iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Robert Asumendi

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Follow Venus the next few mornings, and you can see an unusual sight, as the planet transits (passes in front of) the open star cluster Messier 44 (Praesepe) in the heart of the constellation Cancer. Brilliant -4 magnitude Venus nicks the +4th magnitude cluster on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

I designed the biggest binoculars in the world (that you can buy) and they're for looking at outer space 🔭 🌌. Early access is a big step for our nano-scale mom-and-pop business to bring this model to life! www.analogsky.co/bloom

analogsky.co

World's Biggest Binocular Telescope Model. 8" / 200mm Binoculars — Analog Sky

Analog Sky Bloom 8" reverse Newtonian binocular telescope gives you the most immersive views of the cosmos. Smart electronics combine with thoughtful design to create a whole new stargazing experience...

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Big telescopes belong on Earth! A thrilling day for astronomy and humanity. Amazing what public funding can do. Where are the privately-funded pictures like this?

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Reposted by Robert Asumendi

Yvette Cendes @whereisyvette.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Just thinking of the Harvard computer women a century ago, who looked at images of the universe like this by eye to make discoveries. They revolutionized astronomy, and Rubin definitely will too! Also, wow how excited would Henrietta Leavitt and Williamina Flemming be to see this! 🤩 🔭🧪🎢

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Big binoculars incoming! 200mm parabolic mirror objectives. This is the first time mirror binoculars have been available since JMI stopped production. 2" focusers, IPD from 49-85mm. The optics all fit in carry-on luggage size. members.analogsky.co for the journey from CAD to first prototype!

CAD drawing of 200mm astronomy binoculars.

Metal frame parts of 200mm astronomy binoculars.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

3 weeks to the first prototype of the world's largest commercially-available binocular telescope

top-down CAD diagram of 200mm binocular telescope, called "Dream", from Analog Sky

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Mercury's elongation (distance from the Sun in the sky) is large enough for safe viewing before sunrise. Fun thing to see if you have to be awake in the morning

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

I love how YouTube gives you a panel of the comments you haven't replied to but seemingly no way to dismiss comments you don't *want* to reply to lol

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Reposted by Robert Asumendi

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

The American Astronomical Society — the largest organization of professional astronomers in the country — has put out a statment about Trump's proposed fatal cuts to NASA science. aas.org/press/aas-st...

aas.org

AAS Gravely Concerned About Cuts to NASA Science Funding | American Astronomical Society

The American Astronomical Society is gravely concerned about the deep cuts to NASA science funding reported to be in the draft President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2026.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Just reposting this so it's easy to find later to show my 12-year-old daughter. Sometimes I'm embarrassed I was so excited about the internet as a teenager in the 90s thinking we could share the collective knowledge of humanity when this was pretty much the whole point the whole time.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Can't wait to find out what my next shipment of lenses from China is going to cost in a couple weeks. Can I spin a wheel maybe?

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Getting closer. The lenses might be $1000 each by the end of the month but hey.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Not sure why WKUK official reuploaded this a couple days ago, somebody better keep an eye on those guys www.youtube.com/watch?v=KivC...

youtube.com

It's Illegal to Say

YouTube video by WKUK: Whitest Kids U’ Know

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Reposted by Robert Asumendi

Astropotamus 🔭🦛 @astropotamus.com · 18/03/2025

Life Hack: The night sky offers endless entertainment—meteor showers, eclipses, and planetary alignments - all at no cost. Except for a jacket. Maybe some bug spray. Possibly a chair.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

We're definitely in the Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack part of the year. I guess a neon post apocalypse is kind of a metaphor for spring.

Half a 50mm binocular telescope, Analog Sky's Magic LVL 2 prototype. 76 degree viewing angle, simultaneous objective focus, 56mm minimum IPD (lowest in the world for 2" eyepieces), built-in PiFinder plate solving finder, green laser pointer, 3V lighting, and hopefully APO Petzval optics. The prototype lays on its side on a chair in the sunshine.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

In addition to damaging local habitat, this is polluting the atmosphere with aluminum oxide. But if a exploding SpaceX payload was ever a nuclear-powered probe, this would rain down deadly radioactivity over everyone below. No profit-motive space companies, no nuclear space probes.

