AkaSci 🛰️

SatCom Scientist
Writing occasionally about space missions, astronomy, planetary science, satellites and science in general.
He/Him
#science #space #technology #astronomy #satellites #Democracy

Public Key

npub1lxl7hdr6erhr2l4cr3ulj3fld7ej5yyxmul7lv7k8wchua2d4x5qkls3x9

NIP-05 Address

akasci_at_fosstodon.org@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0n0ltk3av3m3406upc70eg5lklve2zzrd70l0k0trhvt7w4x6n2q45r668

Author Public Key

npub1lxl7hdr6erhr2l4cr3ulj3fld7ej5yyxmul7lv7k8wchua2d4x5qkls3x9

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Last Notes

2024-10-05 02:45:29

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This is part of a wider effort by the Heritage Foundation, which has filed thousands of Freedom of Information Act requests over the past year, requesting a wide range of information on government employees.
"Among the documents they’ve sought are lists of agency personnel and messages sent by individual government workers that mention, among other things, “climate equity,” “voting” or “SOGIE,” an acronym for sexual orientation, gender identity and expression."
https://www.propublica.org/article/have-government-employees-mentioned-climate-change-voting-or-gender-identity-the-heritage-foundation-wants-to-know
2/n

2024-10-05 02:39:29

The Heritage Foundation wants to know what NASA employees are discussing internally about Elon Musk and trump.
Since Sep 3, the Heritage Foundation has filed at least 192 open records requests with NASA with requests for employee comms that reference either of the two men or Musk companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
It is part of the Project 2025 objective to help Trump weed out "woke" civil servants and replace them by loyalists, if he is reelected.
Chilling.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/conservative-think-tank-targeting-nasa-employees-communications-about-musk-trump-2024-10-04/
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2024-09-30 12:47:52

The NY Times endorses Kamala Harris for President !!
"It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/opinion/editorials/kamala-harris-2024.html
1/n

2024-07-10 01:12:23

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In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, 1,844,295 customers (13.3%) are still without power in southeast Texas. High temperatures are expected throughout the rest of the week.
https://poweroutage.us/area/state/texas
#Beryl
29/n
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2024-07-10 00:27:38

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Ariane 6 Press Conference from the Jupiter Mission Control Room at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Late in the mission, the upper stage’s auxiliary power unit suffered an anomaly that caused a premature engine shutdown. Consequently, the two test re-entry capsules were not released, and the upper stage could not reenter the atmosphere as planned. It will enter the atmosphere eventually as its orbit decays over time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0n_0sviFkA
4/n

2024-07-10 00:05:59

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Scene from the iconic Jupiter Mission Control Room at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, during today's Ariane 6 launch.
Symmetric enough @npub1wg6…p0eg ?
Credit: ESA Space Transport
3/n
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2024-07-09 23:37:11

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C'est notre Histoire spatiale.
C'est notre autonomie stratégique.
C'est une fierté française et européenne.
Le premier lancement d'Ariane 6 est un succès !
Immense bravo aux équipes qui rendent possible ce qui paraît impossible. Mission accomplie.
- Emmanuel Macron
Mission accomplished 🚀
2/n
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2024-07-09 23:18:43

Video recap of the maiden launch of the Ariane 6 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.
It also deployed 9 cubesats into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJa9AJk-Gfg
1/n

2024-07-08 12:44:52

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Winds will diminish gradually in the next 24 hours as Hurricane Beryl travels over land.
The potential for heavy rainfall, flash floods and power outages extends into Arkansas and Missouri.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
#Beryl
28/n
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2024-07-08 11:59:59

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Black holes in general tend to rotate very fast, as they try to conserve angular momentum while shrinking in size.
The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy Sgr A* (4.3 million solar masses!) is spinning with an angular velocity that is ~60% of the max possible value, and with an angular momentum of ~90% of the max possible value.
Sgr A*'s spin causes the spacetime around it to be squashed down to the shape of a football.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/telescopes-show-the-milky-ways-black-hole-is-ready-for-a-kick/
#quasar #Chandra
5/n
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2024-07-08 11:46:22

