Merlyn

markmccaughrean, 7 days ago to random

I’ve lived the last fifteen years in The Netherlands & although I doubtless have a limited & biased view, I’ve been happy with what has seemed broadly to be a progressive, tolerant, & environmentally-conscious society.

I guess this new centre- & far-right government coalition is about to trash all of that with its reactionary populist bullshit 🤮

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/16/new-dutch-coalition-aims-to-reintroduce-80mph-limit-in-cull-of-climate-goals

markmccaughrean, 26 days ago to Netherlands

Well that (partly) sucked 🙄

Meant to ride about 50km, but the conditions were ok, so detoured to a longer route 🚴‍♂️

Starting drizzling around 60km 🌧️

Hadn’t taken any food, so bonked at 70km 😰

Had a puncture at 78km, about 3km from home. Too far to walk in cleats, so fixed it.

Much heavier rain came at that point, of course ⛈️

Managed to sit on cycling glasses when I got home, soggy. Superglue time 💧

Oh well … 🤷‍♂️

#CyclingLife 🚴‍♂️
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷

markmccaughrean, 26 days ago to Netherlands

As a republican (but definitely not the capital R kind 😬), I recognise only one true monarch 😼🙇‍♂️

#Tigger 😽
#Caturday 🐈
#KingsDay 👑
#KoningsDag
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
#CatsOfMastodon 🐈‍⬛

markmccaughrean, 26 days ago to Netherlands

What’s the coefficient of rolling friction when the entire country has been spray-painted orange overnight? 🤨

Asking for a Dutch cycling friend 😱🚴‍♂️

#KingsDay 🇳🇱
#KoningsDag
#Netherlands
#CyclingLife

markmccaughrean, 28 days ago to random

In spaceflight news today, China is about to launch three of its astronauts on Shenzhou 18 towards the Tiangong space station: liftoff is in about 7 minutes from now.

Should be going on CGTN within the next hour to talk about the mission & international collaboration in space exploration.

The latter is certainly an interesting question given the current geopolitical context 😬

https://www.youtube.com/live/AOlSv7rdLDI?feature=shared

#SpaceFlight #SpaceExploration

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Netherlands

“Where the clouds are made of candy floss”
– Jacky, “White Horses”, 1968

Somehow this song & the associated Yugoslav-German TV series came to mind from my early childhood as the sky was filled with mares’ tails this morning 🙂🤷‍♂️

#YesIAmThatOld 👴
#Wassenaar
#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷
#CloudAppreciationSociety ☁️

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to TheExpanse

More than a little envious that my #SpaceRocks compadres are down in Bordeaux this week, along with Steven Strait (aka Holden from #TheExpanse), who’s taking a trip on the Novespace Air Zero-G plane today, & a crew of fellow astronauts from ESA.

And as on the Rocinante, a good cup of coffee is needed to start the day 🙂👍

#ScreamingFirehawks

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to photography

The #Tigger interpretation of quantum mechanics:

The chances of any open box having a living cat in it are 50% 😸

The other 50% of the time, the cat has found another box to be in 😽

#Photography 📷
#CatsOfMastodon 🐈
#DontMentionTheOtherGuy 😬

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Netherlands

“Oh, cycling must be really easy in The Netherlands; it’s so flat.” 🙄🤷‍♂️

Sir Francis Beaufort has entered the chat 😬

#SoundOn 🙉
#Windtastic 💨
#CyclingLife 🙇‍♂️
#Netherlands 🇳🇱

A short video showing the view from a bridge over a drainage canal near to SnowWorld in Zoetermeer. A strong wind is blowing straight down the canal making waves and a significant amount of noise.

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Netherlands

Morning.

A rare sunrise picture from me, on the way back from dropping my wife at the railway station for a flight to Edinburgh 🏰

Our daughter fell while running for the bus & broke her kneecap 10 days ago, followed by surgery to fix it, so she’s immobile in her flat 😬

This is wife’s second trip to look after her – it’s just me & Tigger at home for the next few days 🤷‍♂️😿

I think I might go back to bed for a bit 🛌

#Netherlands 🇳🇱
#Photography 📷

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to random

It’s total solar eclipse day.

They happen somewhere on Earth once every 18 months or so.

But most people can’t afford to go chasing them, so the better question is how long you’d have to wait to see one where you live.

On average, it takes 375 years.

So if you’re lucky enough to be somewhere in North America experiencing totality today:

Put down your phone & camera during the main event, watch, be amazed, & embrace being made from starstuff 🌞🌑

#SolarEclipse2024

https://www.almanac.com/total-solar-eclipses-how-often-do-they-happen

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to random

Breaking: the real reason I ended my time with ESA yesterday wasn’t retirement.

