John Forbes
@redshiftless.bsky.social
Astronomer in Aotearoa/New Zealand at the University of Canterbury.
Pusher of pixels, pens, arrays, and computer keys.
www.johncforbes.com
Pusher of pixels, pens, arrays, and computer keys.
www.johncforbes.com
Ooh gross just discovered a bunch of youtube channels blaring about 3I/ATLAS using an AI-generated Brian Cox. The channel description says the videos are all AI, but the videos are clearly designed to make people think BC is actually saying these things..
November 17, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Ooh gross just discovered a bunch of youtube channels blaring about 3I/ATLAS using an AI-generated Brian Cox. The channel description says the videos are all AI, but the videos are clearly designed to make people think BC is actually saying these things..
More hostility than I was expecting from a planter!
September 15, 2025 at 11:29 PM
More hostility than I was expecting from a planter!
Incredible stuff happening on wikipedia
August 27, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Incredible stuff happening on wikipedia
PSA to scientists: Google calculator appears to no longer do basic unit conversion correctly!
n.b. the correct answer here is 223.4 Myr, a factor of about 60 larger than Google's answer.
🔭 🧪
n.b. the correct answer here is 223.4 Myr, a factor of about 60 larger than Google's answer.
🔭 🧪
August 4, 2025 at 3:08 AM
PSA to scientists: Google calculator appears to no longer do basic unit conversion correctly!
n.b. the correct answer here is 223.4 Myr, a factor of about 60 larger than Google's answer.
🔭 🧪
n.b. the correct answer here is 223.4 Myr, a factor of about 60 larger than Google's answer.
🔭 🧪
It's my favorite time of the year: new black-footed ferret kits born at the National Zoo and the return of ferretcam!
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/blac...
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/blac...
June 5, 2025 at 9:31 AM
It's my favorite time of the year: new black-footed ferret kits born at the National Zoo and the return of ferretcam!
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/blac...
nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/blac...
Looks like a promising night for aurora chasing
June 1, 2025 at 4:56 AM
Looks like a promising night for aurora chasing
New paper!
High-order epicyclic description of orbits in spherically-symmetric potentials (plus vertical oscillations in a disk).
My love of epicycles is so notorious that the postgraduates made this meme
High-order epicyclic description of orbits in spherically-symmetric potentials (plus vertical oscillations in a disk).
My love of epicycles is so notorious that the postgraduates made this meme
April 15, 2025 at 10:34 AM
New paper!
High-order epicyclic description of orbits in spherically-symmetric potentials (plus vertical oscillations in a disk).
My love of epicycles is so notorious that the postgraduates made this meme
High-order epicyclic description of orbits in spherically-symmetric potentials (plus vertical oscillations in a disk).
My love of epicycles is so notorious that the postgraduates made this meme
I have GOT to stop making small talk about the "elevators"
March 19, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I have GOT to stop making small talk about the "elevators"
Chuffed by the YIMBY-adjacent messaging in my 2-yr-old’s current favorite book
January 5, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Chuffed by the YIMBY-adjacent messaging in my 2-yr-old’s current favorite book
I've been trying out julia recently! It's fun, but this stacktrace is next-level. Just page after page of
December 4, 2024 at 11:58 PM
I've been trying out julia recently! It's fun, but this stacktrace is next-level. Just page after page of
Caught a little drama on my walk home yesterday
November 26, 2024 at 11:03 PM
Caught a little drama on my walk home yesterday
Depends what you need!
We have positions and velocities of particles in streams that we could provide in whatever convenient coordinates or cadence you'd like.
Might be cool to see a stream spreading around a planetarium dome
We have positions and velocities of particles in streams that we could provide in whatever convenient coordinates or cadence you'd like.
Might be cool to see a stream spreading around a planetarium dome
November 25, 2024 at 9:56 AM
Depends what you need!
We have positions and velocities of particles in streams that we could provide in whatever convenient coordinates or cadence you'd like.
Might be cool to see a stream spreading around a planetarium dome
We have positions and velocities of particles in streams that we could provide in whatever convenient coordinates or cadence you'd like.
Might be cool to see a stream spreading around a planetarium dome
The Galaxy is full of streams of interstellar objects!
