Nostr notes by Dr. Victoria Grinberg

So, COSPAR in #Florence next week. If you have a personal (as in: ...

2026-07-30T08:43:56Z

So, COSPAR in #Florence next week.

If you have a personal (as in: you've been there!) restaurant recommendation, they are very welcome.

I'm adventurous and will eat good food everywhere, from hole in the wall to triple Michelin star. But I'm searching for the places that truly stood out to you for whatever reason, not for "this was an OK place".

(I got amazing restaurant recommendation for Cagliari this way on old twitter, so trying it here now.)

Boost welcome.

oh, I so feel you! (Says the person whose first mission she had ...

2026-07-10T08:26:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…s0fa
_________________________

oh, I so feel you! (Says the person whose first mission she had any involvement in during grad school was Athena, in it's pre-Juice-selection-design - to be launched as NewAthena in the late 2030ies ...)

BepiColombo mission is about to arrive at Mercury! It's a ...

2026-07-10T08:22:35Z

BepiColombo mission is about to arrive at Mercury!

It's a pretty nifty design: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) are travelling to #Mercury as a compostive spacecraft, stacked on top of a transfer module. So separation & arrival will happen in stages.

▶️ https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2018/10/BepiColombo_arrival_at_Mercury_timeline?p

Planetary science is a good reminder that science needs long-term planning and foresight. #BepiColombo was launched in 2018!

#astrodon #space #ESA #JAXA #VicisAstro

congratulations on the (almost) submission?

2026-07-09T19:29:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…m4jq
_________________________

congratulations on the (almost) submission?

Joao Alves from Vienna, speaking as A&A editor in chief - ...

2026-07-03T16:24:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…v9cr
_________________________

Joao Alves from Vienna, speaking as A&A editor in chief - "Writing is Thinking: If we hand the writing to a machine, we quietly hand over the thinking too."

#astronomy #academia #AcademicChatter #EAS2026

Where astro publishing goes, will very much depend on what China ...

2026-07-03T15:57:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…qz3r
_________________________

Where astro publishing goes, will very much depend on what China is doing ...

#EAS2026 #astrodon

David Hogg: Journal are critical. ** Astrophysics is the ...

2026-07-03T11:28:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…vr0l
_________________________

David Hogg:

Journal are critical.
** Astrophysics is the astrophysics literature. **

journals do many things:
- gate
- edit
- preserve
- disseminate
- support reproducibility

#EAS2026 #astrodon #academia

Haven't read this yet, leaving it as reference: "A&A ...

2026-07-03T11:25:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…aj83
_________________________

Haven't read this yet, leaving it as reference:

"A&A community survey on the future of scientific publishing
Credibility over speed, fairness over profit, human judgment over automation"

▶️ https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2026/06/aa61365-26/aa61365-26.html

And here a shorter summary: https://www.aanda.org/2026-press-releases/3205-a-a-community-survey-reveals-strong-support-for-quality-fairness-and-human-oversight-in-scientific-publishing

#astrodon #academia #AcademicChatter

Should we improve access to readers if this builds barriers for ...

2026-07-03T11:21:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…8era
_________________________

Should we improve access to readers if this builds barriers for the authors? ==> Shifting the barrier & concerns about equity and integrity, predatory publishing ...

Session on AI & open access in modern astronomy publishing is ...

2026-07-03T11:17:09Z

Session on AI & open access in modern astronomy publishing is about to start. Wanna take bets on how depressing it will be? Very/extremely/wtf ...

(Rhetoric question.)

"How come there is such a massive gap between black holes and ...

2026-06-27T16:50:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…4xfn
_________________________

"How come there is such a massive gap between black holes and super massive black holes?" do you mean gap in the mass? There isn't - there are "small" black holes that form at the end of life of massive stars when they explode as supernova. They are from a few to a few ten solar masses a bit hard to find, but we know a bunch of them.

Supermassive black holes in centers of galaxies are much more massive - millions to billions solar masses. We are not yet 100% sure how they formed --

Scales of the Universe: Out Sun is five billion years old and ...

2026-06-27T15:48:17Z

Scales of the Universe:

Out Sun is five billion years old and will live another five billion.

A star with ten times the mass, lives some twenty million years, larger stars have an even shirter lifetime.

