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Zach Schierl

@zschierl.bsky.social

1.5K followers 330 following 230 posts

Professional earth & space science educator. Semi-professional photographer. Amateur parent. He/him 🔭🌎🪨📷⚒️ 📍 Yakima, Washington, USA More: https://zschierlphotography.com/about/

zschierlphotography.com

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Nov 27

Thanks to all of the new followers! I teach community college earth, space, and climate science. I'm also a landscape and astrophotographer in my spare time. Never really used Twitter, but looking forward to learning from and being part of the teaching and photography communities here!

Photograph of the night sky and Milky Way above Mt. Adams, a snow and glacier clad volcano. The stars are reflected in a lake at the base of the mountain. A meteor is visible in the sky over the mountain.

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · 1d

Finally got a cloud-free evening to get a good look at Comet Lemmon. This is a stack of 30 1-sec exposures from my front yard. Comet and tail easily visible in binoculars. Probably a naked eye object if not for the house across the street trying to mimic a Vegas casino...🔭

A bright pale green comet with a genius tail extending toward the upper right of the image. Several stars are visible in the background.

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · 28d

Kicking off year 7 as a full-time faculty member this week!

If any planetary science folks would be interested in speaking to my Solar System astronomy course about their research later this quarter, please get in touch! 🔭

A photo of Zach standing in front of a projector screen. On the screen is the opening slide to a class titled "Astronomy 110: The Solar System"

Reposted by Zach Schierl

Ryan J Hollister @phaneritic.bsky.social · Sep 19

I found a phrase that is resonating with my Intro Geosci and lab students this semester:

It’s not about “right answers” in our labs, it’s about “reasonable answers” based on evidence.

They’re taking a lot more chances and seem to be even more engaged than usual.

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 14

Quite a bit of activity on the Wildcat Fire today. This is a ~30 minute time lapse taken from the Ironstone Mountain Trail late this afternoon. Triangular peak in foreground is Mt. Aix.

#WildcatFire #wawx

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 10

Differential weathering in thin beds of marine sediment exposed near Praia de Odeceixe, Portugal. It was stunning to see this silhouetted against the darkening sky just after sunset! ⚒️

A silhouette of the ragged edge of a sea cliff made of thinly bedded sediments. The edge of the cliff is very jagged due to some layers being more resistant to weathering than others.

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 10

Glad to see Dioptase has returned. Its loss last year made me seriously question the judgement of the geoscience community, so I'm hoping my faith is restored this time around.

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · Sep 10

#MinCup25 Round 1 Match 10: It’s a green, green world for kiwi #Wavellite vs desert emerald #Dioptase.

Will it be revenge or a repeat in this rematch of the 2024 quarterfinals?

VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2025/vote/r1...

Check results: www.mineralcup.org/2025/results...

Vote in Round 1 Match 10 — Mineral Cup

Click here to vote in Dioptase vs Wavellite Photo Credit: Smithsonian Institution

www.mineralcup.org

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Reposted by Zach Schierl

The National Parks Experience @parksexperience.bsky.social · Sep 9

Today, the National Park Service opened a one-month comment period during which the public can share their recommendations or concerns about visitor services at the parks.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to tell them exactly what we want to see, do, learn, and experience in national parks.

National Park Service Is Asking For Your Ideas to Improve Visitor Services, National Park Experience

Tell them to staff all parks properly and tell history accurately.

thenationalparksexperience.substack.com

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 9

Sunset folds and tidepools, Praia de Odeceixe, Portugal

#portugal #landscapephotography 📷 ⚒️

A bench of dark layered rock is dotted by small tidepools reflecting the pink sky at sunset.

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 9

I'd really like to try this. I teach mostly hybrid classes though, and students often need info from the online component of the course in class which makes a clean break tough. Trying to figure out how to communicate expectations without having to spend all of class policing.

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 9

I'm keeping it super local and challenging an incumbent for a local school board seat. Relatively cheap, but spare time is at a premium given that I teach full-time and fall quarter starts in two weeks 😃

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 7

This is one of those rare occasions where I'm quite pleased to be camping somewhere with excellent 5G coverage!

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 7

Figures I'm camping nearly in the path of it. Might be taking refuge in the car here shortly...

Radar screenshot showing my location relative to a large thunderstorm cell.

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 3

Without a doubt, the best part of my job is when students stop by to ask questions that aren't about grades.

Robert “The Bobby Yaga” McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · Sep 3

If you are a college student, maybe a week or two into the semester, why not visit office hours and ask your professor that question?

You know, that thing you were wondering in class? Or when you were doing the homework?

Go ask them! That’s why they are there. They will be excited to see you.

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 2

One of WA's most interesting geological sites and a common geo 101 field trip destination. Very sad.

Andy Zahn @andyzahn.bsky.social · Sep 2

Was upsetting to find Mima Mounds closed yet again due to vandalism. 🤬

At this point, maybe DNR should just put in a campsite with an electric hookup and get someone to volunteer to stay there in an RV to keep an eye on things. It'd be cheaper than repeatedly repairing vandalism damage!

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 2

Shades of blue, Parque Natural da Arrábida, Portugal 📷

#portugal #landscapephotography

A view of a shallow sea, with varying shades of blue and green due to different water depths. A small island is visible in the lower left, and two boats are visible in the water in the lower right.

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Sep 1

About 2:30 pm we crested a ridge on the Jug Lake Trail and saw the pyrocumulus through the trees. A little surprising given that winds by us (only ~8 miles S of the fire) were non-existent to light.

Hoping for favorable conditions as crews try to get this one under control! #wawx

A photo of a towering pyrocumulus cloud through a gap in a conifer forest

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Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Aug 31

Forecast to be 100°F+ most of the week here in Yakima and all of the outdoor pools are "closed for the season" 😑

Zach Schierl @zschierl.bsky.social · Aug 30

Sunset at Praia de Odeceixe, Portugal. The beach is basically a huge sandbar at the mouth of the Rio de Seixe, with the river on one side and the Atlantic on the other. One of the most spectacular beaches I've seen. ⚒️📷

#portugal #landscapephotography