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CosmoQuest

@cosmoquest.org
983 followers 61 following 417 posts

Explore our universe. Map other worlds. Put science in your brain. Home to Escape Velocity Space News, AstronomyCast, 365 Days of Astronomy. Support indie science journalism & community science at patreon.cosmoquest.org

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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 29/09/2026
While Superman can speed around the world and catch up to the day, he can never catch up to the light beam that eradicated the night. As he tries, all that will happen is his time will slow so that light always appears to fly the same rate. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/newsle...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Newsletter: Variable time | CosmoQuestX
Director's Notes, 28 Sep 2026 One one the most powerful things I've come to understand as an astronomer is that the tick of time isn't const
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 24/09/2026
Are you a Lunar Mapper? Have you seen weird indents ending in boulders? Scattered through the images are boulder trails - places where boulders rolled across the landscape smushing things as they went. Geology gets weird sometimes! Map: mappers.psi.edu Support: patreon.cosmoquest.org
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 21/09/2026
Help! We no longer have ads! That is a mixed message we know, but ... We dropped the ads. We're turning up the content. For this to financially work, we need your help. Subscribe: www.patreon.com/cw/CosmoQues... One time contribution: planetaryscienceinstitute-bloom.kindful.com?campaign=142...
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 20/09/2026
All was going well when I started the stream early so we could share the quiet interaction of the Moon and Clouds. Then, as if clouds can read clocks, just as the official start time approached, the roof came for us, like a wave of sheet metal, engulfing the telescope in disappointment and darkness.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 19/09/2026
THERE IS A LOT GOING ON AROUND COSMOQUEST. And I had caps lock on, but you know, that was an fitting cry for your attention. COME LOOK AT ALL THE STUFFS. Oh, and Pamela wrote a rambling intro about choosing science and why she hates economic drivers. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/newsle...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Newsletter: Human Spaceflight Blues | CosmoQuestX
Director's Notes, 19 Sep 2026 This week I am particularly grateful to all of you who are paying members of our Patreon or who have made one
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 19/09/2026
Happy International Observe the Moon Night day to all who celebrate (& you should be celebrating). Don't have plans? We got you! We're doing a live stream with Moon views and mapping (we may go live early, so notifications on!) Join us on Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX & youtube.com/live/s9VbMlJ...
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Astronomy Cast @astronomycast.com · 17/09/2026
9 away... Can we do this tonight? Pamela is observing with the teacup telescope and will stay up late we remain hopeful we will see 800 podcasts, 20 years, and 1000 patrons all come together in one glorious week.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 11/09/2026
Sometimes the name of an astronomical object can trigger paradolia to strike. This image is the Western Veil Nebula, and I can't help but see a ghostly bride, a face clinging veil draped over her face and her piled up hair, as she stares into void. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/c-34-w...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
C 34, The Western Veil Nebula | CosmoQuestX
20,000 years ago, when an ice age sent early man into caves and hovels constructed of mammoth bone and skins, a supernova would have lit up
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 10/09/2026
Preview of coming attractions: Ally weighs in on Trump's proposed Starship Troopers-inspired Space Force Uniforms. A little light rage bait, as a treat.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 05/09/2026
Tonight! Join us on YouTube and Twitch for a virtual star party starring a teacup telescope. We will be joined by the Galactic Center, Nebula, Andromeda, some top-notch stars, and even a comet. Exposures start at 11pm Eastern / 10pm Central / 8pm Pacific youtube.com/live/qduj_-F...
youtube.com
Seestar Star Party with Astrophysicist Dr. Pamela L. Gay
YouTube video by Starfront Observatories
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 30/08/2026
Weather willing, @starstryder.space is going to drag herself out of bed for the launch of Roman Space Telescope far too early tomorrow morning. Join her for a Watch Party starting at 7am Eastern / 4am Pacific. Join her on twitcht.tv/cosmoquestx
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 28/08/2026
Going Live on Twitch and YouTube with Dr. Kirby Runyon to talk about our Lunar Melt related Citizen Science Programs. Come check it out. YouTube: youtube.com/live/fqrcqF_...
