Meredith Rawls
@merrdiff.bsky.social
Astronomer at UW, data pipeline wrangler for Rubin Observatory, satellite mitigation leader via IAU CPS SatHub, mom, violist, Ballardite (Seattle), family cargo e-bike evangelist, Episcopalian, etc. Opinions all mine
Pinned
The Dynamic Sky | Fall/Winter 2025–2026 | Harvey Mudd College Magazine
magazine.hmc.edu
This profile has been in the works for a while now — they interviewed me in Nov 2024, took photos Jan 2025, bumped me back an issue or two to feature more timely pieces (e.g. wildfire experts), added updates in fall 2025, and now — as @vrubinobs.bsky.social gets going in earnest — it's finally out 🔭
I have an opinion on an important matter
ABC Trefoils > LBB
Samoas (LBB) > Caramel deLites (ABC)
PB Sandwiches (ABC) > Do-Si-Dos (LBB)
LBB Adventurefuls > ABC
LBB Thin Mints > ABC
PB Patties (ABC) and Tagalongs (LBB) differ notably but neither is superior; same for Exploremores (the new one)
ABC Trefoils > LBB
Samoas (LBB) > Caramel deLites (ABC)
PB Sandwiches (ABC) > Do-Si-Dos (LBB)
LBB Adventurefuls > ABC
LBB Thin Mints > ABC
PB Patties (ABC) and Tagalongs (LBB) differ notably but neither is superior; same for Exploremores (the new one)
February 1, 2026 at 12:59 AM
I have an opinion on an important matter
ABC Trefoils > LBB
Samoas (LBB) > Caramel deLites (ABC)
PB Sandwiches (ABC) > Do-Si-Dos (LBB)
LBB Adventurefuls > ABC
LBB Thin Mints > ABC
PB Patties (ABC) and Tagalongs (LBB) differ notably but neither is superior; same for Exploremores (the new one)
ABC Trefoils > LBB
Samoas (LBB) > Caramel deLites (ABC)
PB Sandwiches (ABC) > Do-Si-Dos (LBB)
LBB Adventurefuls > ABC
LBB Thin Mints > ABC
PB Patties (ABC) and Tagalongs (LBB) differ notably but neither is superior; same for Exploremores (the new one)
Tell me five classes you took in college:
Politology (in Moscow Russia)
Interdisciplinary Laboratory (lizard anal thermometers)
Performing the Sacred (more trances and less pipe organ than anticipated)
Hatha Yoga II (Iyengar)
Science and Religion (missed some class due to an observing run in Chile)
Politology (in Moscow Russia)
Interdisciplinary Laboratory (lizard anal thermometers)
Performing the Sacred (more trances and less pipe organ than anticipated)
Hatha Yoga II (Iyengar)
Science and Religion (missed some class due to an observing run in Chile)
Tell me five classes you took in college:
Some of my faves:
Non-linear dynamics
Statistical Mechanics
Middle English Literature
Law and Society
Topology
Some of my faves:
Non-linear dynamics
Statistical Mechanics
Middle English Literature
Law and Society
Topology
Tell me five classes you took in college:
Viking History 🇳🇴
The Local Universe 🌌
Advanced Creative Writing ✍️
Badminton 🏸
Pacific History 🌊
(Fun fact, I have a history minor! I did all the fun classes and skipped the boring required ones for a major.)
Viking History 🇳🇴
The Local Universe 🌌
Advanced Creative Writing ✍️
Badminton 🏸
Pacific History 🌊
(Fun fact, I have a history minor! I did all the fun classes and skipped the boring required ones for a major.)
January 31, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Tell me five classes you took in college:
Politology (in Moscow Russia)
Interdisciplinary Laboratory (lizard anal thermometers)
Performing the Sacred (more trances and less pipe organ than anticipated)
Hatha Yoga II (Iyengar)
Science and Religion (missed some class due to an observing run in Chile)
Politology (in Moscow Russia)
Interdisciplinary Laboratory (lizard anal thermometers)
Performing the Sacred (more trances and less pipe organ than anticipated)
Hatha Yoga II (Iyengar)
Science and Religion (missed some class due to an observing run in Chile)
oh okay
add it to the bingo card
add it to the bingo card
January 31, 2026 at 5:21 PM
oh okay
add it to the bingo card
add it to the bingo card
At tonight's PTO meeting I learned that when storm drains on the playground backed up, somebody made signs about a new tadpole ecosystem
I also learned about the district's new guidance for keeping kids safe from immigration enforcement agents and some initial community responses
Lord, have mercy
I also learned about the district's new guidance for keeping kids safe from immigration enforcement agents and some initial community responses
Lord, have mercy
January 30, 2026 at 6:15 AM
At tonight's PTO meeting I learned that when storm drains on the playground backed up, somebody made signs about a new tadpole ecosystem
I also learned about the district's new guidance for keeping kids safe from immigration enforcement agents and some initial community responses
Lord, have mercy
I also learned about the district's new guidance for keeping kids safe from immigration enforcement agents and some initial community responses
Lord, have mercy
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
TL;DR there is a role for you in this work that is at a pace you can handle. Find your lane.
