Ross
@rossengineer.bsky.social
Former future astronaut | Xitter refugee, same handle | bio pinned | opinions my own | science, politics, stray thoughts, some swearing | no porn, crypto, scams, plz | he/him | pathologically unable to do things that make no fucking sense | YMMV, LLAP 🖖✌️
Pinned
Ross
@rossengineer.bsky.social
· Jul 17
Bio in comments, sporadically appended -
Really cool radio astronomy idea -
A fun paper on arXiv today 👇
Idea: send out five radio telescopes into the system to get baselines of 10s of AU, and use them as a 'Cosmic Positioning System' to triangulate positions of incoming event (like FRB) wavefronts.
And these illustrations and font FTW! 👏
arxiv.org/pdf/2602.09141
🔭📡🛰️
Idea: send out five radio telescopes into the system to get baselines of 10s of AU, and use them as a 'Cosmic Positioning System' to triangulate positions of incoming event (like FRB) wavefronts.
And these illustrations and font FTW! 👏
arxiv.org/pdf/2602.09141
🔭📡🛰️
February 11, 2026 at 4:24 AM
Really cool radio astronomy idea -
Southern Sierra Nevada mountains -
We are getting snow & rain again.
We are getting snow & rain again.
A low pressure system arrives in California.
The storm is bringing heavy rain and snow to the region.
The storm is bringing heavy rain and snow to the region.
February 11, 2026 at 3:21 AM
Southern Sierra Nevada mountains -
We are getting snow & rain again.
We are getting snow & rain again.
Reposted by Ross
Needles District, Canyonlands, Utah
February 11, 2026 at 2:27 AM
Needles District, Canyonlands, Utah
Reposted by Ross
THE CLEAREST VIEW OF THE EGG NEBULA FROM HUBBLE JUST DROPPED!!!
February 11, 2026 at 1:51 AM
THE CLEAREST VIEW OF THE EGG NEBULA FROM HUBBLE JUST DROPPED!!!
Reposted by Ross
Looks like there will be quite the fleet going to meet Apophis in 2029!
Full speed ahead to Apophis! 🚀🪨
ESA has awarded two contracts for the development of its Ramses mission, which will rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis ahead of its once-in-a-millennium flyby of Earth in 2029.
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
ESA has awarded two contracts for the development of its Ramses mission, which will rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis ahead of its once-in-a-millennium flyby of Earth in 2029.
www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
ESA awards contracts for Ramses mission to Apophis
On 10 February 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract with OHB Italia for the development of the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). Launching in 2028, Ramses will rendez...
www.esa.int
February 11, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Looks like there will be quite the fleet going to meet Apophis in 2029!
Reposted by Ross
The Wall. #Photography
Fjallsjökull (Iceland) towers more than 6,000 ft above the surrounding landscape and is one of the dozens of glaciers that make up Vatnajökull, Europe's second largest ice cap. Seven volcanoes reside beneath the ice, leading to occasional subglacial eruptions and jökulhlaups.
Fjallsjökull (Iceland) towers more than 6,000 ft above the surrounding landscape and is one of the dozens of glaciers that make up Vatnajökull, Europe's second largest ice cap. Seven volcanoes reside beneath the ice, leading to occasional subglacial eruptions and jökulhlaups.
February 11, 2026 at 12:17 AM
The Wall. #Photography
Fjallsjökull (Iceland) towers more than 6,000 ft above the surrounding landscape and is one of the dozens of glaciers that make up Vatnajökull, Europe's second largest ice cap. Seven volcanoes reside beneath the ice, leading to occasional subglacial eruptions and jökulhlaups.
Fjallsjökull (Iceland) towers more than 6,000 ft above the surrounding landscape and is one of the dozens of glaciers that make up Vatnajökull, Europe's second largest ice cap. Seven volcanoes reside beneath the ice, leading to occasional subglacial eruptions and jökulhlaups.
Reposted by Ross
How are gas giant exoplanets born? James Webb Space Telescope provides new clues www.space.com/astronomy/ja...
How are gas giant exoplanets born? James Webb Space Telescope provides new clues
Relatedly, astronomers may have just pushed the upper size limit of what counts as a planet.
www.space.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM
How are gas giant exoplanets born? James Webb Space Telescope provides new clues www.space.com/astronomy/ja...
