Dr. Kelley Hess
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khesser.bsky.social
Dr. Kelley Hess
@khesser.bsky.social
30K followers 650 following 820 posts
Astronomer/Senior Researcher at Onsala Space Observatory/Chalmers University, Sweden; ultra runner, adventure racer, cyclist. Ironman WC 2012, 2014. Xterra World Champs 2014.
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khesser.bsky.social
Finished Ghostdrift by @zanzjan.bsky.social this weekend, and it was as amazing as all the other Finder chronicle books. It’s a series I would happily pick up and start from scratch again as soon as I’ve finished it, and recommend to all! ❤️
The cover of Ghostdrift by Suzanne Palmer. It features a spaceship traveling towards a debris field in front of a planet.
November 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Nice photo! Yes, you can force it to do 10s. Not sure if our camera menus are the same, but if so…touch the arrow button at the top center of the screen. This will cause a new menu to appear on the bottom. Then select the night mode (2nd icon on the left). This should get you a scroll-able exp dial.
Screenshot of iPhone camera mode showing menu options for picture styles. Screen shot of iPhone camera mode with the exposure turned up to 10s.
November 13, 2025 at 6:39 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Bye Colorado! It’s been fun and you were beautiful.
Looking down a valley filled with green pine trees, golden aspens in the foreground, and creamy white clouds smeared across a blue sky. Looking uphill towards a rocky butte against a blue cloudless sky.
October 25, 2025 at 9:58 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Recently read the awesome Finder series by Suzanne Palmer, @zanzjan.bsky.social, just in time to learn that there is a fourth one out! 🎉 YAY! (It has been acquired.) Highly, highly recommend!
Three books by Suzanne Palmer. From left to right and first to third in the series: Finder, Driving the Deep, The Scavenger Door.
October 11, 2025 at 8:38 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Happy Kanelbullens Dag to all who celebrate!
Three quarters remain of a gigantic Swedish cinnamon role.
October 4, 2025 at 10:43 AM
khesser.bsky.social
After the nationwide protest in Italy on Monday, we’ve continued to witness evening demonstrations in Cagliari in support of Palestine. Photos from Wed and Fri night. 👏
A small crowd with Palestinian flags on a We’d night in front of Bastion of Saint Remy. Two majestic flights of stairs zig and zag to a triumphant arch seen against an evening sky. The arch is illuminated in red. From the traffic circle in front of Bastion of Saint Remy. The arch is illuminated from underneath in red and a long Palestinian flag draped from the top of the stairs. Setting is late afternoon. In the foreground are bushes with red flowers on the traffic circle. At night, a large crowd wearing and carrying various flags including Pace, and Palestinian flags in front of Bastion of Saint Remy. The arch is illuminated from underneath in red and a long Palestinian flag draped from the top of the stairs. A band plays on the landing of the stairs.
September 26, 2025 at 11:07 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Gaza cola
A collection of soda cans in a flower box outside a front door. The flower boys also has small plants and an insect hotel. The cans are red on top and say “Gaza cola, extending to a Palestinian glad down the front of the can.
September 26, 2025 at 11:07 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Cagliari by night, with a thunderstorm in the background is very picturesque.
The outside of the old fortifications of the medieval town Castello are lit by flood and city lights. The stone wall is light it’s color and a bit eroded with age, but several stories tall. Lightning over the sea, seen from the top of the Castello. A hormonal bolt of lightning illuminates layers of clouds. An old Roman amphitheater seen in low light at night. The hillside above is lined with trees and a couple street lamps. Looking up the outside of the limestone walls of one of the old prison towers on the Castello. There is an elephant on a small pedestal part way up the way. The light limestone walls extend up against a dark night sky.
September 26, 2025 at 10:47 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Beautiful sunrise run to the beach in Cagliari. Stunning. Shout out to Efisio who captured the moment of us just chatting. www.tiktok.com/@ilmareinsar... Such an incredible place!
September 25, 2025 at 8:07 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Ooo, know that hill though: just went to York for the first time last week! Still sits outside the old city walls, although the city has expanded around it.
Square-ish fortress with rounded corners on top of an isolated grass hilly with steep sides. The white stone walls are windowless and the fortress stands formidably with blue sky and puffy clouds in the background.
September 21, 2025 at 7:36 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Back on Swedish Hemnet for kicks, and the information-less real estate photos never cease to amaze. At least I feel a sense of calm while you waste my time and data.
