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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

I was wondering that myself, there doesn't seem to be any mechanism for eroding a comet significantly in interstellar space, is there?

aug 28, 2025, 12:21 pm • 2 0

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Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social

I can't think of any, which is a subtly different answer than no. ;) It's very, very slow compared to c, of course, so even a freak, low-probability encounter with a micrometeorite wouldn't really affect something that size at a global scale, I'd think.

aug 28, 2025, 12:24 pm • 7 0 • view
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Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social

Which is why these things are so interesting, of course! Here's something that formed around another freaking star, blew that popsicle stand without (probably) being altered much, and then picking us to shed its volatile skin with.

aug 28, 2025, 12:26 pm • 8 0 • view
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Michele Bannister @astrokiwi.bsky.social

Yes, the probability it encounters another star before coming by us is incredibly low. See arxiv.org/abs/2411.14577 where @redshiftless.bsky.social shows this in more detail in the Discussion

aug 28, 2025, 5:54 pm • 7 2 • view
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

It's always useful to remember that space is big and mostly empty!

aug 28, 2025, 6:06 pm • 2 0 • view
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Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social

SPACE IS BIG IT'S COLD, IT'S DARK IT'S HARD TO FIND A PLACE TO PARK BURMA-SHAVE

aug 28, 2025, 6:58 pm • 6 0 • view
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Barbara Ryden @bsryden.bsky.social

The Sydney Harris cartoon is great!

Cartoon by Sydney Harris: spaceship cruises past a series of signs, reading SPACE IS BIG SPACE IS DARK IT'S HARD TO FIND A PLACE TO PARK BURMA SHAVE
aug 28, 2025, 11:22 pm • 3 0 • view
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

It's a great big universe And we're all really puny! We're just tiny little specks About the size of Mickey Rooney!

aug 28, 2025, 7:01 pm • 2 0 • view
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

I think I need to try pitching a story about this

aug 28, 2025, 1:41 pm • 3 0 • view
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Andy Rivkin @asrivkin.bsky.social

Consider this skeet to be my encouragement to do so. :)

aug 28, 2025, 3:13 pm • 1 0 • view
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Dr Space Junk (Alice Gorman) @drspacejunk.bsky.social

I would love to read such a story!

aug 28, 2025, 2:18 pm • 3 0 • view
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

@makinaro.com and I did a comic about `Oumuamua years ago, but a sequel seems to be in order thenib.com/oumuamua/

aug 28, 2025, 2:21 pm • 5 0 • view
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

(the Nib website got borked in an update a while ago, but I did write this comic despite not being credited for it!)

aug 28, 2025, 2:22 pm • 3 0 • view
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Dr Space Junk (Alice Gorman) @drspacejunk.bsky.social

'The thing that driftwood tells us is that there are trees on distant shores' - such a great metaphor.

aug 28, 2025, 2:53 pm • 6 0 • view
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Matthew R Francis @bowlerhatscience.org

all credit to @astrokiwi.bsky.social for that one

aug 28, 2025, 2:56 pm • 6 0 • view