Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Stuart Atkinson

@stuartatkinson.bsky.social

1.7K followers 230 following 480 posts

Amateur astronomer and author of science fiction and science reference books, including "A Cat's Guide to The Night Sky". Fascinated by Mars since knee high to R2D2 and owned by a very demanding rescue cat called Jess.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · Nov 18

Hi... If you Followed me as "Mars_Stu" over on the other place I hope you'll do the same here. If you didn't, but like space (especially Mars), SF & cats I'd be delighted if you'd Follow me here! Here's an example of the image processing I do... Credit: Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson

4 7 75

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 12h

Weather apps giving their expert predictions to UK amateur astronomers hoping to take images of Comet Lemmon...

1 14

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 15h

Fascinating stuff I'm sure, but it would be good if their weather app actually gave accurate and reliable predictions of cloud cover...

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 15h

Look what I've just seen in Kendal library @racheldelahaye.bsky.social ...

Reposted by Stuart Atkinson

Thomas Appéré @thomasappere.bsky.social · 10d

Vous cherchez un spot pour faire de l'escalade 🧗‍♂️?
J'ai ce qu'il vous faut : admirez ces superbes falaises sur Mars photographiées par le rover Curiosity. Celle au centre fait ~39m de haut et avec la faible gravité martienne (1/3 de la pesanteur terrestre), il sera plus facile de grimper !
🧵 1/6

Des falaises escarpées de couleur ocre, striées en couches successives. Au premier plan, on voit des reliefs recouverts de sable marron sombre. Le ciel est de couleur marron clair.
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/CNES/IRAP/Thomas Appéré

5 31 140

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 2d

...meanwhile, yesterday on Mars, a nuclear-powered robot geologist and astrobiologist - and ace photographer - paused in its scientific work to look back at its own tracks meandering across the surface of the red planet... Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson

1 4 23

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 2d

Really appreciate your support for my image processing. So little engagement these days, do sometimes wonder if it's worth keeping doing it, so your Shares are always greatly appreciated, seriously.

2 1

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 3d

Those slippers are probably on a quest, travelling the length and breadth of the country, carried by random strangers from town to town as they search for their original owners who abandoned them long ago. There's a MG book in there. Seriously, there's a lot worse stuff out there.

Reposted by Stuart Atkinson

Cathrin Machin Space Art @cathrinmachin.bsky.social · 3d

Can you help?… I’m trying to find my people

I know there’s more space fans here… just not sure how to reach you

Feels weird to ask, but would you give me a signal boost by hitting share?

If you’re new… Hi I’m Cat, I make pretty picture of space 🥹 let’s connect if you like weird space art

Woman standing next to large artwork on an easel. The painting is of a wormhole with gravitational lensing that shows stars and galaxies are warped around a central point.

12 110 200

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 4d

Taken earlier today on Mars - Perseverance, looking over her shoulder, back at the way she came and the rugged, cinnamon-dusted landscape behind and below her... Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson

1 10

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 4d

Yes, but not anything unusual. Phobos and Deimos cross Mars' sky all the time. The rovers have taken many, many images of them. Not a surprise one was in the sky at the same time Perseverance was attempting to image the comet.

1 1

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 5d

1 3

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 5d

Paging @louiestowell.bsky.social

Duncan Jones @manmademoon.bsky.social · 5d

Just looking at work from superstar @westonfront.bsky.social and found this fun Rogue one!

1 4

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 5d

I try my best.

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 5d

Forget the beyond-stupid posts saying a streak of light in Mars' sky is a cylindrical UFO (it's not, it's its moon, Phobos, FFS) here's something genuinely amazing from the Red Planet: a beautiful, sparkly, crystal-crusted rock seen by Perseverance yesterday... Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson

1 2 8

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 5d

Weary of it now...

5 1 5

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 6d

Whaaaaaaaat?? That's gone too?

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 6d

Definitely isn't a petrified tree. I'm sure the science team are on it. It's "just" a ventifact tho, a rock sculpted and carved into strange shapes by the slow erosion of wind and temperature changes. There are lots more of them in this area...

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 6d

A wider view of that mad rock seen by Perseverance... Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson

1 2 10

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 6d

...meanwhile on Mars, Perseverance has been taking a closer look at a remarkable ancient rock, that has been sculpted into this weird & wonderful ragged & torn shape by the red planet's' eroding winds for thousands of years... Zoom in and take a look! Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson

1 3 30

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 7d

Very handsome boy!

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 7d

For #Caturday here are a few pics of my gorgeous Jess, the lifeboat of sanity I cling to in these stormy, seemingly desperately cruel and stupid times...

2 2 19

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 7d

Mars, photographed by Perseverance yesterday.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson

3 15

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 7d

Absolutely AWESOME work!

1 1 6

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 10d

Just amazing...

Daniel Machacek @danielmachacek.bsky.social · 10d

My new color photographic map of Pluto is now online.

Full resolution image version (~322Mpix) is available on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/10958...
PDF version (~73MB) is available here: drive.google.com/file/d/1EW-x...

🧵 1/5

Small preview of color photographic map of Pluto in Mollweide oblique projection. It contains one large global map with four small hemispheric maps and basic description. Full version of this map is available for download in links in the main post.
Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/SwRI/Marc W. Buie/ESA/Daniel Machacek.

1 5

Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 10d

Absolutely stunning view sent back from Mars by Perseverance yesterday... Zoom in on this and explore the rugged, rusty landscape of Barsoom... (Note: light streaks are not multiple dust devils, they're processing artefacts) Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson

4 21