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For those of you desperately hoping for an astronomical apocalypse to cleanse the Earth, I have bad news: No, a solar micronova is a not a thing. https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/no-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-solar-micronova
2/ In truth, this sort of BS doomsday brain-rottery infuriates me. Of *course* I take this sort of thing personally; I can't help that. But there's more to it than that.
3/ Look around. Look at the state of the world, the leaders so many "enlightened" countries have chosen for themselves, climate change, raging wildfires, the pandemic, the denial of science, the hate. During times like these we reach for the beauty we can find, cling to it.
4/ The skies provide such refuge.
Any Hubble image, any shot of a nebula from the VLT, any galaxy from Subaru, any newly forming planetary system from ALMA… these are sources of staggering beauty. They also fill our minds with wonder and knowledge.
Any Hubble image, any shot of a nebula from the VLT, any galaxy from Subaru, any newly forming planetary system from ALMA… these are sources of staggering beauty. They also fill our minds with wonder and knowledge.
5/ When people corrupt this to scare others, to garner power or money or notoriety, they are taking something grand and majestic and befouling them.
6/ Mind you, there is reason to respect the power of the sky, and to consider its physical connection with us. Asteroid impacts and solar storms are real threats and ones we should take very seriously.
But again, those are *real*. They exist.
But again, those are *real*. They exist.
7/ Making up nonsense about astronomical threats feels deeply wrong to me, like using spray paint on a Monet.
And I literally wrote the book on such threats.
And I literally wrote the book on such threats.
8/ I know that not all these people doing this are fraudsters. Some truly believe what they say. This does not exonerate them, though. Their words still have impact.
And that is why I debunk. I may do it tongue-in-cheek sometimes, but don't mistake humor for lack of steel.
And that is why I debunk. I may do it tongue-in-cheek sometimes, but don't mistake humor for lack of steel.
9/ We live in times where the relaying of truth is a rare commodity. I will defend what I can, but there are many of us out there who have their own parcels of reality they can stand for as well. We all can, in our own ways. Find yours.
10/ I know, this took a turn you may not have expected after a silly article debunking a silly bit of nonsense. But this stuff adds up. We've watched it happen in real time over the past few years, nonsense having huge impact. You're soaking in the evidence.
11/11 So find what's real, hold it tight, and stand up for it. If it's something small that's OK, because you can build from there. You'll make mistakes, you'll stumble. I have and still do. Take a moment to breathe if you need, then get back up. We need you.
And thanks.
And thanks.
