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Michael Busch

@michael-w-busch.bsky.social

Planetary astronomer, studying piles of rock in space. Reader of books. Drinker of tea. He/him. This is a personal account. To bigotry no sanction.

3,151 Followers  |  153 Following  |  9,593 Posts  |  Joined: 09.11.2024
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Posts by Michael Busch (@michael-w-busch.bsky.social)

Donald Trump may not personally subscribe to the apocalyptic variety of Christianity that promotes war and mass death as a precondition of "the rapture". But plenty of his supporters do.

Nor is this new. Compare to Bush 43 and his religious claims regarding the wars he started.

03.03.2026 13:02 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Civilian deaths in Iran pass 700 amid fear of bombs and regime clampdown As US-Israeli airstrikes hit their cities, people tell of how the authorities are warning them off the streets

More than 700 civilians have been killed since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran last weekend, according to rights groups, as people inside Iran told the Guardian they were fearful of a rising death toll.

03.03.2026 11:34 β€” πŸ‘ 70    πŸ” 39    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 6

2026 DY14.

That makes more sense for something discovered last week.

03.03.2026 12:34 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Now on Bluesky:

bsky.app/profile/plan...

03.03.2026 12:29 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

There is not yet any asteroid with the designation "2026 YD14", and 2025 YD14 & 2024 YD14 are both in the main belt.

So I am confused which asteroid you meant to refer to?

03.03.2026 12:00 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Deen & Lam identify one marginal potential detection from Palomar in 2016. If real, it would exclude the potential lunar impact in 2032.

I await the results of the latest JWST observations, which should be far clearer.

Additional discussion at groups.io/g/mpml/topic...

03.03.2026 05:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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2024 YR4: Identification of Possible Precoveries in 2016 IPTF Data 2024 YR4 is a 40-100 meter-diameter asteroid and former Torino Scale 3 object which currently has a roughly 4% chance of impacting the Moon on 2032 December 22, an event which recent studies suggest c...

Today on the #arXiv :

Deen & Lam 2026, "2024 YR4: Identification of Possible Precoveries in 2016 IPTF Data" - arxiv.org/abs/2603.00449

This paper presents an archival search of old telescope images of #2024YR4 . It just happened to fall in gaps of several surveys.

03.03.2026 05:06 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
World map with red covering North and South America, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific ocean

World map with red covering North and South America, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific ocean

In case you missed it among all of the everything lately, there's a total lunar eclipse tomorrow morning! If you're in a red part of the map, you may be able to see the moon turn red!

Details in thread below, or catch more info from Time & Date, who made the map: www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/luna...

02.03.2026 23:15 β€” πŸ‘ 58    πŸ” 27    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 4
Gazing into deep this dusty maelstrom using near-infrared filters, Hubble reveals many stars and star-forming activities that might otherwise be obscured by dust. Strongly red spots indicate [Fe II] emission. There are only a few tiny splotches of those. Make of that what you will.

Data from the following proposal were used to create this image: Peering to the Heart of Massive Star Birth

Red: WFC3/IR F164N
Cyan: WFC3/IR F160W
Blue: WFC3/IR F110W

North is 45.51Β° counter-clockwise from up.

Gazing into deep this dusty maelstrom using near-infrared filters, Hubble reveals many stars and star-forming activities that might otherwise be obscured by dust. Strongly red spots indicate [Fe II] emission. There are only a few tiny splotches of those. Make of that what you will. Data from the following proposal were used to create this image: Peering to the Heart of Massive Star Birth Red: WFC3/IR F164N Cyan: WFC3/IR F160W Blue: WFC3/IR F110W North is 45.51Β° counter-clockwise from up.

RAFGL 5180 - From Judy Schmidt (geckzilla.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2jcRWq8

03.03.2026 00:00 β€” πŸ‘ 82    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

It might be shorter to make a list of Trump cabinet officials who should not be impeached for perjury and corrupt behavior.

03.03.2026 02:44 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

For some reason, this seems relevant to @nuclearanthro.bsky.social 's interests.

03.03.2026 01:50 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yet again, USA:

Do not allow this or anything like it.

And #UnpackTheCourts.

03.03.2026 00:45 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yet another reason to #AbolishICE and the Border Patrol.

