Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
@sjbastro.bsky.social
Amateur astronomer and astrophotographer, including Sirius, meteors, noctilucent clouds and aurora. Articles and pictures published in books and magazines. Been on TV and radio talking about astronomy. Always need more sleep.
Pinned
The #Astronomy highlights thread for November 2025:
The highlights this month are the two streams of the Taurids meteor shower, as well as the Leonids. Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) continues to be a low astrophotography target in the early evening sky.
#Astrophotography #Stargazing
The highlights this month are the two streams of the Taurids meteor shower, as well as the Leonids. Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) continues to be a low astrophotography target in the early evening sky.
#Astrophotography #Stargazing
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
A nice little pairing. This is the Bubble Nebula in the lower left, and the open star cluster M52 in the upper right. The Bubble is devilishly hard to get right. A least, I find it so. #Astronomy #Astrophotography
November 24, 2025 at 3:44 PM
A nice little pairing. This is the Bubble Nebula in the lower left, and the open star cluster M52 in the upper right. The Bubble is devilishly hard to get right. A least, I find it so. #Astronomy #Astrophotography
Ganymede's shadow crosses Jupiter's disc from 02:10 to 05:30 UT tomorrow morning. #Astronomy #Jupiter
November 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Ganymede's shadow crosses Jupiter's disc from 02:10 to 05:30 UT tomorrow morning. #Astronomy #Jupiter
Orion shining through the clouds in the early hours of this morning 😀 #Astronomy #Astrophotography
November 23, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Orion shining through the clouds in the early hours of this morning 😀 #Astronomy #Astrophotography
Digital creators and social media users are invited to register to attend the launch of the NASA’s Artemis II mission. The agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. www.nasa.gov/general/expe...
Experience the Launch of Artemis II - NASA
Lee esta nota en español aquí
www.nasa.gov
November 22, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Digital creators and social media users are invited to register to attend the launch of the NASA’s Artemis II mission. The agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will launch the Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. www.nasa.gov/general/expe...
Check your attics folks! 😀🤯 Superman copy found in mum's attic is most valuable comic ever at $9.12m www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Superman edition found in mum's attic is most valuable comic ever at $9.12m
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a new record after Man of Steel comic found in a California home is auctioned.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Check your attics folks! 😀🤯 Superman copy found in mum's attic is most valuable comic ever at $9.12m www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
Contender for best photo I have ever taken
November 21, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Contender for best photo I have ever taken
Uranus reaches opposition today. Find it between the Pleiades and Hyades open clusters in Taurus. It is closer to the Pleiades and you could use the cluster to find the planet using binoculars or a telescope. #Astronomy
November 21, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Uranus reaches opposition today. Find it between the Pleiades and Hyades open clusters in Taurus. It is closer to the Pleiades and you could use the cluster to find the planet using binoculars or a telescope. #Astronomy
The shadows of Io and Callisto cross Jupiter's disc together from 01:30 to 03:50 UT tomorrow morning. Io itself also crosses Jupiter from 02:35 to 04:50 UT. #Astronomy #Jupiter
November 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM
The shadows of Io and Callisto cross Jupiter's disc together from 01:30 to 03:50 UT tomorrow morning. Io itself also crosses Jupiter from 02:35 to 04:50 UT. #Astronomy #Jupiter
Looking forward to the #Geminid meteor shower this year. With the Moon not rising until the early hours on the peak night of 13-14 December, this should be a good year to observe them. #Geminids #Astronomy
November 20, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Looking forward to the #Geminid meteor shower this year. With the Moon not rising until the early hours on the peak night of 13-14 December, this should be a good year to observe them. #Geminids #Astronomy
Fancy a snog? 😄 First kiss dates back 21 million years, say scientists www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
First kiss dates back 21 million years, say scientists
A new study looks at how the mouth-on-mouth smooch came into being, and concludes that Neanderthals also kissed.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Fancy a snog? 😄 First kiss dates back 21 million years, say scientists www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
Excited to now share this story! Papers accepted!
Apep is an awesome system, unlike any other we know about.
Two Wolf-Rayet systems orbited by a third supergiant. As all their winds collide, they form these beautiful structures that have now been observed with #JWST and ESO's VLT.
#SpaceAustralia
Apep is an awesome system, unlike any other we know about.
Two Wolf-Rayet systems orbited by a third supergiant. As all their winds collide, they form these beautiful structures that have now been observed with #JWST and ESO's VLT.