youtube.com
Accelerating Lunar Science with Help from Volunteers
YouTube video by CosmoQuest
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 28/08/2026
In the most "Blame Pamela's Cloud Attraction" feat of bad luck, the dark clear site where our remote telescope is located as a spectacularly unfriendly weather situation. We're going to Moon map at mappers.psi.edu for a bit and see what happens.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 27/08/2026
TONIGHT: Partial Lunar Eclipse for Europe, Africa, Americas. Have bad weather? Not a fan of the outside? We got you. We'll be streaming on Twitch: twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX YouTube: youtube.com/live/RgVChgL... Starting 9pm EST / 6pm PST / 1am GMT / 11am+1d AEST
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 13/08/2026
Pssst - Pamela is going live with a teacup telescope and citizen science at twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 11/08/2026
Today, the number rocket failures in 2026 ticks over from 6 to 7, reminding us space is hard. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/space-...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Space is Hard: Rocket Max-Q Failure | CosmoQuestX
Space is Hard: Rocket Max-Q Failure by CosmoQuestX on Patreon. Join CosmoQuestX's community for exclusive content and updates.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 10/08/2026
#OTD in 2002, Neptune's moon Halimede was discovered. This (and its companion small moons) may be the remains of a disrupted larger body. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/166318...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
CosmoQuestX: This Day in Space Sciences: On August 10, 2002, Neptune's moon Halimede was discovered using data from the 4-m Blanco telescope in Chile and
This Day in Space Sciences: On August 10, 2002, Neptune's moon Halimede was discovered using data from the 4-m Blanco telescope in Chile and
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 04/08/2026
Sometimes the trash takes itself out. An empty Falcon 9 stage that is just a piece of drifting space debris at the moment is about to become part of a brand new crater on the Moon. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/falcon...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Falcon 9 space debris to hit Moon Aug 4-5 | CosmoQuestX
TL:DR: On the night of August 4 into the morning of August 5, an empty Falcon 9 second stage will hit the Moon in the vicinity of Moseley,
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 27/07/2026
With the landing of Soyuz MS-28 in Kazakhstan, the total number of toilets in space has dropped to 9.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 23/07/2026
Not following the CosmoQuest newsletter yet? We got you! Click here to check it out without subscribing (but we'd love it if you did subscribe at least for free!) patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/newsle...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Newsletter: Teacup Telescope | CosmoQuestX
Director's Notes, 23 July 2026 The summer is when our team tries new things. With EVSN and Astronomy Cast on hiatus, we have time to play, a
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 23/07/2026
Who decided it's Grabby Satellite Summer? This is a theme we were not prepared for. With India's Cosmoserve Space launching the Embrace mission, Katalyst Space launching the LINK Swift Reboost Mission, & SpaceLogistics/Northrop Grumman launching the Mission Robotic Vehicle-1, orbit is grabby grabby
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 20/07/2026
It is International Moon Day and we're celebrating! @starstryder.space is live on Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX and patreon.cosmoquest.org/events/16437... with Lunar Goodness. Come hangout?
twitch.tv
CosmoQuestX - Twitch
International Moon Day
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 17/07/2026
Thing we learned this week: If your house get's hit by a meteorite, your first priority is to put on medical gloves and use foil and mason jars to collect the space rocks. Then call your insurance company. www.seti.org/news/alien-w...
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 16/07/2026
Join us for a StarShip 13 watch party on Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX. Launch is scheduled for 5:45 pm and we will go live about 30 minutes before with Moon Mapping and more.
