iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Did you know we almost lost NASA's #Pioneer11 space probe as it nearly collided with #Epimetheus, a small moon of #Saturn, we didn't know was there?🧪🔭

Pioneer 11 during Saturn fly by
CR: Erik Simonsen Art Collections

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Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

Normal #intergalactic #matter (IGM) located in the space between galaxies far exceeds matter found within #galaxies themselves, due to vast volume of space between galaxies, even though density in that space is very low. I'm even excluding #DarkMatter!🧪🔭🎈 www.americanscientist.org/article/the-...

Evolution of the intergalactic medium begins shortly after the Big Bang, when the density of normal matter—protons, electrons, and photons—was oscillating under the competing influences of gravity and pressure. At the same time, dark matter was quietly assembling into a primitive cosmic web. About 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the protons and electrons combined to form neutral hydrogen gas (blue), which was quickly drawn into the existing lattice of dark matter by gravity. The gas and the dark matter continued to assemble in the cold darkness until the first stars were born in the highest-density regions of the intergalactic medium. The light from these stars eventually reionized and reheated the universe, probably within the first one billion years (pink). As the galaxies began to take shape, the cumulative production of heavy elements by the stars began to "pollute" the intergalactic medium (green).

CR: Tom Dunne

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Reposted by Astro Gabe

For Maths fans, 2025 is a square. 45² = 45 x 45 = 2025 Also, 9² x 5² = 2025 40² + 20² + 5² = 2025 My favourite? 1³+2³+3³+4³+5³+6³+7³+8³+9³ = 2025 #Mathematics #teaching #education

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200 followers on Jan. 1. Thank you! We are just beginning, my friends. Let me know what YOU would like to know more about!🧪🔭🎈🌞 #STEM #astronomy #cosmology #telescopes #starparty #astrophotography #astrophysics #observatory #helioscience

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Other solutions to #Olbers' #paradox, or, "Why is the night sky dark?" besides a universe that is not static, but expanding include: -Lifetime of distant stars is too short for light to have reached Earth -Universe is too young for light from distant regions - #Starlight is eventually absorbed🧪🔭🎈

This represents a timeline of the universe from the Big Bang through the present. At the left is the "birth event" of the cosmos, known as the "Big Bang". NASA / WMAP Science Team

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Expansion of the universe is the primary explanation for #Olbers' #paradox, or, "Why is the night sky dark?": Light from objects moving away from us is red shifted. If the speed of recession is great enough, the light is #redshifted into #microwaves, which is invisible to the human eye.🧪🔭🎈

A snapshot of the central part of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Each bright point is a star, there are over 2 billion of them. Image credit: Noirlab

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#Olbers' paradox, aka dark night paradox, is a #cosmological argument asking why the night sky is dark if the universe is infinite. If infinite and filled with stars, then every sight line would end at a star's surface making the night sky infinitely bright, contrary to observation.🧪🔭🎈

The detailed, all-sky picture of the infant universe created from nine years of WMAP data. The image reveals 13.77 billion year old temperature fluctuations (shown as color differences) that correspond to the seeds that grew to become the galaxies. The signal from our galaxy was subtracted using the multi-frequency data. This image shows a temperature range of ± 200 microKelvin.
Credit: NASA / WMAP Science Team

A map of cosmic background radiation from when the universe was around 380,000 years old. The colours are artificial and show tiny temperature variations.

Nine-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe heat map of temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background

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The #Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on the night of Jan. 3 into the morning of Jan. 4. Don't miss it! It's not as famous as the Perseids or Leonids mostly because it's 50% max of 120/hr window is only around 8 hours, but you can still see them through Jan. 16. You just may have to watch longer.🧪🔭

A meteor streaks past stars during the annual Quadrantid meteor shower in Qingdao, Shandong province,China, Jan. 4, 2014.
China Stringer Network via Reuters, FILE

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Here is a beautiful view before a star party from #WorldMark #MarbleFalls overlooking the Colorado River/Lake Marble Falls with one of my 10" #Meade LX200 #SCT🧪🔭

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Have you ever had a solar party before? I look at the sun using solar filters. We are still in solar maximum and it is an awesome time to see the #sunspots and maybe catch an #SME (solar mass ejection) or two.🧪🔭

One of my photos during the great total #eclipse of 2024 on April 8. The partial phases nicely showed the sunspots and #faculae
#Nikon #D850 600 mm with solar filter

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I love solar/ #starparties not only to see the beautiful sky but #adventure to meet new people and experience new places. Let me know if you would like this experience!🧪🔭

#solar party at #Confluence Park, San Antonio, Texas

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Astro Gabe @astrogabe.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

2024 was a busy year! For the first time we conducted 200+ #StarParties in one year. My new primary scope for a #starparty is now a 14" #Meade #LX200 #SCT . That is one heavy scope to gorilla around!🔭🧪

My new primary scope for a #starparty is now a 14" #Meade #LX200 #SCT . That is one heavy scope to gorilla around!