02.03.2026 23:22 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I am confused by the concept of rice with high-fat meat being considered "low calorie"

02.03.2026 23:16 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Color photo of the Pioneer 10 rocket launch, which took place at night. The photo is dominated by the bright white and yellow glowing exhaust at the bast of the rocket as it lifts off.

Color photo of the Pioneer 10 rocket launch, which took place at night. The photo is dominated by the bright white and yellow glowing exhaust at the bast of the rocket as it lifts off.

A black and white diagram showing the path of Pioneer "F" and "G," later dubbed "10" and "11," through the inner solar system, past the asteroid belt, and to the vicinity of Jupiter. The diagram shows the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Pallas, Vesta, Ceres, and Jupiter.

A black and white diagram showing the path of Pioneer "F" and "G," later dubbed "10" and "11," through the inner solar system, past the asteroid belt, and to the vicinity of Jupiter. The diagram shows the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Pallas, Vesta, Ceres, and Jupiter.

A (vertical) triptych of Jupiter images captured by Pioneer 10. All three photos show white, orange, and tan cloud bands. The Great Red Spot is on the left limb of the planet in the top photo, and moves towards the center in images 2 and 3. In addition, the shadow of an inner moon moves across the face of the planet.

A (vertical) triptych of Jupiter images captured by Pioneer 10. All three photos show white, orange, and tan cloud bands. The Great Red Spot is on the left limb of the planet in the top photo, and moves towards the center in images 2 and 3. In addition, the shadow of an inner moon moves across the face of the planet.

Color image of the anodized aluminum plaque attached to Pioneer 10. It shows line art diagrams of a man and woman, their relative size compared to the probe, a diagram of our solar system with Pioneer's path past Mars and Jupiter then out of the solar system, our location relative to a number of pulsars, and a schematic representation of a well-known Hydrogen atom transition.

Color image of the anodized aluminum plaque attached to Pioneer 10. It shows line art diagrams of a man and woman, their relative size compared to the probe, a diagram of our solar system with Pioneer's path past Mars and Jupiter then out of the solar system, our location relative to a number of pulsars, and a schematic representation of a well-known Hydrogen atom transition.

Pioneer 10 launched #OTD in 1972.

It was a mission of firsts: passing through the asteroid belt, visiting Jupiter, crossing Neptune's orbit, achieving the speed needed to leave the solar system.

We detected a last, faint signal on January 23, 2003. Now it belongs to the cosmos. πŸ§ͺ πŸ”­ πŸ›°οΈ

Images: NASA

02.03.2026 22:27 β€” πŸ‘ 96    πŸ” 40    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 3
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Greg Bovino, other federal agents investigated for Operation Metro Surge actions Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is already investigating 17 incidents involving potential unlawful conduct by federal agents.

Yet again, #Minnesota:

Require that the Attorney General's office work with the county attorneys to bring charges against ICE and CBP.

For the murders.

For the attempted murders.

For the assaults and the kidnappings and home invasions.

www.startribune.com/greg-bovino-...

02.03.2026 21:14 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That was the Pioneer Press OpEd page here in Minnesota last weekend.

bsky.app/profile/mich...

02.03.2026 20:45 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This seems as bad as the "PI training" I encountered last year that was actually advice on how to prepare for job interviews.

02.03.2026 20:40 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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New Discoveries on Mars and Habitability By Nathalie A. Cabrol, Astrobiologist & Science Director, Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute.

Two NASA rovers have strengthened the case that ancient Mars may have supported life. These discoveries show that ancient Mars had complex organic chemistry, long-lasting water systems, and mineral environments capable of preserving potential signs of life. πŸ§ͺ πŸ”­ πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬

Learn more:

02.03.2026 20:00 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

πŸŒ“πŸŒŽπŸŒž <-- lunar eclipse
β€©πŸŒŽπŸŒ“πŸŒž <-- solar eclipse
β€©πŸŒŽπŸŒžπŸŒ— <-- apocalypse

14.10.2023 11:48 β€” πŸ‘ 3824    πŸ” 1117    πŸ’¬ 60    πŸ“Œ 54
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2027 IPAC Visiting Graduate Student Research Fellowship IPAC at Caltech partners with NASA, NSF, JPL and the world-wide research community to advance exploration of our Universe.

