Juan Carlos Muñoz

• Astronomer and science communicator
• Media Officer at the European Southern Observatory - ESO (npub1lsf…wrxj)
• Won't shut up about space
• #astronomy #astrophysics #science #astrophotography #space
• he/him
• Toots in English and español
• 🇪🇸 → 🇺🇸 → 🇨🇱 → 🇩🇪

Website: https://www.eso.org/~jmunoz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astro_jcm/
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/astro_jcm/

Public Key

npub1jlu6cys5v62cxq7jqln9fwqzczawmg58ur49x83atee4tcrge6kq8nxldm

NIP-05 Address

astro_jcm_at_mastodon.online@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsf07dvzg2xd9vrq0fq0ej5hqpvpwhd52r7p6jnrc74uu64up5vatqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsqqr5lf

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1jlu6cys5v62cxq7jqln9fwqzczawmg58ur49x83atee4tcrge6kq8nxldm

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Last Notes

2026-04-06 16:23:43 UTC

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/358/684/402/510/401/original/6140d0e723eed7b2.png

2026-04-06 09:13:59 UTC

"He had grown up in a country run by politicians who sent the pilots to man the bombers to kill the babies to make the world safe for children to grow up in."
I'm currently engrossed in Ursula K. Le Guin's 'The lathe of heaven', constantly reminded of what she said in the introduction to 'The left hand of darkness': "I write science fiction, and science fiction isn’t about the future."
#scifi #ScienceFiction #books #bookstodon #reading #literature

2026-03-23 17:22:05 UTC

RE: https://mas.to/@PicardTips/116279608104860255
Teal'c would like a word.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/279/641/594/722/030/original/010da97f387ef01e.png
#note1yju…q28y

2026-02-25 18:37:37 UTC

I'm so tired of the whole " #AI has democratised #art " narrative. Cheap or even free creative tools and learning resources have existed for decades. Not wanting to become good at something is not the same as not having the resources to do it.
Speaking of resources, something AI is excelling at is increasing the price of computers by hoarding RAM and disk space, thus making things harder for less privileged creative folks. How very democratic.

2026-02-19 17:24:04 UTC

While I'm no longer active in many commercial #SocialMedia platforms, as a #science communicator I still keep an eye on them to see how people (mis)understand #astronomy, and incorporate those lessons to my job.
Today Facebook crushed my soul with this abomination.
A while ago I wrote this article explaining how to spot fake #astrophotography images using science:
https://www.eso.org/public/blog/csi-astronomy/
That article has now been superseded by "this is fake because <waves hands angrily in despair>"
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/098/455/433/888/430/original/5d4f68fa2a7661e2.png

2026-02-15 20:39:41 UTC

Part 2 of this weird saga. The slop thickens...
https://theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-published-a-hit-piece-on-me-part-2/

2026-02-13 17:20:44 UTC

Happy Friday.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/064/468/516/157/002/original/6d2a9abfbabd09ce.jpeg

2025-12-28 13:33:25 UTC

I had to. Sorry / you're welcome.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/797/446/070/452/550/original/b05c74e13775b427.png

2025-12-27 12:31:09 UTC

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And here are some additional shots from different angles. Enjoy!
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/791/538/831/503/685/original/fa72d7d74c0c4fb6.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/791/538/783/495/714/original/dfc313dc0e141fba.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/791/538/852/747/260/original/99d917334eefb1ab.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/791/538/843/521/784/original/8435c723d9aee94e.jpeg

2025-12-27 12:26:58 UTC

After 15 months of hard work, my dad has finished this impressive model of Minas Tirith! It is 1.4 m high and entirely hand-made out of wood. One of the most time-consuming parts was manually engraving the bricks on all walls and buildings, but this was key to properly convey the huge size of the city. Everything was painted by hand, adding some wear and tear. For a behind-the-scenes look at how he built this check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Ywlc8ojjE
#lotr #MastoArt #art #craft
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/791/522/427/536/140/original/2aec3618b8c8115f.jpeg

2025-11-05 20:15:24 UTC

conspiracy theorists: astronomers are hiding info about aliens!
astronomers trying to keep literally any secret:
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/498/924/215/686/542/original/75a19e3ed4ea9652.mp4

2025-10-27 17:49:04 UTC

It's scary how quicky "I've done some research" has gone from "I've done actual research" to "I've watched a couple of videos" to "I've entered some words in a fancy predictive text tool".

