Bill Farrand
@whfarrand.bsky.social
Planetary geologist, rock climber and friend to dogs!
Reposted by Bill Farrand
Oh wow that’s gorgeous
In 2023, a Bronze Age sword was found during excavations in Nördlingen, Bavaria.
Non-destructive analysis now revealed new details about Bronze Age craftsmanship.
👉 www.helmholtz-berlin.de/pubbin/news_...
Non-destructive analysis now revealed new details about Bronze Age craftsmanship.
👉 www.helmholtz-berlin.de/pubbin/news_...
February 12, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Oh wow that’s gorgeous
Reposted by Bill Farrand
NCAR represents what is possible when a nation chooses to invest in science as a public good, writes @carlonimbus.bsky.social of @ucs.org. #SaveNCAR 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 27, 2026 at 2:49 PM
NCAR represents what is possible when a nation chooses to invest in science as a public good, writes @carlonimbus.bsky.social of @ucs.org. #SaveNCAR eos.org/opinions/wha...
Reposted by Bill Farrand
Alex Pretti was an American hero. He saved lives. He protected people. He cared deeply about his community, unlike the murderous thugs who killed him.
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
January 25, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Alex Pretti was an American hero. He saved lives. He protected people. He cared deeply about his community, unlike the murderous thugs who killed him.
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
OMG… I just saw the video of the execution… and that’s what it was… of the guy in Minneapolis. They had him on the ground and were beating the shit out of him and then they just shot him. This is not America.
January 24, 2026 at 11:05 PM
OMG… I just saw the video of the execution… and that’s what it was… of the guy in Minneapolis. They had him on the ground and were beating the shit out of him and then they just shot him. This is not America.
Reposted by Bill Farrand
If senior officers carry out what Trump is threatening against NATO, “the officers and enlisted people below them will likely obey the chain of command”—and “such an outcome would be a tragedy, and potentially a global catastrophe,” @radiofreetom.bsky.social argues. theatln.tc/OtxpMxan
January 19, 2026 at 10:30 PM
If senior officers carry out what Trump is threatening against NATO, “the officers and enlisted people below them will likely obey the chain of command”—and “such an outcome would be a tragedy, and potentially a global catastrophe,” @radiofreetom.bsky.social argues. theatln.tc/OtxpMxan
Reposted by Bill Farrand
Literally everyone who even vaguely knew what a tariff was said this when they were introduced! You don’t need a team of economists to analyze the situation — no one who lives in reality was confused by this!
“Foreign exporters absorbed only 4% of last year’s U.S. tariff increases by lowering prices, while American consumers and importers absorbed 96%.
“Rather than acting as a tax on foreign producers, the tariffs functioned as a consumption tax on Americans.”
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
“Rather than acting as a tax on foreign producers, the tariffs functioned as a consumption tax on Americans.”
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs, Study Finds
New research contradicts President Trump’s claim that foreigners are footing the bill.
www.wsj.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Literally everyone who even vaguely knew what a tariff was said this when they were introduced! You don’t need a team of economists to analyze the situation — no one who lives in reality was confused by this!
Reposted by Bill Farrand
Reposted by Bill Farrand
HiPOD: Ridges in Acidalia Planitia
The purpose of this observation is to investigate the structure of these ridges as well as their superposition and crosscutting relationships with adjacent geologic units and landforms.
https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_076579_2175
#Mars #science #NASA
The purpose of this observation is to investigate the structure of these ridges as well as their superposition and crosscutting relationships with adjacent geologic units and landforms.
https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_076579_2175
#Mars #science #NASA
January 7, 2026 at 3:01 PM
HiPOD: Ridges in Acidalia Planitia
The purpose of this observation is to investigate the structure of these ridges as well as their superposition and crosscutting relationships with adjacent geologic units and landforms.
https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_076579_2175
#Mars #science #NASA
The purpose of this observation is to investigate the structure of these ridges as well as their superposition and crosscutting relationships with adjacent geologic units and landforms.
https://uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_076579_2175
#Mars #science #NASA
Reposted by Bill Farrand
Please write to your congressional reps about the NCAR budget cuts
December 18, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Please write to your congressional reps about the NCAR budget cuts
Reposted by Bill Farrand
National Review’s @jimgeraghty: “The president of the United States is a hateful raging lunatic with all the empathy of Jeffrey Dahmer.”
www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-...
www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-...
