Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
@palomarskies.bsky.social
Associate professor of astronomy at Palomar College, user of smart telescopes. 🔭 Blog: http://visiblesuns.blogspot.com/
Pinned
1:37:11 PM on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, over the North Atlantic Ocean.
"The world is still beautiful, even with all the traffic, the injustice, the noise, the wars. The world is still beautiful. It's all we have and we should celebrate it." - Film score composer Lionel Newman
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
Io from the Juno spacecraft on February 3, 2024. The night side can be seen in reflected light from Jupiter. The quality of this dataset is truly stunning.
February 4, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Io from the Juno spacecraft on February 3, 2024. The night side can be seen in reflected light from Jupiter. The quality of this dataset is truly stunning.
Moon Tree.
February 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Moon Tree.
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
You HAVE to watch this 55 second video. When the muscle of University sports marketing meets the expertise of space science. Features LPL's Ty Robinson and Kris Klein.
youtu.be/fhxf4XpescY
youtu.be/fhxf4XpescY
Galaxy Slam | Arizona vs BYU | Feb. 18
YouTube video by The University of Arizona
youtu.be
February 3, 2026 at 5:27 PM
You HAVE to watch this 55 second video. When the muscle of University sports marketing meets the expertise of space science. Features LPL's Ty Robinson and Kris Klein.
youtu.be/fhxf4XpescY
youtu.be/fhxf4XpescY
I didn’t get the chance to post earlier but there were great sunspots today. 🔭
February 4, 2026 at 5:19 AM
I didn’t get the chance to post earlier but there were great sunspots today. 🔭
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
*taps mic* ahem
May I interrupt the nonstop tidal wave of doom with a tidal wave of LAVA?
They're as high as a skyscraper, ooze at the speed of a human sprinter, and are really, really hot.
By me for @science.org, reported from the #RockyWorlds4 conference: 🔭🧪
May I interrupt the nonstop tidal wave of doom with a tidal wave of LAVA?
They're as high as a skyscraper, ooze at the speed of a human sprinter, and are really, really hot.
By me for @science.org, reported from the #RockyWorlds4 conference: 🔭🧪
Tidal waves of lava may slosh around alien worlds
Waves of molten rock could be confounding observations of atmospheres on distant planets
www.science.org
January 28, 2026 at 5:08 PM
*taps mic* ahem
May I interrupt the nonstop tidal wave of doom with a tidal wave of LAVA?
They're as high as a skyscraper, ooze at the speed of a human sprinter, and are really, really hot.
By me for @science.org, reported from the #RockyWorlds4 conference: 🔭🧪
May I interrupt the nonstop tidal wave of doom with a tidal wave of LAVA?
They're as high as a skyscraper, ooze at the speed of a human sprinter, and are really, really hot.
By me for @science.org, reported from the #RockyWorlds4 conference: 🔭🧪
Fully Moon, baby! 🔭
February 2, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Fully Moon, baby! 🔭
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
This is Tucker and he wants me to tell you that he thinks we should abolish ICE
February 1, 2026 at 5:30 PM
This is Tucker and he wants me to tell you that he thinks we should abolish ICE
The Moon tonight is very nearly full (99.3%). 🔭
February 1, 2026 at 5:11 AM
The Moon tonight is very nearly full (99.3%). 🔭
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
“There’s no single answer that will solve all our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers—at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.”
― Octavia E. Butler, A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay
― Octavia E. Butler, A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay
January 31, 2026 at 7:57 PM
“There’s no single answer that will solve all our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers—at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.”
― Octavia E. Butler, A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay
― Octavia E. Butler, A Few Rules for Predicting the Future: An Essay
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
This trend is giving me life. College is cool, knowledge is great. The liberal arts is rad. Being well rounded is the GOAT.
Fund all colleges and universities. We should be throwing money at them. Make it affordable for all. Let people take underwater basket weaving if they choose.
