#We Are Mauna Kea

[freehawaii]

IT DOESNʻT TAKE A TELESCOPE TO SEE THAT

[metamatar]

At the time, writes Casumbal-Salazar, “there was no public consultation, no clear management process and little governmental oversight.” Environmentalists soon began opposing further construction on the mountain, arguing that the existing telescopes had contaminated local aquifers and destroyed the habitat of a rare bug found only on the mountain’s summit.

Native Hawaiians joined forces with environmentalists, arguing that any construction on the summit is desecration of a sacred mountain that is the site of spiritual and cultural practices. “Indeed,” Casumbal-Salazar, whose ancestry is partly native Hawaiian, writes, “Mauna a Wākea is more than just a list of physical attributes; it is our kin. As our kupuna [ancestors] are buried in the soil, our ancestors become the land that grows our food and the dust we breathe.” Soon, native Hawaiians were required to seek permission from the state for spiritual practice on the mountain.

[...] Swanner finds that for native Hawaiians, “science has effectively become an agent of colonisation”, “fundamentally indistinguishable from earlier colonisation activities”. [...]

James Cook, the British explorer who was the first European to establish contact with Hawai’i, was tasked with leading an expedition to Tahiti to observe the 1769 transit of Venus (to help determine the Earth-Sun distance). But he had also been given sealed orders to search for Australia, indicating “that astronomy and colonisation have been entwined in the Pacific since first contact.”

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

Friends We Made Along The Way Modern AU Part 2

Ive been getting a couple requests for modern day kid/killer, and ive had this perona design in the works for months now. But the final straw was the realization from that one ask i got that i have nothing for Koala in my au yet. So i had to rectify that.

ASL Brothers Modern AU

East Blue Crew Modern Au

Grand Line Crew Modern Au

Friends We Made Along The way Post

additional head-canons:

Koala volunteers at the hospital that Sabo works at as a physical therapy assistant on the weekends. it is very seldom she has free time due to her department store job, doordash job, and volunteering.

Perona, along with Zoro, was a foster child to Mihawk. they both came to live with him when they were teenagers. She still lives with him, but she pays rent and their relationship is more like roommates than father-Daughter atm.

kid and killer are saying up for a trip to Hawaii. They really wanna go up the Mauna Kea mountain and breathe in it’s famously clean air.

additional koala headcanons on this post

Perona has taken up a bit of fencing lessons from Mihawk, and has generally absorbed a lot of information about swords from just being around Zoro and Mihawk all the time.

Kid lives in a very crappy building with 7 other roommates, but he winds up crashing at killer's place most of the time

Killer collects posters of movies he likes that he steals from the movie theater as they come out.

Thanks for reading 👍

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making my mom’s boyfriend feel bad on purpose?

disclaimer: my parents have an open marriage

so i (20m, northern cheyenne) don’t have a problem with the modern celebration of thanksgiving.

really. i don’t.

the whole “pilgrims and indians” schtick is gross, but i find that generally, outside of elementary schools, nobody thinks about that part very much. people mostly just want to see their families and eat weird food. and i fucks w that.

the problem comes in with my mom’s boyfriend.

my mom (52f) is white, but she’s been married to my dad (53m) who is also northern cheyenne for 26 years. she’s the DEI coordinator for our county’s public school system and she’s one of my favorite most trusted shire people ever. so i never really have to censor myself around her. i can make jokes and complain and vent and etc etc etc. she’ll always listen.

her BOYFRIEND though.

i really do like my mom’s boyfriend (41m). he’s super cool, recommends good books, teaches me about plumbing, all sorts of other Manly Step Dad Shit (/hj).

but he is decidedly extremely caucasian. like so white.

he’s not /racist/ but he’s that in-between that a lot of white people are where they’re never mean, but you gotta watch what you say around them bc they bruise like a two week old apple.

there have been a few instances where i have in fact bruised his sensitive white man apple skin.

1) i was listening to a podcast with my mom about people indigenous to Hawai’i protecting Mauna Kea. we were listening to it out loud in our living room, and her boyfriend came in and listened for a few minutes before asking me to turn it off because it was “depressing”. fair enough. i figured he was having a rough day and i turned it off. (side note, it was All My Relations, “For the Love of the Mauna”.)

2) we were driving somewhere and trading off command of the AUX. i put on a song by Nahko and Medicine for the People, specifically their parody of “My Country Tis of Thee”. he again said he didn’t like it, it was depressing, and could I please turn it off. i did.

3) this is where i’m the asshole. we’re planning for thanksgiving, and i mentioned wanting to do a anticolonial thanksgiving. we’d watch some stuff about the wampanoag tribe (first contact tribe at plymouth rock), i’d make frybread and fried squash blossoms (along w my mom who would make the thanksgiving basics) we’d have a grand old time. her boyfriend asks why we can’t just enjoy thanksgiving without making it too political.

i’m like. that’s not political? it’s cultural?

and he says that to him it feels self flagellating and it would make him feel bad.

and i said honestly? the idea of thanksgiving’s history makes Me feel bad. and not to complain dude, but as an american indian, it’s always about you, and never, ever about me. so truly, i don’t care if you feel bad. we’re not doing a fucking colonized thanksgiving in this house. so if you’re just here for that sham bullshit, go and stay gone.

my mom says she agrees with me that an attempt at a decolonized thanksgiving is a good idea and a good compromise for our mixed family, but that i was way too harsh on her boyfriend and should’ve tried explaining in a kinder way first, since he’s really not educated on this stuff. i see where she’s coming from; i worry i might’ve scared him off of ever learning about cultural decolonization. ik it’s not my responsibility to make him care, but that doesn’t change the fact that plenty of white people are subconsciously looking for a reason not to care about natives, and by being a dick i might’ve just handed him that reason. so not only was i an asshole to him, but an asshole to my community at large by disservicing our reputation.

idk. i think i ruined thanksgiving :/

What are these acronyms?