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There is a pattern here with republican leaders and hurricanes.
Rep. Eric Swalwell -
"My family in Texas are about to be slammed by #HurricaneBeryl. And shocker!..Governor @GregAbbott_TX is out of the country. Sound familiar, @tedcruz? My God. Who the hell are these leaders? And why aren’t they held to account?"
#Beryl
27/n
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2024-07-08 04:33:03

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Hurricane Beryl is back to hurricane status with 75 mph winds, after spending most of the day trying to regroup.
Further strengthening is expected tonight over the warm waters of the Gulf before making landfall early morning.
Beryl's track has nudged closer to Houston 🙁
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
#Beryl
26/n
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2024-07-08 02:48:55

On Xitter, you can pay $168/year to suppress ads, that too only on the Home page.
On the Fediverse, all pages are ad-free. And crap-free. For free.
:mastodance:
P.S. But feel free to send donations to your server admin.
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/748/574/123/227/418/original/ed078b1f61e9ee6a.png

2024-07-07 19:26:51

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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's reaction to France's election projected results - "In Paris enthusiasm, in Moscow disappointment, in Kyiv relief. Enough to be happy in Warsaw."
Vive la France!
:mastodance:
#France
2/n
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2024-07-07 19:20:02

Looks like France dodged a bullet.
All major French outlets are showing early projections of a victory for the left-wing alliance, New Popular Front (NFP)
France's far-right National Rally (RN) has failed to win a majority in the parliamentary elections.
Voter turnout was the highest in decades at 67.1%, and official results are expected early Monday.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ck7gydwgvy8t
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/france-far-right-fails-win-majority-rcna160586
#France
1/n
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2024-07-07 18:39:48

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This composite image from 2014 of quasar RX J1131-1231 uses data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, ESA's XMM-Newton and Hubble.
X-ray data from Chandra was used to measure the spin of the quasar's supermassive black hole.
X-rays emitted and distorted from a region in the accretion disk located ~3x the radius of the event horizon led to the result that space-time at the black hole's event horizon is spinning at ~50% the speed of light.
https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2014/rxj1131/
#quasar #Chandra
4/n
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2024-07-07 18:16:03

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Of course, this not the first image of the gravitational lensed quasar RX J1131-1231, although it is by far the sharpest.
It was discovered and first imaged in 2003 by the EFOSC2 instrument on the ESO 3.6-m telescope in La Silla, Chile.
The processed image on the right shows the the four images of the same distant quasar, the Einstein ring (the elongated image of the quasar's host galaxy) and the lensing galaxy (the central bright diffuse image).
https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0321a/
#quasar #eso
3/n
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2024-07-07 18:06:23

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This graphic from the Hubble site illustrates how a distant quasar's light is altered by a massive foreground galaxy and by dark matter.
The galaxy's gravity warps and magnifies the quasar's light, producing four distorted images of the quasar.
Dark matter clumps in the path alter the apparent brightness and position of each quasar image as shown by the wiggly lines in the graphic.
Gravitational lensing was first predicted by Einstein.
https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2020/05/4617-Image?Topic=107-cosmic-wonders
#quasar #hubble
2/n
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2024-07-07 17:53:17

This Quasar-studded Ring is the JWST picture of the month. The 4 "jewels" (3 at the top, 1 at the bottom) are images of the same quasar RX J1131-1231, 6 billion light-years away, whose light has been gravitationally bent by a foreground galaxy (the blue dot). The blue ring is the lensed and smeared image of the quasar's host galaxy.
At the heart of the quasar lies a super massive black hole (SMBH), which powers the luminous radiation of the object.
https://esawebb.org/images/potm2406a/
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2024-07-06 16:10:31

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Hurricane Beryl is regrouping after it lost its strength and shape yesterday as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula.
It is expected to consolidate today. Conditions are more favorable for strengthening tomorrow.
The predicted track has shifted eastward with landfall now north of Corpus Christi, with wind speeds of 90 mph. This also means that Beryl will spend more time over water, giving it more time to strengthen.
Now is the time to make preparations.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml
#Beryl
25/n
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2024-07-05 21:38:13

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Hurricane Beryl has weakened to 65 mph winds as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula today.
It is expected to regroup and strengthen over the gulf waters over the next 2 days. The predicted track has shifted eastward with landfall further north in Texas than previous guidance, with wind speeds of 90 mph near Cat 2. This also means that Beryl will spend more time over water, giving it more time to strengthen.
Folks in south Texas should prepare for the worst.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
#Beryl
24/n
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2024-07-05 17:46:50

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The primary thrust of Project 2025 seems to be to change our system to a government of the oligarchs, by the oligarchs and for the oligarchs.