Spiky plant stems in a black vase on an out of focus wood table next to out of focus glasses. Chair legs (not even whole chairs) cast shadows on light wood floor. Same as first picture: now plant out of focus. Whisky glass in focus.
September 20, 2025 at 7:38 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Discovered the majesty of the York Minster cathedral last weekend. Also noticed that some architectural elements are very slightly off center. 🤔
Organ sits above the King Screen which is flanked by the enormous gothic arches of white stone inside the cathedral. There are 15 kings, with 7 on the left and 8 on the right so the arch to the choir is off center, as is the organ, compared to the rest of the building. View of the organ from the choir, looking towards the front of the cathedral. The choir is dark wood and elaborately carved. The arch to the choir is off center, as is the organ, compared to the rest of the building. Wide angle view inside the chapter house off the north of the cathedral. An octagonal room surrounded on all sides by tall stain glass windows and topped with an impressive arched, painted roof. The tiles on the floor are also laid out in beautiful patterns. Ceiling of the cathedral. The tops of the stain glass windows are visible, flanked by arches of white stone. Across the ceiling, the intersection of the arches and supports are capped with gold hubs, each uniquely patterned.
September 17, 2025 at 8:19 PM
khesser.bsky.social
In the UK for the weekend. 🙄

Anyway, Signal still works and the countryside is beautiful.
The top of the Bluesky settings page has a new (for my account) blue box that says “The laws in your location require you to verify you're an adult before accessing certain features on Bluesky, like adult content and direct messaging. Learn more in your account settings.”
September 12, 2025 at 5:55 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Univ of Cape Town still has the most stunning campus views. Not shown: the view of the sea from the astro dept library. 😍
Devil’s Peak and the east side of Table Mountain rise up behind the University of Cape Town. Taken from the far side of the rugby fields, looking up. The university buildings are tan with red roofs against the green and gray mountain and a deep blue sky. Sunset with a very narrow crescent moon in the top right. Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain are in silhouette at the bottom. The sky fades from orange and pink to grayish blue with some thin wispy clouds.
August 27, 2025 at 7:40 AM
khesser.bsky.social
The galagos/bushbabies are back today for talks+discussions about galaxy environments and simulations.
Three gray fluffy small primates sit on a round wooden beam. Two fluffy tails drape down over the beam.
August 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Currently attending a ~35 person workshop on HI in galaxies, at a venue just outside Kruger Nat’l Park. Today we had four special attendees in the rafters: lesser galagos, or lesser bushbabies!
Picture of wood beams crisscrossing the underside of the roof in a conference room. The photo is at a jaunty angle, catching the edge of a tall slide, and the ceiling below the beams where the projector is mounted. A white circle is drawn to indicate the presence of a fluffy gray tail among the beams. Lesser galago, a small gray fluffy primate with large eyes and large ears, lies on a round wooden beam, looking down to the room below. Lesser galago, a small gray fluffy primate with large eyes and large ears, lies on a round wooden beam, looking across the roof at one of its buddies. The fluffy grey tail has a black tip. His chin and nose are a light pink.
August 19, 2025 at 6:19 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Flying to Tenerife for a PhD thesis defense tomorrow. Anyone else admire waves on the ocean from above and see a poorly calibrated radio image? No? Just me? So many baselines to go back and flag. 🤓
Sunset from an airplane off the south coast of Spain. The fuselage of a plane is seen against a relatively calm sea with the sun setting behind mountains on the coast. A close up of the ocean in the previous image showing the super position of waves traveling from several different angles and with different length scales from peak to peak.
July 28, 2025 at 11:04 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Cornell Dairy Bar FTW! Go Big Red!
Gray T shirt that says “Cornell dairy bay. Sourced from the smartest cows” and features a cow on a scooter with a mini freezer on the back and the clock tower in the background.
July 25, 2025 at 9:59 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Gaspésie bike packing day 4! Almost downhill all the way back to the car, a dip in Lac de l’Anse Pleureuse, and a bit of headwind along the coast. And we saw whales in the car on the way home! A bit over 300 km to make a short loop of the peninsula. Beautiful countryside in the far east of Canada.
Three packed bikes lined up in a bike rack next to a grocery store. Selfie of me in profile on the bike with a lake and green hills in the background. Between my handle bars is an orange dry bag strapped down with bungee cord. A great road sign: a swerving unbalanced car, being overcome by a wave from the left. A stunning cliff side next to the coastal road: thousands of exposed parallel layers in the rocks.