January 28, 2026 at 9:03 PM
TL;DR there is a role for you in this work that is at a pace you can handle. Find your lane.
Wow ... maybe if Seattle had better public transit and safer active transport infrastructure we wouldn't have to pay out the nose to send school buses to the far reaches of the city every day?
Just spitballing here
Just spitballing here
Transportation: ERS showed that SPS far outspends its peers on transportation, as illustrated here.
January 29, 2026 at 3:37 AM
Wow ... maybe if Seattle had better public transit and safer active transport infrastructure we wouldn't have to pay out the nose to send school buses to the far reaches of the city every day?
Just spitballing here
Just spitballing here
None of these folks have ever helped a kid deliver Girl Scout cookies that's for sure
part of this is like, conservatives projecting; part of this is conservatives unable to imagine politics without money; and part of this is dudes who are so out of touch with feminized labor that they think children's birthday parties exist as a spontaneous act of parthogenesis
I mostly just stay off Twitter altogether but after double checking that the Walter Hudson post was still up I ran across this and just had to share so the Romancelandians who bought hand warmers could hear about the PROFESSIONAL GRADE LOGISTICS.
January 26, 2026 at 7:55 AM
None of these folks have ever helped a kid deliver Girl Scout cookies that's for sure
Tonight I had a beer with fellow Girl Scout parents and we tried to plan cookie season in the midst of everything. The guy at the next table bought me a drink because his dog kept crashing into us. I thanked him.
I sure don't have answers but my kiddo can sell you cookies (US) tinyurl.com/skyler26
I sure don't have answers but my kiddo can sell you cookies (US) tinyurl.com/skyler26
Order your Faves on my Digital Cookie Site Today
That's right! You can order your favorite Girl Scout Cookies from me online, all while helping my troop and I do great things in our community and beyond! Check it out.
tinyurl.com
January 25, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Tonight I had a beer with fellow Girl Scout parents and we tried to plan cookie season in the midst of everything. The guy at the next table bought me a drink because his dog kept crashing into us. I thanked him.
I sure don't have answers but my kiddo can sell you cookies (US) tinyurl.com/skyler26
I sure don't have answers but my kiddo can sell you cookies (US) tinyurl.com/skyler26
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
Yesterday I got to sit down (well, stand in a crowd) with Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington who made headlines last year for her sermon asking Trump to "have mercy" on migrants.
A year later, she's in Minneapolis, preaching the same message. religionnews.com/2026/01/23/o...
A year later, she's in Minneapolis, preaching the same message. religionnews.com/2026/01/23/o...
One year after she urged Trump to have mercy, Bishop Budde leads clergy protests in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — 'I don't think a year ago we could have fathomed how quickly and how dramatically this country would change,' Budde told RNS in Minneapolis.
religionnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Yesterday I got to sit down (well, stand in a crowd) with Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington who made headlines last year for her sermon asking Trump to "have mercy" on migrants.
A year later, she's in Minneapolis, preaching the same message. religionnews.com/2026/01/23/o...
A year later, she's in Minneapolis, preaching the same message. religionnews.com/2026/01/23/o...
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
"Oh my gosh, it was so nice to see you! Have a lovely day, fuck ICE!"
"Oh you too hon! Stay safe in that traffic, fuck ICE!'
- two older Minnesota ladies, bidding farewell after the protest
"Oh you too hon! Stay safe in that traffic, fuck ICE!'
- two older Minnesota ladies, bidding farewell after the protest
January 23, 2026 at 11:17 PM
"Oh my gosh, it was so nice to see you! Have a lovely day, fuck ICE!"
"Oh you too hon! Stay safe in that traffic, fuck ICE!'
- two older Minnesota ladies, bidding farewell after the protest
"Oh you too hon! Stay safe in that traffic, fuck ICE!'