2024-07-05 16:43:22

trump claims he knows NOTHING about Project 2025.
Also, in the same post, he says that he disagrees with some of the things they are saying 😜.
That may be enough to fool some of his fanatic supporters. But voters are getting concerned as they hear about Project 2025 - https://www.rawstory.com/trump-project-2025-2668691343/
So, let's keep shining the light on Project 2025. Because that's what's in store for the U.S. if trump and republicans win.
Link to Project 2025 doc - https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
#Project2025
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2024-07-05 10:12:17

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Hurricane Beryl is now grinding over the Yucatan Peninsula, south of Cancun, with wind speeds of 110 mph.
The predicted track in the gulf waters has shifted north a bit; Beryl is now expected to make landfall Monday morning near the southern tip of Texas, close to Boca Choca, as a Cat 1 hurricane with wind speeds around 85 mph. There is a good chance that Beryl will strengthen further over the warm waters of the Gulf. It will dump heavy rain in Texas.
nhc.noaa.gov/
#Beryl #Hurricane
23/n
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2024-07-04 23:12:57

Happy Birthday to American astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt (born July 4, 1868, Lancaster, MA, died Dec 12, 1921, Cambridge, MA), who discovered the relationship between the luminosity and the period of Cepheid variables - pulsating stars that vary in brightness in precise periods ranging from a few days to several months.
The period–luminosity relationship, now known as "Leavitt's law," led to methods to calculate vast celestial distances.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Swan_Leavitt
#Leavitt
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2024-07-04 12:16:24

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Hurricane Beryl - the track so far, which matches forecasts very well, and the track over the next 5 days.
Current wind speeds = 120 mph.
Now expected to cross the Yucatan Peninsula south of Cancun and make landfall again in Mexico, Monday morning, ~50 miles south of Brownsville, Texas, as a Cat 1 hurricane with wind speeds around 75 mph.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
#Beryl #Hurricane
22/n
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2024-07-04 02:38:24

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A serene looking Hurricane Beryl photographed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station from 423 km above on July 1, when Beryl was swirling off the coast of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea.
More pics at https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/albums/72157657768950605/
#Beryl #Hurricane #ISS
21/n
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2024-07-03 22:31:59

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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe holds the record for the fastest spacecraft ever, beating its nearest rivals by a considerable amount.
For comparison, the table below shows top speeds for various spacecraft, planets and satellites.
PSP's highest speed (635,266 km/h) occurs during perihelion. Current PSP speed = 288,694 km/h.
https://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/
#Parker #ParkerSolarProbe
3/n
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2024-07-03 22:27:15

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The graphic below shows the timeline of events during perihelion 20 of the Parker Solar Probe.
For 11 days around perihelion, PSP collects science data but maintains radio silence. Data is downlinked once the spacecraft is about 0.25 AU away from the Sun.
During these 11 days, PSP is on its own, running instruments, storing data, keeping the shield pointed at the Sun, angling solar arrays to prevent overheating, thermal mgmt, ...
https://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/Spacecraft/index.php#introduction
#ParkerSolarProbe
2/n
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2024-07-03 22:22:20

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe made its 20th close approach of the Sun on June 29, 2024 at 3:47 p.m. ET. At perihelion, it was at a record distance of just 7.26 million km from the solar surface, racing by at a record speed of 635,266 km/h (similar to perihelion 178 which occurred 6 months ago).
For comparison, the perihelion of planet Mercury is at 45.3 mil km; average Earth-Sun distance = 150 mil km.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/parkersolarprobe/2024/07/03/nasas-parker-solar-probe-completes-20th-close-approach-to-the-sun/
https://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/
#Parker #ParkerSolarProbe
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2024-07-03 20:26:00