A star with half the mass of the Sun will live hundred billion years. Our universe is 13.7 billion years old -- the oldest low mass stars are not even past their teenage years yet.

#VicisAstro #astrodon #SciComm #astrophysics #astronomy

vortrag? Ich war da vor ein paar Wochen, coole location...

2026-05-24T09:27:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…rh3h
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vortrag? Ich war da vor ein paar Wochen, coole location...

I thought about chatting about the Guardian 100 best novels of ...

2026-05-17T11:19:44Z

I thought about chatting about the Guardian 100 best novels of all time list https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/the-100-best-novels-of-all-time, because this used to be a fun way to have conversations about books & "classics" in particular (& I very often like "classics").

But instead, I'm annoyed that it's once again so anglo-centric and I don't want to talk about books written in English.

So: tell me about books that should be on this list thay weren't originally written in English!

Mine below ⬇️

#bookstodon #books #buecher

If you are a (major, especially) account and you posted something ...

2026-05-01T16:23:14Z

If you are a (major, especially) account and you posted something that turned out to be wrong, please either delete the post or correct it.

People will not read the correction you posted in an extra post below and not the comments by other people, they'll keep sharing the original wrong post.

Heute, 7 Uhr abends im Nicolaus Copernicus Planetarium Nürnberg ...

2026-04-29T07:03:19Z

Heute, 7 Uhr abends im Nicolaus Copernicus Planetarium Nürnberg mein Vortrag zu "Schwarze Löcher: Schwere Kost, leicht verdaulich" 😊

Ich freue mich, euch da zu sehen - gerne hallo sagen wenn ihr von hier seid 💫

▶️ https://planetarium.nuernberg.de/programm/schwarze-loecher

#astrodon #WissKomm

"Good to see you live, I'm seeing you on the TV often ...

2026-04-27T08:06:36Z

"Good to see you live, I'm seeing you on the TV often recently".

Heh, never thought I would be greeted that way by the secretary of my old PhD institute 😅

#astrodon #scicomm #wisskomm

"Zur schwankenden Weltkugel" - Toller Buchladen, absolut ...

2026-04-25T08:04:36Z

"Zur schwankenden Weltkugel" - Toller Buchladen, absolut zu empfehlen.

Viel Inspiration auf den Regalen und Tischen.

Herrliche Unterhaltung mit der Besitzerin über eins der Bücher, das ich gekauft habe (Manès Sperber) "weil sie hat es aus Prinzip im Regal stehen, auch wenn es niemand kauft". Und ich hatte die Chance, es zu kaufen, weil es im Regal stand.

Nostr event nevent1qqsg3jydfuatxtt6f645c5yc8mcacggtnamygg32rhn52hr7g3l8dqgzyruadz624fnedk8v6l0gs65yrq2d74wdkpcp029nq6zu7mh9rftvx9le7n5

2026-04-12T21:06:33Z

#SilentSunday

It's gonna be a long day, but at least I got to start it by ...

2026-03-24T08:25:00Z

It's gonna be a long day, but at least I got to start it by petting Micky, the ESA/ESTEC cat.

#CatsOfMastodon #ESA #estec

Great blog by Pat Thompson on academic writing: ▶️ ...

2026-03-19T12:56:06Z

Great blog by Pat Thompson on academic writing:

▶️ https://patthomson.net/2026/03/08/getting-comfortable-with-being-uncomfortable/

"Academic writing is a form of thinking. It’s not the transcription of thoughts already completed, but a process of thinking itself. One of the ways we make writing harder than it needs to be is by writing as though our argument has arrived fully formed, rather than being wrestled into shape over several drafts."

This is why you *need* to write yourself, even and especially when writing is hard!

#AcademicChatter #PhD

heh :D And congratulations, too!

2026-03-17T14:29:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…uztk
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heh :D And congratulations, too!

It's not about numbers, but still, they play some role. Here ...

2026-03-17T14:10:40Z

It's not about numbers, but still, they play some role. Here a nice one for me: sometimes during the last week, I've passed the 4000 citations limit.

#astrodon #XraysAreTheBestRays

Ich kann's mir leider immer noch nicht anschauen, weil ...

