Quick, totally unscientific poll.

[tamsin@toot.wales]

@sundogplanets I knew about the concept from reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, years ago. I'm not sure if he uses that name in the book, but I recognised it when I heard about it again!

[dianaprobst@mastodon.art]

@sundogplanets I have known for a while but only because I have followed you for a while.

[gjersey999@ice.ch3.st]

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social I vaugely remember hearing such a thing while I was in school, but not at school. Mayhaps a televison program. Haven't the slightest for context or definition, sorry.

[grwster@mastodon.social]

@sundogplanets if "recently" means when you started talking about it, then that's my answer

[rachelthornsub@famichiki.jp]

@sundogplanets I voted "Never heard of it," looked it up, and realized I had just forgotten the name. In fact I posted about this effect (without the name) just last week.

[naturemc@mastodon.online]

@sundogplanets I knew that it exists and a kind of a definition. But I learnt what it really means from a certain Prof. Sam Lawler. Thank you so much for your important work!

[virtualbri@mastodon.online]

@Susibryant @sundogplanets Yeah me too!

[zenheathen@beige.party]

@sundogplanets Comedian Patton Oswalt tells a story about taking a class, "Physics for Poets", but I actually did take the introductory, low-math astronomy courses meant for those who needed their science distribution requirement. We had about twelve exoplanets back then, and my end-of-semester project was on the Cassini-Huygens mission (it had launched but not yet arrived then).

[katievm@blahaj.zone]

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social At this point I don't know where I heard of it, but was a little pleased to see it talked about in Planetes.

[sista_ray@bildung.social]

@sundogplanets

I learned about it thanks to you

[sundogplanets@mastodon.social]

@RachelThornSub Haha great! And that's totally ok, I was asking about name recognition in this poll anyway (also, totally not a scientific poll. Just trying to get a feel for how recognizable the name "Kessler Syndrome" is.)

[bakachu@infosec.exchange]

@sundogplanets yes, and i have written formal corporate risk reports about it

[rachelthornsub@famichiki.jp]

@sundogplanets I'm pretty sure I first heard it in Japanese, in the anime "Planetes" (which is literally a whole sci-fi series about this syndrome), so the English pronunciation didn't ring a bell.

[dpfyhrie@fediscience.org]

@sundogplanets

In fairness, I know the term "Kessler syndrome" because I follow you on Mastodon.

[susibryant@mastodon.social]

@sundogplanets
I talked about it at a family gathering and no one had heard of it.

I have been suggesting to friends that they go back to mailed copies of bank statements, etc, in case of Kessler Syndrome issues, so we have proof of our financial situation.

I am so grateful for finding you on Mastodon.

[gobabu@mastodon.social]

@sundogplanets
Kessler syndrome?
Earth asteroid field?
Defense against alien invasion?

[gilamonster@techhub.social]

@sundogplanets It was a plot point in a miniseries I watched back in the late 1980s

[daswarkeinhuhn@netzkae.se]

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Twins

[sleet01@fosstodon.org]

@sundogplanets
I'm required to mention Planetes as the work that etched the concept in my brain oh, 23 years back.
At the time I was looking at applying to Tethers Unlimited, Robert L. Forward's electromagnetic propulsion startup, and one of their mission statements was providing a fail-safe de-orbit system for satellites.
The two things in short order really made Kessler Syndrome stick, for me.

[ahimsa_pdx@disabled.social]

@sundogplanets I learned it from following you! Thanks for all your posts - love the science and the goats! ️