Alejandro Soto
@soto.space
Planetary scientist and aerospace engineer. He/him. https://www.alejandrosoto.net
My writing represents me alone and not my employer nor anyone else.
My writing represents me alone and not my employer nor anyone else.
🤞We deserve a naked eye comet to watch.
Astronomers Spot a New Sungrazer Comet; Could It be Bright Enough to See in Daylight This Spring? www.discovermagazine.com/astronomers-...
Astronomers Spot a New Sungrazer Comet — Could It be Bright Enough to See in Daylight This Spring?
Learn about a new Kreutz sungrazing comet that could be lighting up our skies come April 2026.
www.discovermagazine.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:31 PM
🤞We deserve a naked eye comet to watch.
His joy for minerals was so infectious, I took as many of the minerals classes as I could just for the fun of it. Don't take me wrong, he was still rigorous. I struggled in all of the finals. But I too had a blast, and there are still tidbits I remember today that pop up at work.
RIP George Rossman
RIP George Rossman
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 AM
His joy for minerals was so infectious, I took as many of the minerals classes as I could just for the fun of it. Don't take me wrong, he was still rigorous. I struggled in all of the finals. But I too had a blast, and there are still tidbits I remember today that pop up at work.
RIP George Rossman
RIP George Rossman
George Rossman was my professor for mineralogy in grad school. From first meeting him, his love and joy, real joy, around minerals and science radiated from him. He really was having a blast the whole time.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
Caltech Mourns the Passing of George Rossman (1944–2026)
Caltech mineralogist George Rossman (PhD '71) passed away on February 6, 2026.
www.caltech.edu
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 AM
George Rossman was my professor for mineralogy in grad school. From first meeting him, his love and joy, real joy, around minerals and science radiated from him. He really was having a blast the whole time.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
Reposted by Alejandro Soto
Such a great colleague. We bonded over our common interest in FTIR spectrometry (and other things). His memory is a blessing.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
Caltech Mourns the Passing of George Rossman (1944–2026)
Caltech mineralogist George Rossman (PhD '71) passed away on February 6, 2026.
www.caltech.edu
February 10, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Such a great colleague. We bonded over our common interest in FTIR spectrometry (and other things). His memory is a blessing.
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...
"The greatest friend Poland has ever had in the White House?"
One moment, Tom Rose, the corpse of Ronald Reagan would like to have a word with you.
Trump hasn't even had a Day of Solidarity for Poland. He's no competition for Reagan (of Pope John Paul II)!
One moment, Tom Rose, the corpse of Ronald Reagan would like to have a word with you.
Trump hasn't even had a Day of Solidarity for Poland. He's no competition for Reagan (of Pope John Paul II)!
February 6, 2026 at 11:15 PM
"The greatest friend Poland has ever had in the White House?"
One moment, Tom Rose, the corpse of Ronald Reagan would like to have a word with you.
Trump hasn't even had a Day of Solidarity for Poland. He's no competition for Reagan (of Pope John Paul II)!
One moment, Tom Rose, the corpse of Ronald Reagan would like to have a word with you.
Trump hasn't even had a Day of Solidarity for Poland. He's no competition for Reagan (of Pope John Paul II)!
We've seen this before and it didn't end well.
February 6, 2026 at 11:04 PM
We've seen this before and it didn't end well.
If you don't want to trust an artist like @zachweinersmith.bsky.social then how about an aerospace CEO who points out, "“It’s counter intuitive, but it’s hard to actually cool things in space because there’s no medium to transmit hot to cold,”.
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/v...
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/v...
February 6, 2026 at 3:50 PM
If you don't want to trust an artist like @zachweinersmith.bsky.social then how about an aerospace CEO who points out, "“It’s counter intuitive, but it’s hard to actually cool things in space because there’s no medium to transmit hot to cold,”.
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/v...
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/v...
Taino history and mythology for me.
February 6, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Taino history and mythology for me.
Future investors in the SpaceX IPO need to pay attention to threads like this. Don’t get suckered by the “data centers in space” hype.
Reporters too! Ask those AI billionaires about their plans for thermal control of their “data centers in space”. Don’t let them escape w/o answering.
Reporters too! Ask those AI billionaires about their plans for thermal control of their “data centers in space”. Don’t let them escape w/o answering.
Lately I'm regretting that we didn't talk about space data centers in A City on Mars, but tbh the idea just seemed so transparently silly. Now Musk and apparently the CNA (www.reuters.com/science/chin...) are talking about it.
China plans space‑based AI data centres, challenging Musk's SpaceX ambitions
China's main space contractor vowed to construct "digital-intelligence infrastructure" that will enable data from Earth to be processed in space.
www.reuters.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Future investors in the SpaceX IPO need to pay attention to threads like this. Don’t get suckered by the “data centers in space” hype.
Reporters too! Ask those AI billionaires about their plans for thermal control of their “data centers in space”. Don’t let them escape w/o answering.
Reporters too! Ask those AI billionaires about their plans for thermal control of their “data centers in space”. Don’t let them escape w/o answering.
Well, this is one way to force your boss to accept your resignation.
This is worth a read for the honest assessment from a DHS lawyer.
abcnews.go.com/US/job-sucks...
This is worth a read for the honest assessment from a DHS lawyer.
abcnews.go.com/US/job-sucks...
'This job sucks,' overwhelmed DHS lawyer says in court hearing over ICE's response to judicial orders
“A court order is not advisory, and it is not conditional,” U.S. District Court Judge Jerry Blackwell said.
abcnews.go.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Well, this is one way to force your boss to accept your resignation.