2026-03-15T06:40:45Z

Ich kann's mir leider immer noch nicht anschauen, weil Geoblocking, aber hier die ZDF-Reihe "Geheimnisvolles Universum", bei der ich als eine der sprechenden Expert*innen mitmachen durfte:

▶️ https://www.zdf.de/dokus/geheimnisvolles-universum-100

(Die Reihe wurde auf Englisch aufgenommen, daher gedubbt, dh ich spreche da nicht mit meiner Stimme, falls ihr die aus den Podcasts kennt...)

#astrodon #WissKomm #astronomie

Someone asked me (rhetorically) why I post here. Also: do I want ...

2026-03-10T19:52:18Z

Someone asked me (rhetorically) why I post here. Also: do I want followers?

Of course it's more fun with more people. But I don't post in a way that aims to increase follower numbers:

* I post in two languages (& boost in more).
* I generally boost too much.
* I do not focus on one topic (science, politics, food, random photos, outreach, insiders clearly for astro/research colleagues, train complains, books, museum visits, etc.)

For me, it's about the random encounters. 1/3

Fast and tasty! Daily fresh! 🐥 #photography #UrbanPhotography ...

2026-03-06T15:03:49Z

Fast and tasty! Daily fresh! 🐥

#photography #UrbanPhotography #amsterdam #heron #birds

"People are always the ends, not merely the means. [...] When ...

2026-03-03T12:34:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…muw8
_________________________

"People are always the ends, not merely the means. [...]

When we employ a graduate student to perform some work, it absolutely must be because the graduate student will benefit from that work, not merely because that work needs to get done."

3/6

#astrodon #astrophysics #science #AcademicChatter

"Practice of astrophysics cannot be learned from reading. ...

2026-03-03T12:33:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…5ltd
_________________________

"Practice of astrophysics cannot be learned from reading. [...] If you want to become an astrophysicist, it isn’t sufficient to read or take classes. You have to do it, and doing it requires doing novel things, that haven’t been done before, and which connect to important scientific questions in the literature."

2/6

#astrodon #astrophysics #science #AcademicChatter

I talked about David W. Hogg's "Why do we do ...

2026-03-03T12:32:22Z

I talked about David W. Hogg's "Why do we do astrophysics?" in our seminar today. Thank to Aleks Scholz (npub1s06…hd76) who posted about it here first!

I can only encourage everyone working in or interested in science and/or fundamental research to read it, it has broad relevance and the crucial parts, to me, are not even the LLM ones, but the ones that define the basis on which LLM use in astro is discussed.

▶️ https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.10181v1

A few quotes:

1/6

#astrodon #astrophysics #science #AcademicChatter

There is the kind of positive news framing that sets my teeth on ...

2026-03-01T07:41:17Z

There is the kind of positive news framing that sets my teeth on edge - taking a bit of positive development and turning it into a full "things are going in the right direction" proclamation. It's dangerous, in more than one of way, and often disrespectful to people who made the change happen.

1/5

Good morning from the local gang! #Leiden #parakeet #Birds ...

2026-03-01T07:21:49Z

Good morning from the local gang!

#Leiden #parakeet #Birds

Sometimes it's back to the basics - pan fried oyster ...

2026-02-22T18:54:27Z

Sometimes it's back to the basics - pan fried oyster mushrooms (mushrooms, olive oil, salt, pepper, a few drops of lemon juice and a tiny bit of garlic) with a side salad.

We had the mushrooms +salad for a first time in a restaurant back in (high) school times and since then the dish makes a regular appearance on the menu.

#ViciCooks #cooking #kochen #vegan #food

we actually still learning a lot of new things about our own ...

2026-02-20T07:24:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…u4t5
_________________________

we actually still learning a lot of new things about our own galaxy's structure and don't fully understand it! It's generally just hard to know more about the galaxy we are stuck jn vs the ones we see from the outside: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/01/The_best_Milky_Way_map_by_Gaia

ni

2026-02-20T07:19:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…p6qm
_________________________

ni

Partner and I have a recycling system for uniqlo merino wool ...

2026-02-08T09:50:08Z

Partner and I have a recycling system for uniqlo merino wool sweaters. He wears them for years until they end up in the wrong laundry and get washed too hot, at which point I inherit the shrunken down sweaters and wear them again for years.

Having a #fairphone is fun: I've never experienced so much ...

2026-02-05T11:11:02Z

Having a #fairphone is fun: I've never experienced so much bonding over a device.

People go "oh, you also have a fairphone?" and start a conversation 💚 And you suddenly feel extra connected to them.