#SpaceAustralia
Two new papers have used data from JWST and ESO's VLT to help uncover new details of the chaos amongst the stars: Apep
@rami.spaceaustralia.com spoke with one of the paper's lead authors @astroryan.bsky.social about this incredible system.
www.spaceaustralia.com/news/order-a...
#SpaceAustralia
🔭
@rami.spaceaustralia.com spoke with one of the paper's lead authors @astroryan.bsky.social about this incredible system.
www.spaceaustralia.com/news/order-a...
#SpaceAustralia
🔭
November 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Excited to now share this story! Papers accepted!
Apep is an awesome system, unlike any other we know about.
Two Wolf-Rayet systems orbited by a third supergiant. As all their winds collide, they form these beautiful structures that have now been observed with #JWST and ESO's VLT.
#SpaceAustralia
Apep is an awesome system, unlike any other we know about.
Two Wolf-Rayet systems orbited by a third supergiant. As all their winds collide, they form these beautiful structures that have now been observed with #JWST and ESO's VLT.
#SpaceAustralia
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
Uranus and its 5 brightest moons.
Miranda is the closest to Uranus and is about 50,000x fainter than the planet, making it a challenge to capture in the glare of the planet.
This is a 24 image stack. Uranus is over-exposed to help record Miranda. It's just visible on the edge of Uranus' glare!
🔭
Miranda is the closest to Uranus and is about 50,000x fainter than the planet, making it a challenge to capture in the glare of the planet.
This is a 24 image stack. Uranus is over-exposed to help record Miranda. It's just visible on the edge of Uranus' glare!
🔭
November 19, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Uranus and its 5 brightest moons.
Miranda is the closest to Uranus and is about 50,000x fainter than the planet, making it a challenge to capture in the glare of the planet.
This is a 24 image stack. Uranus is over-exposed to help record Miranda. It's just visible on the edge of Uranus' glare!
🔭
Miranda is the closest to Uranus and is about 50,000x fainter than the planet, making it a challenge to capture in the glare of the planet.
This is a 24 image stack. Uranus is over-exposed to help record Miranda. It's just visible on the edge of Uranus' glare!
🔭
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
For those who've asked me if I'm going to try for that interstellar object 31/Atlas, a game attempt with a 6" scope. You're supposed to have a 16" scope to do it justice. This is 10 100-second images, manually stacked, which is why the stars look weird. #Astronomy #astrophotography
November 19, 2025 at 3:14 PM
For those who've asked me if I'm going to try for that interstellar object 31/Atlas, a game attempt with a 6" scope. You're supposed to have a 16" scope to do it justice. This is 10 100-second images, manually stacked, which is why the stars look weird. #Astronomy #astrophotography
One of the UK's most critically endangered mammals could make a return from extinction in England. The South West Wildcat Project hopes to bring back 50 European wildcats, from 2028, after a study found a colony could "flourish" in the mid-Devon countryside. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Once-extinct European wildcats set to make a comeback in England
Fifty wildcats could be reintroduced to the countryside in south west England, conservationists say.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 8:47 PM
One of the UK's most critically endangered mammals could make a return from extinction in England. The South West Wildcat Project hopes to bring back 50 European wildcats, from 2028, after a study found a colony could "flourish" in the mid-Devon countryside. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Quick timelapse of the crescent #Moon rising into the clouds early this morning 😀 #Astronomy #Astrophotography
November 18, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Quick timelapse of the crescent #Moon rising into the clouds early this morning 😀 #Astronomy #Astrophotography
Well, duh! 😄 "People should not "blindly trust" everything AI tools tell them, the boss of Google's parent company Alphabet has told the BBC." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Don't blindly trust what AI tells you, Google boss tells BBC
Sundar Pichai candidly acknowledged concerns about inaccurate answers generated by Google's models.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Well, duh! 😄 "People should not "blindly trust" everything AI tools tell them, the boss of Google's parent company Alphabet has told the BBC." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
🚀 #WatchLive: tomorrow sees the launch of @esaearth.esa.int's HydroGNSS satellite along with #IrideSpazio and #IceyeGlobal satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
📺 Watch on #ESAwebTV on Wednesday, 19 November, live from 18:01 GMT/19:01 CET👇
📺 Watch on #ESAwebTV on Wednesday, 19 November, live from 18:01 GMT/19:01 CET👇
Watch: HydroGNSS, IRIDE and Greek mission satellites launch
The European Space Agency’s HydroGNSS, a twin-satellite mission to gather data on Earth’s water cycle, is scheduled to launch on 19 November at 19:18 CET (10:18 Pacific Time). Live coverage of th...
