Tod Lauer
@todlauer.bsky.social
Extragalactic observer (black holes, galaxies, galaxy clusters, stellar pops) that also dabbles in planetary astronomy. Really, basically a pixel pusher.
But how was this done without someone, like, seeing what was going on?
November 25, 2025 at 7:17 AM
But how was this done without someone, like, seeing what was going on?
The first stage seen with the 2nd stage, 3rd stage, and interstage ring done long ago.
November 25, 2025 at 5:31 AM
The first stage seen with the 2nd stage, 3rd stage, and interstage ring done long ago.
Being a space cadet, I have a hobby of fine scale modeling of spacecraft. Tonight I finished the 1st stage of a Saturn V model I've been working on for years. Did the 3rd stage first, then the 2nd. Now there's just some stuff that goes on top of the third stage to do.
November 25, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Being a space cadet, I have a hobby of fine scale modeling of spacecraft. Tonight I finished the 1st stage of a Saturn V model I've been working on for years. Did the 3rd stage first, then the 2nd. Now there's just some stuff that goes on top of the third stage to do.
You're saying observational cosmology is impossible? OK, then...
November 25, 2025 at 12:46 AM
You're saying observational cosmology is impossible? OK, then...
Funny you say that. I always thought that a 3 Musketeers was kinda like a Milky Way without the caramel. As a kid I would never choose one if a MW was available.
November 25, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Funny you say that. I always thought that a 3 Musketeers was kinda like a Milky Way without the caramel. As a kid I would never choose one if a MW was available.
We have full sky maps in various wavelengths, resolution, and depth, good enough to show how the Universe evolved over time to some level of accuracy. But again, I'm simply talking vision. If I see a high redshift galaxy, I see it as it existed in the early Universe.
November 24, 2025 at 11:04 PM
We have full sky maps in various wavelengths, resolution, and depth, good enough to show how the Universe evolved over time to some level of accuracy. But again, I'm simply talking vision. If I see a high redshift galaxy, I see it as it existed in the early Universe.
And amusingly, this also came out of my sabbatical sponsored by New Horizons. I walked around the UofA astro department to think, and chilled by schmoozing with the EHT group for a bit.
November 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
And amusingly, this also came out of my sabbatical sponsored by New Horizons. I walked around the UofA astro department to think, and chilled by schmoozing with the EHT group for a bit.
The CMB maps are critical for understanding galaxy formation. Stars didn't exist then, so yes they can't be seen. But I'm not talking inferences, but vision. The CMB map is what our sky looks like in microwaves. It shows what the Universe (within our horizon) looked like at 400k years.
November 24, 2025 at 10:55 PM
The CMB maps are critical for understanding galaxy formation. Stars didn't exist then, so yes they can't be seen. But I'm not talking inferences, but vision. The CMB map is what our sky looks like in microwaves. It shows what the Universe (within our horizon) looked like at 400k years.
To make my point. (L) M87 from the EHT (2019), (R) PRIMO reconstruction of the same observations. This work started when I crashed the weekly coffee and pastries of the UofA EHT group. If they told me to get lost, this would have never happened, but there would have been more goodies for everyone.
November 24, 2025 at 10:45 PM
To make my point. (L) M87 from the EHT (2019), (R) PRIMO reconstruction of the same observations. This work started when I crashed the weekly coffee and pastries of the UofA EHT group. If they told me to get lost, this would have never happened, but there would have been more goodies for everyone.
Penny wise and pound foolish. In science one always benefits from collegiality.
November 24, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Penny wise and pound foolish. In science one always benefits from collegiality.
Who would make a rule like that? Certainly captures the holiday spirit.
November 24, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Who would make a rule like that? Certainly captures the holiday spirit.
The CMB is a direct view of the surface of last scattering at ~400,000 yr. after the Big Bang. If you were transported back to that time, that's what you would see around you (except that the image would be in visible light, not light redshifted down to the microwave).
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
The CMB is a direct view of the surface of last scattering at ~400,000 yr. after the Big Bang. If you were transported back to that time, that's what you would see around you (except that the image would be in visible light, not light redshifted down to the microwave).
If you are mean the horizon, then at any time in the past there exists a finite portion of the Universe that we can observe from that time. In microwave radiation we can directly see a portion of the Universe as it was 400k yr after the Big Bang. Horizon at any time says how much you can see.
November 24, 2025 at 8:59 PM
If you are mean the horizon, then at any time in the past there exists a finite portion of the Universe that we can observe from that time. In microwave radiation we can directly see a portion of the Universe as it was 400k yr after the Big Bang. Horizon at any time says how much you can see.
Games you can play with your rocket. I've seen this many times, but it still evokes a good WTF! www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0UY...
NASA - Saturn V Apollo Shake Test
YouTube video by CinePost
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Games you can play with your rocket. I've seen this many times, but it still evokes a good WTF! www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0UY...
Nice sentiments, but hey can you make me another pizza - this time without anchovies and marshmallows?
November 24, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Nice sentiments, but hey can you make me another pizza - this time without anchovies and marshmallows?
The neatest thing about doing astronomy is that we can watch the past directly, seeing exactly what happened.
November 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The neatest thing about doing astronomy is that we can watch the past directly, seeing exactly what happened.
A post for you that you might enjoy a gag I made in 2014, seeing the future in 2024. bsky.app/profile/todl...
Exactly 10 years ago I summarized a session at 2014 meeting on WFIRST with a joke projecting a fantasy paper 10 years in the future announcing that dark energy was not a cosmological constant. I wanted the participants to consider that there may be observational surprises yet to be had.
November 23, 2025 at 5:47 PM
A post for you that you might enjoy a gag I made in 2014, seeing the future in 2024. bsky.app/profile/todl...
Not very hidden, though.
November 23, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Not very hidden, though.
Both dark matter and dark energy are not explained. The recent DESI observations suggest that dark energy is not constant over time. I think we have enough stuff to worry about. Observations are driving the game. I’m not frustrated at all.
November 23, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Both dark matter and dark energy are not explained. The recent DESI observations suggest that dark energy is not constant over time. I think we have enough stuff to worry about. Observations are driving the game. I’m not frustrated at all.
BTW, do you know about this meme? My daughters introduced it to me and they both love it: www.boredpanda.com/comics-shark...
Artist Refuses To Admit His Mistake In A Comic About Sharks, Hilariously Trolls Everyone Who Tries To Prove Him Wrong
An amusing little comic called 'The Person Who Discovered Sharks' took on a life of its own recently after the artist, Branson Reese, decided to have a little fun in the comments. The comic itself is ...
www.boredpanda.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:37 AM
BTW, do you know about this meme? My daughters introduced it to me and they both love it: www.boredpanda.com/comics-shark...
Makes me sad and mad, cause it's so far away from how we all work together on fun things like 3I/Atlas. The response and free exchange of information in the community has been tremendous. Avi fancies himself as Galileo against the church, when we're centuries away from that.
November 22, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Makes me sad and mad, cause it's so far away from how we all work together on fun things like 3I/Atlas. The response and free exchange of information in the community has been tremendous. Avi fancies himself as Galileo against the church, when we're centuries away from that.
You know, one thing that didn't help at all was Shepard's golf stunt on Apollo 14. It quickly became a nasty metaphor.
November 22, 2025 at 1:09 AM
You know, one thing that didn't help at all was Shepard's golf stunt on Apollo 14. It quickly became a nasty metaphor.