Tod Lauer
@todlauer.bsky.social
Extragalactic observer (black holes, galaxies, galaxy clusters, stellar pops) that also dabbles in planetary astronomy. Really, basically a pixel pusher.
Standing out in the street taking my earlier full Moon image, a neighbor, Steve Kite, drove by, stopped and showed me the image that he had just taken with *his* phone. Tucson has incredible Moon rises. As I demonstrated to @bsryden.bsky.social , sometimes it even rises twice in the same night!
January 3, 2026 at 5:10 AM
Standing out in the street taking my earlier full Moon image, a neighbor, Steve Kite, drove by, stopped and showed me the image that he had just taken with *his* phone. Tucson has incredible Moon rises. As I demonstrated to @bsryden.bsky.social , sometimes it even rises twice in the same night!
Moonrise in Tucson tonight:
January 3, 2026 at 1:55 AM
Moonrise in Tucson tonight:
The old 36" Lick refractor. At the opposite end of the building is the 1m reflector that I used to get the observations for my PhD thesis.
Wow, xmas morning wind gusts up to 114 mph on Mount Hamilton, east of San Jose. Damaged the Lick Observatory. 🔭 🧪 bsky.app/profile/look...
December 26, 2025 at 11:48 PM
The old 36" Lick refractor. At the opposite end of the building is the 1m reflector that I used to get the observations for my PhD thesis.
Sandra and Annika spending Christmas afternoon doing a little image reconstruction on Pluto:
December 25, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Sandra and Annika spending Christmas afternoon doing a little image reconstruction on Pluto:
57 years ago today, Apollo 8 crew member Bill Anders took his iconic photo of the Earth rising over the Moon. It is still a fantastic image. Here's a little video of how it was done:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbF...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbF...
Earthrise in 4K
YouTube video by NASA Goddard
www.youtube.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:07 PM
57 years ago today, Apollo 8 crew member Bill Anders took his iconic photo of the Earth rising over the Moon. It is still a fantastic image. Here's a little video of how it was done:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbF...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbF...
Just thought I would show off my copy of "Norton's Star Atlas," which I bought from the "Edmund's Scientific" store in the early 70s. Many astronomers from my generation that played with telescopes growing have a copy that's about in the same shapre.
December 24, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Just thought I would show off my copy of "Norton's Star Atlas," which I bought from the "Edmund's Scientific" store in the early 70s. Many astronomers from my generation that played with telescopes growing have a copy that's about in the same shapre.
Finished (almost) my model of the Saturn V after a few decades of on and off work. Don't know where I'm going to put it...
December 20, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Finished (almost) my model of the Saturn V after a few decades of on and off work. Don't know where I'm going to put it...
Nice picture to go with the article, but there is no NSF building any more. NSF was tossed out it so it could be given over to HHS (who neglected maintenance it their previous building for decades).
NSF plans to streamline merit review to heal self-inflicted staffing wound www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists
Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities
www.science.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Nice picture to go with the article, but there is no NSF building any more. NSF was tossed out it so it could be given over to HHS (who neglected maintenance it their previous building for decades).
Reposted by Tod Lauer
this is one of the most psychotic things Trump has ever posted
December 15, 2025 at 2:52 PM
this is one of the most psychotic things Trump has ever posted
My wife asked if the Trump admin is going to say that they killed calibri in serif defense...
December 10, 2025 at 3:42 AM
My wife asked if the Trump admin is going to say that they killed calibri in serif defense...
Font wars - I've been dreading this since childhood. I have a huge stockpile of extra 'd's that I don't need that I'm willing to swap for other characters if the Trump goes full bore at banning sans serif fonts:
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
At State Dept., a Typeface Falls Victim in the War Against Woke
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Font wars - I've been dreading this since childhood. I have a huge stockpile of extra 'd's that I don't need that I'm willing to swap for other characters if the Trump goes full bore at banning sans serif fonts:
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
I watched my Dad suffer through shingles, so I made sure to get the shots.
PSA: if anyone in your life is trying to dissuade you from getting the shingles shot, you should probably assume that person hates you, and wants you to suffer. There is literally no other explanation.
Shingles hurts worse than childbirth. Worse than knee surgery. Worst pain of my life.
Shingles hurts worse than childbirth. Worse than knee surgery. Worst pain of my life.
I am baffled by this because I have had so many friends with shingles and NONE of them made it sound fun. Not one. A vaccine that made me absolutely miserable for 48 hours would still be a huge improvement over the mildest case of shingles I've heard of. (Also it made me tired for 1 day.)