[nebulablakemurphy]

Moves & Countermoves (Part 7)

Summary: No one ever wins the games, even fourteen years later, Y/N is still playing.

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

“What’d you think? Should we climb it?” Tyson asks his district partner, teasingly.

She is two years his junior, still not an idiot. The giant pile of sand funneling in from the top of the arena is no hiking expedition. “No, we should save our strength, like Haymitch said.”

“Did you know the tallest mountain in the world was called Mount Everest? Before the founding of our great nation?” He presses on, largely ignoring Y/N’s sage advice.

“What do they call it now?” She wonders.

“Trick question; tallest mountain in the world was actually Mauna Kea.”

“Now’s a bad time for trivia.” Y/N decides, a hand at her brow to shield the blazing sun.

“It’s the only time we’ve got.”

Y/N startles awake, as she always does from dreams of him. Dreams of a stranger, who in under two weeks became her best friend. The games are funny that way, time moves differently there. People who standby you in the arena become closer than people you’ve known for years. The ones that haunt you forever.

She thinks of him often. Though Y/N never had a brother, she decided a long time ago, that is where Tyson fit. How he taunted and teased her, protected and loved her, all at the same time. And when she named her son Everest, sealing the tiniest drop of Tyson in her blood, Y/N found some peace with it. Giving new life to the boy who died so that she might live.

When she hears Peeta recounting the day he fell in love with Katniss, her heart sinks. The gamemakers won’t let them both win. They can’t. President Snow simply won’t allow it. And if what they’re saying now is true, even if one of them survives…

“There’s backstory,” Haymitch muses.

Maybe he believes Seneca would do it, two victors. Or maybe he just wants her to believe that he believes. One thing about Haymitch is that he will lie, either straight up or simply omit key details to shield Y/N. Protect her at any cost, as if she were some fragile thing.

She used to hate it, until she understood. Not fragile; precious. Something more valuable than money, or secrets, even booze. If anything happened to Y/N, his world would simply stop turning. The sun would set and never rise. She is a precious commodity of extremely limited supply. She could never be replaced.

“You need medicine for that leg.” Katniss changes the topic of conversation.

“I don’t get many parachutes.” Peeta admits, though he doesn’t tell her why.

“We’ll figure something out.”

“Like what?”

“Something.” Katniss huffs, into the dimly lit cave.

“I think that was the green light on the meds for Peeta.” It’s go time. Haymitch rises from the bench, offering his hand.

This particular offering will not come cheap, it’s time for the original lovers of district twelve to do what they do best. Work an angle.

————————————————————————

“What do you mean we can’t send medicine? We’ve always been able to send medicine.”

“Not my rules, Mrs. Abernathy.” The woman behind the counter says.

“Of course not, you just work here.” Haymitch smiles.

The Capitol employee returns the gesture.

“We’ve been raising this money all day and Y/N is obviously upset that we can’t go through with sending the medicine, but we understand. Is there any information you could give us to help put our minds at ease about the condition of our tribute?”

The woman looks to Y/N now. District twelve tributes rarely make it this far and everyone is quite taken with the young lovers. Against her better judgment, she motions for Y/N to lean down toward her. “There will be an opportunity for your tribute to receive medicine tomorrow.”

“Is there anything we can send today?” Y/N asks.

“You can send soup.”

“Soup.” Haymitch repeats, with false enthusiasm. “We’ll send them soup.”

————————————————————————

“Attention tributes, commencing at dawn, there will be a feast of sorts, at the cornucopia. Each of you need something desperately and we plan to be…generous hosts.”

“And that is why we couldn’t send medicine,” Haymitch laughs, staring down at the contents of his cup.

They’re trying to wrap this up, everyone’s off in different directions. Bring them back together for one hell of a show before curtain fall.

“Five needs food. Thresh just got bread so…maybe weapons? Two needs…armor? I don’t-” Y/N presses a finger against her temple, desperate for answers.

“You feeling ok?” Haymitch’s brow furrows.

“Yes,” Y/N bites out.

Her husband reels back. It is not uncommon for Y/N to mourn tributes, even ones that aren’t theirs. It is unlike her to take it out on him.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Y/N apologizes, immediately. Taking one of his hands in hers.

Haymitch turns his gaze to their twined fingers, she’s shaking, “when’s the last time you ate something?”

“Not hungry.”

“You need to eat,” he decides.

“Nothing tastes right.”

“Listen angel, if they’re gonna poison you, it won’t be here.”

“I must be coming down with something.” Or the stress. Despite all of this, she’s never faired well under duress.

“Probably why you puked in that lady’s ice bucket.” Haymitch notes.

“You know what does sound halfway decent?”

“Hmm?”

“Those little cream puffs with powdered sugar on top.”

