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David Ridge

@dridge.bsky.social
643 followers 661 following 159 posts

Husband, father, grandfather (my most important roles), retired minister (not considering myself a Christian, given what that has come to mean), left of center, follower of science and advocate for human rights. Politically outspoken but on hiatus now.

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Reposted by David Ridge
MaggieMay @sleeplesscrone.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
I appreciate those out there protesting at great risk to their lives however i think the nation needs to grind this economy to a dead stop. It's something everyone can do safely. No spending on ANYTHING but absolute necessities. I understand some shut ins can not do this but very many of us can.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
This was then, and what do we have now¿ www.facebook.com/share/1QC1qX...
facebook.com
Redirecting...
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
And here we are, being overwhelmed with his atrocious acts in violation of the constitution and basic human decency, when the fuck are we going to just walk out! And bring this POS POTUS to justice by bringing down his regime and bringing every childfucker to their rightful place UNDER the law?!?
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Whoosies who get rich off other people's troubles are quietly sitting this one out. I wonder why?
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Nuremberg
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Reposted by David Ridge
BrooklynDad_Defiant! @mmpadellan.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Venezuela. Greenland. Oil. Chaos. None of it is random. This piece breaks down why trump’s latest escalations are about greed, ego, and fear of one thing he cannot survive: the Epstein files. Read it here: brooklyndaddefiant.substack.com/p/why-venezu...
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
And CBS just blighly repeats the lie. Apparently not even asking "how could such a thing occur when the murderer was even touched?"
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Reposted by David Ridge
Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
This is a pretty severe escalation from CBS, just straight up lying like this.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Yeah, his heart said "fuck you, asshole, shooting a woman in cold blood" and started to hemorrhage.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
www.instagram.com/reel/DTQ0ltJ...
instagram.com
reallyamericanmedia on Instagram: "BREAKING: Gov. Gavin Newson just completely obliterated Trump's "might-makes-right" regime in 90 seconds. This is must see. Follow…"
BREAKING: Gov. Gavin Newson just completely obliterated Trump's "might-makes-right" regime in 90 seconds. This is must see. Follow @reallyamericanmedia for more.View all 1,877 comments
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
www.facebook.com/share/r/14Yt...
facebook.com
Redirecting...
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Well, in addition to TACO, tr*mp has a new name TAFU. Seems the oil executives don't believe his picture of reality.
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Reposted by David Ridge
Outspoken™️ @out5p0ken.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
“Rise Up, Take a Stand! Nobody’s Illegal On Stolen Land!” Chants the growing crowd gathered where Renee Good was MURDERED today in Minneapolis by ICE agents.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
archive.org/details/ceco...
archive.org
cecot-60mins : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
60 minutes segment on cecot
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Well done, Boulder! I got tired of taking pics and I got there as many people were leaving... 5,000? 6,000? A LOT of people🥰
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Reposted by David Ridge
Stephen Blackmoore @stephenblackmoore.com · 11/06/2025
LOS ANGELES CIVIL UNREST SCALE