2025-10-22 00:24:32 UTC

"Those who build walls are their own prisoners. I'm going to go fulfill my proper function in the social organism. I'm going to go unbuild walls."
Ursula K. Le Guin was born #OTD 96 years ago. When I read 'The Dispossessed' a while back I remember having to constantly stop and think about what I had just read. Few #books have had such an impact on me.
Thanks for showing us alternatives to how we live.
#bookstodon #reading #literature

2025-09-18 16:42:12 UTC

🇨🇱 ¡Feliz 18 a mis amigos en #Chile! 🇨🇱

2025-09-18 16:27:45 UTC

How to say 'quoot': a visual guide.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/226/238/245/777/924/original/a6fe4f7b6bf8e157.png

2025-09-17 15:41:34 UTC

🚨 #JOB ALERT 🚨 (yes, another one!)
Are you passionate about astronomy communication? How about working as Media Officer at @npub1lsf…wrxj in #Chile ?
You should be fluent in English and Spanish, and have a background in #media, comms, #journalism, #astronomy or related fields. More details here:
https://recruitment.eso.org/jobs/2025_0067
and at vacchile@eso.org.
Deadline: 13 October 2025.
Bonus pic I took at Paranal Observatory, my home away from home for many years 🤩
#fedihire #astrodon #science #scicomm
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/220/394/278/465/152/original/3b68d331fd5673b1.png

2025-09-16 16:31:19 UTC

🚨 #JOB ALERT 🚨
Here at the Department of Communication of @npub1lsf…wrxj in #Germany we're offering two jobs in our #web team:
Head of Digital Communications: https://recruitment.eso.org/jobs/2025_0065#
Web Developer: https://recruitment.eso.org/jobs/2025_0066#
Deadline: 4 October 2025. More info in the links above or at vacancy@eso.org
📷 Cool pic of comet NEOWISE & noctilucent clouds over our offices by my webteam friend Raquel Shida
#scicomm #FediHire #astrodon #astronomy #science #webdev
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/214/927/595/066/609/original/e0c9ec71ae97467f.png

2025-09-12 14:17:16 UTC

Depending on which Genesis narrative you prefer, the Universe was pushed to production on a Friday, and it shows.

2025-09-10 16:29:43 UTC

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“I think that people who are still referring to all AI-generated content as AI slop are probably lazy luddites. Because there’s a lot of really good stuff out there,” Wright said.
Look, it's very simple: let's say your favourite dish is, dunno, paella. Now put it in a blender and blend the hell out of it (*). That's slop. Same ingredients, but it tastes like 🤮
(*) don't do this or I'll report you to the Spanish cooking police.

2025-09-10 16:08:37 UTC

You can make fun of #AI as much as you want, but you can't deny its power to solve real-world problems such as the fact that we don't have enough podcasts.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/ai-podcast-start-up-plan-shows-1236361367/

2025-09-01 15:40:32 UTC

To verify your #Mastodon account just post a message saying whether you prefer vi or emacs and just hope that your admin agrees.

2025-09-01 10:15:14 UTC

This Sunday, Sep 7, there'll be a total lunar #eclipse visible from east Africa, Asia and Australia. We'll see lots of amazing photographs, but also many fake ones unfortunately. So here's an article I wrote a while back with some useful tricks to figure out if an astronomical image might be fake: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/csi-astronomy/
I don't specifically cover #AI generated images, but the general principles still apply.
#astrophotography #astronomy #space #photography

2025-08-19 07:55:14 UTC

"I saw a small iridescent sphere of almost unbearable brilliance. At first I thought it was revolving; then I realised that this movement was an illusion created by the dizzying world it bounded. The Aleph's diameter was probably little more than an inch, but all space was there, actual and undiminished. Each thing (a mirror's face, let us say) was infinite things, since I distinctly saw it from every angle of the universe." Borges, The Aleph
(Re)sharing this old pic for World #Photography Day
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/054/353/572/975/815/original/b5a21af1773a9a09.png

2025-08-06 17:33:41 UTC

Me reading #AI generated #physics "theories"
https://mastodon.social/@effinbirds/114976642394295085

2025-06-30 20:06:52 UTC

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I'm really excited about this one!

2025-06-30 19:51:16 UTC

📚#Books bought so far in this trip: Sea of tranquility, Piranesi, All systems red, Axiomatic, The moon is a harsh mistress, Rivers of London, Guards! Guards!, Annihilation, The electric state, plus currently #reading The left hand of darkness.
🗓️ Days left in this trip: 3
💼 Space left in my suitcase: shrinking...