Haymitch grins, “I’ll bring a plate.”

He hovers after that. Y/N can’t stand hovering, but she tolerates it. Understanding that it comes from a place of love. She didn’t mean to worry him.

Haymitch can’t sleep. Even after Y/N is out cold.

“I love you so much, Haymitch.”

She who brushes wayward hair from his eyes and runs her nose along the length of his, after the sweetest of kisses. She who believes in him and shows him each day there is a reason his life did not end in the arena. She is the best person he has ever known and he’ll spend the rest of his life trying to deserve her. To deserve that selfless, all consuming, love that she gives so freely.

“I love you forever.” Maybe even longer.

In that, at least he knows there is no cause for concern. Their marriage will not crumble, come hell or high water. Haymitch knows how badly she misses home, their children. In another life he’d ask for ten, as many as Y/N would give him.

The tiny garden, around the back of their house in victor’s village; where Everest plants carrots and other vegetables. Where Arista steals them to feed the wandering geese. The most taciturn, temperamental, creatures she can find are naturally the ones she chooses to care for.

Y/N’s syringes come like clockwork from the Capitol, every three months. Squandering any hope of tiny baby feet. Though she is the best mother, one who plays with her daughter and son, down in the dirt. A mother who loves her children more than anything.

Their lives there are a safe haven, one that exists only in their minds. There is no room for a place like that here. No safety for the children they’ve given life to. Only false hope and broken promises.

And if by some misfortune or Capitol ‘miracle’ a child should slip through, Haymitch would love them. Somehow, someway they’d all make it through. But he hopes, more than anything, that it is not now.

————————————————————————

There is no rush to the viewing room the next morning, everything the tributes need will be at the cornucopia. Katniss gets close to the bag marked ‘12’ and the girl from two is on her. Knocking her back with those damn knives.

They grapple around for a while, before landing with Clove on top. Leaving Katniss no room for escape as she holds the blade to her throat. Haymitch is seated on the bed, watching Y/N pace along the large screen in their bedroom.

Thankfully the boy from eleven takes out one of the two remaining careers. Overhearing her taunt Katniss and brag about killing his district partner.

“Just this time, twelve.” Thresh tells her, gathering his bag from the table. “For Rue.”

With that they’re off; Thresh back to solitude and Katniss to Peeta.

He’s still asleep when she arrives, waking only to the sound of her voice. “I got it. I got your medicine.”

“What happened to you?” Peeta’s eyes focus on the gash across her forehead, courtesy of Clove.

“I’m fine.” Katniss busies herself with opening the canister.

“No you’re not,” Peeta reaches up, “what happened?”

“The girl from two, she threw a knife.”

“You shouldn’t have gone, you said you weren’t gonna go.”

“You got worse.” She replies, simply. Spreading the salve over the length of his wound.

Peeta allows a small cry to pass his lips, grabbing at her wrist. “You need some of that too.”

“I’m ok.” Katniss is more worried about him.

“That feels so much better.” He sighs. “Now you need some too.”

“I’m ok.”

“No, come on. You need it too.”

“Alright.” Katniss finally agrees. Watching Peeta’s tender expression as he thumbs the cream over her injury.

When they wake to the computer generated sunrise and find their cuts have healed, the star crossed lovers set off in search of food.

Peeta to the left, foraging berries while Katniss goes to hunt. Though the separation is not ideal, his heavy footsteps would send any potential prey running. The archer is ready to score them some breakfast when the cannon sounds.

It’s for the girl from five. But Katniss doesn’t know that, so she sets off in search of Peeta.

This time, Y/N and Haymitch are down in the viewing room, overhearing the chatter around them.

“Those berries must be poisonous.”

“I hope Katniss finds him in time.”

Katniss calls out for Peeta again, colliding into him a moment later as Peeta rushes toward the sound of her voice. His fist still closed around a handful of blue berries.

“What happened? Are you ok?” Peeta wonders, holding her tightly as she trembles.

“I heard the cannon. I thought you were dead.”

The boy rests his chin against her shoulder, “I’m right here.”

Katniss pulls back to scold him, smacking the berries from his hand. “That’s nightlock, Peeta. You’d be dead in a minute!”

“I didn’t know,” he stammers.

“Scared me half to death, damn you.” Then she is hugging him again. She can’t explain it, the need to feel him close, know that he is safe.

“I’m sorry.” Peeta breathes, soothing her with a gentle hand, down the length of her back. “I’m sorry.”

When they have settled enough to keep moving, they make the discovery of the red head’s body. Her mouth stained magenta and a few berries still in hand, eyes wide and open.

“I never even knew she was following me.”

“She’s clever.” Katniss always thought so.

“Too clever.”

Katniss leans down, collecting the berries from her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Maybe Cato likes berries too.”

It’s only half past noon when the sun sets, quickly and without warning.

“Must be in a hurry to end it.” Katniss reasons.

Y/N’s leg is bouncing faster now, vibrating almost.

Haymitch reaches out a hand, resting it atop her thigh to still it.

They wait there, in uncomfortable silence, until the sound of mutts causes Y/N to jump. Even Haymitch flinches when the animals appear, like something out of a nightmare, bits of the fallen tributes mixed in.

They take Thresh, tearing him to pieces and Y/N doesn’t fight when Haymitch wraps her up in his arms. Making a place for herself in his lap, legs dangling over the side of his, not caring if she is heavy. He of course, doesn’t mind, pressing a kiss to the underside her jaw.

