Riding With Robots
@ridingrobots.bsky.social
Robotic solar system exploration, night sky photography, exasperating earnestness. My day job is impersonating some of your favorite planets and spacecraft on social media for one of your favorite government agencies. Opinions here are my own.
"More or less agog"
November 11, 2025 at 4:06 AM
"More or less agog"
Reposted by Riding With Robots
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Riding With Robots
Curiosity Mars rover has been exploring probably the most remote known Roman baths archeological site, aka mysterious boxwork terrain region.
Recommend clicking on the 360cities link and exploring.
Recommend clicking on the 360cities link and exploring.
Ah, Curiosity climbed out of the trough. This 360° panorama was acquired two days ago.
▶️ zoomhub.net/BwZX5
▶️ www.360cities.net/image/mars-c...
#Mars Nov. 4, 2025 - Sol 4709 🧪🔭
Credit images: NASA/JPL-Caltech
▶️ zoomhub.net/BwZX5
▶️ www.360cities.net/image/mars-c...
#Mars Nov. 4, 2025 - Sol 4709 🧪🔭
Credit images: NASA/JPL-Caltech
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Curiosity Mars rover has been exploring probably the most remote known Roman baths archeological site, aka mysterious boxwork terrain region.
Recommend clicking on the 360cities link and exploring.
Recommend clicking on the 360cities link and exploring.
Reposted by Riding With Robots
The possibility of finding evidence of other civilizations is one of the most profound and exciting scientific questions we can ask — but we must pursue it with rigor, not sensationalism. (6/7)
November 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
The possibility of finding evidence of other civilizations is one of the most profound and exciting scientific questions we can ask — but we must pursue it with rigor, not sensationalism. (6/7)
Started / going
Here's a view of Jupiter from NASA's Juno spacecraft, now in orbit there. science.nasa.gov/mission/juno
Image processed from raw data by @kevinmgill.bsky.social
Here's a view of Jupiter from NASA's Juno spacecraft, now in orbit there. science.nasa.gov/mission/juno
Image processed from raw data by @kevinmgill.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Started / going
Here's a view of Jupiter from NASA's Juno spacecraft, now in orbit there. science.nasa.gov/mission/juno
Image processed from raw data by @kevinmgill.bsky.social
Here's a view of Jupiter from NASA's Juno spacecraft, now in orbit there. science.nasa.gov/mission/juno
Image processed from raw data by @kevinmgill.bsky.social
Reposted by Riding With Robots
Our fascinating Public Lecture Series is now on YouTube! 👀 We currently have the 2022-2025 lectures available to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm0MBdI3VlBV9UAeU8Vbgwd-hPdQh6ZXT 🔭 🧪
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Our fascinating Public Lecture Series is now on YouTube! 👀 We currently have the 2022-2025 lectures available to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm0MBdI3VlBV9UAeU8Vbgwd-hPdQh6ZXT 🔭 🧪
Reposted by Riding With Robots
20 years ago today, our first mission to Venus was launched 🎉
#VenusExpress gave us a unique global picture of our nearest planetary neighbour and paved the way to #ESAEnvision.
1/ 🔭🧪
#planetsci
#VenusExpress gave us a unique global picture of our nearest planetary neighbour and paved the way to #ESAEnvision.
1/ 🔭🧪
#planetsci
November 9, 2025 at 8:01 AM
20 years ago today, our first mission to Venus was launched 🎉
#VenusExpress gave us a unique global picture of our nearest planetary neighbour and paved the way to #ESAEnvision.
1/ 🔭🧪
#planetsci
#VenusExpress gave us a unique global picture of our nearest planetary neighbour and paved the way to #ESAEnvision.
1/ 🔭🧪
#planetsci
Reposted by Riding With Robots
I've summarized the truth about Loeb's 10 "anomalies" about 3I/ATLAS in one post.
Thanks to @deschscoveries.bsky.social @michael-w-busch.bsky.social @cometary.org and @marshall-eubanks.bsky.social for contributing their expertise!
Thanks to @deschscoveries.bsky.social @michael-w-busch.bsky.social @cometary.org and @marshall-eubanks.bsky.social for contributing their expertise!