www.esa.int
November 18, 2025 at 9:49 AM
🚀 #WatchLive: tomorrow sees the launch of @esaearth.esa.int's HydroGNSS satellite along with #IrideSpazio and #IceyeGlobal satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
📺 Watch on #ESAwebTV on Wednesday, 19 November, live from 18:01 GMT/19:01 CET👇
📺 Watch on #ESAwebTV on Wednesday, 19 November, live from 18:01 GMT/19:01 CET👇
November 18, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Steve Brown - astronomy and astrophotography
Well, here's some very exciting news!
I've been wanting to share this for a few months, but had to wait for the pre-print to drop.
A NEW GLITCH ON A MILLISECOND PULSAR HAS BEEN OBSERVED!
These events are extremely rare - only two others since MSPs discovered.
🔭🧪📡
I've been wanting to share this for a few months, but had to wait for the pre-print to drop.
A NEW GLITCH ON A MILLISECOND PULSAR HAS BEEN OBSERVED!
These events are extremely rare - only two others since MSPs discovered.
🔭🧪📡
For only the third time ever, a glitch event has been observed on a millisecond #pulsar.
@rami.spaceaustralia.com chats with lead author and PhD candidate Bhavnesh Bhat about the significance of this important, yet rare, event.
www.spaceaustralia.com/news/new-gli...
#SpaceAustralia
📸 NASA SVS
@rami.spaceaustralia.com chats with lead author and PhD candidate Bhavnesh Bhat about the significance of this important, yet rare, event.
www.spaceaustralia.com/news/new-gli...
#SpaceAustralia
📸 NASA SVS
November 17, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Well, here's some very exciting news!
I've been wanting to share this for a few months, but had to wait for the pre-print to drop.
A NEW GLITCH ON A MILLISECOND PULSAR HAS BEEN OBSERVED!
These events are extremely rare - only two others since MSPs discovered.
🔭🧪📡
I've been wanting to share this for a few months, but had to wait for the pre-print to drop.
A NEW GLITCH ON A MILLISECOND PULSAR HAS BEEN OBSERVED!
These events are extremely rare - only two others since MSPs discovered.
🔭🧪📡
The peak of the #Leonids meteor shower is on the night of the 17th into the morning of the 18th. With the Moon out of the way, this year should be a good one to see them. Leonid meteors are very swift and often bright. You could see around 5-10 per hour from a dark location. #Astronomy
November 17, 2025 at 5:31 PM
The peak of the #Leonids meteor shower is on the night of the 17th into the morning of the 18th. With the Moon out of the way, this year should be a good one to see them. Leonid meteors are very swift and often bright. You could see around 5-10 per hour from a dark location. #Astronomy
Orionid meteor passing nicely between Jupiter and Pollux in Gemini at 02:18 UT on 22 October 2025. #Astronomy #Orionids #Astrophotography #MeteorShower
November 17, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Orionid meteor passing nicely between Jupiter and Pollux in Gemini at 02:18 UT on 22 October 2025. #Astronomy #Orionids #Astrophotography #MeteorShower
The #AstronomyWeather for my local patch - results for October 2025:
Clear sky: 7 nights
Partly cloudy sky: 7 nights
Overcast sky: 17 nights
A good month for #Astronomy, with the Orionids meteor shower, a couple of comets and some nice clear skies.
#AstroWeather #Astrophotography
Clear sky: 7 nights
Partly cloudy sky: 7 nights
Overcast sky: 17 nights
A good month for #Astronomy, with the Orionids meteor shower, a couple of comets and some nice clear skies.
#AstroWeather #Astrophotography
November 17, 2025 at 8:22 AM
The #AstronomyWeather for my local patch - results for October 2025:
Clear sky: 7 nights
Partly cloudy sky: 7 nights
Overcast sky: 17 nights
A good month for #Astronomy, with the Orionids meteor shower, a couple of comets and some nice clear skies.
#AstroWeather #Astrophotography
Clear sky: 7 nights
Partly cloudy sky: 7 nights
Overcast sky: 17 nights
A good month for #Astronomy, with the Orionids meteor shower, a couple of comets and some nice clear skies.
#AstroWeather #Astrophotography