Reposted by Ross
🚀 #WatchLive: Ariane 6 #VA267 is set to launch on 12 February between 16:45–17:13 GMT/17:45–18:13 CET from Europe Space Port in French Guiana.
🔗 esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Watch_live_first_launch_of_Ariane_6_with_four_boosters
@transport.esa.int
🔗 esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Watch_live_first_launch_of_Ariane_6_with_four_boosters
@transport.esa.int
February 10, 2026 at 4:28 PM
🚀 #WatchLive: Ariane 6 #VA267 is set to launch on 12 February between 16:45–17:13 GMT/17:45–18:13 CET from Europe Space Port in French Guiana.
🔗 esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Watch_live_first_launch_of_Ariane_6_with_four_boosters
@transport.esa.int
🔗 esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Ariane/Watch_live_first_launch_of_Ariane_6_with_four_boosters
@transport.esa.int
Reposted by Ross
Cool, wind-shaped rocks on Mars photographed yesterday.
February 9, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Cool, wind-shaped rocks on Mars photographed yesterday.
Reposted by Ross
"You do need a strong background in STEM subjects to become a scientist, but because planetary science is so interdisciplinary you can find a niche in the field no matter what your particular STEM major is. Also, I cannot emphasize enough not to neglect the humanities!"
Full Q&A: buff.ly/J6q9YQX
Full Q&A: buff.ly/J6q9YQX
February 9, 2026 at 3:01 PM
"You do need a strong background in STEM subjects to become a scientist, but because planetary science is so interdisciplinary you can find a niche in the field no matter what your particular STEM major is. Also, I cannot emphasize enough not to neglect the humanities!"
Full Q&A: buff.ly/J6q9YQX
Full Q&A: buff.ly/J6q9YQX
Reposted by Ross
Why are Magnolia flowers so thick?
They evolved before bees - had to be tough, for rougher bugs to pollinate.
Open all day to attract foraging beetles, they close at dusk. The trapped bug gets covered in new pollen & with dawn, beetles off.
Beetles like purple. I appreciate their ancient esthetic.
They evolved before bees - had to be tough, for rougher bugs to pollinate.
Open all day to attract foraging beetles, they close at dusk. The trapped bug gets covered in new pollen & with dawn, beetles off.
Beetles like purple. I appreciate their ancient esthetic.
February 9, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Why are Magnolia flowers so thick?
They evolved before bees - had to be tough, for rougher bugs to pollinate.
Open all day to attract foraging beetles, they close at dusk. The trapped bug gets covered in new pollen & with dawn, beetles off.
Beetles like purple. I appreciate their ancient esthetic.
They evolved before bees - had to be tough, for rougher bugs to pollinate.
Open all day to attract foraging beetles, they close at dusk. The trapped bug gets covered in new pollen & with dawn, beetles off.
Beetles like purple. I appreciate their ancient esthetic.
Reposted by Ross
Tufa Dinku, senior research scientist at @climate.columbia.edu, is leading a team on improving weather forecasting across Africa.
“The more observations you have in Africa, the better forecast we’ll have anywhere else in the world.”
#BlackHistoryMonth
“The more observations you have in Africa, the better forecast we’ll have anywhere else in the world.”
#BlackHistoryMonth
Building Better Weather Networks - Eos
A lack of weather data often leaves African communities vulnerable. Convergent efforts to improve observational networks throughout the continent are slowly filling the gaps.
eos.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Tufa Dinku, senior research scientist at @climate.columbia.edu, is leading a team on improving weather forecasting across Africa.
“The more observations you have in Africa, the better forecast we’ll have anywhere else in the world.”
#BlackHistoryMonth
“The more observations you have in Africa, the better forecast we’ll have anywhere else in the world.”
#BlackHistoryMonth
Reposted by Ross
Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka.
4 images taken by Sentinel-2 before and during eruption:
calm, degassing, medium and larger ash emission.
4 images taken by Sentinel-2 before and during eruption:
calm, degassing, medium and larger ash emission.
February 9, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Shiveluch volcano in Kamchatka.
4 images taken by Sentinel-2 before and during eruption:
calm, degassing, medium and larger ash emission.
4 images taken by Sentinel-2 before and during eruption:
calm, degassing, medium and larger ash emission.