1992 RIOTS

TRADER JOE'S
SILVERLAKE PARKING

HOLLYWOOD BOWL
INTERSECTION
AFTER A CONCERT

XMAS WEEK
HOLIDAY SHOPPING AT
GLENDALE GALLERIA

LAKERS/DODGERS
CHAMPIONSHIPS

CURRENT LEVEL AND WEATHER
68 AND FAIR, AND ABOLISH ICE
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
7) [disclaimer: I did not know all this. I tip my hat to Frank at SetiAstro for his powerful program called What's in My Image. To other astro-imagers, if you've got a solved FITS file, his program will work for you - setiastro.com
setiastro.com
Seti Astro
My ongoing journey through our cosmos from my backyard. Astrophotography of our solar system, galaxies, nebula, and clusters to explore. Adding new projects as photons are collected.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
6) Look up on a clear night. Lens help. Cameras are even better... (click on image to zoom in). This was about 13 hours of exposure.
setiastro.com
Seti Astro
My ongoing journey through our cosmos from my backyard. Astrophotography of our solar system, galaxies, nebula, and clusters to explore. Adding new projects as photons are collected.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
5) And in the lower center-right is a galaxy with possibly an active black hole at 56,000,000 ly distance. In this image, astronomers have identified at least 15 quasars -- active galaxies in which the luminance of the black hole's consumption of surrounding material outshines the galaxy itself.
setiastro.com
Seti Astro
My ongoing journey through our cosmos from my backyard. Astrophotography of our solar system, galaxies, nebula, and clusters to explore. Adding new projects as photons are collected.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
4) Directly above NGC 5248 is a Seyfert galaxy (also an active black hole) about 330,000,000 ly away. In the upper right is a "normal" galaxy, edge on, that's about 54,000,000 ly away.
setiastro.com
Seti Astro
My ongoing journey through our cosmos from my backyard. Astrophotography of our solar system, galaxies, nebula, and clusters to explore. Adding new projects as photons are collected.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
3) Also included in this image are two very small "fuzzies" (galaxies) in the upper left corner that are about 1,000,000,000 (billion) light years away, one of which has an active black hole, i.e. consuming surrounding material.
setiastro.com
Seti Astro
My ongoing journey through our cosmos from my backyard. Astrophotography of our solar system, galaxies, nebula, and clusters to explore. Adding new projects as photons are collected.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
1) Located in the constellation Bootes, it is on the edge of the Virgo supercluster of galaxies (of which the MW is also a part).
setiastro.com
Seti Astro
My ongoing journey through our cosmos from my backyard. Astrophotography of our solar system, galaxies, nebula, and clusters to explore. Adding new projects as photons are collected.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
🔭This is about the size of the Milky Way, but at 42,000,000 light years away, NGC 5248 appears to be one fourth the size of the full Moon. It crosses the meridian (the imaginary line in the sky running north-south thru the zenith) on or about 10 pm (DST) on June 1. ].
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
And good catch
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
You are absolutely right. I realized after I posted it that I had the wrong designator but no way to change it but to remove and repost
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
I think that depends on the degree of certainty you'll accept for a "yes" 😉
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
🔭 A cache of photons collected on my prior telescope has finally been processed... NGC7822, the largest galaxy of the Deer Lick group. It's about 127,000 light years across.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Autocorrect 🙄... My intent in posting this...
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
My intent in paying this was for You to copy this sheet to your own repository to make it your own, adding your own data.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
... end star of the handle of the Big Dipper...
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
That's interesting! I need to pull this up on a larger screen to appreciate it more fully
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
The image on the right, M101 - Pinwheel Galaxy, is almost three times the size of the Milky Way with two and half as many stars. 21 mly away to the south of the end star of the Big Dipper, it presents a beautiful spiral structure with lots of Ha regions clearly visible.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
Roughly the same diameter as the Milky Way, its elliptical shape contains roughly twice the mass of the MW and an active nucleus and a black hole at least 250 times the mass of our own.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
The image on the left reminds me of dancing south of the border 😁 At about 29mly away, the Sombrero Galaxy brims with about 800,000,000,000 solar masses, making it one of the most massive communities in our cosmic neighborhood.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
🔭 A bit negligent in my recent image posting
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
🔭
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
The Sunflower Galaxy hangs out about 30,000,000 light years and it's overhead at about 10pm at the end of May.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper, M51 hangs out in our cosmic backyard (if the back fence was 31mly away 😉). At 75% the size of the Milky Way, one might wonder how many civilizations call it home. 🔭
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
This planetary nebula, being the successively expelled contents of a dying star, shows an intimate relationship with the very faint nebulosity surrounding it -- likely the result of the star's long history of belching its "atmosphere" into its surroundings. The universe is so cool.... and violent!
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
As always, zoom in for the greatest visual effect. You might notice the distorted facial features in the lighter area (thanks Athena!) and the coil of snakes reaching into the ethers.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
🔭 My recent tryst with Medusa, via my Player One *Poseidon* one shot color camera, yielded this glorious depiction. Located 1,500 light years away and spanning about 4 light years in diameter, it required 13 hours of exposure, 3 hours of broadband RGB and 10 hours of Ha and OIII narrowband.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
Medusa, the beautiful Gorgon of Greek mythology, had a brief tryst with the sea god, Poseidon. Athena, enraged by this carnal affair (in a temple dedicated to her), cursed Medusa by transforming what Ovid declared, "her glorious hair, the most wonderful of all her charms" - into a coil of serpents.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Thank you ☺️
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
That looks like a Tak 130. That scope is my sole rig. What camera do you have on it and what model is it?
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
🔭
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
The Tiger's Eye galaxy, NGC2841, hangs out about 46m ly away around 9pm overhead these nights. This is processed in pixinsight with the Foraxx palette. About 15 hours collecting photons with a 1000mm focal length.
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
With 1 billion plus planets likely in the habitable zone, there are likely several civilizations looking back. Look up and smile 😁
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David Ridge @dridge.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
🔭
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