Dr. Alysa Orbits (Obertas)
@astroalysa.bsky.social
Queer & disabled astronomer formerly at UofT & CITA. Dynamics, planets, & ballet. Posts reflect opinions of Sailor Galaxia, not my employer. She/her 👩🔬💃
Just a little creepy
September 12, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Just a little creepy
I'm watching a documentary series about Jane Austen and the subtitles are comically large. It's like they assumed anyone watching this is 80+ years old
August 24, 2025 at 5:52 PM
I'm watching a documentary series about Jane Austen and the subtitles are comically large. It's like they assumed anyone watching this is 80+ years old
I looked up the errata to see if this is a known error. It says there's an error in the figure, except that the error is L and that the correct version is 90 - L. So it would seem that my copy of BOB has been "corrected".
Is there a different convention for latitude that I'm unaware of?
Is there a different convention for latitude that I'm unaware of?
February 21, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I looked up the errata to see if this is a known error. It says there's an error in the figure, except that the error is L and that the correct version is 90 - L. So it would seem that my copy of BOB has been "corrected".
Is there a different convention for latitude that I'm unaware of?
Is there a different convention for latitude that I'm unaware of?
Quick question about the celestial sphere and figure 1.12 from Carroll & Ostlie 🔭
Am I losing my mind or should the angle between the horizon and NCP be L rather than 90-L? If you're at the equator (L=0), NCP is on the horizon. If you're at the north pole (L=90), the NCP is at zenith. No?
Am I losing my mind or should the angle between the horizon and NCP be L rather than 90-L? If you're at the equator (L=0), NCP is on the horizon. If you're at the north pole (L=90), the NCP is at zenith. No?
February 21, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Quick question about the celestial sphere and figure 1.12 from Carroll & Ostlie 🔭
Am I losing my mind or should the angle between the horizon and NCP be L rather than 90-L? If you're at the equator (L=0), NCP is on the horizon. If you're at the north pole (L=90), the NCP is at zenith. No?
Am I losing my mind or should the angle between the horizon and NCP be L rather than 90-L? If you're at the equator (L=0), NCP is on the horizon. If you're at the north pole (L=90), the NCP is at zenith. No?
Every time I wear this shirt I secretly hope that someone will ask me to name 5 Joy Division Songs just so I can ask them to name 5 pulsars
(at which point we will then have a nice and fun conversation about neutron stars)
(at which point we will then have a nice and fun conversation about neutron stars)
February 10, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Every time I wear this shirt I secretly hope that someone will ask me to name 5 Joy Division Songs just so I can ask them to name 5 pulsars
(at which point we will then have a nice and fun conversation about neutron stars)
(at which point we will then have a nice and fun conversation about neutron stars)
Also I googled Reylo to make sure I got the name right and this is literally the first image hahahaha
(art by Bob Al-Greene)
(art by Bob Al-Greene)
February 8, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Also I googled Reylo to make sure I got the name right and this is literally the first image hahahaha
(art by Bob Al-Greene)
(art by Bob Al-Greene)
This is perfect cover art for a modern day Northanger Abbey starring a Catherine Morland who’s obsessed with Reylo fanfic.
Is it good cover art for the original text? Absolutely not 😬
Is it good cover art for the original text? Absolutely not 😬
February 8, 2025 at 10:38 PM
This is perfect cover art for a modern day Northanger Abbey starring a Catherine Morland who’s obsessed with Reylo fanfic.
Is it good cover art for the original text? Absolutely not 😬
Is it good cover art for the original text? Absolutely not 😬
It wasn’t this one, but I’m choosing to believe that every shocked or angry expression is because that person agrees with me
February 3, 2025 at 2:48 PM
It wasn’t this one, but I’m choosing to believe that every shocked or angry expression is because that person agrees with me
It is October 30th
October 30, 2024 at 8:34 PM
It is October 30th
I'm so excited for this
February 24, 2024 at 4:34 AM
I'm so excited for this
Using viridis for all of my figure colours so my papers look like this
September 13, 2023 at 10:14 PM
Using viridis for all of my figure colours so my papers look like this
REBOUND's WHFast integrator in a nutshell 🔭
![Rather than outline the methodology of the original Wisdom-Holman scheme^[41] (I refer readers to Wisdom and Holman, 1991), I outline the approach taken by WHFast (i.e. the one used in this dissertation’s projects).
WHFast
Wisdom-Holman 2: electric boogaloo (or how to make a computer go beep boop and do the thing harder, better, faster, stronger)
1.4.2 SPOCK: a Machine Learning Tool to Predict Stability
SPOCK predicts the probability that a multi-planet system is stable within 10^9 orbits and is (nominally) up to 10^5 times faster^[42] than integrating the system for the same duration. SPOCK uses
footnote 41: It is approximately as old as me.
footnote 42: In practice, computational overhead when running scripts means that SPOCK is typically ∼ 10^4 times faster. This depends on several factors, however.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5yttyryowvcs2rbeddvjudiv/bafkreih66em75amhtd6rptxwbiggsboxcd2mwdrv6f7zw5rlckmwr4aqdm@jpeg)
September 8, 2023 at 5:41 PM
REBOUND's WHFast integrator in a nutshell 🔭
It's been found! 😻
September 1, 2023 at 12:42 AM
It's been found! 😻
I need Lego to know this is actually a track loader and not a bulldozer, thanks
August 27, 2023 at 4:38 AM
I need Lego to know this is actually a track loader and not a bulldozer, thanks
My stepsister organised a really lovely celebration party for me at a nearby tea place today 😊
August 26, 2023 at 11:56 PM
My stepsister organised a really lovely celebration party for me at a nearby tea place today 😊
How are you already at 1.7k followers on here @frogs4girls.bsky.social????
August 26, 2023 at 2:03 AM
How are you already at 1.7k followers on here @frogs4girls.bsky.social????
In 2021, I made a similar animation showing the transit method for detecting exoplanets. It's also up on Wikimedia commons!
6/n
6/n
August 15, 2023 at 7:36 PM
In 2021, I made a similar animation showing the transit method for detecting exoplanets. It's also up on Wikimedia commons!
6/n
6/n
In 2018, I made an animation showing the radial velocity method for detecting exoplanets to use in a public talk. It's up on Wikimedia commons for anyone to use!
5/n
5/n
August 15, 2023 at 7:35 PM
In 2018, I made an animation showing the radial velocity method for detecting exoplanets to use in a public talk. It's up on Wikimedia commons for anyone to use!
5/n
5/n
In 2015-2016, I was in a team led by Jielai Zhang and Pegah Salbi to raise $10k for Syrian refugees & newcomers via planetarium shows (w/ free shows in Arabic for newcomers)
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/choirs-planetariums-workshops-and-more-how-u-t-s-community-came-together-support-new-syrian
2/n
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/choirs-planetariums-workshops-and-more-how-u-t-s-community-came-together-support-new-syrian
2/n
August 15, 2023 at 7:32 PM
In 2015-2016, I was in a team led by Jielai Zhang and Pegah Salbi to raise $10k for Syrian refugees & newcomers via planetarium shows (w/ free shows in Arabic for newcomers)
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/choirs-planetariums-workshops-and-more-how-u-t-s-community-came-together-support-new-syrian
2/n
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/choirs-planetariums-workshops-and-more-how-u-t-s-community-came-together-support-new-syrian
2/n