Reposted by Ross
Lake Erie’s Ice sheet is near record ice cover due to extreme-prolonged cold, and as the wind increases behind a cold front the #ice cracks in half on satellite! #lakeerie #cleveland #buffalo #freeze
February 9, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Lake Erie’s Ice sheet is near record ice cover due to extreme-prolonged cold, and as the wind increases behind a cold front the #ice cracks in half on satellite! #lakeerie #cleveland #buffalo #freeze
Reposted by Ross
SPLASHDOWN! #Apollo14 back home! February 9, 1971 The crew of Apollo 14 returned to Earth after man's third landing on the moon.
contactlight.de
contactlight.de
February 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
SPLASHDOWN! #Apollo14 back home! February 9, 1971 The crew of Apollo 14 returned to Earth after man's third landing on the moon.
contactlight.de
contactlight.de
Reposted by Ross
A beautiful panorama of cosmic life & death:
These images of the Sculptor Galaxy combine 100 exposures in thousands of colors, 300 gigs of data. They show 500 planetary nebulae (the demise of other Suns) + a central "chimney" caused by a burst of newly formed stars. 🧪🔭
www.eso.org/public/news/...
These images of the Sculptor Galaxy combine 100 exposures in thousands of colors, 300 gigs of data. They show 500 planetary nebulae (the demise of other Suns) + a central "chimney" caused by a burst of newly formed stars. 🧪🔭
www.eso.org/public/news/...
February 8, 2026 at 5:32 PM
A beautiful panorama of cosmic life & death:
These images of the Sculptor Galaxy combine 100 exposures in thousands of colors, 300 gigs of data. They show 500 planetary nebulae (the demise of other Suns) + a central "chimney" caused by a burst of newly formed stars. 🧪🔭
www.eso.org/public/news/...
These images of the Sculptor Galaxy combine 100 exposures in thousands of colors, 300 gigs of data. They show 500 planetary nebulae (the demise of other Suns) + a central "chimney" caused by a burst of newly formed stars. 🧪🔭
www.eso.org/public/news/...
Reposted by Ross
The aurora last night here in Beaver, Alaska was extremely bright and active. Here is a video showing the real-time motion and the brightness of the aurora reflecting off the snow and turning it a bright green color.
February 8, 2026 at 1:33 AM
The aurora last night here in Beaver, Alaska was extremely bright and active. Here is a video showing the real-time motion and the brightness of the aurora reflecting off the snow and turning it a bright green color.
Reposted by Ross
Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart, mission specialists on the Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41-B, used nitrogen-propelled maneuvering units to perform the first untethered spacewalks #OTD in 1984. 🧪 🔭 🚀
(1/n)
Images: NASA
(1/n)
Images: NASA
February 7, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Bruce McCandless and Robert Stewart, mission specialists on the Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41-B, used nitrogen-propelled maneuvering units to perform the first untethered spacewalks #OTD in 1984. 🧪 🔭 🚀
(1/n)
Images: NASA
(1/n)
Images: NASA
Reposted by Ross
Btw if anyone’s looking for some more space/plane photographers to follow on BlueSky, give Nick a shout! He’s an extremely talented photographer who’s done a lot of great work across the board.
February 7, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Btw if anyone’s looking for some more space/plane photographers to follow on BlueSky, give Nick a shout! He’s an extremely talented photographer who’s done a lot of great work across the board.
Reposted by Ross
Hydrothermal hydrogen! An ROV dive revealed high levels of molecular hydrogen from vent fluids ejected from a bubbly ridge in the Norwegian Sea.
A Mid-Ocean Ridge in the Norwegian Sea Pumps Out Hydrogen - Eos
Vent fluids collected from the Knipovich Ridge contain unexpectedly high concentrations of hydrogen, potentially produced by the degradation of organic matter.
eos.org
February 7, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Hydrothermal hydrogen! An ROV dive revealed high levels of molecular hydrogen from vent fluids ejected from a bubbly ridge in the Norwegian Sea.
Reposted by Ross
February 7, 2026 at 6:49 PM
RPGs are considered rude behavior in general.
Don't be rude.
Don't be rude.
this is why you should *never* hit someone with an rpg. it’s dangerous, it’s shitty, and it’s wrong
Physics of a direct hit from an RPG type projectile
February 7, 2026 at 7:05 AM
RPGs are considered rude behavior in general.
Don't be rude.
Don't be rude.