Trump’s Appalling Reiner Reaction Is a Sign of Something Deeply Wrong | National Review
Yes, we must talk about what President Trump posted on Truth Social about the brutal murders of the Reiners.
www.nationalreview.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:22 PM
National Review’s @jimgeraghty: “The president of the United States is a hateful raging lunatic with all the empathy of Jeffrey Dahmer.”
www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-...
www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-...
Reposted by Bill Farrand
There are two small moons in orbit around Mars today, but both may be remnants of a much larger moon that had enough of a gravitational pull to drive tides in the Red Planet's lost lakes and seas
Mars may once have had a much larger moon
There are two small moons in orbit around Mars today, but both may be remnants of a much larger moon that had enough of a gravitational pull to drive tides in the Red Planet's lost lakes and seas
www.newscientist.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:11 PM
There are two small moons in orbit around Mars today, but both may be remnants of a much larger moon that had enough of a gravitational pull to drive tides in the Red Planet's lost lakes and seas
Reposted by Bill Farrand
This is an incredible image of comet 3I/ATLAS, taken by Satoru Murata ICQ Comet Observations group on 16 November 2025 from western New Mexico.
Structure within the major dust tail from the comet is clearly visible, together with two smaller jets trailing the nucleus and maybe even an anti-tail.
Structure within the major dust tail from the comet is clearly visible, together with two smaller jets trailing the nucleus and maybe even an anti-tail.
November 24, 2025 at 11:50 PM
This is an incredible image of comet 3I/ATLAS, taken by Satoru Murata ICQ Comet Observations group on 16 November 2025 from western New Mexico.
Structure within the major dust tail from the comet is clearly visible, together with two smaller jets trailing the nucleus and maybe even an anti-tail.
Structure within the major dust tail from the comet is clearly visible, together with two smaller jets trailing the nucleus and maybe even an anti-tail.
Reposted by Bill Farrand
HiRISE Image of Exocomet 3I/ATLAS!
On 2 October 2025, MRO turned away from Mars to image 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system!
https://www.uahirise.org/releases/3i-atlas/
On 2 October 2025, MRO turned away from Mars to image 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system!
https://www.uahirise.org/releases/3i-atlas/
November 19, 2025 at 9:01 PM
HiRISE Image of Exocomet 3I/ATLAS!
On 2 October 2025, MRO turned away from Mars to image 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system!
https://www.uahirise.org/releases/3i-atlas/
On 2 October 2025, MRO turned away from Mars to image 3I/ATLAS, only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our solar system!
https://www.uahirise.org/releases/3i-atlas/
@sluggodoug.bsky.social my dog Max and I were just listening to you! Here’s Max out at a climbing crag.
November 3, 2025 at 3:32 PM
@sluggodoug.bsky.social my dog Max and I were just listening to you! Here’s Max out at a climbing crag.
@mkraju.bsky.social Daylight Savings Time is unnatural! Thank goodness for Sen. Tom Cotton. If we are to have a single time, it should be standard time!!!
November 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM
@mkraju.bsky.social Daylight Savings Time is unnatural! Thank goodness for Sen. Tom Cotton. If we are to have a single time, it should be standard time!!!
@timmiller.bsky.social I loved the Francis Fukayama interview! Also really loved the outro Vangelis music (I assume from Blade Runner (also one of my all time favorites)).
October 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
@timmiller.bsky.social I loved the Francis Fukayama interview! Also really loved the outro Vangelis music (I assume from Blade Runner (also one of my all time favorites)).
Reposted by Bill Farrand
“the president got mad at a television commercial so now your maple syrup is more expensive” is no way to run a country
October 26, 2025 at 2:10 AM
“the president got mad at a television commercial so now your maple syrup is more expensive” is no way to run a country
@ragingmoderates.bsky.social no on bare mid-riff on Prof G; yes on bare mid-riff for Jessica!
October 9, 2025 at 10:10 PM
@ragingmoderates.bsky.social no on bare mid-riff on Prof G; yes on bare mid-riff for Jessica!