December 9, 2025 at 4:23 AM
I watched my Dad suffer through shingles, so I made sure to get the shots.
A great and legendary science reporter for the NYT has passed away. Can't begin to count how many of his articles I read. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/s...
John Noble Wilford, Times Reporter Who Covered the Moon Landing, Dies at 92
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:49 AM
A great and legendary science reporter for the NYT has passed away. Can't begin to count how many of his articles I read. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/s...
Another action-packed adventure as fellow New Horizons team member Rick Binzel pays a visit to the New Horizons Tucson image processing facility.
December 8, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Another action-packed adventure as fellow New Horizons team member Rick Binzel pays a visit to the New Horizons Tucson image processing facility.
Reposted by Tod Lauer
These anti-vaxxers will kill babies.
It feels awful to be that blunt, but the stakes here are *babies dying of preventable diseases*.
It feels awful to be that blunt, but the stakes here are *babies dying of preventable diseases*.
To be very clear: Kennedy's team is messing with a vaccine which has led to a 99 percent drop in the incidence of hepatitis B, which kills, early and painfully, 25 percent of the children who get it.
RFK’s Anti-Vax Team Readies Its Next Moves
“Their game is, let’s really destabilize trust in the vaccine, and make people really anxious about it.”
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:23 PM
These anti-vaxxers will kill babies.
It feels awful to be that blunt, but the stakes here are *babies dying of preventable diseases*.
It feels awful to be that blunt, but the stakes here are *babies dying of preventable diseases*.
I wish astros would stop using the term "unsharp-masking" when they most-likely mean high-pass filtering. USM is an ancient darkroom trick, which is non-linear and makes positive definite images. A true digital USM would be useful in some cases, but would require several steps.
December 7, 2025 at 12:04 AM
I wish astros would stop using the term "unsharp-masking" when they most-likely mean high-pass filtering. USM is an ancient darkroom trick, which is non-linear and makes positive definite images. A true digital USM would be useful in some cases, but would require several steps.
Reposted by Tod Lauer
Rep. Grijalva says she was pepper-sprayed by ICE
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Rep. Grijalva says she was pepper-sprayed by ICE
Reposted by Tod Lauer
Kristi Noem: "Sir, you made it through hurricane season without a hurricane. You kept the hurricanes away. We appreciate that."
December 2, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Kristi Noem: "Sir, you made it through hurricane season without a hurricane. You kept the hurricanes away. We appreciate that."
Reposted by Tod Lauer
Walk softly and carry a big...
November 30, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Walk softly and carry a big...
It's been decades since I've lived in South NJ, with Philly just across the river, but the memories are still there. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/d...
Michelin Honored the Cheesesteak. Not All Philadelphians Cheered.
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:02 PM
It's been decades since I've lived in South NJ, with Philly just across the river, but the memories are still there. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/d...
Reposted by Tod Lauer
Comet Lemmon and the Milky Way
Credit: Lin Zixuan (linzx23@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn), Tsinghua University
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25112... #APOD 🧪🔭
Credit: Lin Zixuan (linzx23@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn), Tsinghua University
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25112... #APOD 🧪🔭
November 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Comet Lemmon and the Milky Way
Credit: Lin Zixuan (linzx23@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn), Tsinghua University
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25112... #APOD 🧪🔭
Credit: Lin Zixuan (linzx23@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn), Tsinghua University
apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25112... #APOD 🧪🔭
Great! The number 2 position at the CDC is to be filled with an anti-vaxxer. wapo.st/4pvW7C8
Louisiana health official who halted state vaccine campaign tapped as CDC’s No. 2
Ralph Abraham, a Louisiana health official who stopped promoting mass vaccination vaccines, has been appointed as the CDC's principal deputy director
wapo.st
November 25, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Great! The number 2 position at the CDC is to be filled with an anti-vaxxer. wapo.st/4pvW7C8
Being a space cadet, I have a hobby of fine scale modeling of spacecraft. Tonight I finished the 1st stage of a Saturn V model I've been working on for years. Did the 3rd stage first, then the 2nd. Now there's just some stuff that goes on top of the third stage to do.
November 25, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Being a space cadet, I have a hobby of fine scale modeling of spacecraft. Tonight I finished the 1st stage of a Saturn V model I've been working on for years. Did the 3rd stage first, then the 2nd. Now there's just some stuff that goes on top of the third stage to do.
Games you can play with your rocket. I've seen this many times, but it still evokes a good WTF! www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0UY...
NASA - Saturn V Apollo Shake Test
YouTube video by CinePost
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Games you can play with your rocket. I've seen this many times, but it still evokes a good WTF! www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0UY...