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hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Hourly Cosmos
@hourlycosmos.bsky.social
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Photo sharing bot for planetary and deep space images.

Run by @kevinmgill.bsky.social

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hourlycosmos.bsky.social
False Color View of Mercury - From Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/dWWbct
This colorful view of Mercury was produced by using images from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER's primary mission. These colors are not what Mercury would look like to the human eye, but rather the colors enhance the chemical, mineralogical, and physical differences between the rocks that make up Mercury's surface. Young crater rays, extending radially from fresh impact craters, appear light blue or white. Medium- and dark-blue areas are a geologic unit of Mercury's crust known as the "low-reflectance material", thought to be rich in a dark, opaque mineral. Tan areas are plains formed by eruption of highly fluid lavas. The crater in the upper right whose rays stretch across the planet is Hokusai. To watch a movie of this colorful view of Mercury as a spinning globe go here: www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/8497927473 Young crater rays, extending radially from fresh impact craters, appear light blue or white. Medium- and dark-blue areas are a geologic unit of Mercury's crust known as the "low-reflectance material", thought to be rich in a dark, opaque mineral. Tan areas are plains formed by eruption of highly fluid lavas. The giant Caloris basin is the large circular tan feature located just to the upper right of center of the image. The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the So...
November 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Coprates Chasma - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - From Aster Cowart (terrasabaea.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2kfw6WT
A small plateau located a spine of mountains separating Coprates Chasma (a main canyon in the Valles Marineris system) from a smaller side canyon paralleling it to the south. This plateau appears to be a small remnant of the flat upland surface present to the north and south of the Valles Marineris. At least two different layers of rock are visible along the sides of this plateau. Similar layers are found along the rim of Valles Marineris. It is unclear when these layers formed, but they were perhaps deposited during the opening stages of Coprates Chasma's formation, when the region started to subside but had yet to form the deep canyons of today.. This image was created using the CRISM imaging spectrometer. Each pixel of a CRISM image contains a 500 point spectrum, from which a color can be reconstructed. This reconstructed color was overlaid on a higher-resolution image taken with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera (CTX), which simultaneously took a photo while CRISM was collecting data. This image was taken on January 2, 2007. It uses CRISM observation HRS00003B3C and CTX observation P03_002036_1655_XI_14S055W. Image Credit: NASA / JPL / JHUAPL / MSSS / Justin Cowart
November 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Just beyond the clouds, the light of countless suns - From Bill (ridingrobots.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2nvdNHp
Skull Valley, Utah
November 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
NGC 6565 - From Judy Schmidt (geckzilla.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/gTqYyw
NGC 6565 looks to me like a miniature Ring Nebula. I'm rather fond of these nebulas with rather rainbow-like gradients from blue in the center to red at the perimeter. I made an effort to reduce the size of the stars which would otherwise be bright green due to the green channel being f555w. Red: hst_08773_01_wfpc2_f658n_pc_sci Green: hst_07501_01_wfpc2_f555w_pc_sci Blue: hst_08773_01_wfpc2_f502n_pc_sci North is NOT up, it's 45° clockwise from up
November 25, 2025 at 11:01 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Haughton Crater - Landsat 8 - From Aster Cowart (terrasabaea.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2g9w9mZ
The 23 km diameter Haughton Crater, located on Devon Island. This impact structure formed by the impact of a ~2 km asteroid about 39 million years ago. The polar environment of the crater has made it a popular analog site to research how Martian craters are modified as they age. Landsat 8 OLI true-color view of Devon Island on August 22, 2018. This image is a mosaic of two scenes using a Band 3/2/1 (RGB) composite. Image Credit: NASA / USGS / Landsat program / Justin Cowart
November 25, 2025 at 10:01 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Europa - July 9 1979 - From Kevin M. Gill (kevinmgill.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/FAptq7
Processed using orange, blue, and violet filtered images of Europa taken by Voyager 2 on July 9 1979. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill
November 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
ESP_011527_1325 - From UAHiRISE (NASA) (uahirise.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/eeW7za
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
The foothills of Mount Sharp - sol 1987 - From Thomas Appéré (thomasappere.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/H8rDLQ
Mosaic of three MastCam 100mm pictures taken on sol 1987 at approximately 10h41 local time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mosaïque de trois photos acquises par la caméra MastCam 100 mm au sol 1987 à 10h41 heure locale.