Loeb’s 3I/ATLAS “Anomalies” Explained
Avi Loeb continues to claim that 3I/ATLAS has many anomalous behaviors that lead to the conclusion that it “might” be an alien spacecraft. He carefully hedges the probability that it is a spacecraft ...
sites.psu.edu
November 10, 2025 at 12:22 AM
I've summarized the truth about Loeb's 10 "anomalies" about 3I/ATLAS in one post.
Thanks to @deschscoveries.bsky.social @michael-w-busch.bsky.social @cometary.org and @marshall-eubanks.bsky.social for contributing their expertise!
Thanks to @deschscoveries.bsky.social @michael-w-busch.bsky.social @cometary.org and @marshall-eubanks.bsky.social for contributing their expertise!
Reposted by Riding With Robots
NASA Mars Perseverance Rover at Jezero crater
Part of the rover's view from Jezero crater rim on Sol 1,675 (5th November, 2025)
MastCam-Z (left) ZCAM09762 (crop)
Site 80 / 1644
📷 Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / Martian-Observer
Part of the rover's view from Jezero crater rim on Sol 1,675 (5th November, 2025)
MastCam-Z (left) ZCAM09762 (crop)
Site 80 / 1644
📷 Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / Martian-Observer
NASA Mars Perseverance Rover's view from Jezero crater rim on Sol 1,675 (5th November, 2025)
Part of the rover's view from Jezero crater rim on Sol 1,675 (5th November, 2025) MastCam-Z (left) ZCAM09762 (crop) Site 80 / 1644 📷 Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / Martian-Observer
www.flickr.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:22 PM
NASA Mars Perseverance Rover at Jezero crater
Part of the rover's view from Jezero crater rim on Sol 1,675 (5th November, 2025)
MastCam-Z (left) ZCAM09762 (crop)
Site 80 / 1644
📷 Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / Martian-Observer
Part of the rover's view from Jezero crater rim on Sol 1,675 (5th November, 2025)
MastCam-Z (left) ZCAM09762 (crop)
Site 80 / 1644
📷 Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS / Martian-Observer
Reposted by Riding With Robots
An unbelievable privilege and experience today visiting the world leading #ALmA telescope at 5000m in Chile! 🧪🔭 Plus we saw some local fauna!
November 10, 2025 at 4:56 PM
An unbelievable privilege and experience today visiting the world leading #ALmA telescope at 5000m in Chile! 🧪🔭 Plus we saw some local fauna!
More or less agog
Happy "Lights All Askew" Day to all who celebrate! (Headline in the New York Times from Nov. 10, 1919, brings Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity -- along with its alleged incomprehensibility -- to the public.) 🪐🔭🧠📰 #physics #science #histsci #lightsallaskew
November 10, 2025 at 4:56 PM
More or less agog
Reposted by Riding With Robots
Once every day or two, I remember that we could have instead chosen the highly qualified woman and avoided much of *gestures vaguely at everything the last year* this. 🤷
November 10, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Once every day or two, I remember that we could have instead chosen the highly qualified woman and avoided much of *gestures vaguely at everything the last year* this. 🤷
Reposted by Riding With Robots
The right cannot be "fixed." It must be defeated. The same is true of Dems like Schumer. They cannot be cajoled into serving a better set of interests. They are constitutionally incapable, and what's more, they don't want to. We aren't part of their priority set.
November 10, 2025 at 4:16 AM
The right cannot be "fixed." It must be defeated. The same is true of Dems like Schumer. They cannot be cajoled into serving a better set of interests. They are constitutionally incapable, and what's more, they don't want to. We aren't part of their priority set.
Reposted by Riding With Robots
What I’m feeling as a (still) registered Democratic voter is that we should burn everything down and salt the ashes (with votes)
November 10, 2025 at 3:50 AM
What I’m feeling as a (still) registered Democratic voter is that we should burn everything down and salt the ashes (with votes)
Reposted by Riding With Robots
My family has been without half our income for 40 days. It has been.. very hard.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
November 10, 2025 at 1:36 AM
My family has been without half our income for 40 days. It has been.. very hard.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
We are willing to feel that pain so people can have health care next year, or to undo these illegal recissions.
