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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 2d

it's something that existed in the population long before widespread recognition - so better diagnosis (and hopefully removal of stigma) would make it seem like there's a huge increase in its occurrence (whether or not that's actually the case...)

Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 16d

I think about this plot all the time, and especially with respect to things like autism. If you’d lived in 1940 and had access to this data, would it feel like an “epidemic” of left-handedness?

Classic plot of the occurrence of left handedness by birth year. The plot starts at 5% in 1890, dips to near 3-4% around 1910 then rises until leveling off at 12% in 1960 onward

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

To conclude, it looks like the Moon was moved around to give a nice backdrop(s) for the bridge scene ; )

A silly activity but a fun way to review some of the concepts we've been exploring in intro astronomy in order to better understand the relative motions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon!

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

But in the next scene we see our main character(s) on or near what appears to be the "padlock bridge" on the Seine. We again see the Moon roughly aligned with the river. But the river runs SE-NW here(!) The timing and geometry therefore make it impossible to have the full Moon in this scene.

Belly from TSITP on the padlock bridge on the Seine, with the full Moon above the river in the background.

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

Next, we have a nice shot of the Eiffel Tower with the bright gray full moon in the background. I'm not sure exactly where this is taken from, but the placement of the river suggests from somewhere around the Galeries area(?) That would put the Moon low in the ~southern sky - which is good!

A picture of the Eiffel Tower at night, with a bright full Moon in the background.

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

BTW, in these scenes the Moon appears very bright whitish-gray (the way it looks when it's high in the sky), showing essentially no yellowish or reddish coloration from the atmospheric scattering that might be expected at relatively low altitudes (on the order of ~5 degrees here?)

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

The next scene where we see the Moon has to be sometime between 130am and 4am. Here the Moon is relatively low in the sky - a more realistic altitude, but a huge shift in position compared to the previous scene - when when the maximum distance the Moon could have moved is roughly ~45 degrees.

Image of a bright white-gray full Moon hovering above the River Seine and buildings in Paris

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

Okay: the first issue is that of the Moon's altitude. It is 130 am, and suggested to be midsummer. Belly looks (very) high into the sky and notes a full moon. But at Paris' 48.9N, the highest altitude the Moon could be (near solstice) is about 23 degrees above the horizon ~[90-(48.9+23.5-5)]

Belly from TSITP looks high into the sky at the Moon

The Moon shining from a partially cloudy sky, looking up from the perspective of a Paris street

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 22d

The Summer I Misplaced the Moon... #TSITP 🔭

Watching the finale last night I happened to notice a few oddities regarding the placement of the Moon, so I wrote a quick set of review slides to work through with my intro astro class ; )

(other than times/locations, this should be spoiler free)

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 24d

#jwstcycle5

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · 24d

The two kinds of overleaf authors 🧪

Screenshot comparing two snippets of the overleaf recompile pane. One shows a document with 56 errors, the other shows a document with 2 warnings.

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · Sep 10

Our (Faherty et al) newly published JWST detection of silane (SiH4) in the brown dwarf W1534 (aka "The Accident")! This molecule isn't seen on Jupiter because it's removed by deep silicate clouds, but unusual chemical properties of W1534 allow SiH4 to be mixed up into the visible atmosphere 🔭 🧪

NASA Study: Celestial ‘Accident’ Sheds Light on Jupiter, Saturn Riddle

An unusual cosmic object is helping scientists better understand the chemistry hidden deep in Jupiter and Saturn’s atmospheres — and potentially those of exoplanets.

www.jpl.nasa.gov

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Aatish Bhatia @aatishb.bsky.social · Sep 9

I wrote about how Earth's wobble causes our view of the skies to shift over time. Here's a paywall-free gift link. With @fparis.bsky.social and @iamrumz.bsky.social

Your Zodiac Sign Is 2,000 Years Out of Date (Gift Article)

Over millennia, our view of the stars has shifted, because of Earth’s wobble. It may be time to rethink your sign.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Joe Lanman @joelanman.bsky.social · Aug 26

Avery Edison
@aedison
I wrote “I am alive” on a piece of paper, and placed it into a photocopier. What I saw next has shocking implications
11:53 am · 24 Mar 2023
·
4.3M
Views

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Q. Pheevr @q.pheevr.ca · Aug 19

The heartbreaking thing about this
is that there’s already a proven way
to invest lots of money in a knowledge machine
that produces unforeseeable results
that include fantastically profitable ideas
(and some life-saving ones)
and generally benefit society
and this machine is called
a university

Warren Terra @warrenterra.bsky.social · Jul 15

From the replies (bsky.app/profile/dasb...) here's Sam Altman doing what the quoted post described. He seems serious about it.

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Steve Desch @deschscoveries.bsky.social · Aug 8

I have a complaint about Avi Loeb's latest work and I want to speak to management.

medium.com/@steve.desch...

This is not the quality of pseudoscience infotainment to which I have grown accustomed

Teasing the public with fraudulent or self-deluded promises of aliens used to mean something. It took work. It meant slapping together…

medium.com

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · Jul 29

We had an over 99mph(!) derecho pass through last night and lost a few of our favorite small trees. Thankfully house is fine we are all safe & sound!

Picture of two downed trees, a sumac and maple, in a backyard.

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Mark Marley @markmarley.bsky.social · Jul 18

I liked Caroline Morley's Exoclimes poster describing our Sonora model set so much that I'm going to hang up a replica in my office.

Image of a poster describing the different Sonora models, including Bobcat, Diamondback, Elf Owl, Flame Skimmer, and Gila monster.

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · Jul 14

10 years ago, #OnThisDay in 2015, NASA's New Horizons probe performed the first flyby of dwarf planet Pluto, completing the initial survey of the Solar System. This 'true colour' photo was taken on 14 July 2015, showing numerous impact craters and the large basin of the Sputnik Planitia.

A true colour close up image of the dwarf planet Pluto, showing a large dark region to the bottom left and a pale smooth region crossing the equator in the middle right. Taken by NASA's New Horizons probe in 2015.

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · Jun 24

The current administration has more successfully destroyed US science and the scientific enterprise than the hypothetical nuclear weapons program in Iran.

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · Jun 24

NEW: NSF will be kicked out of their building. Announcement will be made tomorrow by HUD Sec. and Governor of VA. HUD will take over the NSF building over the next two years.

NSF staffer: "There is no planning for NSF, no identified future location, appropriation for a new building or a move."

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Reposted by Channon Visscher

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · Jun 23

I rarely post personal things. But I need to talk about my 4-year-old niece, Hope.

She has a rare disease. A drug called elamipretide has helped her survive.

But the FDA recently denied its approval.

Now, her health hangs in the balance.

Please share her story & urge the FDA to reconsider. 🧵

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · Jun 23

I think about this quote at least once week, from @laurarbnsn.bsky.social

Screenshot of tweet saying "You cannot build a movement on hierarchy, conformity, dualism, and intellectual rigidity, and then expect that movement to develop a creative class. You have already killed it in the cradle. The creatives are either gone or no longer creative before contributing."

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · Jun 18

Congrats Dr. Phillips!

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · May 27

You got this Caprice!

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Channon Visscher @cvisscher.bsky.social · May 20

A nice series of snapshots celebrating the 50th anniversary of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at WashU in St. Louis

McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences celebrates 50 years of science and exploration

A half-century ago, aviation pioneer and former WashU board chair James S. McDonnell announced a $4 million gift (worth nearly $26 million today) to create the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences ...

artsci.washu.edu

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