Hoo boy, I bet you could use a distraction today! So how about an intense JWST image of a pair of colossal stars whizzing past each other and blasting out wave after wave of dusty shells, expanding away at a soul-freezing NINE MILLION KPH?! badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/two-coloss... 🧪🔭 - ThreadSky

I'm new to Bluesky and trying to limit my usage of Meta apps, and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see a post about astonomy without a comment section full of "space isn't real" anti-science insanity.

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eric2718.bsky.social•33 days ago

It is incredibly refreshing. You can't see an article about astronomy on facebook without lots of obnoxious comments from science denying trolls and bots.

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lynnettevetter.bsky.social•33 days ago

10,000 %!

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laurajh93.bsky.social•33 days ago

Oooo I did my (unfinished) thesis on the supernovae of stars like this. The supernova ejection eventually interacts with the material it sends out resulting in rare spectroscopic signatures. Very very cool

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eric2718.bsky.social•33 days ago

Nice. I dropped out of an astrophysics Ph.D. program without starting on a thesis, but they gave me a master's on the way out for completing the coursework.

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laurajh93.bsky.social•30 days ago

I made it half way through my 4th year before dropping out. I also got a masters though. I wanna go back and finish one day

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

Pretty cool!

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eric2718.bsky.social•33 days ago

Even cooler was getting to be a T.A. for Frank Drake. Not only was he a great astronomer, he was very kind and warm hearted.

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

Yeah, the light curve for that would be neat if we could get really good time resolution.

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laurajh93.bsky.social•32 days ago

They were fascinating. I do miss my research quite a bit some days

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thedarkqueen1.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you for this!

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kdo67.bsky.social•33 days ago

Distraction?

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ema2ca.bsky.social•33 days ago

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bonniecle.bsky.social•33 days ago

If it’s not an apocalyptic size asteroid with imminent Earth collision, I’m not interested today 😂

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jw0183.bsky.social•33 days ago

This is cool af

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graphenes.bsky.social•33 days ago

0.834% of the speed of light

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apotemnophilia.bsky.social•33 days ago

Feeding the univers

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holylifton.bsky.social•33 days ago

Very cool.

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rexmundi71.bsky.social•33 days ago

Trippy.

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jmhallart.bsky.social•33 days ago

Yes. A distraction is what’s needed. Thanks for that image. For me today - it’s music.

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doazydoats.bsky.social•33 days ago

Terrifying indeed, and beautiful. This universe's physics are brilliant.

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lespaceplie.bsky.social•33 days ago

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

HA!

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syvalidhandle.bsky.social•33 days ago

That is an understatement!

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archerswife.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thanks

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kristinlthomsen.bsky.social•33 days ago

hang in there JSTW until they defund you

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kimsteed13.bsky.social•33 days ago

My blessing, my nemesis. My athame of the reality of synesthesia. I have all the senses but for common sense! 🤣✨

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jackiefromtexas.bsky.social•33 days ago

Very welcome distraction. Thank you.

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hewittc.bsky.social•33 days ago

lol

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noiseysprite.bsky.social•33 days ago

I love astrophysics!!! This is AWESOME!

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hels-beastie.bsky.social•33 days ago

Is that Plaid Speed? 😂 The eyeball just boggles. Or lags. Not quite sure.

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sageguitar.bsky.social•33 days ago

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wiredog.bsky.social•33 days ago

Just about 0.001 C

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•33 days ago

Actually 0.01c. ONE PERCENT the speed of light! 🤯

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wiredog.bsky.social•33 days ago

I was close. Only an order of magnitude off. ;-)

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•33 days ago

Yep, no biggie 😉

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ledman54.bsky.social•32 days ago

Thanks for the relief Phil

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artistlike.bsky.social•33 days ago

Hi, is it heading our way?

Please say yes. We need some uplifting news.

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

It's thousands of light-years away, so, no.

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brianmoore22.bsky.social•32 days ago

This is cool

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leslefevre.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you.

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mrstompy.bsky.social•33 days ago

Anyone know what the ultimate fate of most of these giant WR star is? Black hole, or can they shed so much mass that they’ll become neutron stars? To me, it seems like all of those of >100m monsters in the Tarantula Nebula must be too dang big but to end up as a swarm of black holes.

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mrstompy.bsky.social•33 days ago

Watching you on Max just as I saw this. You need a new Universe-ish show to be on.

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harpsiccord.bsky.social•33 days ago

Here's a Dragon-thing I made. I hope it cheers you. (With progress pictures for proof)

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hi-there-friends.bsky.social•32 days ago

🤩🤩🤩

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rlp65.bsky.social•33 days ago

Looks like warp 15 zooming through the galaxy.

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fraidicat2.bsky.social•33 days ago

This is so good for my soul right now! Thank kew.

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disco-iliasium.bsky.social•32 days ago

Appreciate the distraction but people should be organising at the local level

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zerzoo.bsky.social•33 days ago

Actually, I'd rather focus on the groundbreaking science behind JWST's discoveries rather than sensationalized descriptions. Let's appreciate the facts, not try to distract from them.