- two older Minnesota ladies, bidding farewell after the protest
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
I just want people who are seeing the crowd pics to know, every single piece of Mpls infrastructure was strained to the limit today to get people there. I’m able bodied and prepared, was outside for 2 hours and still never made it bc our trains downtown were never meant to be packed like they were.
January 23, 2026 at 10:45 PM
I just want people who are seeing the crowd pics to know, every single piece of Mpls infrastructure was strained to the limit today to get people there. I’m able bodied and prepared, was outside for 2 hours and still never made it bc our trains downtown were never meant to be packed like they were.
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
Minnesota is the best of us.
January 23, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Minnesota is the best of us.
My husband got to pick a random free corporate gift and he picked 2 bowls because everything else was trash and y'all NEW FAVORITE BOWL BRAND based on the box alone 🤩🥣🚲
Sadly they did not come with a cute crockpot lid or a bike rack attachment, real missed opportunities
Sadly they did not come with a cute crockpot lid or a bike rack attachment, real missed opportunities
January 22, 2026 at 12:26 AM
My husband got to pick a random free corporate gift and he picked 2 bowls because everything else was trash and y'all NEW FAVORITE BOWL BRAND based on the box alone 🤩🥣🚲
Sadly they did not come with a cute crockpot lid or a bike rack attachment, real missed opportunities
Sadly they did not come with a cute crockpot lid or a bike rack attachment, real missed opportunities
Hey Seattle guess what
THAT'S RIGHT it's freaking cold outside
Oh and you can just barely see the aurora
THAT'S RIGHT it's freaking cold outside
Oh and you can just barely see the aurora
January 21, 2026 at 4:54 AM
Hey Seattle guess what
THAT'S RIGHT it's freaking cold outside
Oh and you can just barely see the aurora
THAT'S RIGHT it's freaking cold outside
Oh and you can just barely see the aurora
Alas, no obvious aurora from Seattle proper tonight. Maybe hints of greens and reds if you're at a darker site in the greater PNW. Nothing worth sitting out in the cold for IMO
January 20, 2026 at 7:52 AM
Alas, no obvious aurora from Seattle proper tonight. Maybe hints of greens and reds if you're at a darker site in the greater PNW. Nothing worth sitting out in the cold for IMO
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
!["We must recognize that we can't solve our problem now until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power... this means a revolution of values and other things. We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together... you can't really get rid of one without getting rid of the others... the whole structure of American life must be changed. America is a hypocritical nation and [we] must put [our] own house in order."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Report to SCLC Staff, May 1967](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vltsowclnhy3dh73u2blz73e/bafkreiax7yvt5amy5pen2q4mvh33iwoj6mgns5nbvrovmswmxd27mc6use@jpeg)
Fun fact, I got a similar response ~3 years ago when I asked satellite constellation operators what their plan was for solar maximum or other space weather events 🔭
they all looked dumbfounded and told me that they hadn't considered that possibility
January 14, 2026 at 8:52 PM
Fun fact, I got a similar response ~3 years ago when I asked satellite constellation operators what their plan was for solar maximum or other space weather events 🔭
"After being told that school was cancelled for two days because of ICE, my elementary school-age daughter replied, “That makes sense, it’s really slippery outside.” "
Parenting in the 2020s sure is ... something
Parenting in the 2020s sure is ... something
If you live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, I hope you’ll see your story reflected in @taylorcarik.bsky.social’s. Enough that when people outside the area reach out to try to get you to describe it, you can just point them here www.liberalcurrents.com/so-hows-the-...
So, How’s the Occupation Going for You?
What’s it like to live in America with a domestic military occupation? Minnesota has the answer.
www.liberalcurrents.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:47 PM
"After being told that school was cancelled for two days because of ICE, my elementary school-age daughter replied, “That makes sense, it’s really slippery outside.” "
Parenting in the 2020s sure is ... something
Parenting in the 2020s sure is ... something
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
💯 Also true when you are a neighbor or friend helping a new parent, person going through cancer treatment or grief. Specifics help people say yes to help.
Mpls: If you are working to support neighbors right now I *highly* suggest avoiding the generic "let me know what you need" and instead asking/offering directly:
"I'm going to the store. Send me a list."
"Do you need shampoo? Fruit? Toilet paper?"
"Can I help with your laundry?"
"I'm going to the store. Send me a list."
"Do you need shampoo? Fruit? Toilet paper?"
"Can I help with your laundry?"
January 14, 2026 at 1:38 AM
💯 Also true when you are a neighbor or friend helping a new parent, person going through cancer treatment or grief. Specifics help people say yes to help.
