RobertJackson58585858

johncarlosbaez, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago) to random

I have so many questions about what just happened with Voyager 2. But let's review:

On August 20, 1977, Voyager 2 was launched from Earth.

In December 1977, it entered the asteroid belt.

In June 1978, its main radio receiver failed. Since then it's been using the backup receiver!

On July 9, 1979, it flew past many of Jupiter's moons, made its closest approach to Jupiter, and took tons of beautiful pictures.

On August 26, 1981 it shot past Saturn and took tons of beautiful pictures.

On August 25, 1989 it shot past Neptune and took tons of beautiful pictures.

On November 5, 2018 it crossed the heliopause and entered interstellar space, 120 times farther from the Sun than we are.

On July 18, 2023, it overtook Pioneer 10 and became the second farthest man-made object from the Sun.

3 days later, some idiot sent a command that pointed its high gain antenna 2 degrees away from Earth. HOW EXACTLY DID THIS HAPPEN?

On August 4, 2023, NASA used its most high-powered transmitter to successfully command Voyager 2 to reorient towards Earth, resuming communications. HOW WAS THAT POSSIBLE?

Voyager 2 is now 133 AU away. How can you "shout" across such a distance and attract the attention of someone who is not looking in your direction? That's very far. It takes light about 18 hours to travel that far.

j_bertolotti, 10 months ago to physics

A little classical mechanics problem you can solve without doing any calculation:
Consider the hyper-simplified problem of a bell-shaped hill, and a point rock that can slide without friction up and down the hill. If you start with the rock at the bottom, and give it exactly the kinetic energy needed to arrive to the top and stop there without sliding on the other side, how long will it take to arrive there?
#Physics #ITeachPhysics

RobertJackson58585858, 10 months ago to random

Nope.
Ernest was baptised Ernest Sophia, if it's the right one.

RickGaehl, 10 months ago to photography

Who paints a wall that colour, I wonder? And who paints a wall and window surround so nicely, but doesn't bother to paint the window shutters?

There's a whole psychological study to unravel, right here.
"It's not easy being green", as the song goes...

#FensterFreitag #Photography #WindowFriday #Green #Psychogeography

This is in portrait format - you've got to expand to see the full picture.

purplepadma, 10 months ago to random

Hello! I really struggled to get this morning, my intention was to run before breakfast but I just couldn’t do it. Can’t cope with these late nights, well late for me, I’m usually asleep by 9.30pm, last night was nearer midnight and we’re out again tonight. Ho hum. Off to a National Trust place today where my dad has booked an all-terrain mobility scooter. Hope it will stay dry. Any plans yourself?

OurAncestors, 10 months ago to random

It's a week tomorrow since I joined Mastodon. I like it so far. Lots of interesting people :)

#Geneadons

purplepadma, 10 months ago to random

Uggghhh we had the windows open when we went to bed and this morning the noisiest birds on the planet had congregated on my roof. Incessantly chattering magpies and a screaming seagull from first light. I was too confused and stupid to get up and close the windows. I used to like birds but now I’m not so sure. Anyway, Oppenheimer was great but it made for a very late bedtime. For once, all three of us thought the film was excellent (my friends are hard to please). I’m working today but on just one task, a paper on the development of an app to assess criminogenic needs. How are you all? Sleep deprived and grumpy like me? Or fresh as a daisy and ready to greet a new week?

jaz, 10 months ago to random

The word "SWIMS" is still "SWIMS" if you turn your phone upside down.

#SomethingToThinkAbout

lionelb, 10 months ago to random

The name's Bond. No, not that one.

#weirdcarmastodon
#glosextravaganza

Julie_Gfamily, 10 months ago to random

#OnePlaceStudies When you just know you're about to have fun tracking a family!
Caroline Whitehouse married William Mortiboys in 1892. After he died in 1915, she married his brother Joseph.
To add to the fun, there is another Whitehouse/Mortiboys family in the area so it's taken me ages to assign the children correctly!
And because they're a boat family, they are all over the place or missing on the census, AND both surnames are in the Wharf tree already so need checking for connections.

1921 Census transcription for Sarah Ann Mortiboys with the head of house named as Joseph Mortiboys and his wife Caroline.

RickGaehl, 10 months ago to photography

Gondolas have existed since the C11th. They are always black. This is in consequence of one of the many sumptuary laws of Venice, forbidding showiness. Until the C20th, they used to have a sort of cabin amidships, with shutters that could be lowered for privacy. These were the original 'venetian blinds'. Apparently, there are only about 400 gondolas still in Venice, but it feels like more...

This picture is in square format.

#Photography #Water #Boats #Colour #Venice

Amynearlyknowledgeable, 10 months ago to history

Bede was one of the reasons that I wanted to study history. Finally got to visit his tomb and thank him ✨️

#History #AngloSaxon

Bede's tomb, alongside some flowers

wragge, 10 months ago to random

I think the process I've just started will effectively download metadata from every newspaper article in #Trove. This might be a mistake...

RobertJackson58585858, 10 months ago to random

Garden chaos :)
I dotted 10 little comfrey plants round the garden this spring. Most have flowered. Bees love the flowers.

The nipped off thing I believe is a common dogwood or cornus. They're favoured by a deer that gets in ... hence the things like comfrey and alliums to try to deter.

RobertJackson58585858, 10 months ago to random

Checking this morning's batch of new #AncestryDNA matches ... Someone joined #Ancestry last month and added an outline tree ... am smiling at the journey they just started from New Hampshire that will take them to a beer house in Sheffield then to their family of spade makers in the #BlackCountry and maybe even to the their tailoring ancestors in St Luke in London.

At which point I'm stuck, too :)

RobertJackson58585858, 10 months ago to random

I have just tried the mini family tree creation tool on #Gedmatch

If after the last stage (where Gedmatch allocates a tree ID number to the new mini tree) you hit the back button then resubmit then Gedmatch allocates a new second different ID number.

I have no idea why I hit the back button except maybe thinking it would take me back out to the main page, which it didn't .

I have reported the bug to Gedmatch.

#Genchat