Cato is waiting at the top of the cornucopia. When Peeta and Katniss inevitably end up there, the three of them have it out. With Cato’s arm around Peeta’s neck, Katniss is left with no good choices. If she shoots the career’s hand where Peeta is pointing and she misses… But if she doesn’t shoot, he’ll kill Peeta anyway. She takes a deep breath and lets the arrow fly.

Cato’s death is a quick one, a mercy he may not have shown with roles reversed. But it is over, leaving just the tributes from district twelve. Gone is the shadow of night, the sun returning to illuminate the finale.

“Attention, tributes, attention, there’s been a slight rule change.”

Katniss draws her bow, fearing that they are somehow not alone.

Haymitch shifts, bracing himself.

“The previous revision allowing two victors from the same district has been…revoked. Only one may be crowned. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

Katniss and Peeta turn back to one another.

“Go ahead.” Peeta insists, “one of us should go home. One of us has to die, they have to have their victor.”

“No,” Katniss tosses her weapon down, stepping over it to close the space between them. “They don’t. Why should they?” She pulls the nightlock from her pocket.

“No,” Peeta covers her hand with his own.

“Trust me.” Katniss whispers, “trust me.”

And Peeta does, accepting the berries into his palm.

Haymitch lets out a breath, patting the outside of Y/N’s thigh, affectionately. “You did it.” He murmurs, “there’s your victors.” Even though it isn’t fair, even though there will be nothing to show for it. They won.

Y/N leans farther into his embrace. Wishing more than anything for the chance to tell Peeta that she is proud and to tell Katniss…

“Together?” The boys asks.

“Together,” Katniss repeats.

“Ok. One.” Peeta runs his fingertips down the length of her braid.

“Two.”

“Three.”

Together they raise the poison toward their lips.

“Stop.” A voice rings through the arena, “stop! Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the winners of the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games.”

For this, the four of them will surely be punished.

Part 8

Series Taglist: @praline357 @flowercrowns-goodvibes @justheretoparty420 @avocadotoastwithegg @officialjellydoughnut @whoreforfictionalpeople @treehouse-mouse @emo-markie @spilled-mi1k @magical-spit @greaser9902 @jessicamellarky @yourebuckingkiddingme @smuha2004

[fatehbaz]

[I]magine a more decolonial relationship with land. When we think about maps, they really are biographies of land. They teach us about the histories of lands and the people who lived there [...]

In a [...] colonial system, in a capitalist system, we are alienated from land, we tend to see land as a commodity. And in the mapping [...], the cartographies of capital [...], what happens is that developers will enclose a piece of land and will fragment it even further until it's broken up into smaller and smaller pieces [...]. And I've seen cases where one piece of land will have a one hundred and fifty page cultural impact assessment, saying that the impact of development on this land would have a tremendously devastating effect [...] and in an adjacent piece of land that there would only be a 10 page cultural impact assessment because the [colonial administrators] only look at whatever is within the red boundary lines and not at the ways in which multiple sites comprise a complex. [...]

By contrast, when you look at the ways that Kānaka Maoli map land, they map places in relationship to each other [...]. [There is] importance of preserving the continuity of stream flows from the mountains through to the seas because the stream flows are important to the the mixing of the salt and the fresh water, which creates the brackish water estuaries that are nurseries for baby fish. And so in these kinds of stories about land [...], you can see these ecological continuities and relationships, what Kanaka Maoli call pilina, [...] that connection, [...] that relationality. [...] And [...] they [the mo’o] later disperse to every[where] [...], to fish ponds, to springs, to pools, to waterfalls and streams. [...] And they even came up with a word for land called moʻoʻāina, meaning lands that are connected in a series within an ahupuaʻa [...].

---

And so this [...] is a story about water conservation, it's about the protection of water. Today we see large corporations diverting waters away from streams to feed the sugar plantations because sugar is an extremely thirsty plant. But later we saw it going to feed housing developments. Right now, the military banks water, there's water banking going on in Hawaii. [...]

It is just amazing how abundant lands get condemned as being agriculturally unfeasible by state agencies that want to develop things like industrial parks. And capital doesn't just map wastelands, it creates the illusion of abundant lands as wastelands that they then degrade [...]. And that, to me, is the most horrible thing – to take a living land and to make it appear as if it's a wasteland. [...] [B]ecause the state wants the land for other purposes. So it's using that illusion of scarcity in order to claim the mountain [...]. And I remember a planner asking me the question, do you know what was the most agriculturally abundant land on Oʻahu? And I said, was it on the windward side where there's a lot of rain? He says, no, it's where you see Schofield Barracks right now. And that's also true for Lualualei, where the naval radio transmitter towers are located. The military took the most abundant lands and instead of planting food, they seeded unexploded ordinances.

And that, to me, illustrates both the dangers of the maps of capital versus Indigenous stories about Mauna Kea that point to the fact that the mauna is a container of water. If you look at stories from these kilo observations, embedded in the oli is a recognition that the primary source of water for Mauna Wakea is fog drip and that the land is saturated with water. And if you look at other stories about Mauna a Wakea, there are stories about Kamiki gathering water from Lake Waiau, which is near the summit of the Mauna and some of the water splashing over the sides of his bowl to create all of the springs that extend out from Mauna Kea [...] miles and miles away. And so this understanding of Mauna Kea is important because Mauna Kea sits on five aquifers [...].

