I like this quote:
“The problem is that electric cars are popular with politicians precisely because they provide an excuse to avoid doing harder things, like rebuilding our cities, or changing the habits of lifetimes. Persuading people to switch from their old gasoline car to a shiny Tesla is much easier than persuading them that they can live without a car. Hence governments are pushing electric cars, often with incentives that make no sense.” - Daniel Knowles, author of Carmageddon
This will hopefully be visible - An ancient comet that hasn’t been visible from Earth for over 50,000 years will become visible in Australia from 2 February #astronomy #comet https://www.spaceconnectonline.com.au/discovery/5763-once-in-50-000-year-comet-to-be-visible-from-australia-in-february
A physicist, a chef and some pasta go into a kitchen... https://theconversation.com/italys-pasta-row-a-scientist-on-how-to-cook-spaghetti-properly-and-save-money-191973
Sometime ago I became interested in the history and philosophy of the positron and its antimatter siblings - a second Phd didn't go the distance. However here is part of that thesis that got squelched by academic publishing, I am still proud of the effort: https://almostlucidthoughts.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-emergence-of-positron-and-early.html #antimatter #nobelprize #Positron
Computer science pioneer and United States Navy rear admiral Grace Hopper was born #OTD in 1906.
As far as I’m aware, she is the only person who has both a supercomputer and a US Navy destroyer named after her.
Image: Computer History Museum
The Sun, our star, this morning in the light of excited calcium ions. Highlighting the active regions and large scale plasma convection cells, the magnetic fields on the Sun are spectacular #science #astronomy #solarastronomy
My favorite solar image of the day
A spectacular image from today - it has it all (OK not really spectacular sunspots) AR 3152 in the upper RH (north eastern quadrant of the solar disk), great filaments in the southern hemisphere, gigantic prominence visible off the south western limb, flares off the south eastern limb - zoom in this image has amazing detail! More images from today to follow but this was just a beautiful example of why we observe the Sun.
Images taken from a cloud free Albert Park in inner Melbourne. Lunt130MT scope on an iOptron CEM70G mount and ZWO ASI174MM camera. H alpha images (656.5nm) Lunt double-stacked 130mm etalons. Images captured using Firecapture, and processed in AutoStakkert!3, RegiStax6 and Photoshop. #astronomy #solarphysics #solar #solarastronomy #sunspots
Rather pleased with my image of the Sun taken in Ca II K light (393.4nm). It gives a fascinating view of the active regions (AR3147 clearly visible near the Sun's eastern limb) and plasma convection cells #astronomy #solarphysics #sun
Taken with a #Lunt 130MT scope and #zwo ASI174MM camera, at 20221118 _001621 UT. Images processed using #AutoStakkert!3 #RegiStax6 and coloured in #photoshop
Hundreds pitch in to buy a pristine block of land on the Tasman Peninsula with well-preserved endangered ecosystems
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-20/new-reserve-at-sloping-main-in-tasmania-south-east/101663798
Almost there! The #Orion spacecraft captured these selfies while flying through space on the way to the #Moon. During the #ArtemisI flight, the Orion capsule will fly past the Moon, and return to #Earth up to 42 days later.
#SpaceMastodon #Spacedon #Space #Astronomy #Astrodon #ScienceMastodon #Sciencedon #Science #Artemis #Moon #MoonMissions
Getting a nearly 100 year old telescope at the Melbourne Observatory ready for viewing the Sun. The reflector has it's aperture stopped down and a Baader film cap attached #astronomy
Historian & philosopher of science, sterrenkenner, physicist, flaneur, swing-dancer - forever curious about the universe especially our Sun and antimatter