This is worth a read for the honest assessment from a DHS lawyer.
abcnews.go.com/US/job-sucks...
This is worth a read for the honest assessment from a DHS lawyer.
abcnews.go.com/US/job-sucks...
I just read this in a government grant opportunity:
"Management Plan Narrative Section Management Plan (narrative section) including, but not limited to:"
It sure looks like they use an LLM and then didn't check the work.
"Management Plan Narrative Section Management Plan (narrative section) including, but not limited to:"
It sure looks like they use an LLM and then didn't check the work.
February 3, 2026 at 11:18 PM
I just read this in a government grant opportunity:
"Management Plan Narrative Section Management Plan (narrative section) including, but not limited to:"
It sure looks like they use an LLM and then didn't check the work.
"Management Plan Narrative Section Management Plan (narrative section) including, but not limited to:"
It sure looks like they use an LLM and then didn't check the work.
It certainly feels like they are favoring industry needs over citizen safety.
February 3, 2026 at 8:17 PM
It certainly feels like they are favoring industry needs over citizen safety.
Genuinely curious: If your family is American, what brought them here?
Mine: Nothing brought them to America. America came to them. When the USA invaded, occupied, and claimed Puerto Rico, suddenly my family was in America. Eventually they were even provided citizenship. Both sides of the family.
Mine: Nothing brought them to America. America came to them. When the USA invaded, occupied, and claimed Puerto Rico, suddenly my family was in America. Eventually they were even provided citizenship. Both sides of the family.
Mine: they were fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe organized by cynical political leaders who told their angry and aggrieved countrymen that a hated minority was responsible for all of their problems, and that once their countries were purged of those people then everything would be great again.
Genuinely curious: If your family is American, what brought them here?
Mine: religious nuttery & primogeniture
Mine: religious nuttery & primogeniture
February 3, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Genuinely curious: If your family is American, what brought them here?
Mine: Nothing brought them to America. America came to them. When the USA invaded, occupied, and claimed Puerto Rico, suddenly my family was in America. Eventually they were even provided citizenship. Both sides of the family.
Mine: Nothing brought them to America. America came to them. When the USA invaded, occupied, and claimed Puerto Rico, suddenly my family was in America. Eventually they were even provided citizenship. Both sides of the family.
“Oh, my sweet summer child"
February 2, 2026 at 4:44 PM
“Oh, my sweet summer child"
There's lots to fight for, including atmospheric and climate science. #saveNCAR
eos.org/opinions/wha...
eos.org/opinions/wha...
What Americans Lose If Their National Center for Atmospheric Research Is Dismantled - Eos
Five ways dismantling NCAR will cost the American people, and two ways to save it.
eos.org
January 30, 2026 at 6:03 PM
There's lots to fight for, including atmospheric and climate science. #saveNCAR
eos.org/opinions/wha...
eos.org/opinions/wha...
I thought FV3 won the dynamical core competition? What happened here?
January 30, 2026 at 5:36 PM
I thought FV3 won the dynamical core competition? What happened here?
Goddammit, the honorable mention was heart breaking.
January 30, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Goddammit, the honorable mention was heart breaking.
Today I learned: the moon Io is large than Europa. I always thought it was the opposite. 🤦♂️
As a planetary scientist this is a bit embarrassing but in my defense I am primarily a planetary atmosphere guy.
Regardless the Galilean moons remain fascinating.
As a planetary scientist this is a bit embarrassing but in my defense I am primarily a planetary atmosphere guy.
Regardless the Galilean moons remain fascinating.
January 30, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Today I learned: the moon Io is large than Europa. I always thought it was the opposite. 🤦♂️
As a planetary scientist this is a bit embarrassing but in my defense I am primarily a planetary atmosphere guy.
Regardless the Galilean moons remain fascinating.
As a planetary scientist this is a bit embarrassing but in my defense I am primarily a planetary atmosphere guy.
Regardless the Galilean moons remain fascinating.
I have lots of geophysical fluid dynamics suggestions, but that's my only general fluids suggestion.
January 30, 2026 at 4:03 PM
I have lots of geophysical fluid dynamics suggestions, but that's my only general fluids suggestion.
Here's an undergrad book that doesn't hide the math but also isn't a Landau-Lifshitz style mathematical treatise. It's by Benoit Cushman-Roisin at Dartmouth College:
mail.cushman.host.dartmouth.edu/books/Practi...
mail.cushman.host.dartmouth.edu/books/Practi...
Practical FM Book
Practical Fluid Mechanics
mail.cushman.host.dartmouth.edu
January 30, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Here's an undergrad book that doesn't hide the math but also isn't a Landau-Lifshitz style mathematical treatise. It's by Benoit Cushman-Roisin at Dartmouth College:
mail.cushman.host.dartmouth.edu/books/Practi...
mail.cushman.host.dartmouth.edu/books/Practi...
Another classic case of average not being as insightful as median. From the Empower report referenced in your first linked article: “in the 50s the average net worth is $1,369,809, but the median is only $192,964”. Our skewed wealth distribution (inequality) strikes again!
January 30, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Another classic case of average not being as insightful as median. From the Empower report referenced in your first linked article: “in the 50s the average net worth is $1,369,809, but the median is only $192,964”. Our skewed wealth distribution (inequality) strikes again!
I can make no guarantees on any text book being "non-annoying".
January 29, 2026 at 11:26 PM
I can make no guarantees on any text book being "non-annoying".
@bowlerhatscience.org I assume Jed is like me and has a number of things we could send you but don't want to inundate.
January 29, 2026 at 11:25 PM
@bowlerhatscience.org I assume Jed is like me and has a number of things we could send you but don't want to inundate.