And that is exactly what's happening: these maps of capital create the illusion of scarcity, which these industrial products then manifest. [...]

---

So, for example, Noelani Puniwai is a professor at the University of Hawaiʻi and she's a Kanaka Maoli scientist. And she explains that we have to learn the akua or the elements of the places where we live. [...] So, for example, Kāne is known as the water that flows underground. He's the fresh water flows underground. [...] The important thing to remember in terms of climate is that the cold waters of Kāne, the fresh waters emerge into Kanaloa, into the ocean, through underground springs and through streams and stream flows. That's important in regulating the temperature of waters around our islands. [...] [T]he cold waters around the islands protect us from hurricanes. [...] [T]hey [the hurricanes] tend to veer north or they veer south [...]. And these freshwater springs around the islands are famous. They are places called Punalu’u [...].

So that relationship between [...] the ocean and the freshwater springs, we can see is crucial to protecting the islands. And so how do we continue that relationship, how do we help to support that relationship when so much water is being diverted by corporate and militarized projects?

---

Words of Candace Fujikane. As interviewed by Kamea Chayne. Text and transcript published as “Candace Fujikane: Mapping for Abundance Against Cartographies of Capital (Ep311).” An episode of the podcast Green Dreamer hosted by Kamea Chayne. June 2021. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Galaxies are much much bigger than we thought

If this galaxy is typical, then the study, published today in Nature Astronomy, indicates that our galaxy is already interacting with its closest neighbour, Andromeda. 

Where does a galaxy end and deep space begin? It seems like a simple question until you look more closely at the gas that surrounds galaxies, known as the circumgalactic medium. 

The halo of gas surrounding the stellar disc accounts for about 70% of the mass of the galaxy – excluding dark matter – but until now has remained something of a mystery. In the past we have only been able to observe the gas by measuring the light from a background object, such as a quasar, that is absorbed by the gas.

That limits the picture of the cloud to a pencil-like beam.

A new study, however, has observed the circumgalactic medium of a star-bursting galaxy 270 million light years away, using new deep imaging techniques that were able to detect the cloud of gas glowing outside of the galaxy 100,000 light years into space, as far as they were able to look.

To envisage the vastness of that cloud of gas, consider that the galaxy’s starlight – what we would typically view as the disc – extends just 7,800 light years from its centre.

The current study observed the physical connection of hydrogen and oxygen from the centre of the galaxy far into space and showed that the physical conditions of the gas changed.

“We found it everywhere we looked, which was really exciting and kind of surprising,” says Associate Professor Nikole M. Nielsen, lead author of the paper, and a researcher with Swinburne University, and ASTRO 3D and an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma.

Other authors of the paper came from Swinburne, the University of Texas at Austin, the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, the University of California, San Diego, and Durham University. 

“We’re now seeing where the galaxy's influence stops, the transition where it becomes part of more of what’s surrounding the galaxy, and, eventually, where it joins the wider cosmic web and other galaxies. These are all usually fuzzy boundaries,” says Dr Nielsen.

“But in this case, we seem to have found a fairly clear boundary in this galaxy between its interstellar medium and its circumgalactic medium.”

The study observed stars ionizing gas with their photons within the galaxy. 

“In the CGM, the gas is being heated by something other than typical conditions inside galaxies, this likely includes heating from the diffuse emissions from the collective galaxies in the Universe and possibly some contribution is due to shocks,” says Dr Nielsen.

“It's this interesting change that is important and provides some answers to the question of where a galaxy ends,” she says.

The discovery has been made possible thanks to the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) on the 10-meter Keck telescope in Hawaii, which contains an integral field spectrograph and is one of the most sensitive instruments of its kind in operation. 

“These one-of-a-kind observations require the very dark sky that is only available at the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea,” said one of the paper’s authors, Swinburne’s Associate Professor Deanne Fisher.

ASTRO 3D scientists gained access to KCWI through Swinburne University.

“Swinburne’s Partnership with the W. M. Keck Observatory has allowed our team to really push the boundaries of what is possible,” says another author, Associate Professor Glenn Kacprzak. “KCWI has really changed the game on how we can now measure and quantify the diffuse gas around galaxies.”

Thanks to the instrument, rather than making a single observation providing a single spectrum of the gas in the galaxy, scientists can now obtain thousands of spectra simultaneously with one image from KCWI. 

“It is the very first time that we have been able to take a photograph of this halo of matter around a galaxy,” says Professor Emma Ryan-Weber, the Director of ASTRO 3D.

The study adds another piece to the puzzle that is one of the big questions in astronomy and galaxy evolution – how do galaxies evolve? How do they get their gas? How do they process that gas? Where does that gas go.

“The circumgalactic medium plays a huge role in that cycling of that gas,” says Dr Nielsen. “So, being able to understand what the CGM looks like around galaxies of different types – ones that are star-forming, those that are no longer star-forming, and those that are transitioning between the two –we can observe differences in this gas, which might drive the differences within the galaxies themselves, and changes in this reservoir may actually be driving the changes in the galaxy itself.”

The study speaks directly to the ASTRO 3D’s mission. “It helps us understand how galaxies build mass over time,” says Professor Ryan-Weber.

