phenomenon based on people misunderstanding things they see.

Nobody should pretend otherwise.

And it remains way past time for news media to stop giving a platform to Avi Loeb.a

There is a building like that along the Gold Line in Pasadena. ...

2026-03-31T16:02:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…a9fx
_________________________

There is a building like that along the Gold Line in Pasadena. The residents did not seem to mind.

I did not appreciate the trans allegory in "The Matrix" ...

2026-03-28T17:04:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…reek
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I did not appreciate the trans allegory in "The Matrix" until I read a piece by the Wachowskis explaining it.

But Musk continues to miss the point even after they explained it to him personally.

Jeff Bezos is supposedly a fan of "The Expanse". Which is ...

2026-03-28T16:32:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…gu9t
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Jeff Bezos is supposedly a fan of "The Expanse". Which is strange, since he is so obviously the villain of the series.

But there is nothing that someone will not miss the point of.

(See Elon Musk misunderstanding everything from "The Matrix" to The Culture novels.)

Counterpoint: Freedom 7 (for which there was never a Freedom 1-6, ...

2026-03-24T21:22:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…wlz5
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Counterpoint: Freedom 7 (for which there was never a Freedom 1-6, but because it was the McDonnell Model #7 capsule).

As you wrote, from the beginning NASA mission names have often been problematic.

Starfleet Academy would still work with a TNG-like model. The ...

2026-03-23T21:53:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…82c9
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Starfleet Academy would still work with a TNG-like model. The smaller number of episodes per season gives less opportunity for non-arc plots; of which there are plenty that could have been expanded on.

Paramount apparently continues to not understand Star Trek and ...

2026-03-23T17:19:09Z

Paramount apparently continues to not understand Star Trek and its fans.

https://gizmodo.com/star-trek-starfleet-academy-canceled-paramount-2000736976

The Starlinks have orbital inclinations 43° and up. So whenever ...

2026-03-22T02:03:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…3w7r
_________________________

The Starlinks have orbital inclinations 43° and up.

So whenever one re-enters at low latitude, it cannot be going mostly east-west.

The trajectory is wrong: ...

2026-03-22T02:00:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…c9mw
_________________________

The trajectory is wrong: https://fireballs.imo.net/members/imo_view/event/2026/1959 .

And there is a piece of the rock available.

When I first moved to Pasadena in '05, I learned it used to ...

2026-03-18T23:33:15Z

When I first moved to Pasadena in '05, I learned it used to be a prank to not tell new arrivals about the mountains north of town so that they would freak out on the rare clear days.

I am glad to have never had to breathe that.

QT Micah @rincewind.run‬
2026 March 18

I have lived in Los Angeles for nearly two decades and I have never experienced the kind of yellow smog that used to define this city

why? because we cleaned that shit up

none of this is beyond salvation
https://bsky.app/profile/rincewind.run/post/3mhe73h62kc2g

Windfall, Ohio is accidentally an appropriate name for a place to ...

2026-03-18T19:14:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…ly0v
_________________________

Windfall, Ohio is accidentally an appropriate name for a place to look for falling meteorites blown by the wind.

Strewn field map for the 2026 March 17 meteor over Ohio that is ...

2026-03-18T18:55:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…y8hm
_________________________

Strewn field map for the 2026 March 17 meteor over Ohio that is now named Windfall, accounting for strong winds blowing meteorites sideways: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/meteorite-falls/events/windfall-oh

The largest pieces may have gotten as far south and west as Rittman, with smaller pieces falling out further north and east.

Fireball reports from today's meteor over Lake Erie: ...

2026-03-17T15:37:28Z

Fireball reports from today's meteor over Lake Erie: https://fireballs.imo.net/members/imo_view/event/2026/1828.

Looks like any meteorites will have ended up on land on a line from east Cleveland to Akron; rather than landing in the lake.

QT Brandy Schillace @bschillace.brandyschillace.com‬
2026 March 17

if you are in #Cleveland or #northeast #Ohio, the National Weather Service has announced the giant BOOM *may* have been a meteor strike, as it was seen streaking the sky from Pittsburgh.
https://bsky.app/profile/bschillace.brandyschillace.com/post/3mhb3mqaz5k2k

That is not one that I have encountered. But I have found that ...

2026-03-15T14:59:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…vhku
_________________________

That is not one that I have encountered.

But I have found that "Staying Alive" no longer works as a reference for CPR cadence.

(Last time through training; I was told to use “Baby Shark” instead.)

I have lately had to explain to the undergraduate research ...

2026-03-15T13:33:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…u2cu
_________________________

I have lately had to explain to the undergraduate research students who Carl Sagan was.

Looking through the referenced paper ( ...

2026-03-12T16:06:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…utls
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Looking through the referenced paper ( https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.70067 ) and its references ( https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2844189 ):

Part of why colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans younger than 50 is because while deaths from colon cancer have gone up; deaths from other cancers (lung cancer, leukemia, etc.) have gone way down.

Re. last repost of @tadethompson.bsky.social : I discovered a ...

2026-03-09T17:01:43Z

Re. last repost of @tadethompson.bsky.social :

I discovered a couple of days ago that Google Scholar has started indexing young-Earth creationist pseudoscience in with actual science.

So Google continues to both actively and passively degrade the value of their primary product.

The neutrino flash from Betelgeuse going supernova will get here ...

2026-03-03T12:15:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…4us6
_________________________

The neutrino flash from Betelgeuse going supernova will get here 2 to 3 hours before the optical flash does.

If you should want advance notice, there is a mailing list: https://snews2.org/ .

(Betelgeuse is close enough that a significant number of people will experience a Cherenkov flash inside their eyeballs from the neutrinos. But that will be largely unnoticed.)