The Orion nebula, many other things, and the zodiacal light

I am finally under dark New Mexico skies. Orion, many other things, and the zodiacal light! 🌌🔭🦛

Everybody should know about FreeTaxUSA.com it looks like a joke from the name, but the federal return is easy and free through it. :)

Technically I should say "Welcome home Integrity!" since that is the landing return module specifically. :)

The parachutes of the integrity space module are deployed.

Splashdown of the integrity space module.

I always get misty eyed watching the splashdown scene in Apollo 13 and seeing the real thing did the same thing... I just got something in my eye, okay? ❤️ Welcome home #Artemis II! #NASA #Science #Space

A crowd gathers to look through a computer screen connected to a small telescope pointed at the stars.

A photograph of the nearly full Moon.

Lovely pic of myself and onlookers as we view the Orion Nebula during the #GeorgiaTech April 2 Public Night. We also got a nice pic of the #Moon which is fitting given #NASA #Artemis II's journey. Thanks to GT #Astronomy Club! #Science #Physics #Atlanta

Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/gtsci...

International Chess Federation Adds Race Car Piece LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND—In what scholars have called the largest shake-up of the game’s rule set in centuries, the International Chess Federation announced Tuesday that it was adding a race car piece to the playing board. “In all officially sanctioned matches played from today forward, the pawn immediately in front of a player’s king will be replaced with […]

Finally, some good #News.

"... the pawn immediately in front of a player’s king will be replaced with a sick little hot rod that can move any number of squares horizontally, vertically, or in a circle like it’s doing donuts."

theonion.com/internationa...

The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon\u2019s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars. Credit: NASA

A crescent Earth setting behind the Moon\u2019s horizon. Credit: NASA

The Moon viewed from the Orion spacecraft backlit by the Sun in a solar eclipse. Stars are visible in the background.

A crescent Earth setting behind a hemisphere of the Moon. Credit: NASA

woke up and still thinking about these

When you get cited on @inspirehep.net and it's an error and you gotta remove it! 😭

(And yes, I put in the correct citation)

#Science #Physics #AcademicSky

And here’s the eclipse photo from Artemis II. I am in tears.

This platform sorely lacks more fashion posting. Fight the good fight.

Spectacular high-resolution image of our home planet viewed through the Orion Crew Module window by the Artemis II astronauts as they continue their journey to the Moon on Flight Day 2, 3 April 2026 (pic: NASA)

A full disc image of Earth, as seen from the Orion Crew Module. The planet is a pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing slightly lighter blue in place from reflected light. At lower left, a large brown landmass is Africa, with Spain and Portugal with twinkling lights where the planet curves. At top right, auroras glow in a thin green glow, just barely separated from the planet's surface. Earth is set against the black of space (pic: NASA/R.Wiseman)

😮 Awesome views from Day 2 of #Artemis II this morning.

@exploration.esa.int @esaearth.esa.int

A full disc image of Earth, as seen from the Orion Crew Module. The planet is a pale blue, swirling with white clouds and glowing slightly lighter blue in place from reflected light. At lower left, a large brown landmass is Africa, with Spain and Portugal with twinkling lights where the planet curves. At top right, auroras glow in a thin green glow, just barely separated from the planet's surface. Earth is set against the black of space (pic: NASA/R.Wiseman)

More context on this #Artemis II image:

* This is the night side, lit by moonlight. You can see city lights in Spain & Portugal, & a sliver of day at lower right

* The Sun is entirely behind Earth, which makes it a kind of solar eclipse, but w/ Earth doing the eclipsing instead of the Moon:
☀️🌍🚀🌕

right now the astronauts are calling houston because the computer on the spaceship is running two instances of microsoft outlook and they can't figure out why. nasa is about to remote into the computer

Shame it wasn't visible from Atlanta. My friends in Florida got a great view though.

Nasa

Nasa

Nasa

LIFTOFF!!! #NASA #Space #Artemis

T-1:00 MINUTES #NASA #Space #Artemis

T-2:00 MINUTES #NASA #Space #Artemis

T-5:00 MINUTES #NASA #Space #Artemis

NASA's Artemis II Live Mission Coverage (Official Broadcast) YouTube video by NASA

I'm so excited! #NASA #Space #Science

Can't wait to have us go back to the Moon.

www.youtube.com/live/m3kR2KK...

A graph titled “the public health success of the measles vaccine” that shows the number of measles cases in the United States plummeting after the vaccine was introduced in 1963

I showed this graph in class yesterday on how measles cases in the United States plummeted dramatically after the vaccine was licensed in 1963. It’s not subtle and I could not resist observing: “This stunning design in measles cases was not thanks to vitamin A. It was not due to beef tallow.”

Watterson be praised.

A black-and-white comic strip featuring a child asking his dad for a traffic safety poster slogan. The dad enthusiastically suggests a slogan promoting cyclists' rights and criticizing motorists, saying "I hope gas goes p to $8 a gallon". The child responds by deciding to ask his mom instead.

It's finally happening!

Close up shot of Solaster endeca surface pink and bubbly. By Alexander Semenov: https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/4371752155/

Red and orange projections as a close up shot of Crossaster papposus surface. Photo by Alexander Semenov: https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/4372503348/

Closeup of sea star skin, unknown species. Alexander Semenov: https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/8447618289/

Close up of Crossaster papposus sea star skin. By Alexander Semenov: https://www.flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/8448703898/in/photostream/

My god. Have you ever seen close-ups of sea star skin? 🧪🌊🌿

Hoid’s Storybook Collection by Brandon Sanderson The next great campaign from the team that brought you the Words of Radiance Leatherbound, Isles of the Emberdark, and the record-breaking Year of Sanderson!

Last few hours! #BrandonSanderson #Hoid #Cosmere #Books

www.backerkit.com/c/projects/d...

I'm glad it was helpful! I put it together for #GaTech faculty, but thought I should share it more widely. @leahwrenn.bsky.social

Here's a short post I made about #LaTeX and #Accessibility regarding the #ADA Title II requirements for course materials. #MathSky #AcademicSky #Science #EduSky

Black dress shoes.

Getting into wearing nicer #Shoes for daily life. Here's my Allen Edmonds Park Avenue Toe Cap Oxfords after a buffing using #Saphir Renovateur and a light coating of black shoe polish.

2006 internet: RSS feeds, forums, communities of hobby blogs, where people post about interior design, fashion, and music for free

2026 internet: sponsored content, paid partnership, buy my merch, try my supplements, invest in my crypto, click link in bio to unlock the secrets of life for $30

The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 12, edited by Gardner Dozois

#GardnerDozois 's best short SF of the year collections are always good, but the 1998 one might be the best I've read. My favourite story was a re-read of Ted Chiang's Story of Your Life (later adapted as Arrival) and there are also extremely memorable […]

[Original post on fediscience.org]

Hadron number 80 has dropped!