2025-06-26 13:49:12 UTC

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hmmm... donuts. Is there anything they can't do?

2025-06-08 15:07:40 UTC

#SilentSunday #art #MastoArt #history
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/648/367/630/426/477/original/30d62211bfd3628c.jpeg

2025-06-06 14:47:09 UTC

“I think that mistakes were made,” said Lavingia, who worked at DOGE for nearly two months. “I’m sure mistakes were made. Mistakes are always made. I would never recommend someone run my code and do what it says. It’s like that ‘Office’ episode where Steve Carell drives into the lake because Google Maps says drive into the lake. Do not drive into the lake.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doge-veterans-affairs-ai-contracts-health-care

2025-05-26 10:03:56 UTC

🚨 #JOB ALERT 🚨
If you're an experienced communicator, passionate about #astronomy, and fluent in English and Spanish, there's a great job opportunity as ESO's Head of Communication in #Chile
Details here: https://recruitment.eso.org/jobs/2025_0041#
#scicomm #FediHire #astrodon #astronomy #science
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/573/563/298/869/892/original/aaa1c39d57c45b25.png

2025-05-13 16:38:54 UTC

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Yay, congrats!

2025-05-09 08:41:33 UTC

Astronomers have a love-hate relationship with the atmosphere: it's great for, you know, not dying, but it blurs astronomical images. In the latest episode of Chasing Starlight we tell you the inner workings of adaptive optics, a technique where we use powerful lasers and fast shape-shifting mirrors to measure and correct atmospheric turbulence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_QC2cLroDc
#astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #science #space

2025-05-04 13:24:48 UTC

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of sodium atoms were suddenly zapped by lasers fired from a telescope to measure atmospheric turbulence.
(Excerpt from my rejected script for 'Blurry Star Wars: A New Hope')
#StarWars #StarWarsDay #astronomy #astrophotography
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/449/782/314/647/274/original/c3f0b045ff93aaea.jpeg

2025-04-19 13:18:38 UTC

Spotted at The Munich Readery, my favourite bookstore here in Munich. I couldn't agree more with Umberto Eco!
With rare exceptions —like when one of my favourite authors publishes a new book —whatever books I happen to be reading at any given time were bought months if not years before. What I read depends a lot on my mood, so I love being able to browse my home library full of unread books, knowing that I'll find exactly what I need.
#reading #books #bookstodon #literature
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/364/823/376/667/957/original/c3cce143978f1958.jpg

2025-03-17 17:48:20 UTC

Hi I'm the #fediverse chick
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/179/027/681/405/684/original/e8d4357d9f2fdf63.jpg

2025-02-20 17:28:41 UTC

When you ask an electron if it went through a slit.
#science #coffee
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/037/392/654/346/905/original/a609cd485d5ea323.jpg

2025-01-31 15:51:10 UTC

I used to complain about bad #science in #movies and #tv shows, but I recently found myself complaining that a character was using a blade #coffee grinder to prepare espresso, and I'm not sure how I feel about this side of me...

2025-01-25 16:42:54 UTC

As David H. Levy said: "Comets are like #cats : they have tails, and they do precisely what they want." ☄️=🐱
https://astrodon.social/@esoastronomy/113883516686560745

2025-01-12 17:45:03 UTC

With Barad-dûr now done, my dad's next #woodworking project is Minas Tirith — the whole thing! This is the king's hall, which is about 15 cm tall and can give you an idea of the sheer size and level of detail that the entire city will have when it's finished. #lotr #MastoArt #fantasy
https://mastodon.online/@astro_jcm/109873586287750007
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/816/626/911/296/930/original/725790168afc8c17.jpg

2024-12-31 19:39:53 UTC

Tired of #NewYear celebrations? It could be worse: on Mercury you'd have to celebrate it twice per day!
After one orbit around the Sun, Mercury has rotated 1.5 times around its axis (relative to distant stars). So it takes another orbit for the Sun to be back again at the same position on the sky. One solar day --> two Mercury years!
📷 Tos
#astrodon #astronomy #science #space
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/749/130/698/881/610/original/0b8bbaca52bdcd5b.png

2024-12-14 15:37:02 UTC

Bookstores with doggos are the best.
—at The #Munich Readery
#books #bookstodon #reading
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/651/916/519/726/330/original/2e45efa0176689c5.jpg

