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David Dickinson

@astrodave.bsky.social

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Writer, Space pundit, Skywatcher

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 11d

Oct Astronomy

3-3I ATLAS passes Mars
7-Full Moon
10-Moon occults M45
13-Moon occults Regulus
17-Moon occults Spica
19-R2 SWAN passes Earth
20-New Moon
21-Orionid meteors peak
21-Moon occults Antares
21-Uranus at opposition
29-3I ATLAS at perihelion
29-Mercury at greatest (dusk) elongation

Spica and Comet R2 SWAN. Credit Gerald Rhemann

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 31m

That's it... I'm moving the SE Asia, as @marwellaspaceart.bsky.social and @shahgazer.bsky.social get all of the good occultations, like tonight's occultation of Beta Tauri by the Moon: www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/bstar/1... note wiki entry on occultations: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Ta...

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 43m

+7th mag HIP 37422 photo-bombs the Galilean moons from October 12th to 14th, appearing as a pseudo-5th major ‘moon’. HIP 37422 actually passes behind Jupiter on October 14th.

Mentioned here @universetoday.com -https://www.universetoday.com/articles/catching-the-october-action-with-jupiters-moons

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 1d

The comet passed 0.018 AU from Mars on October 3rd. And the best may still be yet to come. ESA also has plans to image the comet using the JUICE mission en route to Jupiter around November 4th, 6 days after 3I/ATLAS passes perihelion 1.36 AU from the Sun on October 29th.

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 1d

They caught it: the @operations.esa.int European Space Agency’s two orbital Mars missions, the Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express caught sight of everyone’s favorite interstellar comet of the hour earlier this week: 3I/ATLAS.

www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

ESA’s ExoMars and Mars Express observe comet 3I/ATLAS

Between 1 and 7 October, ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express spacecraft turned their eyes towards interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, as it passed close to Mars. 

www.esa.int

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Reposted by David Dickinson

SETI Institute @setiinstitute.bsky.social · 2d

#PPOD: The official names of asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson’s surface features — as identified by the Southwest Research Institute-led Lucy Mission — have been approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Credit: NASA/SwRI/Goddard/JHUAPL 🧪 🔭

This image is a detailed map of the asteroid Donaldjohanson, created by NASA's Lucy mission team. The asteroid is a contact binary, meaning it's composed of two lobes connected by a neck. The smaller, left lobe is Afar Lobus. The larger, right lobe is Olduvai Lobus. The neck is called Windover Collum. Two regions are near the nect: Hadar Regio and Mintogawa Regio. Other named features are (left to right) Luzia Dorsum (Ridge), Cashel Saxum (Boulder), Narmada (Crater), Kennewick Saxum (Boulder), Boxgrove Saxum (Boulder), and Mungo (Crater).

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 2d

The 2 hour 18 minute launch window opens at 9:34 PM EDT tonight. That’s 2+ hours after sunset… but the launch trajectory takes the mission right up the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, worth watching for if skies are clear. Webcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bKy...

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 2d

East Coast launch alert. SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon-9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station tonight. Onboard are 24 satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper mega-constellation (yes, SpaceX is even launching competitors now… they have that big a piece of the orbital space launch pie).

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 2d

Found: Sag*'s missing galactic wind: www.science.org/content/arti...

Missing wind from Milky Way’s giant black hole finally found

Astronomers may have glimpsed a long-predicted wind of gas blowing out from Sagittarius A*

www.science.org

Reposted by David Dickinson

Filipp Romanov @filipp-romanov.bsky.social · 3d

My best photos of the comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) above the Sea of Japan (imaged last year using my Canon EOS 60D camera, from Yuzhno-Morskoy, Nakhodka):

1 - 2024-10-20;
2 - 2024-10-16;
3 - 2024-10-13;
4 - 2024-10-03.

@astrodave.bsky.social @davidbflower.bsky.social
#PhotoHour #StormHour

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 3d

Astronomy is becoming an online affair. A recent find shows what’s possible, as devoted amateur astronomer @filipp-romanov.bsky.social discovered a supernova in a remote galaxy.

Here’s our latest post on the find and how he did it for @universetoday.com - www.universetoday.com/articles/ded...

