Juan Carlos Muñoz

• Astronomer and science communicator
• Media Officer at the European Southern Observatory
• Won't shut up about space
• #astronomy #astrophysics #science #astrophotography #space
• he/him
• Toots in English and español
• 🇪🇸 → 🇺🇸 → 🇨🇱 → 🇩🇪


nostr:npub1qsl7ts8u025q8smqu7pp0cx807wduvghw3cu9uyu0favqzvp5q0sezt3ey Probably much further down the line, super proud of having typed "draw a cat" and seeing a drawing of a cat or something, dunno :D


Something I like about phanpy.social is that links to toots are displayed as quoted toots, vastly improving the reading experience. Now they've simplified the process with a quote button that adds the link for you. Not the same as having quotes available natively in #Mastodon, but it does help!

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/082/475/121/820/034/original/d256decc5e3af551.png


Your periodic reminder that Stellarium is an amazing planetarium tool. Free, #OpenSource and very easy to use. There are desktop apps, mobile apps and a web version.

https://stellarium.org/

#astronomy #foss #science

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/965/151/724/177/433/original/70a7155677363954.png


nostr:npub1fymr8nywhkyfvugdqg7286ks3x92z0dsz45g9xn8adev8map7t6shxhtt5 I just did a short timewarp video (1440p), and explored the interface a bit. That's it, I haven't even tried any of the high resolution or framerate modes yet. A cursory online check says this battery has a 45-90 min life depending on the recording settings, but so far it seems mine performs well below that. And I'm still puzzled by the significant charge drop while the camera is off.


I need #help with the #battery life of my #GoPro Hero 7. I got it for free 3 years ago, brand new, but I haven't had the chance to use it until now. After ~10 minutes of very light #video usage, the battery level went from 100% to 70%. It then dropped to 66% overnight with the camera off. All wireless connections are off, wake on voice too. I'll keep an eye after more battery cycles (this was the first charge) but I wanted to check if others have had the same issue. What am I missing? Thanks!

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/193/328/991/424/236/original/fccb69b83a18708f.png


nostr:npub1hr0q3yq9s8ejx7rvc4mw3r7mmkzr7zp6tryngug0h4sj3tfm5dlqkp4k2l The cognitive dissonance in some of the replies is just... wow.


nostr:npub1g8jqfz60hnmq7y2qvxj37nz62lg8qpqsk4znr6a6lssfs9nmkchqs9ww5h Me too! It's just mind-boggling.


Joking aside, the laser excites sodium atoms 80-90 km above the ground, making them glow. This creates an artificial "star" whose twinkling we monitor in real time. This information is then sent to a deformable mirror that reshapes itself many times per second, correcting atmospheric turbulence and delivering crisp images.


Old pic I took a few years ago at ESO's Paranal Observatory, when the UT4 #telescope was spying on the supermassive #BlackHole at the centre of our #galaxy

Don't worry, the laser was set to "stun", the black hole is ok 😎

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophotography #MilkyWay

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/183/428/369/992/036/original/e79a05cf0e2183a7.png


nostr:npub1r5c74n8yx60hfdpsgq3sa7f0w4c3n90x455zxf8lfh4nrwmwjlysnd9t05 Thanks! Yeah, that pattern is due to interferometry. I toned it down a bit with respect to the original data, but I didn't want to remove it entirely, I don't like it when the background looks completely smooth in astronomical images.


nostr:npub18u7vnwfunkdvkm66j8zg9t2zgy6aafjz99y4gyq88594yl4k2yjsvmushw You're welcome! My contribution here was very minor, it's all thanks to the folks behind MeerKAT and the authors of the study 🙂


If you want to download a high-resolution version of this image (under a CC-BY-NC license), you can do so from this link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/astro_jcm/51847931721/


#SciArt is a human activity, but often #nature itself provides the brushes and pigments.

Last year the South African Radio #Astronomy Observatory released a stunning view of the core of the #MilkyWay captured by the MeerKAT radio #telescope

Here's my edited version, where the colours map the so-called spectral index, which tells us what causes the radio emission. Those filaments do look like brush strokes, don't they?

Press release: https://www.sarao.ac.za/media-releases/new-meerkat-radio-image-reveals-complex-heart-of-the-milky-way/

#astrodon #space #scicomm

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/171/625/916/439/068/original/1dc4a47ac4255a6a.jpeg


nostr:npub1kmzjpnzy24qq776gtv250y5kdy0g7fe2kx553jr9gtrte2pz9clq3hyytr I feel you! I've lost count of how many times auto-transcript tools have turned "Paranal Observatory" into "Paranormal Observatory" 😅


Do you want to learn about the amazing #engineering behind large optical telescopes? Tom Scott recently visited ESO's Paranal Observatory in #Chile, and in his latest video he tells us all about it, including a sneak peek at our Extremely Large #Telescope !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqRREz0iBes

#astrodon #astronomy #space #technology


nostr:npub1g3jqw8qrj9ppv3wjvg7pqajlwxsl53grmvagcy9pdyzjkthzlhpqvs69f8 I'd say it's a new form of an old thing. A heated argument between, say, Marvel and DC fans is fundamentally no different from a similar argument between fans of two football teams. Both situations feature people identifying strongly with something that isn't truly connected with them in any meaningful way; football just happened to be mainstream much earlier. Mandatory Mitchell & Webb sketch about this 😉  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1WN0YMWZU


Ever wondered why astronomers need so many different telescopes and instruments? Different colours or wavelengths of #light tell us a lot of information about the objects we study.