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Reposted by Robert Asumendi

Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

👇The Mars #EuropaClipper gravity assist is happening right now! Locate Mars to wave at Clipper as it flys by on its 5yr journey to Jupiter & the frozen ice moon of Europa. At the moment Mars is an easy-to-spot triangle with the bright Gemini stars of Castor and Pollux! 🔭🧪🛰️ ℹ️ stellarium-web.org

A sky map showing the locations of Mars, Jupiter relative to the constellation of Orion in the South.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Little closer on the 50mm stargazing binocular update, amidst the new eyepieces launching next week and the 200mm stargazing binoculars. The right-hand side is pretty much ready to print. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to NEAF.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

We're almost there on a prototype for the updated 50mm binocular telescope (Magic 2). Rack and pinion focuser works great, image merging works great, and now adding built-in PiFinder. PiFinder uses a camera to figure out what you're looking at in the sky without a phone, 20 times a second. The

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Looks like t Coronae Borealis is finally getting ready to pop. It is now a morning object in both hemispheres and it's really far from the Sun in the sky so we have a chance to see it, ideally through both eyes 🔭🔭. www.astronomerstelegram.org?read=17041

astronomerstelegram.org

ATel #17041: T CrB on the Verge of an Outburst: H alpha Profile Evolution and Accretion Activity

ATel On

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Happy Chinese New Year! The Snake Nebula in infrared from Spitzer Space 🔭 looks more like a dragon but it works. Good health and clear skies!

Spitzer Space Telescope infrared image of the Snake Nebula.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Prototype 50mm binocular telescope side view. Testing tomorrow. There are about a dozen features here that nobody's done before. Dramatically simplified construction while increasing precision, usability, and image quality.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

World's first binocular telescope 🔭🔭 with simultaneous lens focusing, testing stage. William Optics also internally focuses their 51mm petzval's objective triplet. It's a beautiful piece of high-precision machining worth $1000. Let's see if I can do a similar focuser in plastic for $3.

3d CAD illustration of 50mm binocular telescope under development. The highlighted assembly shows a rack and pinion focuser that moves the objective cell assembly along a track lined with common, cheap PTFE tubes from a 3d printer to maintain centricity. Objective focusing allows for quick focus of both eyes simultaneously, and allows us to shave 2mm off the minimum interpupillary distance, down to 56mm. This is a world's first for minimum IPD with 2" widefield eyepieces.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

A couple months ago I followed a "starter pack" of people who report (critically) on Elon Musk's companies and now ironically I get way more news about him at bsky than x lol

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

2025 will see the return of the big binoculars. Here's the top deck of the 200mm. These let you see a lot of things as well as a 400mm telescope but with a lot more comfort, sharpness, and overall immersion. More features than the biggest lens-based binoculars at 1/6 the price.

CAD rendering of the top half of upcoming mirror-based binoculars from Analog Sky. Eyepieces, secondary mirrors, and tertiary mirrors are aligned. IPD adjustment is incorporated into a "rotating ring" arrangement. This ultra lightweight build should come in around 10 kg or 22 pounds and fit on airline carry-on for the ultimate travel stargazing rig.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Anytime you feel incompetent because you have to upload a new x.x.2 version of a file because you made a typo in the .readme file, always remember Tesla still exists

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Ok Blue Sky, using this app instead of X might improve your mental health a bit, but if you need a moment with the universe, I design stargazing 🔭🔭 binocular kits you can build easily yourself and find a few quiet moments of peace, by yourself or with friends. ✌️ analogsky.co

3d printed parts kit for building your own stargazing binoculars. User feedback from the hundreds of people who have built their own results in your kit coming with the most up-to-date design!

Side view of Analog Sky Ember, compact but powerful stargazing binoculars. Comfortable and hands-free, use telescope eyepieces to change the zoom all the way up to 100x with optional optics. See Saturn's rings and sunspots or zoom out for whole star clusters.

Top view of girl and her mom building Analog Sky Magic stargazing binoculars together. This kit + course takes you step-by-step through building your own binoculars that let you explore the sky like never before. See craters on the Moon, Saturn's rings, star clusters, galaxies, and constellations. Bring back the stars!