This profile has been in the works for a while now — they interviewed me in Nov 2024, took photos Jan 2025, bumped me back an issue or two to feature more timely pieces (e.g. wildfire experts), added updates in fall 2025, and now — as @vrubinobs.bsky.social gets going in earnest — it's finally out 🔭
The Dynamic Sky | Fall/Winter 2025–2026 | Harvey Mudd College Magazine
magazine.hmc.edu
January 14, 2026 at 1:43 AM
This profile has been in the works for a while now — they interviewed me in Nov 2024, took photos Jan 2025, bumped me back an issue or two to feature more timely pieces (e.g. wildfire experts), added updates in fall 2025, and now — as @vrubinobs.bsky.social gets going in earnest — it's finally out 🔭
Hello I have an *important* update, I have received Girl Scout Cookies from BOTH bakeries (there are 2—Little Brownie and ABC, each with subtly different cookies) and the fam shall be taste testing later 🍪
Order some: tinyurl.com/skyler26
(If you want the other bakery too, PDX area scouts use them)
Order some: tinyurl.com/skyler26
(If you want the other bakery too, PDX area scouts use them)
January 13, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Hello I have an *important* update, I have received Girl Scout Cookies from BOTH bakeries (there are 2—Little Brownie and ABC, each with subtly different cookies) and the fam shall be taste testing later 🍪
Order some: tinyurl.com/skyler26
(If you want the other bakery too, PDX area scouts use them)
Order some: tinyurl.com/skyler26
(If you want the other bakery too, PDX area scouts use them)
Reposted by Meredith Rawls
For some context: Jonathan Myrick Daniels was from NH. Episcopal seminarian in the 1960s, he decided to join the Freedom Riders in AL. He was killed by a shopkeeper when he stepped between him and a little Black girl. Shopkeeper was aiming a shotgun at the girl, and shot him instead.
At last night’s candlelight vigil for Renee Nicole Good, Bishop Rob Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire announced he had asked the clergy of the diocese to get their affairs in order and to make sure they have their wills written ...,
January 11, 2026 at 2:00 AM
For some context: Jonathan Myrick Daniels was from NH. Episcopal seminarian in the 1960s, he decided to join the Freedom Riders in AL. He was killed by a shopkeeper when he stepped between him and a little Black girl. Shopkeeper was aiming a shotgun at the girl, and shot him instead.
Today's post-conference checklist
Help kids and spouse go to party/park
All of the laundry
Change all the sheets
Start putting away Christmas
Change sheets again after 3yo accident
More laundry
Wizard of Oz movie
Lend neighbor a vehicle
Have the ICE chat with the 8yo
Laundry again
Help kids and spouse go to party/park
All of the laundry
Change all the sheets
Start putting away Christmas
Change sheets again after 3yo accident
More laundry
Wizard of Oz movie
Lend neighbor a vehicle
Have the ICE chat with the 8yo
Laundry again
January 11, 2026 at 3:51 AM
Today's post-conference checklist
Help kids and spouse go to party/park
All of the laundry
Change all the sheets
Start putting away Christmas
Change sheets again after 3yo accident
More laundry
Wizard of Oz movie
Lend neighbor a vehicle
Have the ICE chat with the 8yo
Laundry again
Help kids and spouse go to party/park
All of the laundry
Change all the sheets
Start putting away Christmas
Change sheets again after 3yo accident
More laundry
Wizard of Oz movie
Lend neighbor a vehicle
Have the ICE chat with the 8yo
Laundry again
Laura is a mom who runs a cargo bike lending library in Minneapolis and this is how she is spending her weekend, after doing a grocery run for some neighbors who feel unsafe leaving their house
This is Minneapolis:
You're signed up for a 3 hour deescalation training over the weekend to ensure you're prepared for pick up/drop off at your neighborhood elementary school next week.
Your confirmation about the event says that doors will be locked and everyone will be vetted at the door.
You're signed up for a 3 hour deescalation training over the weekend to ensure you're prepared for pick up/drop off at your neighborhood elementary school next week.
Your confirmation about the event says that doors will be locked and everyone will be vetted at the door.
January 10, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Laura is a mom who runs a cargo bike lending library in Minneapolis and this is how she is spending her weekend, after doing a grocery run for some neighbors who feel unsafe leaving their house
I followed the signs and looked at some art in PHX before getting on my plane
January 10, 2026 at 12:42 AM
I followed the signs and looked at some art in PHX before getting on my plane