Alejandro S. Borlaff

Uncontrolled use of Low Earth Orbit will replace the brightest stars in the sky with AI data centers. And decrease the Ozone layer. And fill the Earth's environment with space debris. Let's not set the last forest on fire. Thanks BBC Sky at Night! www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/satelli...

Your 'hope porn quote' for today: "The window in which a different future is still possible is narrowing, but it remains open. We have credible pathways, the capacity to act and a goal worth the work. What 2030 requires is that we use them." wwflpr.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/li...

Back from France, catching up on analysis. It looks like the object found in Borneo on Oct 19 is indeed likely to be from the upper stage of ZQ-2E Y4, launched on Oct 14 and reentered on Oct 18. The ground track (using the final Space-Track TLE) passed near the debris site at 1036 UTC Oct 18.

The title says it all: arxiv.org/abs/2610.10834 Still in the peer review process but we* felt it Important to get this out there. Satellite companies are not complying with visual brightness limits. Our estimates are that it will get worse, especially at twilight. *I’m a minor part of “we” here

Honored to receive this evening the Loftus Space Sustainability Award from the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety

You can't just say "In this container full of trash and glass shards there may or may not be a diamond. Can any diamond experts dive in to check?" and then claim they won't engage because they're afraid you might disrupt the diamond industry!

Let's say you use some AI model to see if you can make discoveries using public datasets in a field you're not an expert of. You get something promising, and you want real scientists to check if it's an actual discovery or a fluke. Are you providing funding for their time? Do you expect free work?

✨ Citas con el cielo de #octubre26 ☄️ 21–22: máximo de las Oriónidas, restos del cometa Halley que parecen surgir de Orión 🌕 26: Luna llena 🌙 27–28: la Luna nos señala a las «siete hermanas», las Pléyades 📸 Así las captó el Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre #CienciaCEFCA

I made this plot to try to visualize how crowded these sun-synchronous terminator orbits are going to get with all the "orbital AI data centres" that companies want to launch. Diagram needs a bit of work still, but it's a start. These names are awful, huh? […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This afternoon's orbital data suggests - subject to confirmation - that Russia's Kosmos-2612 has carried out a rendezvous with the US ICEYE X36 radar sat, within a few km. To my knowledge this is the first LEO rendezvous of two active sats where the owner of one of the sats did not give approval.

Esto suscribo todo, aunque estoy en la posición al revés, estadounidense en España. Y no, la sanidad privada no te va a cubrir todo si deja caer la sanidad pública. Ejemplo, con 31 años, sufrí una conmoción cerebral que llegó a causar un ictus porque mi seguro no cubría tratamiento adecuado.

It brought together astronomers and other stakeholders to discuss the impacts of these plans and consider what can be done about them. The organisers included Dr Mike Peel and our Deputy Executive Director @robertmassey.bsky.social (pictured). Pictures: @meganeaves.com

We've been hosting our first Specialist Discussion Meetings of the 26/27 season today. One explored how solar wind controls Earth's radiation belt dynamics while the other looked at how proposals for more satellites could fundamentally change the sky and pose an existential threat to astronomy. ⤵️

Aprovecho que acabamos de celebrar la semana del espacio para compartir este precioso vídeo: “Moonlight Mojave” es un timelapse del parque nacional Joshua Tree, que captura la belleza de su cielo nocturno desparramándose sobre el desierto. lnkd.in/ewgfZAsk

CelesTrak has 18 SDS GP data for 71 objects from the Transporter-18 launch on Oct 1: celestrak.org/NORAD/elemen.... We have already positively matched 4 Planet satellites using their ephemeris-based SupGP data: celestrak.org/NORAD/elemen.... Only 67 more to go!

NGC-602 | NIRCam #JWST Proposal ID: 7035 (www.stsci.edu/jwst-program...) Proposal ID: 2662 (www.stsci.edu/jwst-program...) PI: Zeidler, Peter (ESA Member) Filters: F115W F140M² F150W F162M F182M F210M F277W² F335M F356W F360M F444W F480M F770W F1000W F1130W F1500W F2550.

Did an interview at the ESA open day with @spacerocksofficial.bsky.social

Four years after the end of the incredible NASA/DLR SOFIA Airborne Observatory, PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics) got selected as NASA's next space FIR observatory. Go PRIMA! www.nasa.gov/news-release...

Congrats to the whole PRIMA team on the selection of NASA's first Probe Explorer mission!!!!!! @caltechipac.bsky.social will be PRIMA's science center, and we look forward to working with everyone over the next decade on this exciting project! www.nasa.gov/news-release...

YES!!! LET'S GO PRIMA!!! Such a joy to be part of this wonderful team 🌌🔭🚀 www.nasa.gov/news-release...

I am deeply honored to be awarded this year's Loftus Space Sustainability Award by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. I'm looking forward to meeting colleagues in the space sustainability community at the IAASS meeting in Antibes next month.

Growing up is realizing that the scene where John Wick falls over 222 steps and then has to walk them up again is perhaps the most relatable and realistic scene of the whole saga.

Can we please stop doing this? I made a comic about it and everything!

“As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations,” said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. #NASARoman 🔭

22 years. I'll be 60 when this stops working. Incredible.

#OTD in 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison launched into orbit as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour making her the first Black woman to travel into space. An incredible life: + Physician (M.D., Cornell 1981) + Peace Corps Area Medical Officer in Sierra Leone & Liberia #WomenInSTEM 🧵

Does anyone know how many human-made craters are on the Moon?

🔥Samba’s reentry was recorded! There is fire streaking across the sky in this first image from the ROSIE plane campaign. Credit: ESA/ROSIE/University of Stuttgart (HEFDiG) Read more: www.esa.int/Space_Safety...

☄️ Et voilà la première image de la désintégration du satellite Samba 🤩 📸 ESA/ROSIE/University of Stuttgart (HEFDiG)/A.Genin

Si teneis la oportunidad de pasaros por la Complutense este viernes, vamos a hablar de como hacer ciencia en la frontera entre la tierra y el espacio, y como ese ecosistema necesita nuestra ayuda. Viernes, 10am, Facultad de Fisicas UCM!

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches Aug. 30 on a mission to explore some of the most pressing mysteries of the cosmos. n.pr/3SzgeEI