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brbobmackesj.bsky.social
Planetary Scientist/Maker/Meteorite Curator at Vatican Observatory DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent the Vatican Observatory, the Jesuits, the Vatican, or the Catholic Church.
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From the Vatican Observatory's guestbook. Looks like Harlow Shapley had a sense of humo(u)r.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

its not a haiku unless you make the last line refrigerator

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

you can differentiate whether somebody is a meteoriticist or a political scientist by asking when Allende fell.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

You can differentiate whether somebody studies labor law or chemistry by how they pronounce "unionized."

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Blessed to attend Mass on Sunday in a quiet setting at the Biblicum. The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Jose Luis Narvajo SJ, accompanied by his extended family and a few of his Jesuit confreres. His family were in town for the funeral of another dear relative.

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

He will be missed.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

He will be missed.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

+RIP Papa Francesco

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Fear kills love (charity). The antidote to fear is hope.

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

The extraterrestrials on my desk and the story of how chemists helped figure out their origins. My latest in @naturechemistry.bsky.social with thanks to @brbobmackesj.bsky.social and the meteorite collection at @vaticanobservatory.bsky.social rdcu.be/eggUr

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

A stereogram suitable for the first day of April. Enjoy!

submitted 31 days ago • 1 comment

Researchers found 14 of the 20 amino acids essential for life on Earth in samples from the ancient asteroid Bennu.

submitted 43 days ago • 37 comments

A while back I bragged about sharing coauthorship on a paper with Brian May, but not *that* Brian May. Now I can brag about sharing coauthorship with *that* Brian May. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

submitted 44 days ago • 2 comments

As both a planetary scientist and a philosopher, and as a colleague of both a member of the IAU committee that redefined "planet" and one of its principal critics, I find this XKCD ( @xkcd.com ) fascinating. xkcd.com/3063/

submitted 44 days ago • 0 comments

(pun alert) One of these days I'll take some time off work, just to spend it begging friends for Italian rice balls. I will call it a supplì-cation.

submitted 45 days ago • 2 comments

Was playing with a story in which somebody says <weird thing> and the interlocutor responds, "that's nothing. I once shared a flight with a werewolf during a full moon." Once the image popped into my head, I had to try illustrating it.

submitted 53 days ago • 0 comments

If you see this, quote it with what you're reading this weekend. I’m finishing up The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher. After that I’ll probably reread something by Naomi Novik.

submitted 56 days ago • 0 comments

Experimenting with comic art in Procreate

submitted 56 days ago • 0 comments

This morning I attended a Mass of Thanksgiving in the Vatican for Cardinal Vérgez, the newly retired president of the Governatorate. The new president, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, said some very nice words at the end of the Mass.

submitted 60 days ago • 0 comments

Progress report

submitted 62 days ago • 0 comments

Progress report

submitted 68 days ago • 1 comment

There’s a kind of cheese that comes in little plastic bins. They are very useful for storing and sorting small parts. A great addition for Macke MakerSpace. (And emptying the bins of their cheese is delicious work)

submitted 68 days ago • 1 comment

Next “Macke MakerSpace”project in progress.

submitted 72 days ago • 0 comments

I have opinions about the NIH and the Philadelphia Inquirer published them. Last July I was diagnosed with a progressive, incurable neurodegenerative disease. Writing an equation on the blackboard had become impossible, tying my shoes a challenge. 1/ 3 🧵

submitted 77 days ago • 6 comments

MakerSpace upgrade

submitted 86 days ago • 0 comments