Dedicated Amateur Discovers Supernova in Remote Galaxy

Astronomy is increasingly becoming an online affair. Recent discoveries of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS and R2 SWAN highlighted this fact, when both were first discussed on message boards and verified ...

www.universetoday.com

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 3d

Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon has been wowing early morning astrophotographers, and it’s about to go on to its encore dusk apparition in mid-October, joining Comet R2 SWAN in the evening sky. Here’s our latest post for @universetoday.com on what to expect: www.universetoday.com/articles/com...

Comet A6 Lemmon's Encore October Evening Show

October 2025 may provide a memorable sky scene, as Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon puts on an encore appearance at dusk. The comet joins Comet R2 SWAN, which slides 0.26 Astronomical Units (AU) past Earth on O...

www.universetoday.com

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 3d

But even a novice astrophotographer knows what a star-trail looks like -
petapixel.com/2025/10/07/p...

Perseverance Rover Captures Cylindrical Object Flying Close to Mars

NASA has not yet confirmed what it is.

petapixel.com

Reposted by David Dickinson

Marwella Zhang @marwellaspaceart.bsky.social · 4d

Few mins after I took the moon pic 😂

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Reposted by David Dickinson

Eric Briggs @tgebriggs.bsky.social · 4d

Comet Lemmon photo, 4 degree field of view. T14 at iTelescope.net. 5x 30s L 1x, and 5x 30s RGB 2x. Aligned on the comet.

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 4d

Tonight's look at Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN - #Dwarf3

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 4d

What are solar storms and the solar wind? 3 astrophysicists explain how particles coming from the Sun interact with Earth theconversation.com/what-are-sol... - Space Weather 101 via @us.theconversation.com

What are solar storms and the solar wind? 3 astrophysicists explain how particles coming from the Sun interact with Earth

Space weather isn’t referring to rain clouds that float through the galaxy. Instead, it’s caused by massive explosions of particles that shoot out from the Sun.

theconversation.com

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 4d

Today's Sun, shot with the Dwarf3 smartscope+filter:

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 5d

The launch action occurs right around 1:17:00 in the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVgF... More on the mission: andoyaspace.no/news-article...

ATHEAt Campaign from @Andøya Space | Day 4 [LAUNCHED]

YouTube video by Andøya Space

www.youtube.com

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 5d

Off and away… there was a successful sub-orbital rocket launch early this morning from Andoya Space Center in Norway. This was in support of DLR’s ATHEAt campaign (the Advanced Technologies for High Energetic Atmospheric Flight of Launcher Stages) testing tech for future reusable space vehicles.

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Reposted by David Dickinson

Filipp Romanov @filipp-romanov.bsky.social · 5d

On 2025-10-03, remotely at the 2-m Liverpool Telescope, I confirmed new distant object CDFZQD2 = 2025 SB57, my astrometric data were published in the discovery MPEC: minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25...

Image: stacked 8x60 sec. with Sloan r' filter.

#astronomy #space
@astrodave.bsky.social

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 5d

Here's tonight's screen cap of Comet R2 SWAN seen through running clouds at dusk, taken with a Dwarf3 scope:

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 5d

Getting brighter... here's another great image of Comet A6 Lemmon from October 3rd, courtesy of Alan Tough: www.flickr.com/photos/77768...

2025a6_20251003_actough

www.flickr.com

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 6d

Titan shadow events happen when the rings are near edge on as seen from the Earth. After tonight, Titan won’t resume casting its shadow on Saturn again until July 29th, 2039. Here’s our post of the 2025 Titan shadow season for @universetoday.com - www.universetoday.com/articles/ast...

Astro-Challenge: See Titan's Shadow Cross Saturn

Nothing wows new observers like seeing Saturn for the first time. I always check out the ringed planet if it's visible, and telescopes down the line at any star party will invariably be pointed Saturn...

www.universetoday.com

David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 6d

Titan casts its shadow on Saturn one last time for 2025 tonight at 3:50 Universal Time (UT) until 7:23 UT. Saturn is currently 2 weeks past opposition, rising in the east when the Sun sets in the west. The event favors viewers along the longitudes of the Americas. youtu.be/YDqTWpFVUgU

Final Titan Shadow Transit for 2025

YouTube video by astroguyz

youtu.be

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 6d

Here's another screen cap from the Dwarf3 tonight of Comet R2 SWAN - still in the weeds at dusk.