Wenn ihr in der Nürnberger Gegend seid und gerne was über ...

2026-01-31T08:16:01Z

Wenn ihr in der Nürnberger Gegend seid und gerne was über schwarze Löcher lernen wollt - ich halte am 29. April einen Vortrag am Nürnberger Planetarium:

https://bz.nuernberg.de/programm/planetarium/astronomie/vortraege/schwarze-loecher-schwere-kost-leicht-verdaulich-00960-20261

Eventuell gibt es auch eine Signierstunde 😊

#astrodon #astronomie #nürnberg #WissKomm

Polenta, or, to be precise, mămăligă (I found Romanian ...

2026-01-30T18:52:38Z

Polenta, or, to be precise, mămăligă (I found Romanian cornmeal in a speciality shop a while ago!) with roasted butternut, Brussel sprout and onions with fresh thyme served with feta and sour cream.

One of my currently favorite winter meals. Even better if you manage to get one of the really strong Romanian cheeses... But feta is lovely, too.

#ViciCooks #vegetarian #recipe #cooking #kochen #food

I was always upset that my PhD advisor would read printouts of my ...

2026-01-30T17:57:14Z

I was always upset that my PhD advisor would read printouts of my paper drafts and correct my LaTeX by hand in the margins. I mean, not even seeing the code...?

Now I'm reading paper drafts by my PhD students and collaborators as PDFs and also correcting their TeX code because I cannot stand wrong font for maths or wrong spaces between numbers and units. I wish I could stop, but I just can't...

It's all my PhD advisor's fault! *shakes fist in the direction of her old institute*

The most important bit of info at work today 😻 #CatsOfMastodon ...

2026-01-29T16:25:18Z

The most important bit of info at work today 😻

#CatsOfMastodon #esa #estec

Two minutes of zen. (An old video of a kinetic artwork that ...

2026-01-27T08:23:20Z

Two minutes of zen.

(An old video of a kinetic artwork that partner made during the pandemic lockdowns, found while installing the new phone.)

#art #mastoart #woodworking

RE: https://mamot.fr/@ploum/115923251561577968 Everyone who ever ...

2026-01-22T11:47:51Z

RE: https://mamot.fr/@ploum/115923251561577968

Everyone who ever plans to be teaching and is forced to make their students take exams (especially in the academic environment but also outside) should read this.

There is SO much to learn and think about from this post, not just about chatbots but so much more.

quoting
note1ay5…ak7n

Giving University Exams in the Age of Chatbots

How I managed to give an exam while giving the students the choice to use a chatbot or not.

And what I learned in the process.

https://ploum.net/2026-01-19-exam-with-chatbots.html

ich weiß nicht so recht, ob ich mich an die anderen der ...

2026-01-21T19:23:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…0tw0
_________________________

ich weiß nicht so recht, ob ich mich an die anderen der Haarteppich-Bücher wagen soll. Ich liebe ja das experimentelle an dem Buch, die anderen klingen eher nach 08/15 Romanen ... Lasse mich aber vom Gegenteil überzeugen!

I'm so late with my 2025 reading wrap up 🙀 🥳 53 books - ...

2026-01-21T18:59:22Z

I'm so late with my 2025 reading wrap up 🙀

🥳 53 books - finally more than 52!

Some statistics:
24 by women, 18 by men
22 in translation
29 in German, 24 in English
18 countries (Albania, Argentina, Austrialia, Austria, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, UK, Ukraine, USA) that the authors are from
28 new to me authors (not counting anthologies)

Book discussions welcome :)

#ViciReads #bookstodon #reading #books #buecher #lesen

It was a bit of an adventure with the local post office in ...

2026-01-09T10:26:06Z

It was a bit of an adventure with the local post office in Santiago, but all seven postcards from this trip are now on their way to their owners (one in the USA, one in Spain, two in Germany and three in the Netherlands). Let's see if they arrive... 😬

The 8th one stayed with our host in El Chaltén.

#VicisArt #aquarelle #watercolor #watercolour #ink #MastoArt

Today I learned that when iceberg debris - clear bits of ice ...

2026-01-04T22:13:01Z

Today I learned that when iceberg debris - clear bits of ice diamond - reach the shore of the glacier lake, the waves playing with them make a lovely trickling sound, almost like music, while the ice glitters in sunlight, sequin-like.

