Joalda Morancy Profile picture
Lunar lander engineer @blueorigin, occasional astrophysicist. author & writer. 🇭🇹🏳️‍🌈
@AlgoCompSynth@universeodon.com by znmeb Profile picture Anson Kennedy Profile picture 2 subscribed
Jul 12, 2022 7 tweets 4 min read
A comparison thread and recap of Hubble images versus #JWST images:

To start, SMACS 0732! Hubble's view of SMACS 0732...The background of space is ... Hubble v. JWST: Carina Nebula This Hubble image of the Ca...The image is divided horizo...
May 20, 2022 4 tweets 1 min read
Super excited to be starting a planetary science research project on Martian volcanism 🤩. Once I've dived more deeply into it, I'll definitely share more!! (also I posted the Percy gif because I just really love the rover, it has nothing to do with the project itself lmao)
May 20, 2022 22 tweets 6 min read
It's time to talk about the Dark Universe! What does it mean when I tell you that everything you can see, touch, and experience only makes up 5% of our known universe? I'm here to explain the other 95%, and today we're going to first discuss what dark matter is. (1/22) So, what is dark matter? Is it just regular stuff that's hard to see? Kind of! Before we get into what it is, we should talk about how it was conceived. Let's start with an astrophysicist from Switzerland named Fritz Zwicky, who specialized in galaxy clusters. (2/22) Image
May 25, 2021 7 tweets 2 min read
On May 25th, 1961, JFK told congress that we must work towards the moon and get there by the end of the decade.

Also on this day but in 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a group of people who "swore to protect our country".

Alright, well how are these related whatsoever? (1/7) As we get further into this decade, the parallels between the 60s and the Civil Rights Movement and the 2020s and our continued fight against racism grows stronger. This industry continues to try to grow while Black people are still being killed at the hands of racism. (2/7)
Feb 16, 2021 6 tweets 3 min read
2 days until @NASAPersevere lands on Mars!

In celebration, everyday until landing day I'll post an interesting aspect about the mission for you all to learn about, and today is day six! Let's discuss the mission's role in the future Mars Sample Return Mission! (1/6) #scicomm So as great as rovers are for studying Mars, there's no debate on the fact that humans can do these studies a lot quicker and more efficiently. Sending back specific samples from Mars is our best bet for studying the planet before getting there ourselves! (2/6)
Nov 18, 2020 13 tweets 5 min read
Welcome to Day 2 of Black Hole Week!

Today we're going to talk about how scientists detect and image black holes. Specifically, we're going to go into the science of how @LIGO and @EHTelescope works and how they've brought us cool info regarding black holes! #scicomm (1/13) So, what is LIGO? It stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory. It aims to provide a new way of detecting events in our universe through something called interferometry, which uses interference to detect very very tiny changes. (2/13)
Nov 15, 2020 13 tweets 4 min read
Welcome to Day 1 of Black Hole Week!

Today we'll start off with the basics. How do black holes form? How are they structured? How could a black hole possibly die? I'll talk about all of this in today's short informative thread! #scicomm (1/13) Image So how exactly do black holes form? Let's first start with a very massive dying star nearing the end of its stellar evolution called a Red Supergiant. It has run out of fuel, and gravity overwhelms all other forces, leading to it exploding, which is called a supernova. (2/13) Image
Aug 10, 2020 20 tweets 5 min read
Wormholes! One of the coolest concepts when it comes to high energy astrophysics, and I am here to tell you exactly why that is. In tonight's thread, I'm going to be discussing the origins of wormholes, the different types, and also some current research on them. #scicomm (1/20) As always, click here to read the extended blog post version of this thread: joalda.space/post/wormholes (2/20)
Jul 13, 2020 20 tweets 6 min read
Interstellar travel is definitely something any deep space exploration fan has thought of, and to be fair, the idea of exploring another part of our universe can excite anyone! Today I'm going to talk about what exactly this is, and how we would achieve it. (1/20) #scicomm Before you read, definitely check out my blog post where I go into more detail and talk about some additional concepts: joalda.space/post/interstel… (2/20)
Jul 6, 2020 20 tweets 6 min read
Space elevators! Many of us have been on a regular elevator, but imagine one that takes you from the surface of the Earth to the cosmos above. Cool, right? Today I'm going to talk about what space elevators are, how they function, and some present-day research. #scicomm (1/20) Before you read, if you want to read my blog post where I go into much more detail, including a bit about space elevator disadvantages and them existing on other celestial bodies, click here: joalda.space/post/space-ele… (2/20)
Jul 1, 2020 18 tweets 6 min read
So it’s time to talk about living on the planet Venus, but in the most unconventional way: cloud cities in its upper atmosphere. I'm going to talk about Venus as a planet, why we would even want to live in cloud cities, and how they would possibly work. #scicomm (1/18) Before I start, if you want to read an extended version of this where I also slightly mention how we would go about terraforming Venus, check out this blog post I wrote: joalda.space/post/human-set… (2/18)
Jun 22, 2020 21 tweets 6 min read
So today we're talking about O'Neill Cylinders! Space settlements have always been something straight out of sci-fi, but cool to talk about nonetheless. Today, I'm going to talk about what exactly are O'Neill cylinders, and what their capabilities consist of. 😎 #scicomm (1/21) Physicist Gerard O'Neill had given his students a task to design large space habitats which first inspired the idea, and he then published about it in a 1974 article of Physics Today. He discussed them more in his 1976 novel The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space. (2/21)
Jun 19, 2020 22 tweets 6 min read
So it’s time to talk about terraforming Mars. You may have heard about this in movies, but how would we really do it? I’m going to talk about what terraforming is, why and how we would terraform Mars, the issues it consists of, and my own thoughts on the subject. #scicomm (1/22) Coined by sci-fi novelist Jack Williamson, terraforming is the process of modifying a hostile body, specifically its atmosphere, temperature, and topography in order to make habitable for life suitable to Earth. What is my definition of habitable? The planetary body must...(2/22)
Jun 17, 2020 16 tweets 4 min read
So to add some #scicomm to all your timelines, I’m going to talk about volcanoes on Mars! I’ll discuss general volcanism, how it is similar to volcanoes here on Earth, and specifics on the inactive (but possibly active!) volcanoes on the red planet! 🌋 (1/16) So, what are volcanoes? Volcanic activity occurs when the internal heat of a planet causes rock to become molten. The molten rock, or magma, consists of silicates, other minerals, and dissolved gas such as water vapor and CO2. (2/16)