Fund all colleges and universities. We should be throwing money at them. Make it affordable for all. Let people take underwater basket weaving if they choose.
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Origins of Nazism
2. Dante’s Divine Comedy
3. Behavioral Ecology & Conservation Biology
4. Principles of Evolution
5. Thinking and Speaking About Thinking and Speaking
1. Origins of Nazism
2. Dante’s Divine Comedy
3. Behavioral Ecology & Conservation Biology
4. Principles of Evolution
5. Thinking and Speaking About Thinking and Speaking
January 31, 2026 at 12:35 PM
This trend is giving me life. College is cool, knowledge is great. The liberal arts is rad. Being well rounded is the GOAT.
Fund all colleges and universities. We should be throwing money at them. Make it affordable for all. Let people take underwater basket weaving if they choose.
Fund all colleges and universities. We should be throwing money at them. Make it affordable for all. Let people take underwater basket weaving if they choose.
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college.
Geology of Arizona
Marriage
Cosmology
Accounting
Bowling
Geology of Arizona
Marriage
Cosmology
Accounting
Bowling
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college.
Physics 2 (whoa, FIELDS?!?)
Astronomy 2 (whoa, order of magnitude thinking/proportional reasoning?!?)
Origins of Life
History of WWII
Relativity & Cosmology
Physics 2 (whoa, FIELDS?!?)
Astronomy 2 (whoa, order of magnitude thinking/proportional reasoning?!?)
Origins of Life
History of WWII
Relativity & Cosmology
5 classes in college that most influenced me
intro to labor relations (why I am a union member) by @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social
Calling BS by @carlbergstrom.com
Sex, Gender and Disability by Joanne Woiak
Intro to special education by Sarah Arvey Tov(why I went into sped)
Assessment by Katie Lewis
intro to labor relations (why I am a union member) by @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social
Calling BS by @carlbergstrom.com
Sex, Gender and Disability by Joanne Woiak
Intro to special education by Sarah Arvey Tov(why I went into sped)
Assessment by Katie Lewis
January 31, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college.
Geology of Arizona
Marriage
Cosmology
Accounting
Bowling
Geology of Arizona
Marriage
Cosmology
Accounting
Bowling
The Moon and Jupiter are close together in the sky right now. Here's how they looked (separately) in just now with my telescope. 🔭
January 31, 2026 at 3:59 AM
The Moon and Jupiter are close together in the sky right now. Here's how they looked (separately) in just now with my telescope. 🔭
If is dark and clear where you are right now go out to see the Moon near the planet Jupiter.
January 31, 2026 at 1:37 AM
If is dark and clear where you are right now go out to see the Moon near the planet Jupiter.
This week's Starfleet Academy was pretty good. 🖖
January 31, 2026 at 12:44 AM
This week's Starfleet Academy was pretty good. 🖖
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
You may have seen pictures, but have you ever seen video of a gigantic jet #TLE from space?
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
January 30, 2026 at 9:09 PM
You may have seen pictures, but have you ever seen video of a gigantic jet #TLE from space?
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
Astronaut Jeanette Epps captured this incredible sequence on July 20th, 2024 for the DTU/@science.esa.int Thor-Davis experiment. 🧪🔭
youtu.be/xN2J7_rOBJY
Credit: ESA/NASA/J. Epps
Processing: Simeon Schmauß
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
NASA's Juno spacecraft detected the largest volcanic hotspot ever seen in our solar system. It appeared on Jupiter's moon Io, it covers 100,000 square kilometers (bigger than Lake Superior), and it radiates 80 trillion watts of heat. 🧪🔭
www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-ju...
www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-ju...
January 30, 2026 at 4:18 PM
NASA's Juno spacecraft detected the largest volcanic hotspot ever seen in our solar system. It appeared on Jupiter's moon Io, it covers 100,000 square kilometers (bigger than Lake Superior), and it radiates 80 trillion watts of heat. 🧪🔭
www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-ju...
www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-ju...