Ich bin voraussichtlich am 23. und 24. April in Berlin. Wenn ...

2026-01-04T18:46:50Z

Ich bin voraussichtlich am 23. und 24. April in Berlin. Wenn eurer Verein, Hackerspace etc. also einen Vortrag über schwarze Löcher oder/und Röntgenastronomie haben will, meldet euch.

Up, up, and down again. El Chaltén - day 3 1/9 #Patagonia ...

2026-01-04T11:13:13Z

Up, up, and down again.

El Chaltén - day 3

1/9

#Patagonia #ElChalten #nature #hiking #photography

I feel this is a good advice to start the new year with: When ...

2026-01-01T11:48:50Z

I feel this is a good advice to start the new year with: When attacked, defend yourself fiercely. Hit it in the face.

#Patagonia

To the glacier and back. El Chaltén - day 2 1/9 #Patagonia ...

2025-12-30T12:17:45Z

To the glacier and back.

El Chaltén - day 2

1/9

#Patagonia #ElChalten #nature #hiking #photography

There are less than 10000 Andean condors, the largest birds of ...

2025-12-29T23:53:05Z

There are less than 10000 Andean condors, the largest birds of prey, left in the world. They live up to 70 years, pair up for life and care for their chicks for years... Absolutely amazing (and very ugly when being face to face with them as happened to us today on a hiking trail 😅) birds!

Today, we had the luck to see four of them (partially very, very) close - three in this video.

#Condor #Nature #Birds #AndeanCondor #Patagonia #PuertoNatales

Made more friends! (Now looking like half a cat myself, covered ...

2025-12-27T13:04:06Z

Made more friends!
(Now looking like half a cat myself, covered in white hair head to toe...)

#CatsOfMastodon

Made two new friends yesterday, only had to lean out of the ...

2025-12-25T11:56:24Z

Made two new friends yesterday, only had to lean out of the window of our accommodation in El Calafate 🐶🐶

#Patagonia #ElCalafate #DogsOfMastodon

Zu sagen, ihr müsst besser in Nachbarschaftsnetzwerke ...

2025-12-24T22:06:22Z

Zu sagen, ihr müsst besser in Nachbarschaftsnetzwerke eingebunden sein, ihr solltet mehr Freunde haben, die euch unterstützen könnten - das mag wahr sein, es ist aber auch schrecklich vorbei an der Lebensrealität vieler. Weil vielleicht sind es dir Netzwerke, die tiefe Wunden hinterlassen haben. Vielleicht gibt es die Freunde, aber am anderen Ende der Welt, weil mensch wegen der Arbeit umziehen musste, immer wieder. Vielleicht lebt mensch irgendwo, wo es die Gleichgesinnten eben nicht gibt oder-

Good morning from a tiny wood house El Chalten! #Patagonia ...

2025-12-21T11:40:05Z

Good morning from a tiny wood house El Chalten!

#Patagonia #TinyHouse #Argentina

#FensterFreitag #Patagonia #ElCalafate ...

2025-12-19T10:15:09Z

#FensterFreitag

#Patagonia #ElCalafate

52! It's the first time since 2020 that I managed to read a ...

2025-12-18T17:36:25Z

52!

It's the first time since 2020 that I managed to read a book for every week of the year. I'm really happy and proud I did.

I need reading to quiet my mind - but also reading is one of the things that are gone when I'm in certain bad places mentally.

Getting back into the reading habit (although what I read did change) is hard work, but it's paying off. More reading, less scrolling. I need to remind myself of this. And if I slip, try again. Let it go and try again. And again.

Dear internet, we need to have a serious conversation. Why ...

2025-12-18T11:13:54Z

Dear internet,

we need to have a serious conversation. Why didn't you tell me how stinkin' cute coatis are?

I'm disappointed in you...

Bonus 1: in German, the #coati is called "Nasenbär", i.e., "nose bear"
Bonus 2: one of them did get into out backpack while on the train in #Iguazu Falls National Park and stole a chipa (cheese bread) that he proceeded to loudly eat in the bushes

#Argentina

The Argentinians know how to celebrate university graduation 😳 ...

2025-12-04T11:01:55Z

The Argentinians know how to celebrate university graduation 😳

(It's that loud through the windows!)

Look at the beautiful mug shelf partner made 🤩 Lighting ...

2025-11-29T16:07:06Z

Look at the beautiful mug shelf partner made 🤩

Lighting isn't perfect and some of the cups are in the dishwasher, but I can't wait to show the shelf off!

#woodworking #furniture

Another one of the new to me #Leiden guerilla #art cobble stones. ...

2025-11-15T16:34:53Z

Another one of the new to me #Leiden guerilla #art cobble stones.

no, teaching a summer school in Argentina!

2025-11-04T14:39:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…f74c
_________________________

no, teaching a summer school in Argentina!

✅ yellow fever vaccination ✅ krentenbollen ...

2025-11-04T13:46:07Z

✅ yellow fever vaccination
✅ krentenbollen

~~ We are all stardust. But so is garbage. ~~ Ich bin sehr ...

2025-11-01T11:38:20Z

~*~ We are all stardust. But so is garbage. ~*~

Ich bin sehr froh, den stardust Racoon im letzten Augenblick noch im Buch untergebracht zu haben 🦝

#astrodon #astronomie #FediBookFair

Dear bluesky folks - I would love to be able to interact with ...

2025-10-27T22:13:58Z

Dear bluesky folks - I would love to be able to interact with you, but to do this, you'll also need to build a bridge from your side, too.

My bridge only brings my posts to bluesky, to bring yours to the fediverse/mastodon, you need to turn to follow.

See https://fed.brid.gy/
And for more info: https://fed.brid.gy/docs#bluesky-get-started

💚

Praline-making: the resuts, part 2 #ViciCooks #cooking #food ...

2025-10-05T18:57:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…gkde
_________________________

Praline-making: the resuts, part 2

#ViciCooks #cooking #food #chocolate #praline #truffle

Praline-making: the resuts, part 1 (with many thanks to my ...

2025-10-05T18:54:03Z

Praline-making: the resuts, part 1

(with many thanks to my amazing friend, a hobby chocolatier who knows how to make this and to her partner - winks - who has to deal with the mess we left in the kitchen after 8 hours of work!)

#ViciCooks #cooking #food #chocolate #praline #truffle

It's that time of the year - my first citation from 2026 has ...

2025-09-30T08:28:38Z

It's that time of the year - my first citation from 2026 has arrived!

#astrodon #academia #ads #astrophysics #astronomy

I made notes on Robin Wall Kimmerer's "The Serviceberry - ...

2025-09-24T10:40:48Z

I made notes on Robin Wall Kimmerer's "The Serviceberry - An Economy of Gifts and Abundance", which was one of the first #books this year. But somehow never came around to make posts - perhaps because it did not feel right in the middle of winter.

Now, with the fall upon us, it seems the right time.

A biologist's and Native American's thoughts on economy - and alternatives and gifts. Hugely relevant but in a quiet way, one that makes you make small changes in everyday life.

1/7

#VicisBooks

Timeline-cleanse: Fly through 3D map of stellar nurseries made by ...

2025-09-16T16:53:15Z

Timeline-cleanse: Fly through 3D map of stellar nurseries made by #ESA's #Gaia mission:

▶️ https://youtu.be/cejvjP-a77k

Especially from ~1 min on: just turn on the volume, put the video on full screen and enjoy.

More info: ▶️ https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Gaia/Fly_through_Gaia_s_3D_map_of_stellar_nurseries

#astrodon #nature #astronomy

Science takes time ... Hartle & Thorne, 2025: ▶️ ...

2025-09-12T14:57:52Z

Science takes time ...

Hartle & Thorne, 2025:
▶️ https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.05436

"The research for this paper was completed in 1972, and Jim and I began writing it in that same year but then got distracted for several decades by other projects. In 2000, Jim completed a first draft and gave it to me with some public fanfare on the occasion of my 60th Birthday Symposium. I then let it languish until Jim‘s 80th Birthday Symposium in 2019 ..."

(found via colleagues on LinkedIn)

#astrodon #physics

#Leiden #Pride. Yep, that's an #ESA boat ...

2025-09-06T16:12:28Z

#Leiden #Pride.

Yep, that's an #ESA boat 🏳️‍🌈🛰️🚀

1/3

Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the ...

2025-09-05T11:05:31Z

Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one.

-- Ursula K. #LeGuin, "The Tombs of Atuan", Book #2 of #Earthsea

sorry, that's not astrophysics, so totally not my expertise!

2025-08-28T20:57:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…c24v
_________________________

sorry, that's not astrophysics, so totally not my expertise!

the most massive elements are not supernovae - this graphic here ...

2025-08-28T12:34:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…hp9w
_________________________

the most massive elements are not supernovae - this graphic here summarizes it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_element#Origin_of_the_elements

The heaviest natural elements actually either get produced when two neutron stars collide or during a certain phase in the life (or rather the dying process) of low mass stars. That Uranium on Earth? All from old low mass stars.

And if you have a lot of free time, here a review article from 2020: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsta.2019.0301

Is there something you always wanted to ask an astrophysicist? ...

2025-08-28T12:05:49Z

Is there something you always wanted to ask an astrophysicist? Here is your chance.

I will try to answer as many questions as I can today. And if I enjoy it, we may repeat this later.

Some background: I'm a high energy astrophysicist working on black holes, neutron stars, accretion and massive stars with a pretty broad knowledge of the whole astro field (I did teach it at uni level), but little to no experience with hobby observing or astrophotography.

#AskAnAstrophysicist #AMA #astrodon

All the books I've read and don't remember in detail, ...

2025-08-19T07:54:06Z

All the books I've read and don't remember in detail, have been firmly pressed into the foundation of who I am.

You can't tell the individual books apart under the weight of the later experience, but they are there, shaping who I am, planting the seeds of today's thoughts and decisions.

Every hero rising against injustice. Every warning of old science fiction books. Every friendship. Every moment of forgiveness. Every sacrifice for a better world.

They all are there, making me me.

I'm adding to my book wishlist at least five times as fast as ...

2025-08-16T07:53:03Z

I'm adding to my book wishlist at least five times as fast as I read - and to my unread pile at least twice as fast 😬

oh, adding this to my wishlist (in German translatio, though ...

2025-08-15T13:50:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…ue6d
_________________________

oh, adding this to my wishlist (in German translatio, though ...).

hummus is what we had it with today :D

2025-08-13T15:45:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…48hm
_________________________

hummus is what we had it with today :D

~ Mediterranean cucumber & tomato #salad ~ I loooove a simple ...

2025-08-13T12:28:28Z

~ Mediterranean cucumber & tomato #salad ~

I loooove a simple but delicious salad!

Cucumbers (they do not have to come from your mother-in-law's garden, though mine did!), tomatoes and a red onion, all in small cubes. Add olive oil, mint chiffonade (fancy way to say leaves cut in thin ribbons), salt, pepper and, here comes the drink, a good portion of sumak. Don't skip the sumak.

This is our favorite side with Börek, but it also works in so many other combos.

#ViciCooks #kochen #food #essen

As a side, we went with another very strong dish, the bulgur from ...

2025-08-01T19:24:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…lp9z
_________________________

As a side, we went with another very strong dish, the bulgur from #Ottolenghi's (excellent + highly recommended) recipe for chermoula aubergines:

▶️ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/12/chermoula-aubergine-bulgar-recipe-ottolenghi

It does (though one may not necessarily expect it from a side punctuated by little taste explosions of olives & sultanas) work perfectly with the lemony fishy sauce - but it looks nicer on an extra plate for the photo (even though the plates are from [high school] student times) 😅

2/3

#ViciCooks #food #kochen #cooking

Let's celebrate Friday with some food! "Uri Buri" ...

2025-08-01T18:41:37Z

Let's celebrate Friday with some food! "Uri Buri" fish:

▶️ https://koechlkocht.com/rezept/fischfilets-leider-g/

we first tried the recipe during the worst of the pandemic, as part of a New Years cookout and absolute fell in love. So easy to make, such an explosion of taste, so forgiving when it comes to which fish you get (which is not easy in Southern Germany). We loved it so much that we bought his (the cooks, not the blogger's) full cookbook.

1/3

#ViciCooks #food #kochen #cooking

When I was an exchange student in Amsterdam (almost 20 yrs ago), ...

2025-08-01T13:59:32Z

When I was an exchange student in Amsterdam (almost 20 yrs ago), I would buy corn at Cuypmarket (it was less of a tourist trap then) on Saturday & have corn on the cob multiple days for lunch or dinner: pop two ears into the oven (then: a tiny electric one I bought for student housing), turn them after ~10 minutes & done after another 10. Add butter and coarse salt and have perfect summer/early fall bliss.

I still do it the same day today, minus the Cuypmarket...

#ViciCooks #food #vegetarian

All art has been contemporary. #Art #Munich #SMAEK ...

2025-07-31T13:13:20Z

All art has been contemporary.

#Art #Munich #SMAEK

ah, so the service that you mentioned does not really exist ... I ...

2025-07-24T08:09:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…vtzq
_________________________

ah, so the service that you mentioned does not really exist ... I assumed you wanted to link to something.

confused - I'm not sure where the citation is from? Does this ...

2025-07-24T07:30:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…7q29
_________________________

confused - I'm not sure where the citation is from? Does this refer to the photo above?

"The connecting train cannot wait". I'm going to need ...

2025-07-23T18:44:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…gdk3
_________________________

"The connecting train cannot wait".

I'm going to need 3.5 hours for something that does need 1h 40 by car. Stuck in a train that has no working bathroom and in a train station that has no shelter and no bathroom currently. Yes, I love trains. But I HATE that there have been not enough investments into Deutsche Bahn for the last decades.

Also not a single working bathroom in the whole train...

2025-07-23T18:20:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…ylac
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Also not a single working bathroom in the whole train...

Ich habe 5 min zum Umsteigen in Ulm und wir sind 6 min zu spät ...

2025-07-23T17:34:46Z

Ich habe 5 min zum Umsteigen in Ulm und wir sind 6 min zu spät los (länger Umstieg ist dann die 65 min...); gestern wurde auf der Strecke keins der Abendanschlüsse erreicht 😬

And we can't even remember who they were... #AboutToday ...

2025-07-23T15:55:36Z

And we can't even remember who they were...

#AboutToday

And we have a newly minted PhD! (And I learned a ton about ...

2025-07-23T06:23:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…jwku
_________________________

And we have a newly minted PhD!

(And I learned a ton about cross-cultural advising. Ask me offline if you want to know more...)

#PhD #AcademicChatter #astrodon #GermanPhDHats

#AboutToday The best reason for returning to an old institute... ...

2025-07-22T13:07:48Z

#AboutToday

The best reason for returning to an old institute...

#astrodon

ah! sorry, sometimes hard to tell online with folks whom I ...

2025-07-10T08:01:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…dteg
_________________________

ah! sorry, sometimes hard to tell online with folks whom I don't know well!

I'm not quiet sure if you mean this as a joke or ...?

2025-07-10T07:59:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…yhn9
_________________________

I'm not quiet sure if you mean this as a joke or ...?

🤬 reading a book mentioning how Einstein "received a ...

2025-07-09T21:28:11Z

🤬 reading a book mentioning how Einstein "received a letter from a young colleague, Karl Schwarzschild... who in a few months would lose his life at the Eastern Front."

Schwarzschild was 6 years older than Einstein, a professor since 1901 & director of the Potsdam observatory. Also, he did not die at the front (as a consequence, yes, but not at).

You can bet my trust in the book overall is now close to zero (i really wanted to like it, it's written by a colleague, another physicist) 🙄

Did not have the time to do any other art during the vacation, ...

2025-07-03T07:38:29Z

Did not have the time to do any other art during the vacation, but at least I made a card for our lovely hosts here in Killarney!

#VicisArt #aquarelle #ireland #watercolour #watercolor

Timeline cleanser: Ring of Kerry in the rain. #ireland ...

2025-06-30T19:10:48Z

Timeline cleanser: Ring of Kerry in the rain.

#ireland #photography #LandscapePhotography

#ArXiv is a rebel movement gone mainstream. -- Licia Verde at ...

2025-06-24T10:09:21Z

#ArXiv is a rebel movement gone mainstream.

-- Licia Verde at #EAS2025, from her speech accepting Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal from the European Astronomical Society on behalf of ArXiv

#OpenScience

I hate it that mastodon does not allow you to turn off replies. ...

2025-06-21T20:04:08Z

I hate it that mastodon does not allow you to turn off replies. I'd love to scream something into the world and I don't want anyone replying to it.

And before I get a lot of mansplaining how it's people's right to reply: this is not even something controversial, just something I have no power to deal with any word-like feedback, no matter how well meant. And screaming out would help.