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Hurricane Beryl's eye is currently located right on top of the southern coastline of Jamaica.
Wind speeds = 140 mph.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Jamaica.
https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/?sat=goes-16&sec=full_disk&x=10500&y=7740&z=3&angle=0&im=12&ts=1&st=0&et=0&speed=130&motion=loop&maps%5Bborders%5D=silver&p%5B0%5D=band_13&opacity%5B0%5D=1&pause=20240703200021&slider=-1&hide_controls=0&mouse_draw=0&follow_feature=0&follow_hide=0&s=rammb-slider&draw_color=FFD700&draw_width=6
#Beryl #Hurricane
20/n
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2024-07-03 20:11:50

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Some terrifying and heartbreaking scenes from Carriacou, Grenada, after it was ravaged by Hurricane Beryl.
Let's remember that each of those destroyed structures belongs to a family or a business or a community. Imagine if this were to happen to your home and community.
Hurricanes are bad enough, but when they are fueled by the forces of Climate Change, the results are catastrophic.
Let's pray that Beryl causes less damage in Jamaica today..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-raESMVS9LM
#Beryl #Hurricane
19/n

2024-07-02 10:33:16

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Here are some new images from inside the eye of Hurricane Beryl from aboard the WP-3D Orion NOAA43 “Miss Piggy” Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
Wind speeds have increased overnight to 165 mph. Beryl is expected to weaken gradually from this point onward, diminishing to 65 mph when it enters the Gulf waters late Friday, but after striking Jamaica on Wednesday.
📸: Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Doremus, NOAA Corps
#Beryl #Hurricane
18/n
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2024-07-02 03:25:52

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Hurricane Beryl has grown to a Cat 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 160 mph, defying past predictions.
The NOAA-P3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft, still in the storm, has measured a wind speed of 195 mph at about 500 m height.
It is expected to weaken gradually from this point onward, diminishing to 65 mph when it enters the Gulf waters late Friday.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT2+shtml/020252.shtml
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/recon/
#Beryl #Hurricane
17/n
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2024-07-01 22:14:59

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Behold the mighty eye of Beryl.
Surrounded by 150 mph winds 😬
"The well-defined, symmetric eye is surrounded by a ring of infrared cloud tops colder than -70 deg C. The central pressure of the hurricane was falling throughout the day while the Hurricane Hunters sampled the storm, with the last aircraft pass showing the central pressure had fallen to around 946 mb."
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT2+shtml/012051.shtml
https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/?sat=goes-16&sec=full_disk&x=12476&y=7844&z=3&angle=0&im=12&ts=1&st=0&et=0&speed=130&motion=loop&maps%5Bborders%5D=white&p%5B0%5D=band_13&opacity%5B0%5D=1&pause=20240701212021&slider=-1&hide_controls=0&mouse_draw=0&follow_feature=0&follow_hide=0&s=rammb-slider&draw_color=FFD700&draw_width=6
#Beryl #Hurricane
17/n
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2024-07-01 19:18:05

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Pic from NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft WP-3D Orion NOAA42 in the eye of Hurricane Beryl.
#Beryl #Hurricane
16/n
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2024-07-01 17:12:34

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Hurricane Beryl at 1:00 PM AST Mon Jul 1:
Location: 12.6°N 61.9°W
Moving: WNW at 20 mph
Min pressure: 946 mb
Max sustained: 150 mph 😲
Grenadine Islands, Carriacou Island, and Grenada are feeling the brunt of its force.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atlc
https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/?sat=goes-16&sec=full_disk&x=12824&y=8244&z=3&angle=0&im=12&ts=1&st=0&et=0&speed=130&motion=loop&maps%5Bborders%5D=white&p%5B0%5D=cira_proxy_visible&opacity%5B0%5D=1&pause=20240701153021&slider=-1&hide_controls=0&mouse_draw=0&follow_feature=0&follow_hide=0&s=rammb-slider&draw_color=FFD700&draw_width=6
#Beryl #Hurricane
15/n
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2024-07-01 12:31:32

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After weakening a tad overnight, Hurricane Beryl has revved up again to 130 mph.
AF301 Mission #6, currently making observations, has measured 138 mph winds near the surface and 178 mph (!) winds near 500 m height.
The Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago are on high alert.
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/recon/
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atlc
#Beryl #Hurricane
14/n
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2024-06-30 15:04:24