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
What does it feel like to drive along the rim of Jerezo crater on Mars? This animation using the Navcam images on the Perseverance rover will show you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2G...
Perseverance Rover’s View of Crater Rim Drive
YouTube video by JPLraw
www.youtube.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:26 PM
What does it feel like to drive along the rim of Jerezo crater on Mars? This animation using the Navcam images on the Perseverance rover will show you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2G...
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
🚨 Deadline: 1 February 2026 🚨
Calling all undergrad + graduate students looking for summer research opportunities! Application deadline is quickly approaching for the 2026 summer student program at the NSF NRAO/GBO.
#Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #REU #ResearchAssistantship #NRAO #GBO
Calling all undergrad + graduate students looking for summer research opportunities! Application deadline is quickly approaching for the 2026 summer student program at the NSF NRAO/GBO.
#Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #REU #ResearchAssistantship #NRAO #GBO
2026 Summer Student Research Assistantships
science.nrao.edu
January 29, 2026 at 9:08 PM
🚨 Deadline: 1 February 2026 🚨
Calling all undergrad + graduate students looking for summer research opportunities! Application deadline is quickly approaching for the 2026 summer student program at the NSF NRAO/GBO.
#Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #REU #ResearchAssistantship #NRAO #GBO
Calling all undergrad + graduate students looking for summer research opportunities! Application deadline is quickly approaching for the 2026 summer student program at the NSF NRAO/GBO.
#Astronomy #RadioAstronomy #REU #ResearchAssistantship #NRAO #GBO
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
We uncovered decades of previously unknown all-sky radio data from the Big Ear telescope, collected during a much quieter radio-era with active interference cancellation. Here are the projects, receivers, and the methods used to record the data. #AreciboWow #RadioAstronomy
January 28, 2026 at 8:20 PM
We uncovered decades of previously unknown all-sky radio data from the Big Ear telescope, collected during a much quieter radio-era with active interference cancellation. Here are the projects, receivers, and the methods used to record the data. #AreciboWow #RadioAstronomy
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
🌟 The February 2026 edition of The Evening Sky Map (PDF) is now available for download at skymaps.com/tesm/. The PDF features easy-to-use sky maps for the northern & southern hemispheres, and for the equatorial regions. Please share, and enjoy exploring the Universe! 🔭
#stargazing #space
#stargazing #space
January 28, 2026 at 3:39 PM
🌟 The February 2026 edition of The Evening Sky Map (PDF) is now available for download at skymaps.com/tesm/. The PDF features easy-to-use sky maps for the northern & southern hemispheres, and for the equatorial regions. Please share, and enjoy exploring the Universe! 🔭
#stargazing #space
#stargazing #space
Today’s sunrise.
January 28, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Today’s sunrise.
Tonight is our first evening astronomy lab of the semester, so, naturally, we have clouds.
January 28, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Tonight is our first evening astronomy lab of the semester, so, naturally, we have clouds.
Reposted by Scott Kardel aka Palomar Skies
Maybe the galaxy isn’t silent. Maybe it’s just whispering on a private network we haven’t plugged into yet.
And the most exciting part? We might have the technology to spot the blinking lights of their routers right now. 🧪 🔭
Learn more: laserseti.net/is-the-galax...
And the most exciting part? We might have the technology to spot the blinking lights of their routers right now. 🧪 🔭
Learn more: laserseti.net/is-the-galax...
Is the Galaxy Already Connected? Why the “Galactic Internet” Might Be Hiding in the Dark – LaserSETI
LaserSETI
laserseti.net
January 28, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Maybe the galaxy isn’t silent. Maybe it’s just whispering on a private network we haven’t plugged into yet.
And the most exciting part? We might have the technology to spot the blinking lights of their routers right now. 🧪 🔭
Learn more: laserseti.net/is-the-galax...
And the most exciting part? We might have the technology to spot the blinking lights of their routers right now. 🧪 🔭
Learn more: laserseti.net/is-the-galax...