We are not willing to have been put through this for NOTHING.
Reposted by Riding With Robots
Indeed
My deep concern about this approach is that it’s teaching the Trump administration that the path to get Democrats to cave is to inflict maximum pain.
It means if we do this again in January, he’s going to try and find new and creative ways to hurt more people faster to get Democrats to cave
It means if we do this again in January, he’s going to try and find new and creative ways to hurt more people faster to get Democrats to cave
November 10, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Indeed
Reposted by Riding With Robots
I've defended establishment democrats a lot, as a lot of what they do has some justification, but this is my own breaking point. There is literally no good reason to cave now after holding on for so long. Either cave right away so people don't suffer for no reason, or ACTUALLY hold the damn line.
Glad we've taught the Trump administration that starving 42 million people and disrupting air travel is how they get whatever they want, though. Good precedent with 3 years left in this nightmare.
November 10, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I've defended establishment democrats a lot, as a lot of what they do has some justification, but this is my own breaking point. There is literally no good reason to cave now after holding on for so long. Either cave right away so people don't suffer for no reason, or ACTUALLY hold the damn line.
Reposted by Riding With Robots
This is what the band of the Milky Way would look like at night if your eyes could see radio waves. A hidden beauty.
It's a new image created by the Murchison Widefield Array, which scanned the sky in 20 radio "colors" over frequencies from 72 to 231 megahertz. 🧪🔭
www.icrar.org/gleam-x-gala...
It's a new image created by the Murchison Widefield Array, which scanned the sky in 20 radio "colors" over frequencies from 72 to 231 megahertz. 🧪🔭
www.icrar.org/gleam-x-gala...
November 9, 2025 at 6:19 PM
This is what the band of the Milky Way would look like at night if your eyes could see radio waves. A hidden beauty.
It's a new image created by the Murchison Widefield Array, which scanned the sky in 20 radio "colors" over frequencies from 72 to 231 megahertz. 🧪🔭
www.icrar.org/gleam-x-gala...
It's a new image created by the Murchison Widefield Array, which scanned the sky in 20 radio "colors" over frequencies from 72 to 231 megahertz. 🧪🔭
www.icrar.org/gleam-x-gala...
A view from my favorite planet
November 9, 2025 at 4:12 PM
A view from my favorite planet
Reposted by Riding With Robots
Ugh this conference has barely started and the entomologists are already trashing the place
November 9, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Ugh this conference has barely started and the entomologists are already trashing the place
Reposted by Riding With Robots
November 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Riding With Robots
I love when technology is used for actually good things www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
‘Everyone said it was impossible’: disabled hikers find freedom through off-road wheelchairs
Using an all-terrain vehicle that’s essentially the Jeep of wheelchairs, a New York tour group helps disabled people get on the trail
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:36 PM
I love when technology is used for actually good things www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Reposted by Riding With Robots
Can some planetary scientist please teach Avi the most fundamental basics of comets? Like how tails work, and what previous comets look and act like? Because holy moly, this is embarrassing.
New image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by M. Jäger, G. Rhemann & E. Prosperi.
Avi Loeb's: "Is the network of jets associated with pockets of ice on the surface of a natural cometary nucleus or are they coming from a set of jet thrusters used for navigation of a spacecraft? We do not know."
Avi Loeb's: "Is the network of jets associated with pockets of ice on the surface of a natural cometary nucleus or are they coming from a set of jet thrusters used for navigation of a spacecraft? We do not know."
November 8, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Can some planetary scientist please teach Avi the most fundamental basics of comets? Like how tails work, and what previous comets look and act like? Because holy moly, this is embarrassing.
Reposted by Riding With Robots
If you can, it’s very important to go to a beautiful place and let that beauty crack you open, just a little, so the wonder can get in.
November 8, 2025 at 2:52 PM
If you can, it’s very important to go to a beautiful place and let that beauty crack you open, just a little, so the wonder can get in.