Reposted by Bill Farrand
While Mars today only has a wispy remnant of an atmosphere, it may once have had one hundreds of times thicker with a pressure three times that on Earth
Mars once had an atmosphere that was thicker than Earth's today
While Mars today only has a wispy remnant of an atmosphere, it may once have had one hundreds of times thicker with a pressure three times that on Earth
www.newscientist.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:03 PM
While Mars today only has a wispy remnant of an atmosphere, it may once have had one hundreds of times thicker with a pressure three times that on Earth
Reposted by Bill Farrand
An exoplanet 40 light years from Earth may have the right conditions for life. The planet, TRAPPIST-1e, is billions of years older than Earth, so complex life could have evolved there.
Exoplanet 40 light years from Earth may have right conditions for life
The TRAPPIST-1e planet lies in its star’s Goldilocks zone, where water remains liquid – and an analysis suggests it might have a nitrogen-rich atmosphere like Earth’s
www.newscientist.com
September 19, 2025 at 10:21 AM
An exoplanet 40 light years from Earth may have the right conditions for life. The planet, TRAPPIST-1e, is billions of years older than Earth, so complex life could have evolved there.
Reposted by Bill Farrand
They’re going to kill hundreds of thousands of children.
JUST IN: Vaccine advisers to the CDC have voted to recommended against using the combined measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox vaccine for children under 4. https://cnn.it/3K73pNn
September 18, 2025 at 10:48 PM
They’re going to kill hundreds of thousands of children.
Reposted by Bill Farrand
HiPOD: Large Dunes in Argyre Planitia
This observation show us a large, sharp-looking dune. A science goal is to take a look for possible activity or new gullies. Many dune gullies at this latitude are very active.
uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_07...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science
This observation show us a large, sharp-looking dune. A science goal is to take a look for possible activity or new gullies. Many dune gullies at this latitude are very active.
uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_07...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science
September 17, 2025 at 2:15 PM
HiPOD: Large Dunes in Argyre Planitia
This observation show us a large, sharp-looking dune. A science goal is to take a look for possible activity or new gullies. Many dune gullies at this latitude are very active.
uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_07...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science
This observation show us a large, sharp-looking dune. A science goal is to take a look for possible activity or new gullies. Many dune gullies at this latitude are very active.
uahirise.org/hipod/ESP_07...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #science
Reposted by Bill Farrand
An exoplanet 40 light years from Earth may have the right conditions for life. The planet, TRAPPIST-1e, is billions of years older than Earth, so complex life could have evolved there.
Exoplanet 40 light years from Earth may have right conditions for life
The TRAPPIST-1e planet lies in its star’s Goldilocks zone, where water remains liquid – and an analysis suggests it might have a nitrogen-rich atmosphere like Earth’s
www.newscientist.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:18 PM
An exoplanet 40 light years from Earth may have the right conditions for life. The planet, TRAPPIST-1e, is billions of years older than Earth, so complex life could have evolved there.
Reposted by Bill Farrand
Possible chemical signature of life found on Mars?
These claims are hugely exciting--and, as always, complex and somewhat ambiguous. The NASA press conference is still going, but the news coverage is already coming out: 🧪🔭
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
These claims are hugely exciting--and, as always, complex and somewhat ambiguous. The NASA press conference is still going, but the news coverage is already coming out: 🧪🔭
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
September 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Possible chemical signature of life found on Mars?
These claims are hugely exciting--and, as always, complex and somewhat ambiguous. The NASA press conference is still going, but the news coverage is already coming out: 🧪🔭
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
These claims are hugely exciting--and, as always, complex and somewhat ambiguous. The NASA press conference is still going, but the news coverage is already coming out: 🧪🔭
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Bill Farrand
An important part of this story (which I am not expecting the NASA live stream to mention) is that the sample return mission that could potentially answer the question of life on Mars is being threatened by budget cuts from the Trump administration www.newscientist.com/article/2495...
NASA hasn't found life on Mars yet – but signs are promising
A rock found last year on the surface of Mars offered tantalising evidence that life once existed on the Red Planet. Now scientists have found yet more evidence that could point to the existence of an...
www.newscientist.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:16 PM
An important part of this story (which I am not expecting the NASA live stream to mention) is that the sample return mission that could potentially answer the question of life on Mars is being threatened by budget cuts from the Trump administration www.newscientist.com/article/2495...