The findings could also hold implications for how different galaxies interact and how they might impact each other.

“It’s highly likely that the CGMs of our own Milky Way and Andromeda are already overlapping and interacting,” says Dr Nielsen.

[cam-strong]

Today we

Drove to the top of Mauna Kea!

We made several stops to make sure we didn’t get elevation sickness. At half way or more, we stopped to hike out a short way to crater Lake Waiau. We felt that elevation. 😳

It was otherworldly up there, and quite stunning.

[the-lumpfish-king]

HEY! It’s me, Lumpku!

Thought I’d make one of these pined post things to introduce myself.

My name is Solanum, but you can call me Sol or Lump (or Sol Badthey if you’re epic)

I’m a 23 year old ginger, use they/it/she/anything non-male, demiromantic, exist in an asexual quantum superposition, and am bi/pan. Most importantly, I am also a fish

I have a degree in Physics with plans to go into a PhD program for research Astronomy. My area of focus is galaxy structure, formation, and evolution. I’m currently working on my first research papers, adapting my undergraduate thesis work into proper astronomy journal form. I love doing physics and take requests for calculations, stupid or serious (check “#lump’s calculations” for those I’ve done so far, these are my best posts by far).

I try to keep fully nsfw stuff off this blog, but mild nsfw is to be expected, so minors beware

Outside of research, work, and classes I can usually be found gaming, playing MTG, or putting way too much effort into my shitposts while watching something on my second monitor.

I can be found on a few other sites under the same username but am only active here, and if any mutuals want to connect on discord or steam dm me

If you take one thing away from reading this it’s GO PLAY OUTER WILDS RIGHT NOW. Do not look up anything about it, just play the game and then get your friends to play it. Then we can all talk about it. Please, I need to talk about this masterpiece with more people.

Now that you’ve learned about me I have gained access to your walls. Don’t worry, all I do is nibble a bit of drywall from time to time.

Too many fun facts below

My personal motto is: “The universe is scary and so much bigger than any of us can comprehend, so it’s our duty to fag it up as much as possible”

My plushies names: -Tofrug: Lord Squishers -Manatee: Weapon of Lettuce Destruction -Reimu Fumo: Air Fried Bastard -Hydreigon: Hans -Vaporeon: Dihydrogen Monoxide Puppy -Meowscarada: Greenfield -Reshiram: Nuclear Mommy -Gardevior: Horizon -Blåhaj: Jimbei -Gobbo Bard: Ga Bu

I love nature, and evergreen forests in particular. I enjoy hiking and mushroom and berry picking.

My most proud find is this massive cluster of morels I came across a couple years back.

Here’s an overabundance of my personal top 3′s, not necessarily the three I think are best (except Outer Wilds, that’s best thing humanity has produced). Games: Outer Wilds, FFXIV, Ori and the Will of the Wisps Manga: One Piece, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Dungeon Meshi **Books:** Red Rising, Percy Jackson, A Song of Ice and Fire Movies: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Secret of Kells, How to Train Your Dragon Shows: Mob Psycho 100, Good Omens, Ya Boy Kongming! Characters: Mr Torgue Highfive Flexington, Kronk, Nico Robin Mountains: Mt. Hood, Sierra de la Laguna, Mauna Kea **Flying Critters: Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, **Pelican, Toucan **Landbound Creatures: **Red Panda, Jumping Spider, Goliath Frog Marine Animals: Sea Lion, Lumpfish, Giant Pacific Octopus **Pokemon: **Gardevoir, Hisuian Goodra, Zekrom **Soundtracks: **FFXIV, Made in Abyss, Wildfrost Albums: Starship Velociraptor, The Cures What Ails Ya, Westwinds (The Real McKenzies) Foods: Cottage Pie, Khao Soi, my dad’s Chile Verde **Fruit: **Mexican Pitaya, Atemoya, Mango, Huckleberry Galaxy Clusters: Abell 0209, Abell 1689, macs0416

Here’s a couple of neat galaxy pictures I took using my university’s telescope:

[scotianostra]

On June 13th 1831 James Clerk Maxwell was born in Edinburgh.

It’s difficult to understand why this guy is still hardly known by ordinary Scots, but is one of the most influential scientists of all time. Albert Einstein acknowledged that the origins of the special theory of relativity lay in Clerk Maxwell’s theories, saying “The work of James Clerk Maxwell changed the world forever”.

Now I don’t pretend to know about science, the calculations involve make my head hurt, but I do know that James deserves his place at the top table of scientists past and present, and probably the future too. The praise heaped on him from many of the most eminent scholars is phenomenal.

Nicknamed “daftie” by his fellow pupils at Edinburgh Academy, earned by wearing home-made shoes on his first day, he went on to predict the existence of radio waves in 1865, and is considered by many to be the father of the science of electronics, he also found time to teach, and if you recall he taught yesterdays birthday boy astronomer, David Gill.

Born in Edinburgh in 1831 he attended school in the city and later studied at the Universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge. He was a very curious child, and this might amaze you, but he wrote his first scientific paper at the age of just 14, at the age of 25 he became Professor of Physics at Aberdeen University’s Marischal College.

Clerk Maxwell’s research into electromagnetic radiation brought about many of the things we know today like television, mobile phones, radios and infra-red telescopes. The largest astronomical telescope in the world, at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii, is named in his honour, this is an indication of his standing to this day as a scientist.