Explainer thread below from @astrokiwi.bsky.social
🔭 🧪
Explainer thread below from @astrokiwi.bsky.social
🔭 🧪
November 25, 2024 at 4:06 AM
The Galaxy is full of streams of interstellar objects!
Explainer thread below from @astrokiwi.bsky.social
🔭 🧪
Explainer thread below from @astrokiwi.bsky.social
🔭 🧪
A hearty welcome to the latest round of new folks! Have fun exploring your new less-awful microblogging platform. Here’s a picture of my cat Rocket taking his first jaunt outside in a while!
(I swear I post about astronomy sometimes!)
(I swear I post about astronomy sometimes!)
November 14, 2024 at 5:26 AM
A hearty welcome to the latest round of new folks! Have fun exploring your new less-awful microblogging platform. Here’s a picture of my cat Rocket taking his first jaunt outside in a while!
(I swear I post about astronomy sometimes!)
(I swear I post about astronomy sometimes!)
Last minute, but for any other overseas voters who have the option to Fax in your ballot: rather than having small crowds gather to be amused at your predicament as you hunt in vain for a fax machine in a modern country, you can use a phone app! I had a good experience with "Fax.Plus".
November 3, 2024 at 11:39 PM
Last minute, but for any other overseas voters who have the option to Fax in your ballot: rather than having small crowds gather to be amused at your predicament as you hunt in vain for a fax machine in a modern country, you can use a phone app! I had a good experience with "Fax.Plus".
Doing some science today
October 30, 2024 at 9:35 AM
Doing some science today
I don’t really have the posting gene but felt compelled to welcome the latest wave of twitter refugees. Here’s my cat living the good life.
October 18, 2024 at 10:48 AM
I don’t really have the posting gene but felt compelled to welcome the latest wave of twitter refugees. Here’s my cat living the good life.
Spotted the local campus celebrities!
September 20, 2024 at 8:09 AM
Spotted the local campus celebrities!
Spotted at a local shop: Pluto demoted again apparently
August 18, 2024 at 7:57 AM
Spotted at a local shop: Pluto demoted again apparently
Can a kiwi settle an argument between my partner and me:
What does the phrase “NOT TO BE TAKEN” mean in this context?
What does the phrase “NOT TO BE TAKEN” mean in this context?
February 20, 2024 at 6:37 AM
Can a kiwi settle an argument between my partner and me:
What does the phrase “NOT TO BE TAKEN” mean in this context?
What does the phrase “NOT TO BE TAKEN” mean in this context?
Yes, was using plt.close(fig), not in a notebook. Might not be noticeable unless you're creating a large batch of large plots.
The issue seems to be with the default (interactive) backend. So, PSA for people following: use a static/non-interactive backend :-)
The issue seems to be with the default (interactive) backend. So, PSA for people following: use a static/non-interactive backend :-)
September 19, 2023 at 12:27 PM
Yes, was using plt.close(fig), not in a notebook. Might not be noticeable unless you're creating a large batch of large plots.
The issue seems to be with the default (interactive) backend. So, PSA for people following: use a static/non-interactive backend :-)
The issue seems to be with the default (interactive) backend. So, PSA for people following: use a static/non-interactive backend :-)
New paper out today, led by the inimitable Nia Imara! We find that adopting a cylindrical geometry for famous nearby molecular clouds yields new and sometimes counterintuitive scaling relations, e.g. more massive clouds tend to have lower central densities! 🔭🧪
arxiv.org/abs/2309.04532
arxiv.org/abs/2309.04532
September 12, 2023 at 5:12 AM
New paper out today, led by the inimitable Nia Imara! We find that adopting a cylindrical geometry for famous nearby molecular clouds yields new and sometimes counterintuitive scaling relations, e.g. more massive clouds tend to have lower central densities! 🔭🧪
arxiv.org/abs/2309.04532
arxiv.org/abs/2309.04532
Spotted some anticrepuscular rays at sunset this evening! (The sun is behind the photographer)
September 6, 2023 at 8:47 AM
Spotted some anticrepuscular rays at sunset this evening! (The sun is behind the photographer)