2024-11-26 15:33:17 UTC

Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty arguing about vi vs emacs at the Reichenbach Falls in "The Final Problem", published #OTD in 1893 in various US newspapers and a few days later in The Strand.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/549/980/141/194/815/original/62a8dd0399216438.png

2024-11-25 12:44:59 UTC

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3/ To put things in perspective, the ELT's central tower alone is already similar to or even bigger than many current telescopes! Here it is next to the Calar Alto 3.5 m telescope in #Spain, a telescope I remember fondly as I spent many observing nights there during my PhD.
📷 ESO/F. Carrasco (CHEPOX)
📷 CAHA
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/543/656/083/527/966/original/caaae236de946686.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/543/656/105/038/090/original/ebbbe4257718a922.png

2024-11-25 10:08:16 UTC

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2/ The tower will be later installed at the centre of the ELT's primary mirror cell, which you can see here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtz3PR5ge_0
You can also follow the construction via these webcams: https://elt.eso.org/about/webcams/

2024-11-25 10:05:58 UTC

1/ Work is progressing well on the central tower of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope in #Chile 's Atacama Desert. The ELT has a 5-mirror design, and three of them will be housed in the tower you see here. The M4 and M5 mirrors are particularly important to deliver sharp images, as they will counteract atmospheric turbulence and vibrations due to wind or the telescope's mechanisms.
➡️ https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2448a/?lang
📷 ESO/F. Carrasco (CHEPOX)
#astrodon #astronomy #space #engineering #science
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/543/030/790/116/275/original/ce050e712f1f0431.png

2024-11-24 17:27:38 UTC

I'm still re-reading and digesting @npub1urx…v0z4's insightful writeup on ATProto (and AP), but this particular line hit hard:
"Then along came Google Reader and... friends, if you are reading this and are of a certain age range, there is a strong chance you have feelings just seeing the phrase "Google Reader" mentioned."
Yes. YES. <Insert clenched fist meme>
https://social.coop/@cwebber/113527462572885698

2024-11-21 15:21:02 UTC

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2/ The star, WOH G64, is a red supergiant. It is enshrouded in an elongated cocoon of dust that shines brightly at infrared wavelengths –– that's the bright inner oval you see at the centre of the image.
The image was obtained with ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer. The VLTI combines light captured with several telescopes, resolving details similar to those you would see with a huge telescope as large as the separation between them.
📷 ESO/K. Ohnaka et al./Y. Beletsky (LCO)
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/521/620/423/445/507/original/0be5f26a50d9a5ac.png

2024-11-21 15:14:46 UTC

1/ Even though stars are huge, they're so far away they mostly look like points to us. While we've been able to resolve details in a handful of stars within the Milky Way, our home galaxy, we now have a close-up view of a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy orbiting our own, 160 000 lightyears away.
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2417/
📷 ESO/K. Ohnaka et al.
#astrodon #astronomy #space #science
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/521/595/833/882/749/original/e69abf47ae47e692.png

2024-11-20 19:11:20 UTC

Flashback to an observing run I did back in 2015 at the lovely du Pont 2.5m telescope in Las Campanas Observatory, #Chile
#astrodon #astronomy #space
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/516/863/733/020/447/original/75cf3162499462bf.jpeg

2024-11-19 20:41:44 UTC

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Ah yes, that's a classic!

2024-11-18 19:53:17 UTC

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Very comprehensive list!

2024-11-17 22:47:12 UTC

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"technically impossible" <facepalm>

2024-11-17 22:18:58 UTC

Having an "ñ" in my surname means constantly being gaslit by online forms that tell me my name can't contain special characters only to then tell me that my password must contain special characters, three emojis and a valid chess move.

2024-11-17 16:44:43 UTC

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Why do you think it's impossible to add the same account to multiple lists? If I wanted to make curated lists with, dunno, astronomers, painters and creative writers, there are many people who I would put in more than one list. Why wouldn't this be possible?

2024-11-17 16:25:37 UTC

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Hashtags are by definition categorizing, just not in a targeted way, unlike curated lists.
Features should be evaluated on their own merit, and not on whether they're used in other platforms.
Following hashtags is a perfect example: this was implemented here only a couple of years ago, but it has been an option on Instagram for many years. The latter isn't a valid argument to oppose the former.

2024-11-17 15:52:14 UTC

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They're curated, while hashtags are not. It's like asking a friend for book recommendations vs browsing the shelves in a bookstore: they are different and complementary discovery mechanisms. It's not an "or" situation.

