Jessý Potato
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Jessý Potato
@markdownhandsup.bsky.social
The Girl with the Star Wars Tattoo. Recovering geoscientist. 56 countries. I have opinions & adventures. Reykjavík. KC born; SG bred.
The @accuweather.com acct hasn't posted here on Bluesky in two months but they did put this map together on their other socials, showing verified shots of the 11/11 aurora in all 50 states. Solar Cycle 25 has defied expectations and has been giving us a show for a year and a half.

#northernlights
November 13, 2025 at 5:55 PM
This is from my photos in Iceland! The Mexico aurora looked like this:
(from Reddit, a bastion of truth lol)
November 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Wow, furthest south confirmed sighting of the 11/11 aurora (that I have found) is in Zacatecas, Mexico, north of Guadalajara. Phenomenonal!

Low on the horizon, pink/red in color, these types of auroras are very high in the atmosphere and thus is why they can be seen so far south.

#northernlights
November 13, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Made a schoolgirl error: went to a new lagoon here in Iceland so I could soak and see (the aurora). Forgot it's pretty hard to see the northern lights when it's ungodly steamy!

Fled the lagoon, found some lights. Bz has been north most of the day, so unsure how lower latitude viewing will be.
November 12, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Tonight's northern lights display was a G4 magnetic storm, with Kp reaching 8. Confirmed sightings currently as far south as north Florida and into and Louisiana. Unfortunately the next big wave predicted (as of now) to hit today (Nov 12) at 15:00 GMT or 10:00 EST.

#aurora #northernlights
November 12, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Northern Lights really popped off here in Iceland, and apparently everywhere else, as evidenced by social media feeds. Expect more for the next few days.

#aurora #spaceweather #northernlights
November 12, 2025 at 3:27 AM
One of a geologist's worst nightmares in back-to-back posts.

Science infrastructure funding saves lives.
Science communication and education saves lives.
Science saves lives.
November 9, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Just in time for #caturday, it's Gary's 2nd birthday today. I call him Houdini because he's somehow managed to make over a dozen bouncy balls disappear over the past two years.

A big happy birthday to this amazing cat, the sweetest boy, my Maine Coon runt ♥️🎂
November 8, 2025 at 11:25 AM
As I'm starting to build my company (short pitch: travel & events for nerds here in Iceland), I'm beginning to design some early content for the site.

And on the first things I've been asked in almost a decade here is: when is the best time to visit. Well, that depends on your goals for the trip!
November 6, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Tomorrow night's full moon is the closest full moon of the year. Here we see the waxing gibbous rise over Reykjavík this afternoon.

What I love about this time of year is how pronounced the earth's shadow and the pinky-peach Venus Belt become in the sky at dawn and twilight.
November 4, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Forgot to update you all on how much snow we actually received here in Reykjavík, and then how quickly in melted.

First picture is what I shared mid-day Tuesday. Second picture was afternoon Tuesday. Third picture was this weekend.

Still can't open my door, which is impeding my aurora scouting!
November 4, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Fixed 😂
October 30, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Maybe this is a touch of a 'tism, as the kids would say, but @bsky.app having a shadowed 3D app icon while all my other apps are flat, is making me crazy. I might have to move the app off my main screen just so I don't have to look at this mismatched design styles.

#sorrynotsorry #graphicdesign
October 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Well this is my not-so-tiny car, and I can barely find it, nevermind drive it out of these drifts. That's what small cars are up against this week!
October 29, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Absolute chaos in Reykjavík, Iceland as an early season snowstorm has hit the city.

Busses are stuck, police have urged everyone to drop what they're doing and go home, shops are closed.

My balcony is now "full" and the heavy snow is not expected to start for another few hours.
October 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Terrible or fantastic news, depending upon your tolerance for all things festive and jolly:

IKEA Iceland has already put up their infamous Christmas goat. Third week of October.

Why is it infamous, you may ask? Well almost every year, it somehow burns down. Lightning. Arson. The gods. Somehow.
October 15, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Spent the weekend in the Highlands of Iceland filming a documentary about geology, rivers, and the water cycle here.

It's always an adventure to get up into the wild terrain, and I love being among some of the world's most unique, surreal scenery. And of course close to some big volcanoes.
September 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM
It was a big week for northern lights here in the far north as it now gets dark enough to really enjoy the show. A CME blessed our skies, although we were fighting clouds throughout SW Iceland.

More to come this weekend, solar forecast looks good. Hope the terrestrial forecast cooperates. #aurora
September 4, 2025 at 11:16 AM
In more Icelandic cat news, the police and special mechanics team had to be called to rescue a cat trapped in a Tesla. And the newspaper reported extensively on it.

We take cat rescue very seriously here. Like the cat that was kidnapped and they sent an entire swat team after it. #catsky
August 31, 2025 at 8:48 PM
So when you see international headlines like this: take the sensationalism with a grain of salt. The volcano is not "huge" and the entirety of Iceland was not evacuated 😂

#volcano #iceland #science
July 16, 2025 at 1:20 PM
New eruption in Iceland alert! It's exciting and the situation with the air quality and instability of the growing fissure has kept us on our toes.

That said, the eruption is very localized, not affecting infrastructure, and will most likely be short-lived. So just enjoy watching new earth be born!
July 16, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Here's more of Gary loving his wall of hexagons.

The scratching post is an old, repurposed post that he outgrew.

The steps are new but donated IKEA shelves.

The hexes were the only thing handmade from scratch.
June 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Wanted to show off this amazing installation I had put in on my dining room wall for Gary the Cat.

I conceptualized the idea, and my friends at OlaVera designed, built, and installed it. They specialize in sustainable, bespoke furniture.

The table, with cat hidey-holes, is thrifted wood and metal.
June 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Hey #bluesky friends and followers! Sorry I've been MIA. I've been dealing with some health issues, but I'm slowly feeling better.

Not too much geology news here in Iceland anyway, and the midnight sun is keeping the northern lights at bay. But hopefully we can talk volcanoes and aurora again soon!
June 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
What's one thing you're obsessed with? Mine is to be able to accurately complain (or not) about Reykjavík summer weather, with the use of real data.

Behold: new May 2025 data. Not only the warmest May on record ever, but the largest deviation from the mean since I started my records in 2018.
June 5, 2025 at 5:23 PM