Rob

SF. 42. Bay Area Native. Bassist. Have Bass Will Travel. Guitar Technician. He/Him. Free 🇵🇸

[Black Hole @konstructivizm]

Nearly 90 million km/h: Astronomers just spotted the fastest known star screaming around the black hole at the heart of our galaxy

Right in the chaotic core of the Milky Way, astronomers have uncovered a previously unknown star that’s rewriting the speed records of the cosmos. Meet S301 — a relatively modest, Sun-like star that, at its closest approach to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A), is flung to a blistering *25,000 km per second. That’s roughly **8% of the speed of light, or almost 90 million kilometers per hour. No other known star comes close.

S301 hurtles around the galactic center on an extremely tight orbit, completing a full lap in just 8.7 years. For comparison, the famous star S2 takes about 16 years to do the same. At periapsis (its nearest point), S301 swings by only about 12 astronomical units from the black hole — roughly 1.8 billion kilometers, or twelve times the average Earth-Sun distance. There, the black hole’s immense gravity gives it that insane kick of acceleration.

The discovery was made possible by the ultra-precise GRAVITY instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile’s Atacama Desert. This infrared interferometer can pinpoint even faint objects amid the crowded stellar traffic jam at the galactic center. Once spotted, researchers dug into archival data and confirmed S301 is a relatively ordinary, Sun-like star — which somehow makes its extreme behavior even more remarkable.

But this isn’t just a cosmic speed record. Because of its short orbital period and extreme closeness to Sgr A*, S301 experiences powerful relativistic effects predicted by Einstein’s general relativity. Watching its motion will give scientists powerful new tests of the theory and help refine our understanding of the black hole itself.

The biggest prize? Measuring the spin of Sagittarius A*. According to researcher Felix Mang from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, S301 could let astronomers directly determine the rotation rate of the Milky Way’s central black hole within the next decade — something that might otherwise have taken several more decades of observations with other stars.

In short: a quiet little star just became one of the most valuable laboratories in the entire galaxy.

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

Won this Sonic at the claw machines and it made me think of you Lex @niceupdog

[KevinJPettit @KevinJPettit3]

One of my favorite moments from Evil Dead is Ash clearly fighting off 3 skeleton mannequins, and it just feels like Raimi is tossing them at him. Incredible.

[Dee @ThePakMn]

@GalleryAriana

[木下いたる/ ITARU KINOSHITA @kurinosukeboy]

✨✨✨🦖🤠🦕✨✨✨

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

@updogzone Glad to hear your meds are working

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

@DollidarityArmy I’ve always wanted instrumental versions of The Smith’s albums.

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

@updogzone I hope you find the right treatment for you Lex, I believe in you and your art. 🫂

[🌸Mikavey @mikavvvi]

Hello friends, family, and buddees, this is Mikavey's husband, @Jeff1pnt3. On May 29th, 2026, Mikavey entered into the arms of Heaven to behold the face of her savior, Jesus Christ. She suffered a hemmorhagic stroke on May 10th, and although she seemed to be getting better during her first week of recovery, the doctors were unequipped to deal with her muscular dystrophy.

I have never experienced a deeper sorrow than the one I have been carrying since the end of May. Even 1 month later, it is gut-wrenching to be writing this to you all. We were planning out how we would celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary at the end of July, and instead, I am now planning how we will celebrate her life. In spite of everything, I continue to hold onto the hope that I will see my Mika again, because that was the same hope she held onto as we drove her to the hospital on May 10th.

There are a number of projects that Mika left for me to finish, so I will continue to work on them until they come to fruition:

The first one will be an artbook+website compiling as much of her work as possible. I have always been so proud of my love's work, and I want to make sure it is both preserved and as accessible as possible.

Second will be working on her accessible fashion brand so that there would be more cute clothing and accessories available for others with mobility limitations like her own.

And the next one will be honoring her final wish for me when she was in the hospital- to finish The Nightwatch. The Nightwatch is not just a single project, but multiple projects spanning albums and video games. It's the story of us, and it's something we've both poured ourselves into since the day we met almost 7 years ago. I can promise you all just as I had promised her, The Nightwatch will be finished. There are quite a few more projects outside of the ones I have listed, but those are the only ones I feel comfortable sharing for now.

Thank you all for your love and support for my beautiful wife over the years. She had every right to be jaded because of her muscular dystophy, but she never was. If you had the opportunity to meet her, you would have known that Mika was one of the most beautiful and charitable souls on this earth. She never used her muscular dystrophy as an excuse, but instead sought to show others the same kindness and patience that she wished to see in the world. To put it simply, she was a 1 in 8 billion type of woman, and I am so proud to be her husband.

Our lives blossomed from the moment we met one another, and honoring her will be why I continue to create.

Thank you all for loving her, because she sure loved you.

-Jeffrey Barr

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

@updogzone Before duloxetine, I tried Wellbutrin and it gave me a lot of side effects. It made my body run hot.

Once I found the “sweet spot” for duloxetine, it’s been working.

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

@updogzone Have you ever tried an SNRI? I’m on duloxetine and it treats my depression and anxiety.

[Oliver Janich @OliverJanich]

🔥Jewish Actor Mandy Patinkin (brillant in Homeland) gets really passionate about Gaza and the child killer Benjamin Netanyahu.

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

@niceupdog Happy birthday Lex!

[Sangel 🪽 @sahmetkiz]

This manhole in Haifa is older than the state of Israel 😆

[𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 @Malcolm_Pal9]

This is a huge and impactful step.

[Motherland @Motherl28134473]

Mexican President Claudia has announced that she officially recognizes Palestine as a state.

[Davo @davoxime]

Posting old work until it goes viral.
Attempt # 16

[Genki✨ @Genki_JPN]

Chrono Trigger FORM-ISM Crono and Marle figures are up for pre-order on Hobby Genki! #ad

- Crono ($48) https://t.co/lU3azFBm4Y
- Marle ($48) https://t.co/LED3zOCxwJ

[Punkrock History @PunkRockStory]

25 years ago today 💔

In memory Jeffrey Ross Hyman, better known as Joey Ramone, singer and songwriter of the punk rock band Ramones, who passed away far too soon at the age of 49 on April 15, 2001, at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

#punk #punks #punkrock #joeyramone #ramones #history #punkrockhistory #otd

[Rob @spicy_rob_h]

Rabbit rabbit