Front view of Analog Sky Heart, the first 80mm binoculars designed to be pointed at the night sky. Add telescope eyepieces to zoom from 11x - 133x. Breathtaking compositions of deep space objects in rich starfields at a price that was untouchable until now. Build your own and slip away into the cosmos.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

There is also a great feature in settings where it will force you to add alt text in case you forget. I was doing web accessibility 25 years ago and it's crazy but not surprising it's taken this long to get this feature on social media....

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Been playing with this cool 3d software called Spline that lets you create interactive 3d web/app experiences really easily. Here's a globular cluster. This is going to help us take things up a few notches.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Ok, everybody's jumping on here so it's time to wake up the account. I like today's server lag like it's a 9600 baud modem. Every time you click a social media app it should take long enough for the question "Is this really how I want to spend my time?" to form in your mind.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 09/04/2024

Was super cool to read reports from people all over the country who had built my solar binoculars 🔭🔭. Most had great experiences, some were clouded out. Happy to help people enjoy a special moment in their lives. Now we have the rest of the solar maximum to enjoy! #TotalSolarEclipse

Photo of woman building Analog Sky Sunny, solar binoculars you can build yourself!

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 30/03/2024

On my third listen of this and it just gets better. I love "standard" E1 eps for the improv but every second of this two-hour story is impeccably crafted. It's free to listen to, but I think someday it's going to cost over $1000 to play each E1 so get in now. soundcloud.com/episode-one-...

soundcloud.com

327 - The Ballad of Brewer Grouse

Singer-songwriter Brewer Grouse finds himself at the center of the early '60s folk boom in Manhattan and sets out to make his message heard—whether people like it or not. E1 on Patreon: www.patreon.c

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 27/03/2024

Drew the Sun today 🔭🔭 The features are kinda oversized so I could draw a little more detail than if it were to scale. It's probably fine since no one is doing science with my drawings. Hazy day but could still see a fair amount. Glad I got to see this wild group 3615 before it swings around the back

Pencil sketch of the surface of the sun on 2024/03/26 at 11am PDT. Group 3615 is prominent.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 13/03/2024

Beautiful: 200 mirrors for making stargazing binoculars, fresh from the factory. First time we've ordered direct! Super exciting.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 12/03/2024

I feel like it's an annoying thing to do, but since there's no pinned skeet, I'll just re-up: Hi! I design the only binoculars optimized for stargazing, and I make video courses @analogsky.bsky.social that teach you how to build yours. My daughter builds the first model, Magic, with you.

Woman and 9 year old girl build stargazing binoculars with 3d printed parts.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 12/03/2024

I love open clusters because they're pretty and made of new stars (usually). Now it looks like we have lots more types of clusters. So cool! I wonder if there is a way to use this database to locate these visually.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 05/03/2024

Astronomy sketching light prototype finished. Amber light saves your dark adaption, ring light provides even illumination of the sketch regardless of your hand position. Good for star charts too. Uses the @adafruit.com 3V compatible light strip (PID 5851). Still too bright, needs a resistor or pot.

Astronomy ring light prototype evenly illuminates an astronomy sketch with amber light. The light angles down on the sketch from a 3" riser, reducing shadows and keeping the light out of anyone else's eyes.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 01/03/2024

More light work. The led strip is totally invisible when you're using it from above, the amber color is nice. Wires are tucked away now.

Prototype astronomy sketching ring light with amber light glowing on a sketch.

Prototype astronomy sketching ring light with amber light glowing on a sketch. Getting down low you can see the amber gel on the light source.

Finished light will be a 300 degree ring.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 29/02/2024

This is a great story. It's cool to get the PSA about compassion and connection at the end because I feel like that's my job as an outreach person. www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_dr...

youtube.com

I met a real flat earther (Crazy Story)

In this video, I tell you about the time I met a flat eather, and the crazyness doesn't just stop with them believing the Earth is flat...Honestly, I didn't ...

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 28/02/2024

Segment of a prototype astro sketching ring light with amber gel and recessed led strip. Amber protects your night vision. Should be great for reading star charts as well.

Segment of a prototype ring light designed for dark sky amateur astronomy. Amber-colored gel preserves night vision.

Segment of prototype ring light for dark site amateur astronomy. Amber colored light protects dark adaption.

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Robert Asumendi @robertasumendi.bsky.social · 27/02/2024

Oh yeah that's nice. One cr2 battery seems to work fine. Nice even spread of light from this 3V Adafruit strip. Just way too bright!

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