November 25, 2025 at 7:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Titan - Rhea Mutual - From Gordan Ugarković (ugordan.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/8LKcFf
Cassini NAC RGB. 2009-11-19 04:30 UTC. Distance to Titan: 2.31 million km Distance to Rhea: 1.15 million km Phase angle: 118 deg Titan is precisely twice as far from Cassini than Rhea here. As a result, in relative size Rhea appears exactly 2x larger than it actually is, compared to Titan's size. Compared to this image where it's Rhea that's on the far side, the moons' relative brightnesses are also reversed. At lower phase angle, Rhea's icy surface is more reflective than Titan's haze and Rhea appears brighter. With increasing phase angle, the back-scattering ice and regolith on Rhea darkens substantially and Titan's atmosphere actually brightens from increased forward-scattering of light. Here, Titan is the brighter of the two. Magnified 1.5x for better visibility.
November 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Receding From Titan - From Ian Regan - https://flic.kr/p/nEE1QG
This natural color view of Titan's north polar haze cap was taken on May 19, 2014 by the Cassini spacecraft from a distance of 423,949 miles (682,280 kilometers).
November 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
8 cm debris from the Sky Crane - Perseverance, sol 477 - From Thomas Appéré (thomasappere.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2nuFQi5
Picture taken by Mastcam-Z camera on the head of Perseverance rover on sol 477 (June 23, 2022) at 9:48 am Martian local time. The 8 cm debris on the left is probably a part of the Sky Crane, projected during the explosion of the Sky Crane at its crash and transported here by the wind.
November 25, 2025 at 4:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Conjunción Venus, Luna, Saturno y Régulo - From Ángel López-Sánchez - https://flic.kr/p/2kc47T
Entre los árboles australianos. Los cables pertenecen a la calle "Epping Road" que pasa debajo...
November 25, 2025 at 3:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Sea Ice and Phytoplankton Mix in the Northwestern Passage - From Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/fumSya
The remnants of sea ice along the Northwestern Passage in northern Canada are seen swirling with the blue green of phytoplankton in this image from the Suomi NPP VIIRS sensor, acquired on August 11, 2013. NASA/NOAA NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Filament Eruption Creates 'Canyon of Fire' on the Sun - From Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/gWrofJ
A magnetic filament of solar material erupted on the sun in late September, breaking the quiet conditions in a spectacular fashion. The 200,000 mile long filament ripped through the sun's atmosphere, the corona, leaving behind what looks like a canyon of fire. The glowing canyon traces the channel where magnetic fields held the filament aloft before the explosion. Visualizers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. combined two days of satellite data to create a short movie of this gigantic event on the sun: bit.ly/166CncU In reality, the sun is not made of fire, but of something called plasma: particles so hot that their electrons have boiled off, creating a charged gas that is interwoven with magnetic fields. These images were captured on Sept. 29-30, 2013, by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, which constantly observes the sun in a variety of wavelengths. Read more/download video: 1.usa.gov/1dnrsjF Credit: NASA/SDO NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram
November 24, 2025 at 9:01 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Aurora over Raisting Earth Station - From Simeon Schmauß (stim3on.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2pQvMHo
What a crazy night, we went into it not expecting much since the solar storm was forecast for after sunrise in central Europe. However, before the sun had even set, I got the alert that the first CME had impacted Earth, so the chances immediately looked a lot better. What then unfolded surpassed even our wildest expectations. We ended up driving to this satellite ground station south of Ammersee in southern Bavaria and just when we arrived we spotted the first diffuse pillars north of us. We experienced three waves of incredibly strong Aurora, especially for our rather Southern latitude. During the second wave we saw individual pulsating filaments dancing over our heads. What a breathtaking experience! Many thanks to Christopher for accompanying me on this adventure, Max for being an all round great guy, and Sebastian who lent me his wide angle lenses that made these shots possible.