In 1873 he created the four Maxwell equations. They are very complicated and you would have to be a scientist to figure them out. But these four theories played a very important role in Albert Einstein’s work on the special theory of relativity. Einstein praised him and said, “The special theory of relativity owes its origins to Maxwell Equations of the electromagnetic field.” Clerk Maxwell’s discovery of the nature of electromagnetic waves forms the basis for much of the modern technological society we take for granted. Radio, television, satellite communications and the mobile phone have their origins in his work.

In 1879, James Clerk Maxwell’s health began to fail. Following a summer visit to the family estate in Kirkcudbrightshire, he returned to Cambridge where he died on 5th November that year.

[apollos-olives]

🏔️

Sending aloha from Hawai`i 🇵🇸 🔻 🏔️🔺 From Mauna Kea to Al Aqsa, the world shall see justice as sure as the dawn

🫶🫶🫶 sending you my love <3 inshallah we will all be free and will get justice 🙏

[freehawaii]

TOMORROW - BE THERE & HONOR MAUNA KEA

[stellanix]

thinking about how space exploration has always been my greatest passion, but i'm increasingly realizing that the people in charge of it aren't doing it for me, people like me, or literally any marginalized people, and they never have been

thinking about how nasa's flagship space telescope is named after someone who, if i worked for nasa, would've had me interrogated and fired for being queer, how the queer scientists who asked nasa to change the name were hounded by harrassment, how nasa's response was essentially "everyone was homophobic back then, not our fault, who cares," how every amazing discovery made using this telescope is credited using the name of that homophobe, and how they'd probably go right back to firing queer people if a republican government told them to

thinking about how nasa gives billions of dollars to a company run by a transphobic fascist billionaire, how someone who hates people like me for who we are is the one given the power to write the future

thinking about how most of those rockets and spacecraft helping us learn more about our universe are built by the same companies who built the bombs currently raining down on palestine and yemen

thinking about how, back in the 60s and 70s, white american men walked on the moon and said "we come in peace for all mankind" as their country was bombing southeast asia and systemically oppressing people of color

thinking about how astronomers build telescopes on mauna kea despite it being sacred to the indigenous people whose land was stolen in a coup, how the european space agency displaced people when building the kourou launch site, and how spacex damages wetlands, disrupts communities, and denies indigenous people access to sacred ground with their site in southern texas - how a lack of care or consideration for land and people is seen as justified in the name of "progress"

thinking about how ever-brightening city lights and satellite megaconstellations clogging low earth orbit steal more and more of the night sky from us every day, robbing countless people of the chance to see the wider universe with their own eyes

thinking about how the hopeful cooperation symbolized by the international space station is falling apart thanks to the nationalistic and imperialistic ambitions of states only interested in maintaining and expanding their hegemony, and how nasa's only plan to replace that beautiful symbol of cooperation is to have private companies build space hotels for the rich (the international space station is already starting to be used in this way)

thinking about how the US invites other countries to join in its return to the moon, but only if they sign the artemis accords, an agreement that circumvents the kind of international treaty processes that made the 1967 outer space treaty, in order to privilege american interests and allow for the commercialization of the moon

thinking about how white, cishet, abled american children can dream of becoming astronauts, while black children are treated as criminals from birth, trans children are denied life-saving care and forced into conversion therapy, disabled children are neglected, bullied, and denied the chance to pursue their dreams by a system that refuses to accommodate them, and palestinian children can't dream because the sound of bombs keeps them awake at night

thinking about how the privilged few with the power to decide what our future in space will be look up at the infinite wonders of the cosmos, and see only resources to exploit and profits to be made - the same thing they see when they look at earth. they don't see beautiful places to be learned about, respected, and appreciated, but things to be used. they don't see spaceflight as a way to explore these wonders or discover new ways to be human, but as a way to amass more power

i wonder if these people listened to carl sagan's pale blue dot speech, and took it not as a lesson about the absurdity and pettiness of power and greed, but as a challenge to conquer more than just one pale blue dot?

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Throwback Thursday: A Trip To Mars

It is the final day of November. One last post on feldspars before we change topics for December. So, let's go back to 2012.

Ah, the good old days of college, Avengers, and a trip to Mars for the Curiosity rover.

Yes, in 2012, Curiosity performed x-ray diffraction measurements on a soil sample from the surface of Mars. It's readings came back with olivine, pyroxene, k-spar and plag! Whoa!

This composition is VOLCANIC and it was similar percentages that appear in weathered basaltic soils on Earth. A prime example would be Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

That tells us about the previously volcanic environment that used to be on Mars (if the giant ass volcano known as Mons Olympus was not enough).

Hope you had a blast learning about feldspars this month! What was your favorite thing you learned? Tell me in the comments or send me a message! I really want to know!

[lifestyle-vlog]

Aloha Hawaii! An Enchanting Journey with Prolific Escapes

Aloha, fellow adventurers! Today, I'm thrilled to share with you the incredible Hawaiian experience we had with Prolific Escapes, the mastermind behind our dream vacation. From the moment we stepped onto the plane to the final sunset over the Pacific Ocean, Prolific Escapes took care of every detail, allowing us to immerse ourselves fully in the wonders of Hawaii.