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I wish you a year filled with health, happiness, and new adventures. This last year presented many personal challenges, but in the end, I am a stronger person. Come along with me and see what positive #discoveries await us this year. Happy New Year, my dear friends! #NewYear 🧪🔭🎈

Photo of me standing in front of the dome at the Thomsen Observatory.

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Reposted by Astro Gabe

Mr. Fresh™️ 📡 @mrfresh.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

RIP James Earl Carter, you're integrity and dignity will be remembered.

In 1977, during his presidency, Jimmy Carter contributed a message to the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph record included aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. This record was designed as a time capsule, intended to communicate the story of Earth to any extraterrestrial life that might encounter the spacecraft.

President Carter's message encapsulated the aspirations and goodwill of humanity:

"This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe."

The Voyager Golden Record contains 116 images and a variety of natural sounds, musical selections from different cultures and eras, spoken greetings in 55 languages, and printed messages from President Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

The inclusion of President Carter's message aimed to convey a sense of unity and hope from Earth to any potential extraterrestrial finders, reflecting the human desire to reach out and connect with the broader cosmos.

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Astro Gabe @astrogabe.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

It was a beautiful sky for another #StarParty out at #WorldMark Hunt - #Stablewood Springs. I'm there most Saturday evenings. Come join me! 🔭

View this evening at WorldMark Hunt - Stablewood Springs.

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Astro Gabe @astrogabe.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

I occasionally have a guest who is a #flatearther at my star parties. Most have a distrust of established science, so I don't attempt to reason with them using scientific logic. "Well, here's the best evidence that the earth is flat: It's about 70% water, and the water is not fizzy."🧪🔭

Flat earther meme with Star Trek's Captain Picard posed like he is explaining flat earth.

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Transmitted beacon received. #NASA #ParkerSolarProbe has survived the closest flight at 3.8 million miles through sun's #corona! Fastest human craft ever at 430,000 mph. Telemetry data expected Jan. 1. Two more orbits to go using #Venus #gravity assist toward sun.🧪🔭 science.nasa.gov/science-rese...

An illustration of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe approaching the sun.NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

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It was my pleasure to once again visit #CampLucy in #DrippingSprings to host another #starparty. It was long overdue. Beautiful 4-star venue you should check out!🔭

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Webb has discovered a dormant supermassive #BlackHole 400 million M⊙; roughly 40% M of host #galaxy in early universe during Epoch of Reionization ~800 ma after Big Bang. To compare, most are 0.1% of host. This challenges current models of black hole growth.🧪🔭🎈 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Space Singularity Black Hole royalty-free stock pixabay.com

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I'm thankful I have a curious and #intelligent audience. I've had an acct. on the old place nearly 16 years I didn't use, so this is a refreshing learning experience. Bear with me. As requested, I'll try including post citations for further reading. I want to spark conversation and avoid woo.🧪🔭🎈

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On seeing a chart of the Southern Hemisphere constellations, the #Lick #Observatory #astronomer Heber Doust Curtis is reputed to have declared: “It looks like somebody’s attic!” scattered with old explorer equipment. 🔭

Heber Curtis with the Crossley Reflector, Lick Observatory, photograph (Special Collections, UC Santa Cruz)

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Most southern #hemisphere #constellations are named in the context of European exploration, such as, #Crux the southern cross, #Octans the octant, #Circinus and #Pyxis the compasses, #Carina and #Puppis the ship's keel and stern, and #Telescopium.🔭

Southern Hemisphere Milky Way by John Short, Caloundra, Australia. Equipment: Canon 6D, 8-15mm fisheye lens.

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Culture had a large influence on naming the #constellations. An ancient #Greek herder staring at goats all day might see #goat patterns in what may otherwise appear random. Perhaps some credit is due to a swig of the #Kykeon familiar among the Greek.🔭

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According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), most of the approximately 336 brightest stars are #Arabic named. The #Islamic Golden Age of #Astronomy from approx. the 9th to 16th century A.D. took the scientific lead in the world, with a few named by the #Greek and unknown origin.🔭

Astronomy flourished throughout the Muslim world from the 9th through 16th centuries A.D., from Arab states through Persia into Central Asia. This illustration by Persian astronomer Al-Biruni (973-1048) depicts the different phases of the moon. (Image credit: In public domain due to age)

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The names of the northern #constellations are heavily influenced by Greek #mythology, with most originating from gods, heroes, and mythical creatures. We still use constellation designations today even though they have little scientific significance, reflecting the importance of the human element.🔭

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