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The fingerprints of Climate Change are all over Hurricane Beryl and over the forecast for the above-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year.
Sea-surface temperature anomaly (deviation from norm) is breaking all-time records this year after a record year in 2023.
Heatwaves, drought, floods, storms, sea-level rise, and glacial melting are all linked to increased amount of greenhouse gases like CO2 and Methane in the atmosphere.
https://www.climate.gov/media/16175
#Beryl #ClimateChange
13/n
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2024-06-30 12:44:05

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Here is the newly formed eye of Hurricane Beryl. Rapid intensification is forecast for the next 24 hours.
In the GOES-16 satellite IR image of Hurricane Beryl below, the eye clearly stands out 👁️.
https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/?sat=goes-16&sec=full_disk&x=12048&y=8184&z=2&angle=0&im=12&ts=1&st=0&et=0&speed=130&motion=loop&maps%5Bborders%5D=white&p%5B0%5D=band_13&opacity%5B0%5D=1&pause=20240630103021&slider=-1&hide_controls=0&mouse_draw=0&follow_feature=0&follow_hide=0&s=rammb-slider&draw_color=FFD700&draw_width=6
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atlc
#Beryl #Hurricane
12/n
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2024-06-30 12:32:23

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An AF and a NOAA recon aircraft have reached Hurricane Beryl and are making measurements, as they crisscross through and around the eye of the hurricane.
Both aircraft have measured wind speeds of 125 mph. See graphs below from the AF300 mission.
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/recon/
#Beryl #Hurricane
11/n
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2024-06-30 12:22:56

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Hurricane Beryl is strengthening more rapidly than NHC predictions. It is already a Cat 3 hurricane with wind speeds of 115 mph at 8:00 am EDT..
The Windward Islands (Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada) will feel its destructive force later tonight into tomorrow morning.
Max. winds are predicted at 130 mph in 24 hours; that number will very likely be updated upwards.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?atlc
#Beryl #Hurricane
10/n
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2024-06-30 03:27:22

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Hurricane Beryl continues to strengthen, now packing 85 mph winds.
Beryl has all the ingredients favorable for continued rapid intensification over the next 24 hours - low wind shear, deep layer moisture and over 28-29 C sea-surface temperatures. Some weakening is forecast after 48 hours due to westerly vertical
wind shear.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT2+shtml/300243.shtml
#Beryl #Hurricane
9/n
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2024-06-30 02:04:21

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Of course, it is still very early in the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30.
Atlantic storm activity ramps up in August and peaks during the first half of September.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/
#Beryl #Hurricane
8/n
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2024-06-30 01:42:33

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For 2024, NOAA predicts a very high likelihood (85% chance) of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season with -
17-25 named storms (average is 14)
8-13 hurricanes (average 7)
4-7 major hurricanes (average 3)
The primary drivers -
1. La Niña caused reduction in wind shear over the Atlantic Basin
2. Above normal sea surface temps in the tropical Atlantic region
3. Stronger West African Monsoon
All fed by Climate Change.
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/how-does-noaa-see-2024-atlantic-hurricane-season-shaping
https://origin.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.shtml
#Beryl #Hurricane
7/n
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2024-06-30 00:54:59

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Beryl is now officially a Cat 1 Hurricane, with sustained wind speeds of 80 mph. Predicted to strengthen to 120 mph in 48 hours.
Beryl is the easternmost hurricane to form in the tropical Atlantic during the month of June, beating out a 90 year old record.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/?sat=goes-16&sec=full_disk&x=12360&y=7536&z=2&angle=0&im=12&ts=1&st=0&et=0&speed=130&motion=loop&maps%5Bborders%5D=white&p%5B0%5D=band_13&opacity%5B0%5D=1&pause=20240630003021&slider=-1&hide_controls=0&mouse_draw=0&follow_feature=0&follow_hide=0&s=rammb-slider&draw_color=FFD700&draw_width=6
#Beryl #Hurricane
6/n
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2024-06-29 15:42:14

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Tropical Storm Beryl has been on a steady strengthening trend since it formed yesterday; sustained wind speeds have increased from 35 mph to 65 mph in the past 18 hours.
Its structure is more symmetric and compact; Beryl is expected to rapidly intensify given the low wind shear conditions.
Data source: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT2+shtml/291447.shtml
#Beryl
5/n
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2024-06-29 09:46:35