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ownceo.bsky.social•33 days ago

Perfect distraction, thank you!

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elizabeth-sullivan.bsky.social•33 days ago

I was wondering if there are any planets in the eastern sky these nights. My daughter pointed out a light in the sky that was flashing red and blue last night at about 1 am

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

Yes, Mars is up and very red. Jupiter is higher and quite yellowish-white. Venus is in the southwest next to Saturn, too.

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elizabeth-sullivan.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you. It's definitely time for me to invest in a telescope 😎

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skohayes.bsky.social•33 days ago

How cool is that? Thanks, Phil. Anything from JWST is worth a look!

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josephine083.bsky.social•32 days ago

Thank you 💯

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dankrizzo.bsky.social•32 days ago

Oh hi Phil!

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noted.bones.haver.maia.cash•33 days ago

what do you think will happen to that dust in the long run? bunch of planets? asteroid field?

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campskunk.bsky.social•33 days ago

periastron is 1.4 AU. being a planet of either of these stars has got to be exciting.

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

It'll merge with the galactic dust, and may eventually form more stars and planets.

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donsheldon.bsky.social•33 days ago

The time dilation means the next four years will appear six and a half hours shorter for that dust. I wish I was that dust...

Or is it longer? I can't remember. Sucks to be that dust in that case.

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mrstompy.bsky.social•33 days ago

That lucky *ss dust is 5400 light years away from Washington DC. That’s what matters.

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dataarchitect.bsky.social•33 days ago

If you are the dust, then time passes normally. It is only the distant observer that who sees the time dilation effect.

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mikehallden.bsky.social•33 days ago

Yes. RELATIVELY speaking...
🤔😄😉

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donsheldon.bsky.social•33 days ago

But what happens on Earth appears to pass differently.

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abernazzoli.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thanks!

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gauzy.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank goodness.

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whitewaterlawyer.bsky.social•33 days ago

How do stars like this emit carbon? I thought that elements heavier than helium were only created in novae. Am I fundamentally mistaken on that? Do "main cycle" stars routinely produce carbon, or would it have already been there when they formed?

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•33 days ago

Both! Main-sequence stars do create carbon as part of their normal fusion processes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple-alpha_process). And modern stars are formed with some carbon because it was created in previous stellar generations.

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paulinewallace.bsky.social•32 days ago

Thank you for that. Needed it indeed.

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annienigma.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you

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livebytherule.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you for this.

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myflippinggoodness.bsky.social•32 days ago

Gorgeous! Also thank goodness that's really far away, up close it would be terrifying. Still, fckn gorgeous 😍

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wcyranose.bsky.social•32 days ago

Super!

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bjw7.bsky.social•33 days ago

Outstanding!

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allanpgregory.bsky.social•33 days ago

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dystopian-fashion.bsky.social•33 days ago

Who's going to vacuum that dust up? Not me, brother.

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broekn.bsky.social•33 days ago

a terrifying star?

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attofreak.bsky.social•33 days ago

Humanity could've been a Kardashev scal 1 civilization this century, but no, go digging for more oil 😒

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michaelvasturino.bsky.social•33 days ago

Love this! The universe is fascinating!

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yuweiquan.bsky.social•33 days ago

Very cool!!!

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lorihjschaffer.bsky.social•33 days ago

It's just a temporary turn around, if we make it so. The torch has been passed TO US.

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lorihjschaffer.bsky.social•33 days ago

I'm down with it! Ban META and X and Instagram and Threads usage from January 19-26. If possible leave them altogether and go to an alternative like Blue Sky (my favorite).

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/meta-boycott-facebook-instagram-users-delete-accounts-policy-changes-rcna187480

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lorihjschaffer.bsky.social•33 days ago

Monday, January 20, 2025, is Martin Luther King Day and that is the great American I will be remembering and honoring. I will make my profile picture his portrait in his honor. I will make my FB profile banner one of his quotes. I have a dream, too.

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helenmagnus.bsky.social•33 days ago

Love it

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boomernightwatch.bsky.social•33 days ago

❤️ The space telescopes

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fergieandsyd1.bsky.social•33 days ago

Cool

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waterlily12.bsky.social•33 days ago

Amazing

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bluebirdpoopies.bsky.social•33 days ago

and they named the stardust Ziggy

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wokeegalitarian.bsky.social•29 days ago

&
The other speck is named "Zaggy"! 😊

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bluebirdpoopies.bsky.social•18 days ago

see, mutuals

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wokeegalitarian.bsky.social•18 days ago

There was a time I was able to multitask,
But..,
Sadly, those are days gone by. 🥺
But..,
I STILL try.😁

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wokeegalitarian.bsky.social•18 days ago

So much for my memory. 😢
I lose track where I am,
Particularly when I'm engaging with people I normally see at the other place. 🤣😂🤣
After all...
I am ooold
&
Easily confused.🥴
Truth. 💙

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lolosites.bsky.social•33 days ago

I wanna be there

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roxyanna.bsky.social•33 days ago

Just beautiful l! At least I think so. 🥰

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cherrytreelove.bsky.social•33 days ago

This is exactly what I needed

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candacerobbauthor.bsky.social•33 days ago

I'll take it!

