Meithan West
@meithan.bsky.social
Multidisciplinary scientist at UNAM 🇲🇽: CFD, astrophysics, complexity science. Hobbies: spaceflight, programming, weather, aviation, Linux & FOSS, sci-fi.
Mareographic record (i.e. sea-level height) at Manzanillo on the Pacific coast of Mexico, for the past two days.
The arrival of the tsunami caused by the Kamchatka earthquake is very clear, and sea-level oscillations are still ongoing.
The arrival of the tsunami caused by the Kamchatka earthquake is very clear, and sea-level oscillations are still ongoing.
July 30, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Mareographic record (i.e. sea-level height) at Manzanillo on the Pacific coast of Mexico, for the past two days.
The arrival of the tsunami caused by the Kamchatka earthquake is very clear, and sea-level oscillations are still ongoing.
The arrival of the tsunami caused by the Kamchatka earthquake is very clear, and sea-level oscillations are still ongoing.
Reposted by Meithan West
Sunspot numbers are in for June 2025, and we’ve once again experienced the lowest sunspot numbers for 15 months! As more months pass, we can say with increasing confidence that we experienced solar maximum back in October 2024. ☀️
July 2, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Sunspot numbers are in for June 2025, and we’ve once again experienced the lowest sunspot numbers for 15 months! As more months pass, we can say with increasing confidence that we experienced solar maximum back in October 2024. ☀️
Reposted by Meithan West
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗧ODAY 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬:𝟰𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗧 — the Sun’s northernmost standstill and the longest day of the year.
Ancient cultures built monuments to mark it & coined the word solstice to mean “Sun stopped.”
We’re still watching. Still wondering.🧪🔭
#solstice #astronomy #OurIslandUniverse
Ancient cultures built monuments to mark it & coined the word solstice to mean “Sun stopped.”
We’re still watching. Still wondering.🧪🔭
#solstice #astronomy #OurIslandUniverse
June 20, 2025 at 3:04 PM
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗧ODAY 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬:𝟰𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗘𝗧 — the Sun’s northernmost standstill and the longest day of the year.
Ancient cultures built monuments to mark it & coined the word solstice to mean “Sun stopped.”
We’re still watching. Still wondering.🧪🔭
#solstice #astronomy #OurIslandUniverse
Ancient cultures built monuments to mark it & coined the word solstice to mean “Sun stopped.”
We’re still watching. Still wondering.🧪🔭
#solstice #astronomy #OurIslandUniverse
Reposted by Meithan West
Reslience, the second iSpace (Japan) Hakuto-R lander,
made its deorbit burn on Jun 5 at about 1809 UTC but impacted the lunar surface at high speed at 1915 UTC near the target landing side in Mare Frigoris (60.5N 4.6W).
made its deorbit burn on Jun 5 at about 1809 UTC but impacted the lunar surface at high speed at 1915 UTC near the target landing side in Mare Frigoris (60.5N 4.6W).
June 5, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Reslience, the second iSpace (Japan) Hakuto-R lander,
made its deorbit burn on Jun 5 at about 1809 UTC but impacted the lunar surface at high speed at 1915 UTC near the target landing side in Mare Frigoris (60.5N 4.6W).
made its deorbit burn on Jun 5 at about 1809 UTC but impacted the lunar surface at high speed at 1915 UTC near the target landing side in Mare Frigoris (60.5N 4.6W).
Reposted by Meithan West
A large, transequatorial coronal hole is now directly facing Earth along with other smaller CHs. We may see a high-speed solar wind stream in the coming days. A minor (G1) storm watch was added beginning May 28th.
#heliophysics
#heliophysics
May 27, 2025 at 2:46 PM
A large, transequatorial coronal hole is now directly facing Earth along with other smaller CHs. We may see a high-speed solar wind stream in the coming days. A minor (G1) storm watch was added beginning May 28th.
#heliophysics
#heliophysics
Reposted by Meithan West
🚨 New dwarf planet candidate: 2017 OF201 🚨
~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun.
Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud. Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth’s mass.
📄 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2505.15806
#astronomy #dwarfplanet
~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun.
Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud. Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth’s mass.
📄 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2505.15806
#astronomy #dwarfplanet
May 22, 2025 at 4:44 AM
🚨 New dwarf planet candidate: 2017 OF201 🚨
~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun.
Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud. Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth’s mass.
📄 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2505.15806
#astronomy #dwarfplanet
~700 km wide, now 90.5 AU from the Sun.
Orbit: a = 838 AU, q = 44.9 AU — deep into the inner Oort Cloud. Possibly part of a hidden population totaling ~1% of Earth’s mass.
📄 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2505.15806
#astronomy #dwarfplanet
Reposted by Meithan West
My own plot of the final orbit, showing the Roskosmos estimate of the path between reentry and impact in purple. I guess that Kosmos-482 SA reentered somewhere along this track between India and the ocean south of Australia.
May 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM
My own plot of the final orbit, showing the Roskosmos estimate of the path between reentry and impact in purple. I guess that Kosmos-482 SA reentered somewhere along this track between India and the ocean south of Australia.
Reposted by Meithan West
ESA reports K482SA reentered between 0604 UITC (seen by radar on pass over Europe) and 0732 UTC (not seen by European radars on the next orbit). Roskosmos reports that reentry was at 0624 UTC over the Indian Ocean, but with no details on how they conclude that.
May 10, 2025 at 11:23 AM
ESA reports K482SA reentered between 0604 UITC (seen by radar on pass over Europe) and 0732 UTC (not seen by European radars on the next orbit). Roskosmos reports that reentry was at 0624 UTC over the Indian Ocean, but with no details on how they conclude that.