Starship 13 on pad waiting to launch with cloudy skies and a wet landscape.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 14/07/2026
With the launch of Soyuz MS-29 carrying crew to the ISS, the total number of toilets in space has incremented up to 10! International Space Station: 4 Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1 Soyuz Docked at / on way to ISS: 2 Tiangong Space Station: 2 Shenzhou Docked at TSS: 1 Total: ten toilets in space
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 07/07/2026
It happened! It finally happened! Tianwen-2 shared a picture of Earth’s tiny quasi moon. Orbiting the Sun at our side, this space rock could be a chip off the Moon or a near earth asteroid. #space #asteroid #tianwen2 #kamooalewa youtube.com/shorts/as-MK...
youtube.com
Tianwen 2 at Kamoʻoalewa - First Image!
YouTube video by CosmoQuest
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 06/07/2026
Asteroids come in a lot of varied shapes, but some shapes are more common than others, such as "weird looking peanut." Lucy discovered the Asteroid DonaldJohanson is a weird looking peanut shape. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/lucy-i...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Lucy in the Sky with a Peanut | CosmoQuestX
A new paper from a team working with the Lucy mission imaged the asteroid Donaldjohanson in April of 2025. As it passed this space rock on
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 05/07/2026
Just like we expect certain plants in certain climates, we expect to find certain astronomical objects in certain settings. This star cluster made all of us ask, "How did you get there?" This object looks like a globular cluster but is in the galactic bulge! patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/mispla...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Misplaced Star Cluster is Relic of Galaxy Formation | CosmoQuestX
Another common question astronomers must answer is, “How exactly did you get there?”  From weirdly placed planets to galaxies before we expe
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 03/07/2026
It's double trouble among the stars! For the first time, researchers have found evidence of both stars in a binary system exploding as supernovae. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/double...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
Double Supernova Trouble | CosmoQuestX
A remarkable amount of astronomy revolves around asking stars, and stellar remnants, “Exactly what did you do?” Stars evolve in dramatic way
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 02/07/2026
22 episodes later, we're wrapping up Season 4 of EVSN. patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/22-epi...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
The 22 episode season is here... and done | CosmoQuestX
I’m Gen X. This means I grew up on television shows that started each year right after Labor day and then came out with a new episode, week
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 01/07/2026
CosmoQuest will always be a place that embraces people of all kinds. We don't care who you love; we only hope that you find love in this world. This image is released under a cc-by license. Please use it, and link back to the post below to share all related credits & information on the meanings.
Please go to https://patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/pride-flag-but-162620451 for a complete description
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 19/06/2026
Happy Juneteenth! This Pride we're redoing the Pride flag with space and looking at the meaning of each color for pride and for science. The brown & black stripes on the Pride flag represent the people of color who are so often the pillars & defenders of the queer community. We wrap the cosmos...
The black wedge is the darkness of space pricked with stars and galaxies while the brown shows healthy soil with a single leaf. 


Credits: Glan Carrie on Unsplash, ESA/NASA/CSA/the JADES Collaboration
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 16/06/2026
Gonna be real for a moment: Our financial reserves are completely exhausted. We expect this to happen in September, at the end of our fiscal year. Bad days came early; donations have been, ah, shit, in 2026, so we need to ask for your help now. If you have extra, please donate: cqx-fy26.org
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 12/06/2026
Going live in moments. And seriously, there is a lot to cover. This book inspired so many ideas and we hope it will inspire you too.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 12/06/2026
In today's After Hours, Pamela is joined by @chanda.blacksky.app, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, to discuss her new book, The Edge of Space Time. It's AMAZING & generated a paper storm of notes on Pamela's desk. Join us at 2pm Boston / 7pm London twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX or www.youtube.com/live/bLxzNK-...
youtube.com
Our shape shifting Universe with author Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
YouTube video by CosmoQuest
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 11/06/2026
Thinking about the SpaceX IPO? Read our deep dive into the related mission fundamentals first. Did you know they plan to launch as much mass in Data Centers as US Farmers grow in soybeans? patreon.cosmoquest.org/CosmoQuestX/...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 11/06/2026
Let's look at the SpaceX IPO's numbers as they relate to science. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIEJ...