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As expected, TD2 is now Tropical Storm Beryl, with sustained winds of 50 mph.
From https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT2+shtml/290836.shtml -
Atmospheric and oceanic conditions are abnormally favorable for strengthening, and the rapid intensification indices in the SHIPS model are showing a significant chance of rapid intensification.
Peak intensity conservative estimate = 110 mph in 60-72 h.
After 72 h, the storm is expected to encounter increasing westerly shear, which should cause some weakening.
#Beryl
4/n
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2024-06-28 21:19:09

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Sea Surface Temperatures are relatively high in the path of Tropical Depression 2, which will create conditions ripe for rapid intensification of TD2 into Hurricane Beryl within the next 48 hours.
Sea surface temp map source: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/ocean/
Detailed forecast at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
3/n
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2024-06-28 20:44:46

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Tropical disturbance Invest 95L in the central Atlantic has been upgraded to Tropical Depression 2 with sustained winds of 35 mph. Won't be long before it is upgraded to Tropical Storm Beryl and Hurricane Beryl. Early forecast models show it strengthening to a Cat 4 hurricane.
https://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/hurricane/HFSA/tcall.php
https://web.uwm.edu/hurricane-models/models/
https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/sat/satlooper.php?region=atl&product=ir
2/n
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2024-06-28 10:44:21

Tropical disturbance Invest 95L in the central Atlantic is likely to develop into Tropical Storm Beryl in the next 48 hours and evolve to Hurricane status in ~4 days.
Stay tuned and vigilant.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=7
https://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/hurricane/HFSA/tcall.php
#Hurricane #Weather
1/n
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2024-06-27 11:07:29

"Stunning noctilucent clouds over a misty Stonehenge during twilight this morning."
Posted by @ST0NEHENGE on twitter.
Photo credit Nick Bull
Noctilucent clouds are composed of tiny crystals of water ice up to 100 nm in diameter and exist at a height of about 76 to 85 km, higher than any other clouds in Earth's atmosphere.
They are only visible during astronomical twilight.
Noctilucent roughly means "night shining" in Latin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noctilucent_cloud
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/688/241/721/883/617/original/9d5f512bf0b67fa0.jpeg

2024-06-27 03:46:06

The ISS crew was instructed around 9 p.m. EDT to "shelter in their respective spacecraft as a standard precautionary measure after it was informed of a satellite break-up at an altitude near the station’s earlier today."
LeoLabs reports that "a non-operational Russian spacecraft, Resurs P1 (SATNO 39186), released a number of fragments between 13:05 UTC 26 June and 00:51 UTC 27 June."
The satellite was at ~355 km altitude; the ISS orbits at 413 - 422 km altitude.
😬
#SpaceDebris #ISS
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2024-06-26 12:43:23

Strong words by Kinzinger.
“While I certainly don’t agree with Pres. Biden on everything, and I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for pres., I know that he will always protect the very thing that makes America the best country in the world: our democracy.
To every American of every political party and those of none, I say now is not the time to watch quietly as Trump threatens the future of America. Now is the time to unite behind Biden and show Trump off the stage once and for all.”
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/682/964/691/576/099/original/b64b2135185821fa.png

2024-06-19 11:19:16

An astute hypothesis from Prof. Brian Cox.
"Until recently my guess has been that the answer to the Fermi Paradox might be found in biology - complex biological systems are rare. I’m increasingly of the view that the reason for The Great Silence is that civilisations are inevitably crushed by the weight of nobheads shortly after inventing the internet."
Welcome to the underbelly of the Internet, aka Xitter, Prof. Brian Cox. Or just leave it and stick to the Fediverse.
@npub19l2…xh9v
🤔 🪐
#Fermi
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2024-06-02 06:23:56

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Apparently, Chang'e 6 drilling and soil collection operations have already begun on the lunar surface.
Here is a video that shows its drilling, collection and packaging apparatus in action. The video was probably made during lab testing of the Chang'e 6 lander and its soil gathering equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEnyHAlvYc
#Change6
11/n

2024-06-02 06:01:34

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Here is footage from the onboard camera of the landing sequence of the Chang'e-6 lander + ascender on the far side of the moon.
With some very appropriate music added 🎶
The Chang’e-6 lunar lander landed in the Apollo crater, located in the South Pole-Aitkin impact basin on the far side of the Moon, on 1 June 2024, at 22:23 UTC (2 June, at 06:23 China Standard Time).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRtdMTUTkt4
#Change6
10/n