November 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Firestorm Of Star Birth In The Active Galaxy Centaurus A - From Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/9TMNa5
NASA image release June 16, 2011 Resembling looming rain clouds on a stormy day, dark lanes of dust crisscross the giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. Hubble's panchromatic vision, stretching from ultraviolet through near-infrared wavelengths, reveals the vibrant glow of young, blue star clusters and a glimpse into regions normally obscured by the dust. The warped shape of Centaurus A's disk of gas and dust is evidence for a past collision and merger with another galaxy. The resulting shockwaves cause hydrogen gas clouds to compress, triggering a firestorm of new star formation. These are visible in the red patches in this Hubble close-up. At a distance of just over 11 million light-years, Centaurus A contains the closest active galactic nucleus to Earth. The center is home for a supermassive black hole that ejects jets of high-speed gas into space, but neither the supermassive or the jets are visible in this image. This image was taken in July 2010 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington, D.C. For images and more information about the findings, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble and www.hubblesite.org/news/20...
November 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
There You Are! #2 - From Gordan Ugarković (ugordan.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/e7SXYH
Cassini WAC RGB view taken on 2012-06-27. Distance: 469 000 km Phase angle: 88 deg Magnified 2x. W1719490554
November 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
AS11-37-5534 Composite - Apollo 11 - From Aster Cowart (terrasabaea.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/TGbhVd
This is a version of AS11-37-5534 that has been composited with frame AS11-37-5547, which was taken looking the same direction through the LM window. This composite frame was created to replace the overexposed landscape in the original frame. Image Credit: Apollo 11 Crew / NASA / Project Apollo Archive / Justin Cowart
November 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Voyager 1 wide-angle Jupiter mosaic (March 4, 1979) - From Ian Regan - https://flic.kr/p/2et7QZW
The innermost Galliean satellite, Io, is seen here coasting above the russet cloud decks of Jupiter. This Voyager 1 mosaic consists of three principle orange, green, and blue color composite frames, each shuttered through the wide-angle camera on the evening of March 4, 1979. Gaps in coverage were filled by other three-filtered composites, taken earlier or later the same day. North is to the right. Planet-spacecraft distance was some 650,000 miles at this time. NASA / JPL / Ian Regan
November 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Ingenuity looks west - sol 91 - From Thomas Appéré (thomasappere.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2m25Cov
Picture taken by RTE camera aboard Ingenuity helicopter on sol 91 (22 May 2021). The helicopter was flying at an altitude of 10 meters. Sky extended on post-processing.
November 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
Cometa McNaught y Antena 2 - From Ángel López-Sánchez - https://flic.kr/p/zbEFo
Cometa McNaught junto a la Antena 2 del interferómetro ATCA (Narrabri, Australia), fotografiado la noche del 29 de enero de 2007 a las 10h TU. Combinación de 18 imágenes de 30 segundos de exposición a sensibilidad de 800 ASA. La combinación se realizó con el programa ImagesPlus y luego tratada con Photoshop para incluir la mejor imagen de primer plano de la secuencia.
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
0490ML195100_0_4000E1_DXXX - From 2di7 & titanio44 - https://flic.kr/p/iztjLW
"Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech" processing 2di7 & titanio44
November 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
2017-04-03 Hubble Jupiter Portrait (Modified) - From Ian Regan - https://flic.kr/p/TqYPXv
Modified version of HST Jupiter portrait. It has been tweaked toward something approaching 'natural colour'. ____________________ Credit : NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (GSFC) / Modified by Ian Regan ____________________ Original: hubblesite.org/image/4012/news_release/2017-15
November 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
ESP_017384_1670 - From UAHiRISE (NASA) (uahirise.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/ef33aE
November 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM
hourlycosmos.bsky.social
MSL Sol 2802 - MastCam - From Kevin M. Gill (kevinmgill.bsky.social) - https://flic.kr/p/2jftdfJ
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM