It's worse than previously thought. "INNA would increase light pollution above the Very Large Telescope (VLT) by at least 35% and by more than 50% above the south site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory."

https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2506/

Okay, I need your help!

I am finalising my PhD thesis at the moment, and it is "tradition" to have a quote at the beginning of each chapter. Now I want to be difficult: I want quotes from FEMALE astronomers / scientists talking about astronomy.

Shoot me your favourites pls

Webb telescope images of exoplanets "stunned researchers" directly observing the key chemical of carbon dioxide in planets outside of our solar system for the first time.

From @CBSNews: https://flip.it/HVrgO5

What Counts as a Planet?

by Patricia Fara

The scientific disagreement about whether Pluto is a planet is just the latest war in the classifications of planets.

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/great-debates/what-counts-planet

You’ve heard of the Big Bang. Now astronomers have discovered the Big Wheel – here’s why it’s significant

https://theconversation.com/youve-heard-of-the-big-bang-now-astronomers-have-discovered-the-big-wheel-heres-why-its-significant-252170

"We previously thought galaxy disks form gradually over a long period: either through gas smoothly flowing into galaxies from surrounding space, or by merging with smaller galaxies.

Usually, rapid mergers between galaxies would disrupt the delicate spiral structures, turning them into more chaotic shapes. However, the Big Wheel managed to quickly grow to a surprisingly large size without losing its distinctive spiral form. This challenges long-held ideas about the growth of giant galaxies."

ASTROLOGVS HIC SIT CAVTVS - literally: the astronomer should be careful here.

This is a detail from the so-called star mantle of Heinrich II., made around 1000 AD. The meaning of the gold woven comment:

Do not expect facts. This image is not accurate.

Mission mode change detected, now in Monument Mode.
Goodnight friends.

Blue Ghost’s final message as it signs off from the Moon

ESO analysis confirms that the INNA industrial megaproject would have a devastating and irreversible impact on the facilities at Paranal Observatory in #Chile.

Light #pollution would increase by at least 35% above ESO's Very Large Telescope, by a minimum of 5% above ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope and by at least 55% above the south site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

Air turbulence would also increase, degrading seeing conditions by up to 40%

Vibrations from the project could seriously impair the functioning of the ELT and the VLT Interferometer, which are both extremely sensitive to micro-seismic noise.

Dust during construction is also problematic as it settles on the telescope mirrors and obstructs their view.

Full story here: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2506/

More in the message below. 1/

Leviathan Resurrected: Illustration and Astronomy

In the 1840s, the Leviathan of Parsonstown, built by William Parsons, third Earl of Rosse, became the largest telescope in the world.

By: Danny Robb

https://daily.jstor.org/leviathan-resurrected-illustration-and-astronomy/

The lasers our Very Large Telescope (VLT) pierce the Milky Way… but what is that vertical glow just below?

That’s the zodiacal light: caused by dust grains in the Solar System, it's so faint that it’s only visible in the darkest skies, such as those of Chile’s Atacama Desert.

And the pristine night sky in this region has always been intertwined with the culture and traditions of its indigenous people, discover how: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2511a/

F. Millour/ESO

Lunar occultation of Venus

There is a LOT of heavy lifting being done in this short article. I will attempt to summarize.

Scientist Says He Found Evidence Our Entire Universe Is Trapped Inside a Black Hole
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/scientist-says-found-evidence-entire-121519011.html?guccounter=1

"Kansas State University associate professor of computer science Lior Shamir found that out of the 263 galaxies examined, two thirds of them rotated clockwise, while only a third rotated counterclockwise, as detailed in a paper published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
[...]
"It is still not clear what causes this to happen, but there are two primary possible explanations," said Shamir in a statement. "One explanation is that the universe was born rotating. That explanation agrees with theories such as black hole cosmology, which postulates that the entire universe is the interior of a black hole."

The findings add credence to an existing, Russian doll-like theory called "Schwarzschild cosmology," which suggests that our galaxy is trapped within a black hole, which in turn is located inside another universe.
[...]
"I think that the simplest explanation of the rotating universe is the universe was born in a rotating black hole,"
[...]
As Space.com reports, this would imply that other observed black holes could be wormholes, otherwise known as Einstein-Rosen bridges, to other universes, which are unobservable to us due to the black holes trapping light within them."
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/james-webb-space-telescope/is-our-universe-trapped-inside-a-black-hole-this-james-webb-space-telescope-discovery-might-blow-your-mind

Just added the Ancient Greek inscriptions to my replica of the #AntikytheraMechanism. Grab your own virtual copy at

https://www.thomasweibel.ch/antikythera/