Dr Alfredo Carpineti

@drcarpineti.bsky.social

14231 Followers 1962 Following

Astrophysicist, science writer for @iflscience.com, geek, immigrant, and also The Astroholic. Chair of @prideinstem.bsky.social | 📖 Invisible Rainbows out May 21 | He/him | opinions are my own

An article by JONATHAN O'CALLAGHAN from June 7 2016 that says Elon Musk Wants To Send Humans To Mars As Early As 2024
A selfie of me and Catherine
Me taking a selfie in front of a Royal Astronomical Society banner
Me with a quizzical raised eyebrow and behind me a sign that says welcome to London Euston
Our corgi already asleep in his bed after his morning walk
Not many astronomy books start with a cocktail but then invisible Rainbows Is very much not a typical astronomy book. From cocktails (or mocktails, if that's more your thing) we move out to the centre of the Milky Way, and from there, across the entirety of the unseen Universe. invisible Rainbows is concerned not with the visible light that our perception of the world is based on, but with the rich electromagnetic spectrum that lies beyond human sight and yet shapes so much of the world around us, informing our understanding of astronomical phenomena. From radio waves to gamma waves, we consider the search for alien life, star formation, Jupiter's X-ray aurorae and the insights that a new generation of space technologies could bring. Covering a huge breadth of topics, this is an enjoyable and amusing trip across the electromagnetic spectrum, guided by debut author Alfredo Carpineti, Italian science journalist and founder of Pride in STEM. In general, however, the book is fairly light on scientific detail. This is less a science textbook and more a series of fun facts and anecdotes, amusing and unusual depictions and interesting conversations. In places, prioritising brevity makes the scientific content less clear than it might otherwise have been, meaning this probably isn't the best entry point for learning about the electromagnetic spectrum for complete beginners. But it is a great place to learn about the people in physics. The interviews throughout the book are warm, informative and perfectly capture the interviewees' joy and enthusiasm for nel work. ney remind us tnat physics is not (as it can sometimes seem) a dry or lifeless science. It is pushed forward by the daily efforts of passionate people all across the globe, with a huge diversity of experience. Many of these voices, like the unseen light that makes up so much of the world around us, have been rendered invisible for too long. Every single person interviewed for this book is an LGBTQIA+ scientist and …
Chris smiling and looking in a lovely flamingo T-shirt. Josh behind him glaring
Our corgi asleep in front of the fan
An edited meme from legally blonde 2. Jennifer Coolidge character says makes me want banana bread real bad
Kylie saying I have dung can’t get you out of my head seven time. Seven fucking times
A five minute exposure of the ring nebula which is a little circle with a blue center and a yellow red outside among many many stars
Me taking a selfie in the lift
A tv showing the star city title card
A beautifully illustrated version of the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
The Nathan fielders meme about laughing with friends that are all out of frame. He’s a white laughing
Me in the main lecture theatre
Tower Bridge opening
A photo of a single portion of tiramisu. A spoonful of it showing the curd top the cream centre and a bit of biscuit is above the cup
A selfie of me shirtless with blue lines on my face that resemble vaguely the face of Apocalypse from X-men
Six male presenting people in the park. I’m Standing, four of them are one the ground and one is in a wheelchair
Chris and i shirtless on the balcony sofa
Me on regents street with the progress flag behind me
Me in a gold shirt and biodegradable glitter green beard
The sun fully eclipsed by the Moon. The wispy Corina clearly visible
The solar disk with a group of multiple sunspots including a large one towards its edge
Chris is hiding in a room and you can see me coming from the other room Into the corridor
Our corgi looking up
A salmon teriyaki and garlic soy asparagus on sticky rice
The skinner in denial meme from the simpsons. It says is it the billionaires? Not its the proton collisions that are ruining my life
Me taking a selfie inside the CERN control room
Book Review Bringing the invisible to light: a review of "Invisible Rainbows" Andrea Bandelli Invisible Rainbows is a popular astronomy book by astrophysicist and science journalist Alfredo Carpineti, organised around the electromagnetic spectrum and built around conversations with LGBTQIA+ astronomers from around the world. It is, at the same time, a celebration of modern astronomy and a clear argument about the relationship between science and the society that produces it. The book is rigorous and warm in equal measure, never letting one undermine the other, and offers science communicators a strong example of how popular science writing can hold technical depth and political clarity on the same page.
Juan in foreground, a very attractive man, and myself in speedo in the background cheering with a drink. Lake Leman in the background
Me outside the convention centre with a poster of the European astronomical society annual meeting
The iconic oompa lompa actress at the experience. She’s wearing a green wig and has some a glass chemistry set on a table in front of her
A subtle cloud iridescent above some trees
A screenshot of my inbox with an email that says homage to satan
A picture of me shirtless in the lift with Chris. Chris face is covered by a clown emoji and a caption says Doesn't want my thirst trap to be his new haircut reveal
Me and the discussion chair Ro on a little stage with several of my books on a table
A screenshot of a video call of me and our corgi. He looks cross
A screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation. A photo of Adrian Tchaikovsky children of time and two written text from Chris. They read: Alfredo. Have you made me start a book about SENTIENT HUNTER SPACE SPIDERS??
Rihanna in 2011 tweeting “Good luck with bookin that stage u speak of”
The arrested development good for her meme but modified to be Good for It (the clown)
Homer in bed saying in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics
An IFLScience graphic showing an artist impression of Voyager 1 that says Voyager 1 Will Reach 1 light-day away from Earth on November 18
A shot of the fellowship of the ring with the watcher in the water grabbing Frodo outside Moria
The London sky with the moon and Venus in the sky
Chris and I taking a selfie with the crowd behind
A picture of a regular cat on a path that someone believed was a panther
Me talking to the camera, showing the tomb a relatively small grey sepulchre in an open cemetery, and a front page for Frankenstein and the vindication of the right of woman
Our corgi belly up and with a content face in his bed
The sign for PRIDE (a new musical based on the hit film) on the wall outside the national theatre
A screen with the talk title slide showing hominids. The talk is called a volatile home
Joyce Carol Oates’ tweet that reads: ... So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend's or relative's accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the "most wealthy person in the world."
“We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable - but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words.” - Ursula K. Le Guin —
Reuters news item confirming that musk is a trillionaire
A car filled with clowns
A picture of our corgi sleeping on our sofa belly up teeth showing
Me halfway into the pool with a few overlayed space images showing the gravitational lensing of QSO1
Jupiter and Venus very close to each other and Gemini’s two brightest star not far off
Me reading from my book in the garden