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#introduction #introductions

Hello Fediverse,
I am a researcher in #geoscience, focusing mostly on hydrogeology, hydrology, evaporation and rock weathering. I am affiliated with Charles University (Czech Republic).
I am here to stay in touch with – and share – news about #science and academic life. That's why I chose #Fediscience as my home server and will mostly contribute to the tags #academia and #academicchatter.
I am in my mid-thirties and live near Prague with my family. I enjoy reading #books and spending time in nature. Addicted to #coffee.

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https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26535290-800-why-we-must-investigate-phobos-the-solar-systems-strangest-object/

Phobos and its smaller neighbouring moon, Deimos – both discovered in 1877 – are two of the most perplexing worlds in the solar system. “They’re the only objects at this stage, in the solar system, for which we have pretty much no idea what they are,” says Pascal Lee at the SETI Institute in California. “We know what other moons are. We know asteroids and comets. Phobos and Deimos? No idea.”

#space #science #scicomm

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G’day there! I’m Ben, and this is my about… 19th social media #introduction post? I’m a #photography and #science nerd, and the victim of perennial curiosity.

I’m an #actuallyautistic #disabledartist, living in lutruwita/Tasmania, #australia, in my mid 30s. I specialise in #landscapephotography, #astrophotography, and #timelapse in the island’s wild places.

I like to play with light. These are some of my more successful experiments.

How are we all? Say hello!

Tasmania’s Low Head is home to one of the most important lighthouse arrays. Sitting at the mouth of kanamaluka/River Tamar, it serves as herald of land for sailors arriving across the Bass Strait. Occasionally it plays host to the southern aurora and the setting Milky Way, captured with grasses and rocks fluorescing strongly in the foreground.
Tasmania’s Low Head is home to one of the most important lighthouse arrays. Sitting at the mouth of kanamaluka/River Tamar, it serves as herald of land for sailors arriving across the Bass Strait. Occasionally it plays host to the southern aurora and the setting Milky Way, captured with grasses and rocks fluorescing strongly in the foreground.
Under certain spectrums of light, living and organic matter can produce intensely vibrant colours, glowing as if by magic. This process is called biofluoresence. Here, the Milky Way’s galactic core rises behind a small oceanic lake on Queensland’s coast.
Under certain spectrums of light, living and organic matter can produce intensely vibrant colours, glowing as if by magic. This process is called biofluoresence. Here, the Milky Way’s galactic core rises behind a small oceanic lake on Queensland’s coast.
During the autumn months, Tasmania sees a brief explosion of a short-lived bioluminescent fungus, the so-called Ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis) in secluded damp forest patches affixed to rotting trees. Owing to their typical low position hidden underneath forest canopies, a view out to the night sky is very rarely afforded, much less on clear nights – making this view out to the crown jewel of the night sky, the galactic centre of the Milky Way, a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.
During the autumn months, Tasmania sees a brief explosion of a short-lived bioluminescent fungus, the so-called Ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis) in secluded damp forest patches affixed to rotting trees. Owing to their typical low position hidden underneath forest canopies, a view out to the night sky is very rarely afforded, much less on clear nights – making this view out to the crown jewel of the night sky, the galactic centre of the Milky Way, a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.

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Remembering another notable date in history: 100 years ago this month, Edwin Hubble proved that our galaxy is just one small island in a vast cosmic sea.

Our awareness of galaxies is just one century old! I dig into the full story in my latest Invisible Universe column:

https://invisibleuniverse.substack.com/p/the-100th-birthday-of-the-universe #space #science #astronomy #history

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BDG news: ​​​​Bhutan to Host International Conference on Science, Mindfulness, and Meditation, Invites Abstracts from Presenters

Read here: https://tinyurl.com/49642s68

#buddhism #vajrayana #bhutan #meditation #mindfulness #contemplation #science #technology #psychology #neuroscience #education #wellbeing

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Primordial black holes and dark matter, oh my! Hard SF writers will want to read this article.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-gravitational-black-holes-quantum-effect.html

@orionkidder : if recollection serves me, this article will be of interest re one of your SF universes.

#BoostingIsSharing

#Writer#Author#ScienceFiction#SF #scifi#WritingCommunity#WritersOfMastodon#BlackHole #pbh #ligo#Science#Physics#Astrophysics#QuantumPhysics#QuantumMechanics#Space#BlackHoles #gravitywaves

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A sweet astronomy story, for a little break:

Earth & its Moon were forged from a violent collision. But Pluto and its giant moon, Charon, came together with a gentle kiss. A similarly soft process may have occurred all across the outer solar system.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/pluto-charon-moon-kiss #space #science #astronomy #love

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Newly discovered: A pair of supermassive black holes (40 million times as massive as the Sun) cuddling in a distant galaxy.

"Cuddling" in this case means they're about as far apart as Voyager 1 is from Earth...which is really close for such monster objects.

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/swift/nasas-swift-studies-gas-churning-monster-black-holes/ #science #space #astronomy

Watch as a gas cloud encounters two supermassive black holes in this simulation. The complex interplay of gravitational and frictional forces causes the cloud to condense and heat. Some of the gas is ejected from the system with each orbit of the black holes.

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#PPOD: This image from ESA’s #Mars Express shows a beautiful slice of the #RedPlanet from the northern #polarcap downwards, and highlights cratered, pockmarked swathes of the Terra Sabaea and Arabia Terra regions. It comprises data gathered on 17 June 2019 during orbit 19550. This image was created using data from the nadir and color channels of the High-Resolution Stereo Camera. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

#science #space #scicomm

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Well, this is fascinating! The city of Poznan, Poland uses eight clams to control their water supply. When the water is clean, they remain open, but close when contaminated, closing a sensor harmlessly glued to their shell. Computers do the rest. After three months, the clams are returned to their original home and replaced with new clams. #science #health #cleverhttps://kottke.org/24/12/eight-clams-control-this-polish-citys-water-supply