July 14, 2025 at 6:57 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Gaspésie bike packing day 3: *phenomenal* bakery in Gaspé; dramatic river views; fresh wild raspberries and strawberries; uphill the whole way and hot! 🥵 Took a risk and drank half a bottle of water from the river, which seems to have worked out. (River is protected and no farms around.)
A hand holds an almond croissant in front of a wide clear mountain river in the background. The banks are rocky, but the surrounding hills covered with green trees. A cascade in the river. On the right a steep cliff has been carved by the river. The rock of the cliff and foreground is relatively thin layers of shale. A campi n hammock is set up among trees. A hexagonal tarp stretches above it to protect it from the elements. A perfectly still lake reflects whispy clouds at dusk. The image is almost perfectly symmetric about the horizon which cuts through the middle.
July 14, 2025 at 6:46 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Lunch was a lobster club sandwich!🤤 We fixed a flat, had a spectacular finish along the Bay of Gaspé with absolutely no wind. Keeping our eyes open for whales (beluga, etc!) but no luck yet. Marmot (groundhog) spotted. The day’s finishing beer was appropriately called La Bonne Aventure.
Pre lunch nap: Kelley in a blue raincoat with the hood up, lying on a bench with legs up on the table. Bike gear surrounds. Bikes lying on the side of the road, while a cyclist fixes a flat. Perfectly still water in a wide bay, looking up the valley towards tree covered hills. The sky is overcast and it is reflected in the water. A can of beer called La Bonne Aventure.
July 12, 2025 at 3:03 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Gaspesie bike packing Day 2. Started with most incredible sunrise. Seals spotted. Riding the coastal road was a series of cute village followed by steep punchy climb, nice descent to next village, repeat, etc, then a turn inland over the hills of the peninsula from Rivière-au-Reynard to Gaspé… 1/2.
Wind swept pine trees in silhouette against a pink sky at sunrise. View down the coast towards a cute village. The tide is out and a bird is taking off from a post. Looking from a bridge down a river towards the sea. In the far distance a fly fisherman can be seen between the trees. Looking up the road towards a steep punchy climb heading out of a village. Two cyclists are approaching the climb.
July 12, 2025 at 3:03 AM
khesser.bsky.social
Day 1 of bike packing around Gaspesie, Canada. Got a late start yesterday and were racing to beat the sunset (we did not), but enjoyed beautiful colors from the sea and sky, and stunning geology on the coastal road. I’m on a borrowed bike which is a bit too long for me for the 4 days, ~300 km.
Cyclist in profile in a climb. The road bike is loaded on the front and rear with bags. The sea in the distance reflects the pale orange of the partly cloudy evening sky. Cyclist on a flat coastal road. On the left is the sea. On the right is a steep slope with vegetation in the foreground and steep exposed rock in the background. Dramatic coastline close to sunset. In the foreground is tall grass, in the background a church sits above some cliffs that descend to the sea. A campsite with two of the three cyclists. A tent to the right a hammock and tarp in the background, a picnic bench piled with gear to the left
July 12, 2025 at 2:41 AM
khesser.bsky.social
So Quebec is beautiful! Poutine, Festival d’Été de Quebec; amazing bagels, & fishing in a canoe!
Quebec parliament building at night: a grey stone building with a central tower and spire, lit up with white lights. In the foreground a large circular fountain with jets of water shooting towards the center is lit up in blue. A concert stage at night lit in blue and white lights. The background says Lemon Bucket Orkestra. The band has nine members on horns, violins, a guitar and drums. A wood fired bagel oven. One man is rolling pre-baked bagels in sesame seeds and placing them on a long wooden beam to go in the oven. One man is filling a paper bag from a large pile of freshly baked bagels. A perfectly still lake with a smattering by of Lilly pads. The whispy clouds and blue sky is reflected in the water. The lakeshore is dense with green trees.
July 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
khesser.bsky.social
Gorges Ithaca
Triphammer Falls: viewed from a bridge over the gorge is a broad round basin cut into the shale and filled with flowing water. A water fall is at the far end of the basin. The top of the gorge is lined with full green trees. The walls of the gorge are of order 100 feet tall, gray, and show layers in the rock. Waterfall in Cascadilla Gorge. The water cascades over levels of exposed shale. Buttermilk Creek gorge: water falls down a series of levels as it flows down the creek. The gorge is mostly in shade and surrounded by trees. Buttermilk Creek: a waterfall further up the creek. Sunlight pokes through the trees to partially illuminate the falls.
July 9, 2025 at 12:58 PM