2024-06-02 05:58:44

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Here is an animation of the landing sequence of the Chang'e-6 lander + ascender on the far side of the moon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chUsHpmz07E
#Change6
9/n

2024-06-02 00:02:01

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Here is the translated press release from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) about the landing of Chang'e 6.
"(the Chang'e-6 lander and ascender combination) landed smoothly in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the back of the moon."
https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6758823/n6758838/c10541444/content.html
8/n
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2024-06-01 23:45:05

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Chang'e 6 has landed. The lunar landing took place at 6:23 am Beijing time on Sunday (22:23 UTC Saturday).
No visuals yet.
As shown in the previous post, it is late lunar morning at the landing site on the far side of the moon. Check out the rest of this thread for more info on the mission - https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/112376642679186846
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3265037/chinas-change-6-lander-touches-down-far-side-moon-mission-bring-rock-samples-back-earth
7/n

2024-05-26 16:54:38

Searing heat in India today.
Max. recorded temp: 49.8°C
Many central regions of the country with above 40°C temperatures.
May tends to be the hottest month in India.
Source: India Meteorological Department
#India #WxIndia
1/n
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2024-05-15 00:15:03

Grandson says Carter is ‘coming to the end’ in brief update about former president’s health.
The world will lose an incredible human-being and a President, who was far ahead of his times.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/politics/jimmy-carter-health-update/index.html
https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/442/236/888/978/131/original/3cb482886cc106c3.jpg

2024-05-09 23:14:30

Incoming! A severe G4 Geomagnetic Storm is expected to arrive around 02:00 UTC Friday night / Saturday morning.
At least 5 Coronal Mass Ejections took place over the past 24 hours, directed towards Earth. These originated from a large and magnetically complex sunspot cluster (NOAA region 3664).
There is potential for disruption of communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations.
And bright auroras as far south as Alabama!
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
1/n
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2024-05-03 12:26:34

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The Chang'e 6 mission is expected to return lunar samples to earth 53 days after launch.
The lander is powered by solar cells (not an RTG as used by Chang'e 4 which also landed on the far side of the moon). Hence, it is expected to complete its surface mission during the lunar day. We can expect the landing to occur around May 29, since the Sun will rise at the landing site around then, as shown in the graph below of the elevation of the Sun at the site.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/china-moon-landing-uncrewed-chang-e6
#Change6
6/n
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2024-05-03 11:42:34

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Let's send our best wishes for the success of the ambitious Chang'e 6 sample return mission to the far side of the moon.
Robotic landing on the moon has turned out to be lot harder than we thought, as evident from the poor success rate in such missions over the past few years. See table below.
🤞
#Change6
5/n
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2024-04-24 19:52:30

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Is, not was.
Was suggests that John Williams died.

2024-04-24 12:56:01

Happy Birthday to the Hubble Space Telescope, launched OTD in 1990, with Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-31 mission.
34 years and 5 servicing missions later, Hubble is still going strong, unfolding the mysteries of the Universe from its perch 540 km above earth.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahubble/albums/72157670398668526/
https://hubblesite.org/home
1/n
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2024-04-20 14:18:48

Prof. Timothy Snyder's testimony to Congress this week on Political Warfare:
"Russia's one path to victory in Ukraine leads through minds and mouths in Washington, DC. Russian and Chinese propaganda therefore celebrates the inability of Congress to pass aid for Ukraine, and praises those who hinder the passage of such a bill."
"Russian lies are meant not only to disinform, to make action more difficult, but also to demotivate, to make action seem senseless."
https://snyder.substack.com/p/political-warfare-and-congress
1/n

2024-04-17 01:36:54

Engineers at JPL today monitored a final transmission from the disabled Mars helicopter Ingenuity.
Mars rover Perseverance is ready to move on west for exploration of the Jezero crater rim.
Ingenuity will no longer be able to communicate with earth, but newly loaded software will allow it to make and store measurements every day, to be retrieved by a future robotic or human mission. Ingenuity’s memory could potentially hold about 20 years’ worth of daily data.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-team-says-goodbye-for-now
1/n
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2024-01-02 20:34:16

Happy Birthday to Isaac Asimov, born OTD on Jan. 2, 1920.
"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
1/n
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