Big news drop on a Friday afternoon. πŸ˜…

@caltechipac.bsky.social 2027 Visiting Graduate Student Research Fellowship applications are open! The VGSRF is a 6-month predoc at Caltech working with IPAC scientists.

www.ipac.caltech.edu/page/graduat...

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28.02.2026 00:01 β€” πŸ‘ 27    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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A new tektite strewn field in Australia ejected from a volcanic arc impact crater 11 Myr ago This study re-evaluates the anomalous subgroup of australites known as high Na/K (HNa/K) tektites (Chapman and Scheiber, 1969). Although previous comp…

There are many impact craters on the ocean floor.

But this particular set of tektites has a different possibility for concealing the crater:

The impact was 10.76 million years ago on an active volcanic arc. The crater may have been buried under newer rocks.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

02.03.2026 17:46 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Thermophysical Modeling of Asteroid (15) Eunomia from Spatially Resolved ALMA and VLA Data Thermophysical Modeling of Asteroid (15) Eunomia from Spatially Resolved ALMA and VLA Data, Phua, Yu Yu, de Kleer, Katherine, Butler, Bryan, Cambioni, Saverio, Shepard, Michael

Phua et al. 2026, "Thermophysical Modeling of Asteroid (15) Eunomia from Spatially Resolved ALMA and VLA Data" with millimeter imaging: iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...

02.03.2026 17:22 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Linear Polarization Variations and Circular Polarization are Common Among Airless Bodies Using the POLISH2 polarimeter at the Lick Observatory Shane 3-m and Nickel 1-m telescopes, we discover rotation phase-locked variations in linear polarization to be common among asteroids and a NEO in...

Wiktorowicz et al. 2026, "Linear Polarization Variations and Circular Polarization are Common Among Airless Bodies" with optical polarimetry: arxiv.org/abs/2602.24196

02.03.2026 17:22 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

There are a couple of new asteroid science papers out today.

02.03.2026 17:21 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Satellite photo of the Namib Desert. The top two-thirds are covered in red, undulated sand dunes, leading down to a dry river bed, seen in bands of blue and white. Along the river bed, black dots of vegetation curl around the pointed tips of dunes.

Satellite photo of the Namib Desert. The top two-thirds are covered in red, undulated sand dunes, leading down to a dry river bed, seen in bands of blue and white. Along the river bed, black dots of vegetation curl around the pointed tips of dunes.

#PPOD: Korea’s Kompsat-2 satellite captured this image over the sand seas of the Namib Desert on 7 January 2012. The blue-and-white area is the dry riverbed of the Tsauchab. Black dots of vegetation are concentrated close to the river’s main route, while salt deposits appear bright white. πŸ§ͺ

02.03.2026 16:03 β€” πŸ‘ 86    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0

Yet again, USA:

Require that Congress ensure that NASA operate as it has ordered.

Instead of things like this.

02.03.2026 17:04 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

555 people have been killed in US and Israeli attacks across #Iran, the country's Red Crescent Society said.
100,000+ paramedics are responding to attacks that have so far impacted 131 of Iran's 491 counties, said the society - part of global network of national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies.

02.03.2026 08:48 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
The featured image shows a dusty starfield with intricate
dust filaments all over. Red, blue, and brown nebulas will the 
field. 
Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

The featured image shows a dusty starfield with intricate dust filaments all over. Red, blue, and brown nebulas will the field. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

πŸ”­ The Dusty Surroundings of Orion and the Pleiades

Image Credit & Copyright: Ignacio FernΓ‘ndez

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap26030...

02.03.2026 08:10 β€” πŸ‘ 123    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Oppose Nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General The Senate HELP Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the nomination of Casey Means to serve as U.S. Surgeon General on Wednesday, February 25th. While we were hoping this nomination was dead, i...

It's Monday morning and Casey Means still doesn't have the votes to become Surgeon General. Let's keep it that way. Send a letter to your Senators now. If you have friends, famiy, colleagues who can do so, urge them on to act now. actionnetwork.org/letters/oppo...

02.03.2026 12:29 β€” πŸ‘ 173    πŸ” 61    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2