Ce fut ma 4ᵉ nuit d'affilée à l'Observatoire. Ce vendredi 20 mars, nous étions à la Grande Lunette de Meudon pour tester l'objectif photographique de 62 cm de diamètre inutilisé depuis au moins les années 1980.

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Your 1990s files are slowly turning into magnetic dust. Leontien Talboom at Cambridge University Library is leading a rescue mission for our digital past. She uses hobbyist tools to pull data from moldy disks that standard drives can't touch. She even recovered lost lectures by Stephen Hawking. You can use her Copy That Floppy! guide to save your own archives. It requires specialized hardware like the Greaseweazle to capture raw magnetic pulses. Don't wait until the iron oxide flakes off for good. Check your storage boxes for those chunky rectangles before they become silent plastic.
🧠 Magnetic decay destroys data after 20 years.
⚡ The Greaseweazle captures raw flux signals.
🎓 Cambridge recovered Stephen Hawking's notes.
🔍 Follow the Copy That Floppy! guide now.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/floppy-disk-archivist-project/
#TechHistory #DataArchiving #VintageTech

Without them, the ELT simply would not function!

We are talking about the giant Pre-Focal Stations of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Currently undergoing final tests, they will be located on both sides of the telescope.

Their task? Guiding the light collected by the ELT mirrors to the scientific instruments that will analyse it, allowing astronomers to unlock the secrets of the cosmos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWCBm8b0IBc

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #engineering

Our Extremely Large Telescope is already 70% complete!

But what would you see if you walked inside it today? The latest Chasing Starlight episode takes you there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IUeLqC-xpo

#astrodon #astronomy #astrophysics #space #science #engineering #chile

In November 2023, the first #images captured by the two #panoramic cameras of the #Euclid space telescope were unveiled. Then followed detailed images of the nearby #Universe (May 2024), the presentation of the first segment of Euclid's #CosmicAtlas (October 2024), and a preview of three deep fields capturing 26 million #galaxies (March 2025).

How are these colorful images produced? Find out this Thursday with Jean-Charles Cuillandre, researcher at CEA Paris-Saclay: https://www.irap.omp.eu/event/science-and-wonder-in-euclids-colorful-universe/

APOD from 2026-03-02

The Dusty Surroundings of Orion and the Pleiades

Test your night sky knowledge by spotting iconic objects like the Pleiades, Orion #Nebula, and more in a deep image from Granada, Spain. The 16-hour exposure reveals the hidden complexity of our celestial tapestry. See an annotated version for guidance. Tonight: Total #Lunar #Eclipse.

HD image at https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260302.html#space #astronomy

"Early on Thursday, Dec. 25, severe winds gusting up to 114 miles per hour tore loose half of the shutter on the 140-year old 36-inch Great Refractor dome. No one was injured."

"The Great Refractor telescope was not damaged during the incident, but its precision lenses and electrical systems could now be vulnerable to rain."

Photo Credit: UCSC News
Full story and photos here:
https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/12/historic-lick-observatory-closes-to-public-following-significant-wind-damage/

Lick Dome Damaged in Wind Storm

“Restoring the dome will be a long process, measured in months, not weeks. But we know why this work matters, and we are committed to bringing people back to the experience of awe that the Great Refractor has inspired for generations.”

Photo: The Great Refractor wrapped against water damage.
Image Credit: UCSC News

If you would like to contribute make a gift online.
https://give.ucsc.edu/campaigns/53679/donations/new

I wish a joyous Christmas to all who celebrate. May you have a truly wonderful time 🎄🎅.

This #Roman glass spherical bottle would make great #Christmas bauble, but it was used to hold perfume and loose powder. The contents were sealed inside the delicate cosmetic container, and a small knob at the top had to be broken off to remove the oil/powder.
Dating 1st/2nd century AD.

On display at Altes Museum Berlin

📷 me

#archaeology

APOD from 2025-12-18

#Jupiter and the Meteors from Gemini

This composite image captures the Geminid #meteor shower, with meteors seeming to radiate from Jupiter. Made from 40 shots out of 500 taken in Portugal during peak activity, the true radiant point is near star Castor in Gemini, not Jupiter, whose gravity influences the shower's parent #asteroid, 3200 Phaethon.

HD image at https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251218.html#space #astronomy #planet #earth #planets