Reposted by Meithan West
This chart, which is unnecessarily harsh on the great @markhamillofficial.bsky.social by neglecting his voice work, redeems itself with its x- and y-axis icons
www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
May 4, 2025 at 1:58 PM
This chart, which is unnecessarily harsh on the great @markhamillofficial.bsky.social by neglecting his voice work, redeems itself with its x- and y-axis icons
www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
The ground track for the predicted reentry window of the Kosmos 482 descent vehicle.
Window is currently 11 may 2025 06:50 UTC +/- 50 hours (@marcolangbroek.bsky.social). Still a lot of uncertainty.
Window is currently 11 may 2025 06:50 UTC +/- 50 hours (@marcolangbroek.bsky.social). Still a lot of uncertainty.
May 4, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The ground track for the predicted reentry window of the Kosmos 482 descent vehicle.
Window is currently 11 may 2025 06:50 UTC +/- 50 hours (@marcolangbroek.bsky.social). Still a lot of uncertainty.
Window is currently 11 may 2025 06:50 UTC +/- 50 hours (@marcolangbroek.bsky.social). Still a lot of uncertainty.
Reposted by Meithan West
April 21, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Reposted by Meithan West
Dance with Death, by Hieronymus Hess, 1841, 📸 via Vatican Media Pool
April 21, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Dance with Death, by Hieronymus Hess, 1841, 📸 via Vatican Media Pool
Reposted by Meithan West
The moment has come to say goodbye to Gaia! 🥹
Today we say goodbye to ESA’s Milky Way-mapper Gaia! The Gaia spacecraft has completed its sky-scanning and will be switched off this morning.
March 27, 2025 at 7:29 AM
The moment has come to say goodbye to Gaia! 🥹
Reposted by Meithan West
One of these things is not like the others
March 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM
One of these things is not like the others
Near maximum eclipse.
March 14, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Near maximum eclipse.
Reposted by Meithan West
This photo was released today by Intuitive Machines, seemingly taken by their Athena IM-2 mission lander.
The lander clearly tipped over, but otherwise looks OK. But it can't recharge, so is functionally dead.
As far as I know, this is the first photo ever taken from the lunar south polar region.
The lander clearly tipped over, but otherwise looks OK. But it can't recharge, so is functionally dead.
As far as I know, this is the first photo ever taken from the lunar south polar region.
March 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This photo was released today by Intuitive Machines, seemingly taken by their Athena IM-2 mission lander.
The lander clearly tipped over, but otherwise looks OK. But it can't recharge, so is functionally dead.
As far as I know, this is the first photo ever taken from the lunar south polar region.
The lander clearly tipped over, but otherwise looks OK. But it can't recharge, so is functionally dead.
As far as I know, this is the first photo ever taken from the lunar south polar region.
Today's update of the impact risk for 2024YR4 puts it as 268,000 +/- 207,000 (3σ) km. For the first time, the nominal closest approach distance is above 3σ.
Increasingly clear that this rock won't hit us.
Increasingly clear that this rock won't hit us.
February 23, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Today's update of the impact risk for 2024YR4 puts it as 268,000 +/- 207,000 (3σ) km. For the first time, the nominal closest approach distance is above 3σ.
Increasingly clear that this rock won't hit us.
Increasingly clear that this rock won't hit us.
The estimated impact probability of 2024YR4 has decreased significantly! It's currently at 0.36% according to JPL.
This is a strong indication that YR4 will not impact Earth in 2032, as the impact prob of non-impactors is expected to rise gradually (as it did in past weeks) and then fall suddenly.
This is a strong indication that YR4 will not impact Earth in 2032, as the impact prob of non-impactors is expected to rise gradually (as it did in past weeks) and then fall suddenly.
February 22, 2025 at 7:09 PM
The estimated impact probability of 2024YR4 has decreased significantly! It's currently at 0.36% according to JPL.
This is a strong indication that YR4 will not impact Earth in 2032, as the impact prob of non-impactors is expected to rise gradually (as it did in past weeks) and then fall suddenly.
This is a strong indication that YR4 will not impact Earth in 2032, as the impact prob of non-impactors is expected to rise gradually (as it did in past weeks) and then fall suddenly.
Reposted by Meithan West
New Scientist magazine interviewed me about the Space Library www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKXr...
Meet the man who single-handedly tracks every spaceflight mission ever
YouTube video by New Scientist
www.youtube.com
February 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
New Scientist magazine interviewed me about the Space Library www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKXr...
Reposted by Meithan West
February 21, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Meithan West
Why hasn’t Ukraine held elections since the war began?
Why hasn’t Ukraine held elections since the war began?
Donald Trump has increased his attacks on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling the Ukrainian president ‘a dictator’ – but why have elections been postponed?
www.theguardian.com
February 21, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Why hasn’t Ukraine held elections since the war began?
No significant change today in #2024YR4 's chance of impacting the Earth in 2032 -- still 2.1%.
That's largely due to the asteroid being relatively close to the Moon during these few days, and thus being pretty much unobservable (it's so faint it gets lost in the Moon's glare).
That's largely due to the asteroid being relatively close to the Moon during these few days, and thus being pretty much unobservable (it's so faint it gets lost in the Moon's glare).
February 14, 2025 at 5:47 AM
No significant change today in #2024YR4 's chance of impacting the Earth in 2032 -- still 2.1%.
That's largely due to the asteroid being relatively close to the Moon during these few days, and thus being pretty much unobservable (it's so faint it gets lost in the Moon's glare).
That's largely due to the asteroid being relatively close to the Moon during these few days, and thus being pretty much unobservable (it's so faint it gets lost in the Moon's glare).
Trump's America in an image 🙄
February 12, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Trump's America in an image 🙄
Reposted by Meithan West