Day 1: Arrival in Oahu After an exciting flight booked by Prolific Escapes, we arrived in Honolulu, Oahu. Greeted warmly by our tour guide, we were whisked away to our stunning beachfront resort. As we checked into our comfortable rooms, the captivating view of the turquoise waters left us in awe, setting the tone for the magical journey ahead.

Day 2: Exploring Pearl Harbor and Waikiki Beach Prolific Escapes crafted an unforgettable day for us, starting with a visit to the historic Pearl Harbor. It was a humbling experience as we paid our respects to those who lost their lives during World War II. Later, we relished the sun-kissed paradise of Waikiki Beach, where the soft sands and crashing waves enchanted us all.

Day 3: The Majestic Maui A short and scenic flight organized by Prolific Escapes took us to the island of Maui. Our resort, nestled amidst lush greenery, exuded tranquility. In the evening, we were treated to a traditional luau, immersing ourselves in the rich Hawaiian culture through dance, music, and a sumptuous feast.

Day 4: Road to Hana One of the highlights of our trip was the breathtaking Road to Hana, thoughtfully curated by Prolific Escapes. Our knowledgeable guide led us on a journey through a tropical wonderland of waterfalls, bamboo forests, and dramatic cliffs. Each stop along the route revealed a new facet of Maui's beauty, leaving us spellbound.

Day 5: Helicopter Tour of Kauai Our adventure continued on the captivating island of Kauai, where Prolific Escapes arranged a thrilling helicopter tour. As we soared above the island's rugged terrain, we marveled at the dramatic Na Pali Coast, the lush Waimea Canyon, and the cascading waterfalls hidden within the emerald landscape.

Day 6: Leisure in Kauai With a day of leisure thoughtfully incorporated by Prolific Escapes, we had the freedom to explore Kauai at our own pace. Some of us chose to hike along scenic trails, while others savored moments of serenity on the tranquil beaches. The island's allure captivated each of us in unique ways.

Day 7: The Enchanting Big Island Our final stop was the diverse and captivating Big Island. Prolific Escapes treated us to an otherworldly experience atop Mauna Kea. As we gazed at the stars with the guidance of passionate astronomers, we were reminded of the vastness of the universe and our connection to the cosmos.

Day 8: Farewell, Hawaii! As our adventure came to an end, Prolific Escapes ensured a seamless departure with all travel arrangements taken care of. Saying goodbye to Hawaii was bittersweet, but we left with hearts full of gratitude for the cherished memories and newfound friendships forged during our journey.

Conclusion: Our unforgettable Hawaiian odyssey, meticulously planned by Prolific Escapes, was a symphony of beauty, culture, and adventure. From the flight bookings to resort accommodations and thoughtfully curated tours, they ensured every aspect of our trip was magical. Hawaii's spirit of aloha, coupled with the expert guidance of Prolific Escapes, made this vacation an unforgettable experience for us all. Mahalo, Hawaii, and Prolific Escapes, for the journey of a lifetime! Until we meet again, aloha!

[cassyapper]

"I believe we did."

"you dont get to commit the sin and then ask us all to feel sorry for you when there are consequences"

uh okay minor oppenheimer thought dump. it's not gonna be super long cause im still musing i think

in terms of what it is, well made film. the script had really powerful lines and they were delivered very well by really good actors. and the score...jesus fuck. i think it might jsut be me hearing things but the film ending with the final note of a song that sounds like an air raid siren oughhg

there's definitely room for criticism (both historical--accuracy-wise and film-making wise) but i do like the movie for what it is. i didnt find it enlightening per se cause i already knew a lot of the basic facts going in (or at least, the facts presented in this movie), but the presentation of it was so harrowing it's hard not to be affected. and that being said, i do think the film does a good job of presenting the impact of the atomic bomb in a way (ie, a (white) americentric way) so that certain groups of americans can finally understand why dropping the bomb was a bad fucking idea but only time will tell if that was successful. it'd be nice if i could stop seeing people say "well we had to" as if it was fucking america's hands tied behind its back. anyway

one thing i want to say but unfortunately i'm still not quite sure how to phrase is how i feel/what i got out of this movie as a white american soon-to-be-scientist. like, some details really gathered my attention, particularly about compartmentalism (an idea very anti-modern science...hiding your work like that from your countryman colleagues/the entire world of science at large would not fly today. clarity is very important. and especially in america, the events of the mid 20th century are really why it became proper etiquette to be absolutely transparent and i just think this film did a good job of explaining that even if unintentionally), how science and politics and ethics go hand in hand despite many white american scientists pretending so so hard otherwise for so long, and how oppenheimer was perfectly fine stealing native people's burial grounds from them to gain his own glory, but only grew a conscience about it later when it was clear the government would not give the land back and would build an h bomb with or without his assistance (so no glory for him there) and how that's reflective of well...modern colonialism honestly. it's a very "it's not about control it's about science!" excuse right now (see the mauna kea incident for example). speaking of, i really like the breakdown of the like mythical figure of oppenheimer. he is presented as the coward he 100 percent was in this film and you're not supposed to feel bad for him really -- maybe just kinda somber because of the greater whole (that being said i do wish they cemented this a bit more...)

it's definitely tonally a horror movie to be quite frank. which i think is only appropriate considering its subject matter

hm. yeah that's all i can say rn. it's late and i'm tired so im sorry if some of this is worded weird, i def have some runon sentences. i hope my points are apparent nonetheless