Sophia Mitchell
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rocketyak.bsky.social
Sophia Mitchell
@rocketyak.bsky.social
230 followers 150 following 140 posts
PNW Adventurer | Former NASA Engineer | Nature lover | Musician | Baker | Probably knitting something
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rocketyak.bsky.social
Last week’s red potato & Cascade hop harvest was fun! This is year two for our Cascade vine, but our first time getting anything from it. Hops are now dried and vacuum sealed in the freezer. They smelled amazing while processing! 🌱 #vegetablegardening #urbangardening #gardening
August 28, 2026 at 5:19 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Just finished my latest project, the Cecropia Cowl! This is my first color work project, and I’m proud of my float management & tension in the round. 100% Patagonia merino wool, spun & dyed by ThoughtToThread (co-owner of my local yarn store!). I am so thrilled! #ShowMeYourKnits #KnitSky 🧶
A picture of a cowl (circular scarf) laid flat on a blue bench. The cowl is knit with coffee brown cabled top and bottom borders, and the middle has a detailed moth and plant design in coffee brown on a light cream background. A picture of a cowl (circular scarf) laid flat on a blue bench. The cowl is knit with coffee brown cabled top and bottom borders, and the middle has a detailed moth and plant design in coffee brown on a light cream background.
August 28, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
rephuffman.bsky.social
We uncovered how he hijacked America 250 – watch to see how.

youtu.be/-ydXJ3HhXy0?...
How Trump Hijacked America's 250th Birthday | Natural Resources Democrats
YouTube video by House Natural Resources Committee Democrats
youtu.be
July 2, 2026 at 4:23 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
This osprey was worried I might want its flounder. #birds #birdspotting #birdsofbluesky #wildlife #birdsofprey
An adult osprey is perched on top of a weathered wooden pole. The tail of a flounder the bird has caught can be seen sticking out from under it. An adult osprey is perched on top of a weathered wooden pole. The tail of a flounder the bird has caught can be seen sticking out from under it. The osprey is looking directly at the camera!
May 20, 2026 at 1:34 AM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Met some colorful starfish among other creatures while visiting the tide pools in Edmonds today! -4ft low tide around 13:30 made for a fun afternoon. #nature #tidesouttuesday
An orange starfish larger than an adult human hand nestled within sea grass on the beach at low tide. The animal has patterns of white spots on its body. A bright purple starfish larger than an adult human hand rests between rocks and sea grass on the beach at low tide. The animal has patterns of white and dark spots on its body. A deep purple starfish larger than an adult human hand rests between rocks and kelp on the beach at low tide. The animal has patterns of white spots on its body. An orange starfish larger than an adult human hand just under the surface of shallow water on the beach at low tide. The animal has patterns of white spots on its body.
May 20, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
stim3on.bsky.social
The Artemis II Orion capsule separating from the European Service module (now from two angles)

4K resolution: youtu.be/_QelA8UonoQ
May 19, 2026 at 1:24 AM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Had fun joining about 1,000 walkers in the Seattle Super Saunter today! I walked a ~9 mile portion (Green Lake -> Gasworks -> Pioneer Square) of the full 24 mile trek from the northern to southern border of the city of Seattle. Gorgeous day for it.
May 17, 2026 at 2:40 AM
rocketyak.bsky.social
I am SO proud of today’s brioche dinner bun bake 😁 The golden egg wash crust, bouncy texture that maintains its shape, lightly toasted bottom, just *chef kiss*.