2024-11-17 11:12:52 UTC

#SilentSunday #StreetPhotography #Madrid
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/497/995/349/004/484/original/93a5b2731d24f237.jpg

2024-11-14 21:32:22 UTC

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In a parallel universe I'm a biologist! When I was a teenager my parents were debating whether to get me a telescope or a microscope as a gift and they ended up picking the former.

2024-11-14 18:01:22 UTC

particles be like
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/482/614/734/547/729/original/770d9eee34c9830a.png

2024-11-09 14:14:53 UTC

Carl Sagan would've turned 90 today. Reading 'The Demon-Haunted World' as a teenager profoundly shaped the way I think today. Almost 30 years later the book remains (sadly) relevant...
#astronomy #science #books
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/453/412/566/196/809/original/826d1b12dfe822a7.jpg

2024-11-04 17:40:42 UTC

"With our new #AI tool you can now pretend to read papers that others have pretended to write also with AI because god forbid we actually learn how to do stuff."
https://scholar.googleblog.com/2024/11/ai-outlines-in-scholar-pdf-reader-skim.html?m=1

2024-10-31 13:21:33 UTC

I had a lot of fun working on this: the Dark Wolf Nebula, a spooky cloud of interstellar dust, perfect for #Halloween 🐺
More details: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2416/
📷 ESO/VPHAS+ team
#astronomy #astrodon #space #science
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/402/242/062/665/179/original/6247879c009311f1.png

2024-10-30 19:50:47 UTC

Just finished rewatching Fringe 😢 I had so much fun looking for hidden references to things I knew were going to happen, and I was genuinely surprised at how many of them there were! But at the same time I had forgotten enough plot details that I was still surprised every now and then. I'm going to miss Walter and his quirky quotes...
#SciFi #ScienceFiction #tv
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/398/110/315/132/491/original/de2a77fee7d6fea2.png

2024-10-30 16:13:44 UTC

I have my #Halloween costume ready, and you?
#AcademicChatter @npub1vuz…esa4
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/397/256/820/949/516/original/2ddbc67f0f03ec1f.png

2024-10-29 18:23:40 UTC

Spooky #trees outside the office...
#halloween #BlackAndWhite #photography
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/392/105/412/326/533/original/db82f9b366c7e110.jpeg

2024-10-27 11:49:03 UTC

I can totally relate.
#science #humour #cartoon #halloween
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/379/229/040/267/071/original/c37240bd15e171a1.png

2024-10-22 11:42:08 UTC

Look, I'm biased, but the ESO #calendar is pretty cool and packed with amazing images to light up your day :-)
You can get it here: https://www.eso.org/public/products/calendars/calendar_2025/
or at the ESO Supernova if you are in the Munich/Garching area.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #space
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/350/890/381/348/920/original/45c16e455f2f4ac5.png

2024-10-21 15:36:33 UTC

I would've done the same.
https://poorlydrawnlines.com/comic/the-package/
#humour #comic #cartoon
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/346/149/833/449/663/original/594a99730d9c0ac8.png

2024-10-21 07:55:53 UTC

1/ On Monday last week I managed to capture #comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) above the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre in Garching, #Germany. This is a stack of several images to highlight some fainter details on the tail, but I was struck by how bright the comet was to the naked eye despite the Moon and the light pollution.
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2443a/
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #space
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/344/338/421/365/901/original/36a23a9fc40d5560.png

2024-10-08 06:43:37 UTC

My first #aurora pic! I took this last night from Mayrhofen, a town in the Alps in #Austria. I couldn’t really see it by eye due to clouds and some light pollution, but it was definitely there, I imagine it was even brighter at higher latitudes!
#astrodon #astrophotography #astronomy
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/270/444/201/757/448/original/d8085090151de719.jpg

2024-09-30 15:42:30 UTC

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And a closeup shot of the comet over the Llullaillaco volcano:
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/227/264/754/623/673/original/5e69c9c31b439511.jpg

2024-09-30 15:39:28 UTC

#Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan ATLAS) as seen from the construction site of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope in #Chile
The image was taken with one of our webcams, which you can check here: https://elt.eso.org/about/webcams/
#astrodon #astronomy #space #astrophotography
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/227/252/825/237/418/original/0d8b73a56395de29.jpg

2024-09-27 17:12:44 UTC

This will be me for the next few months here in Munich... Another great #cartoon by Tom Gauld.
#books #bookstodon #reading
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/210/632/572/295/611/original/1b4a3950ff2cbe91.jpg

2024-09-23 15:47:32 UTC

"Please scan this QR code to download a pdf of our menu that's not formatted for your phone's screen because screw responsive web design" is a dystopia that no sci-fi author could've predicted.

