Riding With Robots

Auroral light in a starry night sky above pines on a mountain ridge in Utah. Photo: Bill Dunford

Grateful for even the briefest stolen glances of such beauty.

A blood red moon reflected in a mountain lake. Photo: Bill Dunford

I think I'm going to be snowed out on Tuesday, so here's the lunar eclipse of May 2021.

Mt. Timpanogos, Utah

We are living under the dumbest fucking dictator that has ever existed and I know that’s daunting and upsetting but let’s just take a little solace in that fact as we seek to overthrow these fascists.

For Women's History Month - a thing I wrote.

lroc.im-ldi.com/images/1093

My goal was to highlight interesting lunar features imaged by LRO that were named for lesser-known scientists. Blagg Crater, named for Mary Adela Blagg, is located in Sinus Medii.

I requested that the crater be reimaged.

I have never seen a politician more directly copy this speech in my life

A truly beautiful bird that is a light to medium muted pink color who's feathers cover it like a dress or skirt it has black legs and a very long light pink beak

Roseate Spoonbill bird in flight

NGC 1637 (Hubble WFC3 and Webb NIRCam images)

Unfolding MetOp-SG-B1’s solar wing

Orbital plumbing maintenance aboard the International Space Station

Earth from Space: Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

📸 This was our #WeekInImages 23-27 February 2026.

🔗 www.esa.int/About_Us/Wee...

West valley sushi shop owner released from ICE detention after eight months A federal judge has granted Kelly Yu temporary freedom after she filed a habius corpus petition.

"Her release follows months of advocacy from community members and political leaders of both parties.

Yu has operated her two West Valley restaurants for years, building a reputation for greeting customers with humor and kindness. She has no criminal record."

www.12news.com/article/news...

March 2026 Total Lunar Eclipse: Your Questions Answered A total lunar eclipse will redden the Moon in the early morning hours of March 3, 2026. Here’s what you need to know.

From NASA

A total lunar eclipse is coming

In the early morning hours of March 3, 2026 (UTC), the full Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow, reddening the lunar surface. Here’s what you need to know: go.nasa.gov/40rWLWD

We'll see how that goes, I guess...

"I hate these people to a degree that feels simultaneously corrosive to the soul, and also the only righteous response to this kind of evil." Yes!

Where I'm at now, for myself: Be angry to the point it motivates you to keep doing meaningful things in your own sphere, but not more angry than that.

So to summarize, the Pentagon and White House can murder any business or any people, foreign or domestic, without explanation or accountability.

A United States senator from the president's own party, one who serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has no idea what's going on as America goes to war with Iran.

Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here.

Statement from Major General (Ret.) Paul D. Eaton, an Army commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom:

It is possible to believe two things at once: That the long-suffering people of Iran deserve freedom from their despotic leaders, and that a bombing campaign by the current highly corrupt authoritarian government of America is unlikely to bring it.

OCASIO-CORTEZ STATEMENT ON TRUMP'S COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAN "The American people are once again dragged into a war they did not want by a president who does not care about the long-term consequences of his actions. This war is unlawful. It is unnecessary. And it will be catastrophic. "Just this week, Iran and the United States were negotiating key measures that could have staved off war. The President walked away from these discussions and chose war instead.President Trump flippantly acknowledged the possibility of American casualties, stating "that often happens in war.' "Mr. President: this was not an inevitability. This is a deliberate choice of aggression when diplomacy and security were within reach. Stop lying to the American people. "Violence begets violence. We learned this lesson in Iraq. We learned this lesson in Afghanistan. And we are about to learn it again in Iran. Bombs have yet to create enduring democracies in the region and this will be no different. "In moments of war, our Constitution is unambiguous: Congress authorizes war. The President does not. I will do my part to uphold our Constitution by voting YES on Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie's War Powers Resolution. Every member of Congress must join us in rejecting this aimless war.

My statement on President Trump’s combat operations in Iran⬇️

This statement is appallingly bad--like, the administration *illegally bombed a school.* It's mind-boggling to me for this to be the reaction from a human, much less a purported leader of the Democratic Party. I need a new senator stat

Good night

Seems worth noting that ChatGPT Health failed to identify medical emergencies more than half the time in a recent study. The company that made that product just signed a deal with the "Department of War" and said trust us, it's all very safe and ethical.

Yes, I will be up stupidly early to try to catch the total lunar eclipse Tuesday morning. Here's a preview from the NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio.

Agreed. He’s not kidding. He’s means every damn word of it. He’s everything our Founders feared. We must recognize that he’s serious so we can defeat him.

I know it’s difficult right now, but I insist that you seek and enjoy beautiful things, even if it seems frivolous or irresponsible in the face of overwhelming horror. I want you to feed yourself artistically, spiritually, and literally, because you can’t Do The Work when you’re starving.

A 3D-styled pie chart illustrating the distribution of Research and Development (R&D) resources based on the NSF NCSES National Patterns of R&D Resources: 2022-23 Update. The chart is divided into six segments, listed here in descending order of their financial contribution: Federal Govt: The largest segment, shown in dark blue, accounts for 51% of the total, valued at $39.5 B. Higher Ed. – Institutional: A light coral segment accounting for 23%, valued at $18.2 B. Non-profit at Research Institutes: A dark red segment accounting for 8%, valued at $6.1 B. Higher Ed. – Direct Philanthropy: A bright red segment accounting for 7%, valued at $5.8 B. Business: A grey segment accounting for 7%, valued at $5.2 B. Non-Federal Govt: The smallest segment, shown in light blue, accounting for 4%, valued at $3.2 B.

Here's a chart showing who funds basic research in the US. It's easy to tell that private funding cannot make up for significant cuts to government funding.

The dramatic yet subtle details of many of my astro images emerges when they are presented without stars and in black and white. I hope you enjoy this short video of some of my favorites. #astrophotography

Well, this seems bad.

This week's cover @thelancet.com

☀️🌑🛰️ 2026: The year we arrive at Mercury!

After almost 8 years since its launch in 2018, BepiColombo is entering its most critical phase yet. It is about to end its interplanetary phase and initiate its Mercury approach.

We have a hidden column on the NASA Exoplanet Archive called 'Number of exomoons' and I AM SO READY TO BUST IT OUT WHEN NEEDED.

Someday I'll show @stewf.com something he hasn't seen before. Could this be the one?