Will be eating these tonight with braised pork in a homemade Carolina BBQ sauce 🤤

#glutenfree #baking #breadsky
A half dozen golden brown dinner rolls, fresh from the oven, sit on their sides in a glass container, ready to chill in the fridge A half-eaten dinner roll, showing a spongy inner texture
May 13, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
astronerdika.bsky.social
Happy #BlackHoleWeek! 🖤

My black hole chonk chart is back, now with real LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data ✨

More gravitational-wave detections are on the way, so this chart may need another update very soon. 😎

#BlackHoles #GravitationalWaves #SciComm @ligo.org @egovirgo.bsky.social
An infographic titled “How BIG are the BLACK HOLES we find with GRAVITATIONAL WAVES?” by @astronerdika. The graphic is a playful “black hole chonk chart” showing black hole masses in units of solar masses, written as M☉, where M☉ means the mass of the Sun. The top half categorises black holes by mass, with each category shown as a curled-up black cat that grows larger from left to right. The categories from left to right are: 1. “<5 M☉” * Labeled “smol” * Tiny curled-up black cat * Arrow pointing left: “THIS WAY TO NEUTRON STARS” * Example on the graph: “Big component of GW230529 ~3.6 M☉” 2. “~10 M☉” * Labeled “basic” * Small curled-up black cat * Annotation: “LOTS OF BLACK HOLES” with an arrow pointing to this range * The population curve rises steeply and peaks around here 3. “~35–45 M☉” * Labeled “hefty” * Larger curled-up black cat * Sits near a smaller bump in the population curve 4. “>60 M☉” * Labeled “chonky” * Large curled-up black cat * Nearby annotation: “FORBIDDEN TERRITORY? can these even be made from the collapse of star cores?!” * Example: “Components of GW190521 ~85 M☉ + ~66 M☉” 5. “>100 M☉” * Labeled “oh lawd” * Very large curled-up black cat overlapping the panels * Arrow pointing right: “THIS WAY TO INTERMEDIATE MASS BLACK HOLES” * Example: “Components of GW231123 ~137 M☉ + ~103 M☉” Below the categories is a graph of the inferred black hole population. The horizontal axis is labeled from 3 M☉ to 120 M☉. The vertical axis is labeled “log scale.” The population rises sharply around 5–10 M☉, peaks in the “basic” range, then declines toward higher masses, with a smaller bump around the “hefty” range. Dashed pale pink lines show an uncertainty band. Text along the curve reads: “Real data from the LVK collaboration! Check out the paper: arXiv:2508.18083.” The style is hand-drawn, humorous, and inspired by the “Chonky Cat” meme.
May 8, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
nathangrayson.bsky.social
my main takeaway from the mixtape discourse is that more people should actively involve music in their lives—listening to it without something else on, going to shows—and make an effort to seek out new music rather than letting nostalgia dominate their lives
May 8, 2026 at 6:41 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Phew!
dougellison.bsky.social Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · May 3
Rock off. 🤘
A square black and white fisheye camera view of Mars. A dark patch from where a rock got picked up, and a broken up rock from where it dropped off a drill visible at the top of frame.
May 3, 2026 at 2:17 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Watching me garden all afternoon is hard work for a nosy springer spaniel! 💤 #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky
A liver and white English springer spaniel with an orange bandana sleeping in the grass in her backyard
April 30, 2026 at 10:53 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
The way I just shouted “OH MY” 😂

The drill can take a decent amount of axial tension (happens during bit exchange) but still… picking up rocks isn’t *quite* the designed use 😅
paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy Paul Hammond @paulhammond51.fosstodon.org.ap.brid.gy · Apr 26
Meanwhile on Mars:
Did Curiosity Rover's just lift a rock after drilling into it? Here's a short animation of its drilling operation with timestamps on front HazCam images from Sol 4877 (April 26, 2026)

The first subframe image shows the drill above the target […]