In the latest episode of Chasing Starlight we tell you how we use this "super-powered vision" to capture what our eyes can't see.

➡ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcGRe38fPKA

#astrodon #astronomy #space #scicomm


nostr:npub12z32txjvhv9lcruuk9sfz0hny9gujgc7hztftlftk6n6a376zursfyk5yq wait what? wow, be careful!


The ESO #Calendar 2024 is out!  You can buy it online here:

https://www.eso.org/public/shop/product/calendar_2024/

or at the ESO Supernova Planetarium if you visit us in Garching.

#astrodon #astronomy #space

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/131/285/935/317/564/original/3ff82aec677ef720.png


nostr:npub1zvl57pev7c8km4dl84e0rrtjy088zdhe5v965dhzede5nv6ga5ksacxtru I lived there in 2020, so I couldn't enjoy many aspects of the city due to the covid restrictions, but I hope to visit again at some point.


nostr:npub1hr0q3yq9s8ejx7rvc4mw3r7mmkzr7zp6tryngug0h4sj3tfm5dlqkp4k2l For a brief moment there I thought that was Heidelberg & the Neckar, but I was confused by how different the castle looked 😅  Adding Cochem to my list of places to visit!


nostr:npub1yfcy266naw2lth5ewpulkfx0r57d5vkcglqv7mt9sp8zf5azcnyqyx9m7w No prob, thanks!


nostr:npub1tv682n455m8q8nt32wgmdu4qlq4v8jx2yu59pymys08n2wmcas6sjtda3u oh wow, I'd never heard of this! Is it then like a light beer, both in terms of low-alcohol content and light-bodied?


nostr:npub1yfcy266naw2lth5ewpulkfx0r57d5vkcglqv7mt9sp8zf5azcnyqyx9m7w I took this pic in the U-bahn, where the bottles move around all the time, often spilling beer.


nostr:npub1awts5tnxj2ltgk8v856t05hx90est4kqexxzfk39wu52pqgaxx4sa0kzcm oh yeah, it sucks when that happens!


In #Germany there's something called wegbier —a "#beer for the way". Unfortunately, for some people this concept does not include throwing the empty bottles into a trash bin. I'm sick of seeing the U-bahn littered like this every time the Bayern plays in #Munich 🤬

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/070/574/559/826/920/original/fc16eeffbf950450.jpg


nostr:npub1uw8g8f3g29gw8uxfcj5863rnc783xyk0alqm9mcsx3leut98dausxy88kr Rude! 😅


nostr:npub1j4fv96va8nrvwp8mm3u8x90c6n9cv5jksmlda6mug07wawpf5tvqrh4d7e Was it perhaps the recent episode of BBC Sky at Night? And yeah, it's so huge! It's really hard to grasp.


Here's a sneak-peek of the cell that will support the secondary mirror of ESO's Extremely Large #Telecope.

This mirror is 4.25 m wide, the largest optical secondary mirror ever on a telescope. Heck, it's even larger than the *primary* mirror of many current telescopes!

This cell was made by Sener in #Spain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsNK91XZ8HA

#astrodon #astronomy #technology


🎵 If there's something strange
🎵 In your spectrum's flux
🎵 Who you gonna call?
🎵 Astronomers!

https://xkcd.com/2828/

#astrodon #astronomy #xkcd

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/059/468/125/857/429/original/e4e59dd23fd1b9b9.png


nostr:npub17czt0gwf5lfr6v3fj06teh8tlhvzy8gs4duzg09gex5uxll420mq9lutc6 At somewhat shorter infrared wavelengths – what we call the near-infrared – these atmospheric effects are milder. Other ELT instruments will observe at these wavelengths, like MICADO: https://elt.eso.org/instrument/MICADO/


nostr:npub17czt0gwf5lfr6v3fj06teh8tlhvzy8gs4duzg09gex5uxll420mq9lutc6 It depends on what part of the infrared range we're talking about. In the so-called mid-infrared, the absorption/emission of our atmosphere is more prominent. The ELT will have an instrument called METIS that will observe at these wavelengths. Besides taking very sharp images it can also take very high resolution spectra. This complements JWST, which focuses more on sensitivity. You can find more info here, including a short movie about METIS: https://elt.eso.org/instrument/METIS/


nostr:npub1hkrjd0ksse02j7d2937rg0d928dkuqcl3rge637fkr5asr8rnx3qsjlqus Definitely a win!


nostr:npub1u83tdzty7jtu4unezsney8zrmxfmumq8lx9f0jr4g5z5ap9wdcdqrh2v99 Fantastic progress!


As someone who works in #communication , I'm baffled by some folks here on #mastodon who talk down about users of other #SocialMedia platforms in a patronising or even insulting way, only to immediately add: "I don't understand why they don't come here!"

From a goal-oriented comms point of view, this makes zero sense if your true goal is to drive people here, no matter how well justified your criticism of other platforms might be.

I really like it here, but come on folks... 😉


nostr:npub1hyzn5m04499l6khlgfglt4yfn3me04mx6w34fqqprrftx0k9zjyswtq2c8 Indeed! The construction workers provide a sense of scale, but it's still hard to fully grasp the sheer size of the whole thing.


Woohoo, we have a new 360º #webcam inside the dome of the Extremely Large #Telescope !

➡ https://elt.eso.org/about/webcams/

#astrodon #astronomy #chile

https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/111/023/146/862/319/270/original/eb96dabaf3c1544b.mp4