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e-somoroff.bsky.social•33 days ago

Outstanding !

@philplait.bsky.social

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honestremy3.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you!

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kelianpobresito.bsky.social•33 days ago

Is like bowel shocks

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nghtmrnrd1982.bsky.social•33 days ago

Unicron?

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cornpoppissface.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you

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gobbluth18.bsky.social•33 days ago

It’s like a Fourier transform.

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lm100.bsky.social•33 days ago

Distractions https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1CTX7TRRsXWQP5dyPqK2Z2c/new-to-in-our-time-here-are-ten-great-places-to-start

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runeofaia.bsky.social•33 days ago

Insane image.

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lakemanard.bsky.social•33 days ago

Amazing thank you for some eye popping snapshots of our wonderful universe!

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allamericanguy.bsky.social•32 days ago

This is from 2022.

Webb hasn't seen anything cool since 2022?!?

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philplait.bsky.social•32 days ago

Read the linked article.

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•32 days ago

Sometimes it pays to take a second look! 😄

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andrewfryhover.bsky.social•33 days ago

That’s crazy, almost like gravitational waves in our own skies. I love seeing bow-shocks in stellar nurseries, these are almost like that, but not quite.

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aslansredemption.bsky.social•33 days ago

Welcome back Daft Punk elites! In Jesus Christs name we pray amen.

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lldemats.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you for reminding us that the universe is so beautiful and interesting and that it respects laws.

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silverystarsabove.bsky.social•32 days ago

Yooooo that’s cool!

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schadenfreude666.bsky.social•33 days ago

saw it from my home..amazing!...

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floydnine.bsky.social•33 days ago

Fuck yeah! Space explosions or similar! Giant massive space shit, one day, during Armageddon, I imagine the sky just twisting and distorting and like the heavens being torn like scortched rubber binding and burning with dark matter lacing around us, shredding the earth into powder. Or somethin.

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bawalker.bsky.social•33 days ago

This story puts things on this continent into perspective

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eruptionchaser.bsky.social•33 days ago

AT field detected!

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thelarchmage.bsky.social•33 days ago

I wanna know if they can measure the peak-to-peak wavelength, so I can double that enough times to make it an audible note

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•33 days ago

The spacing between shells is about 4400 AU (where 1 AU is the Earth-Sun distance), so that's about 660 billion kilometers. I want to hear the note you create from it! 🎵

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thelarchmage.bsky.social•33 days ago

I'm going to do my calculations neglecting factors like doppler shift; these waves are traveling at several times the speed sound travels through our atmosphere, but translating pressure wave propagation in the near-vacuum interstellar medium... Can't say with certainty how that shifts pitch...

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thelarchmage.bsky.social•33 days ago

I'll just translate it to a pure frequency using the wavelength (4400AU) and speed of the wave (2700000mps), then multiply that by 2^34 to move that into the audible range...

Period 243789122.622 seconds... 1/period is frequency...

The first audible tone 70.470203917268 hz

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thelarchmage.bsky.social•33 days ago

https://szynalski.com/tone#70.470203917268,v1

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•33 days ago

Nice! I can just barely hear that. The next one at 140 Hz is a nice pleasing hum, though.

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just4grins.bsky.social•32 days ago

COOL!!!

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carevillage.bsky.social•33 days ago

🎶We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday. Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome someday. 🎶

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ottis41.bsky.social•33 days ago

thank you! excellent

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metarefugee.bsky.social•32 days ago

😍

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phillipwc.bsky.social•33 days ago

Yes. Great!

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udbmas.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thank you!

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snarktopia.bsky.social•33 days ago

Pretty high on the 'Cool Shit-o-meter'.

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jennsblueinaz.bsky.social•32 days ago

Looks like a beautiful menorah. Stunning!

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mambajambas.bsky.social•33 days ago

A beautiful distraction indeed :)!

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mgscheue.bsky.social•33 days ago

Amazing! And distractions are greatly appreciated, today.

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tm2ss-dalea.bsky.social•33 days ago

Cry harder she lost... bigly.

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bumblingbard42.bsky.social•33 days ago

I need to see something wonderful today. Thank you!

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astroprofhoff.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thanks for the great write-up, Phil! I did a thread on it yesterday with more fabulous images:

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philplait.bsky.social•33 days ago

Thanks, and RTed!

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carlostph.bsky.social•30 days ago

Interesting!
Why would the waves be concentric instead of a spiral?

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philplait.bsky.social•30 days ago

THat's complciated; the one of the articles I link to in my writeup discusses that. But it has to do with the geometery of how the waves collide as the two stars are near each other in very elliptical orbis. The dust is only emitted for part of the orbit so it's not a complete spiral.

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