[Original post on fosstodon.org]
April 27, 2026 at 2:55 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Finished knitting myself a new wool hat! Pattern is Rockhound by Wool & Pine, so nicknaming it “pyrite”. Two weeks start to finish 😄 🧶 #ShowMeYourKnits #KnitSky
April 21, 2026 at 9:03 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Pretty thrilled with how this intricate design is coming together ☺️ #ShowMeYourKnits #KnitSky 🧶
A partially complete, mustard-yellow hand-knit hat is being held. The bottom half has several inches of ribbing (that will be folded up) and the top half is an intricate design of knit cables and chains.
April 16, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
pacificwhalewatchassociation.com
What do we love more than chunky orca babies? Chunky AIRBORNE orca babies! Check out these spectacular shots of 2-year-old T46B2B "Takaya" taken a few days ago in Port Susan, Washington by Bart Rulon of @pugetsoundexpress.com.
April 13, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
landru79.bsky.social
#NASA's #Mars rover #Curiosity

2026-03-23 Sol 4844: Mars Descent Imager #MARDI

mars.nasa.gov/raw_images/1...

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/j. Roger
April 12, 2026 at 10:16 AM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Current project: a 100% superwash merino wool hat for myself in this beautiful mustard-gold color. For this one I’m following Wool & Pine’s Rockhound hat design. I really like the look of the ribbed brim so far in this yarn 😄 #ShowMeYourKnits #KnitSky #WIP 🧶
A knit work in progress is shown sitting on a wooden table. It’s a ribbed brim of a hat in a soft, mustard-gold yarn that shows the definition of the knitting texture very nicely.
April 11, 2026 at 9:19 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Finished knitting my chalk bag for indoor climbing last week! I had a lot of fun doing my first cables, but wow was learning on size 1 needles a challenge 😅 Now to sew in a liner, drawstring & hoop to keep the top of the bag open during use 🧶 🧗🏽‍♀️ #ShowMeYourKnits #KnitSky
A finished, red/orange (looks more of a pumpkin in real life) cable-knit bag sitting on a wood table.
April 11, 2026 at 9:13 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Artemis II landing was beautiful! Just *chef kiss* #integrity
The integrity module floating in the clouds, with three main parachutes slowing its descent The integrity module, floating on its three main parachutes above a deeply blue Pacific Ocean Integrity, splashing down in a deeply blue Pacific Ocean, while its three main parachutes can be seen deflating. Unseen: some very surprised fish!
April 11, 2026 at 12:15 AM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Everyone needs a sunny nap in a tree sometimes. Even the local trash panda 🦝

#urbanwildlife #RaccoonLove
April 8, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
spahn711.bsky.social
Waking up to the awe-inspiring images from NASA at the same time the US President is implying that he will commit genocide, I can't think of a better quote for the times than this one from Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell. I added it to today's Earthset image:
“You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.” ― Edgar Mitchell Image: Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation.
April 7, 2026 at 4:12 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Also I need daft punk to come out of retirement and sample Artemis astronauts describing the moon to the nastiest beats those Frenchmen can drop
April 7, 2026 at 3:21 PM
rocketyak.bsky.social
Hard to imagine what experiencing this must have been like. Maybe it’s like the feeling of seeing the Himalayas vs looking at pictures of them, but on an even grander scale. “Truly hard to describe” is probably the most honest, accurate thing they could have said.
pomarede.bsky.social Daniel Pomarède @pomarede.bsky.social · Apr 7
Amazing.

Artemis II in Eclipse

Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun.

flic.kr/p/2s6dQh6 #Artemis 🧪🔭
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun’s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth. Credit: NASA
April 7, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Sophia Mitchell
astroroyalscot.bsky.social
Latest #Artemis image to drop is my newest favourite!

"A New View of the Moon"

ICONIC! 🔭🧪

📷: NASA
images.nasa.gov/details/art0...
Earth sets at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, over the Moon’s curved limb in this photo captured by the Artemis II crew during their journey around the far side of the Moon. Orientale basin is perched on the edge of the visible lunar surface. Hertzsprung Basin appears as two subtle concentric rings, which are interrupted by Vavilov, a younger crater superimposed over the older structure. The lines of indentations are secondary crater chains formed by ejecta from the massive impact that created Orientale. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region.
April 7, 2026 at 1:47 PM