youtube.com
Tails, SpaceX Fails, Heads We Lose the Earth
YouTube video by CosmoQuest
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 05/06/2026
At the top of the hour (2pm Eastern / 7pm London) we're going live with this week's CosmoQuest After Hours. Join us as we discuss exploring physics thru space flight with guest Trisha Muro, author of It's (Just) Rocket Science. Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 02/06/2026
Join us in exploring the pride flag. The queer community has paid with blood to live their truth and that red stands for passion and the blood of life. In astronomy, red is the color of glowing hydrogen, the most common atom in our Universe. Image: The Horsehead nebula by Ivan Bok.
The intersex pride flag with the top band of red replaced is a section of the horsehead nebula, which is a star marked band of red with a cloud of dust and gas blocking light and making a silhouette of a horse.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 01/06/2026
Happy Pride! This year NASA isn't allowed to celebrate. We're going to do our best to celebrate so hard no one can deny there is a place in space sciences for everyone. Our first goal is to do the pride flag using space images. What are your favorite colors among the stars?
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 29/05/2026
There is one less toilet in space. With the safe return of Shenzhou 21 and its 3 person crew, there are now only nine (9) toilets in space. International Space Station: 4 Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1 Soyuz Docked at ISS: 1 Tiangong Space Station: 2 Shenzhou Docked at TSS: 1
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 26/05/2026
Celebrate Space with us every day. Join with 20% off using code MAYDAY20 at patreon.cosmoquest.org Image: gravitational lensing by the foreground galaxy (center) distorts a background galaxy into a surrounding spiral. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Mahler
From NASA: In the centre is an elliptical galaxy, seen as an oval-shaped glow around a small bright core. Around this is wrapped a broad band of light, appearing like a spiral galaxy stretched and warped into a ring, with bright blue lines drawn through it where the spiral arms have been stretched into circles. A few distant objects are visible around the ring on a black background.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 26/05/2026
The space toilet count just got turned up to ten (10!) after Shenzhou-23 docked with the Chinese Tiangong space station. Where you'll find Space Toilets: International Space Station: 4 Crew Dragon Docked at ISS: 1 Soyuz Docked at ISS: 1 Tiangong Space Station: 2 Shenzhou Docked at TSS: 2
Astronauts on the Chinese space station in blue flight suits giving a thumbs up
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 22/05/2026
We are live. The "We're doing this to collect data" information has me thinking they expect boom. twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX
A screen capture of our watch party
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 22/05/2026
No Boom yesterday. Boom today? There's been many (sonic) boom with Starship launches. Flight 12 may be launching later today. If they do, we'll go live on Twitch.tv/CosmoQuestX once prop loading is started. This could be as early as 6:15pm Boston / 3:15pm. Credit: SpaceX
Starship seen from a drone in a bank of fog.
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 22/05/2026
As astronomers, our lives are dedicated to both the ephemeral and the eternal. And humans mean nothing to the universe (and everything to us). patreon.cosmoquest.org/posts/as-the...
patreon.cosmoquest.org
As they steal the night | CosmoQuestX
As they steal the night by CosmoQuestX on Patreon. Join CosmoQuestX's community for exclusive content and updates.
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ally @inaneenglish.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
CosmoQuest Patreon fam, I love y'all so much I'm missing game 2 of the Walter Cup finals to edit new content. ❤️
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 09/05/2026
Editing a new episode of Escape Velocity Space News. AMA!
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 08/05/2026
Here's an opportunity to fund independent, accurate science news at a time when we're...not getting a lot of that in the US for [gestures at everything] reasons. Help us keep it going! Those $1/month memberships add up!!!
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CosmoQuest @cosmoquest.org · 07/05/2026
Hey so we currently have 234 paid & 614 free members on our patreon and if every single free member subscribed at our $1/month tier it would solve most of our budget issues! patreon.com/cosmoquestx
patreon.com
Patreon
Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!
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