It was to take up a new position as chief boffin with a small non-governmental space agency based on a small island in the central Pacific.

Not great for cycling, but at least the job comes with a cool uniform.

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Astro

The final act 🙇‍♂️

Came in to remove the remaining items from my office, less than five hours before I cease to be a ESA staff member 🥺

But I’ve left one important thing here, to remind whoever comes next of just what Europe can achieve when the brilliant talents of its scientists, engineers, communicators, administrators, & managers combine to take on ambitious goals 🚀🛰️☄️

So long & thanks for all the science 🐬

#RosettaLegacy #SpaceScience #Astrodon

A video of the empty interior of my office at ESA’s ESTEC in Noordwijk. There are chairs, cabinets, & tables, & on one of those tables is a black 3D model of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the comet that ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft rendezvoused with in 2014 & deployed the Philae lander to its surface.

markmccaughrean, 1 month ago to Astronomy

The colours of Sirius: first astrophoto outing with the new iPhone 15 Pro 🙂👍

Hand held & manually trailed from top-left to bottom-right during a 30 sec long timelapse with ProCam, using the telephoto camera deliberately defocussed, 1/30 sec individual exposure time ⭐️📷

#Astronomy #SpaceScience #Photography

stux, 2 months ago to random

I need your help❤️

Soon 3 of our fedi domains need to be renewed for another year and over 10 days new server- media- and email bills will arrive💸

To cut costs for upcoming months I'll be migrating the main server for mstdn.social in the upcoming week to a smaller server

Please think about supporting me with these bills 🙏

https://paypal.me/stuxOS
https://patreon.com/mstdn
https://ko-fi.com/mstdn
https://liberapay.com/mstdn
https://opencollective.com/mstdn
https://bunq.me/stuxhost

You are really appreciated!

markmccaughrean, 2 months ago (edited 2 months ago) to random

An unexpected “tribute” at my leaving do at ESTEC this evening that I’m sure comes with a degree of ribbing that’s entirely deserved 🤷‍♂️🤪

It’s people that design, build, & operate space missions & do the science which opens our eyes to the universe, & I’ve had the privilege to work with many amazing scientists, engineers, managers, administrators, & communicators over the past 15 years.

I shall miss my friends & colleagues here deeply, but very much hope we stay in close touch 🙇‍♂️

Merlyn, 2 months ago to random

It's that viking time of year again where we get ready for the Spring market at Haithabu. #Hiathabu , #reenactor #Handmade #viking

tablet woven trim my friend made for me. blue, red and green on my dark blue wool coat.
My newly made viking coat, blue wool trimmed with tablet woven band. ( please excuse the mess and my husband's rather bombastic drum kit in the background)

markmccaughrean, 2 months ago to random

Who knew? 😳

While there are only 80,000 of those iconic giant redwoods left in their native California (I blame all those rubbish speedbike riders in Return of the Jedi), there are 500,000 now growing in the UK.

Smaller so far, given that they’re much younger, but apparently the warm wet weather conditions suit them well & the largest are already over 50 metres tall.

Story & pix by my lovely friends Becky Morelle, Ali Francis, & Tony Jolliffe at the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68518623

markmccaughrean, 2 months ago to photography

Warning: this image of our local member of the feline monarchy may have been slightly edited – #Tigger is a purrfectionist, after all 🤷‍♂️😽

Hard to believe that he’s almost 14 though – still a curious kitten at heart 😻

#Photography 📷
#CatsOfMastodon 🐈

markmccaughrean, 2 months ago to random

Aaaand … done 🥵

My 44th & final presentation of recent results from ESA’s missions to the Science Programme Committee in our Paris HQ today 🚀🛰️✨

Why final? Because after 15 years, I’ll be retiring from ESA in just a few weeks from now 😱

It has been a privilege to be involved in so many history-making spaceflight moments over that time, with Rosetta & JWST perhaps primus inter pares, & I will miss my amazing colleagues 🙇‍♂️

Future plans? Many, but more on all that soon 😉

#SpaceScience

A screenshot of the Keynote slide deck from my final science highlights presentation to ESA’s SPC, featuring results & events from EnVision, LISA, Einstein Probe, XRISM, INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton, Solar Orbiter, SOHO, Cluster, Mars Express, Euclid, Gaia, HST, CHEOPS, JWST, & (kind of) Rosetta.

Merlyn, 9 months ago to random

The randomness of rain.