2024-09-17 14:04:19 UTC

1/ This pic I took a few years ago at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile almost didn't look like this! I was about to go to sleep when I saw that the folks at the UT4 telescope were using the lasers, so I decided to snap a quick shot.
But when reviewing the image on my camera's screen I noticed something was off. I looked up and saw that some clouds had rolled in within seconds! Here you can see the lasers going through two cloud layers.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #science
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/153/268/607/849/120/original/04fe694f730d38a2.jpg

2024-09-11 19:49:24 UTC

The #DoctorWho theme reimagined as Belgian #jazz by the always brilliant Bill Bailey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhv5GVexW2E
#music #scifi #comedy

2024-08-30 09:39:09 UTC

An extremely large support for an extremely large telescope mirror!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtz3PR5ge_0
#astronomy #astrodon #engineering #chile

2024-08-25 15:14:55 UTC

#SilentSunday #Chile #LandscapePhotography
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/023/313/056/627/442/original/ca3ade8b2188587a.png

2024-08-19 08:15:51 UTC

1/3 Today you're gonna hear a lot of hype about a blue #SuperMoon, so let me unpack what this means.
The Moon's orbit around the Earth is slightly elliptical. Sometimes it's a bit closer and thus looks a tad bigger. The difference is barely noticeable, not even remotely close to "super".
"Blue Moon" refers to this being the third full #Moon in a season that has four or, more commonly (but not in this case) the second full Moon in a month.
#astronomy #science
📷 Marcoaliaslama (CC-BY-SA 3.0)
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/987/691/340/085/126/original/a5702bd1a3770ea5.png

2024-08-17 13:35:20 UTC

I need this machine really badly.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2024/aug/17/tom-gauld-on-how-to-manage-your-unread-books-pile-cartoon
#books #reading #comics #humour
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2024-08-12 12:03:12 UTC

After having seen ESO's Extremely Large Telescope in person I've realised how hard it is to visually convey just how mind-bogglingly huge it is. This drone video however does an excellent job. Look at those engineers working on the primary mirror cell, they look like ants!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwzEHNoYOz4
#astrodon #astronomy #space #science #engineering

2024-08-11 15:24:55 UTC

#SilentSunday #astronomy #astrophotography
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/944/080/008/824/201/original/f10992f402de640f.jpeg

2024-08-07 12:14:22 UTC

Shields up! Here's how we're protecting ESO's Extremely Large Telescope from the harsh environment of the Atacama Desert in #Chile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnOCPyqaQr0
#astrodon #astronomy #space #engineering

2024-08-05 12:52:06 UTC

Here's an old pic I took back in 2019, showing the UT4 telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory shooting its four mighty lasers. These lasers excite sodium atoms high up in the atmosphere, creating fake "stars" that we monitor in real time to measure and correct atmospheric turbulence, thus yielding very sharp images.
The two faint smudges flanking UT4 are he Andromeda (left) and Triangulum (right) galaxies.
#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #science
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/909/505/288/549/507/original/8012e48679fcf633.jpg

2024-08-05 10:07:12 UTC

Do you want to build your own supermassive #BlackHole ? My colleague Louisa Spillman, one of our science communication interns here at ESO, has you covered with this handy guide: https://www.eso.org/public/blog/diy-guide-black-holes/
#astrodon #astronomy #space #science

2023-07-01 20:33:42 UTC

Many newcomers due to what's happening in The Bad Place, so here's another #introduction. Hi! I'm an astronomer and science communicator at the European Southern Observatory.
Below is a pic from my previous "office" at ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile. I now work full time as Media Officer at ESO's HQ in #Germany.
I mostly post about #astronomy #space #photography and #astrophotography
Tips:
- fill in your bio
- follow hashtags
- share posts you like, you're the algorithm here
Welcome!
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/110/640/721/502/155/911/original/662ff1295a7564d4.png

2023-02-16 08:57:56 UTC

Look, I'm biased, but this model of Barad-dûr that my dad built out of wood *from scratch* is pretty damn awesome! Check out this video for the making-of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGNPfhXXMbc
#lotr #MastoArt #art #craft
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/109/873/567/802/448/839/original/fb1dd084102030d8.png