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Paul Byrne

@theplanetaryguy.bsky.social

14K followers 240 following 1.9K posts

Associate Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science at Washington University in St. Louis • Planetary Data System Geosciences Node Director • Planetary Bastard • he/him/Sir

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · Nov 24

Open this photo up and look for the small, white dot just left of centre.

It looks like Venus, shining brightly in the twilight sky.

But it's us.

It's Earth.

From Mars.

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Reposted by Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · Apr 29

This is a new image from #JWST.

The bright points with spikes are stars in the Milky Way.

Everything else is a galaxy.

Everything. Else. Is. A. Galaxy.

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Reposted by Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 10h

You guys, I think this is the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.

Photographed last Friday.

From the surface of Mars by one of our nuclear-powered rovers.

A small, light-grey streak points to the bottom left in an otherwise featureless, dark background.

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 10h

The comet made its closest approach to Mars (about 30 million km) on 3 October.

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 10h

This image was taken by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover with its Right Navigation Camera late at a local Jezero Crater time of 9:30 pm.

Note that the image was taken *Saturday* 4 October, not Friday as the first post says.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 10h

You guys, I think this is the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.

Photographed last Friday.

From the surface of Mars by one of our nuclear-powered rovers.

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 11h

👀

Loren Grush @lorengrush.bsky.social · 11h

Jared Isaacman may not totally be out of the NASA game just yet www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Billionaire Isaacman Met With Trump Over Top NASA Job

Jared Isaacman and President Donald Trump have met in recent weeks and discussed reviving the fintech billionaire’s nomination to lead NASA, according to a person familiar with the matter.

www.bloomberg.com

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 17h

Few things more unnatural than flying

Reposted by Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

Rude calling me out like that

The Onion @theonion.com · 1d

Passenger Glued To Airplane Window Like It Fucking 1956 https://theonion.com/passenger-glued-to-airplane-window-like-it-fucking-1956-1832728158/

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

But still a window seat!

To think that the overwhelming majority of humans never had the opportunity to see the world from an airplane window, and it's something we take for granted.

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

Rude calling me out like that

The Onion @theonion.com · 1d

Passenger Glued To Airplane Window Like It Fucking 1956 https://theonion.com/passenger-glued-to-airplane-window-like-it-fucking-1956-1832728158/

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Reposted by Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

See that small, moving splotch?

That's 3I/ATLAS, a comet that formed in a different star system, photographed from Mars orbit by the ESA Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter.

A comet from a DIFFERENT SOLAR SYSTEM photographed by a ROBOT ORBITING MARS

last Friday

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

We are so doomed

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

I mean, holy fuck

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

Read more:

www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

Earth, Venus, Mars

Ryan Teague Beckwith @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social · 3d

Editor in chief, city editor, features editor

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

Probably.

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

This photo is a Perseverance rover Right Mastcam-Z camera image taken Sunday, 5 October 2025 at a local Jezero Crater time of 12:00 pm.

Colour and white balance slightly modified to better match human vision.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

Here's a weird-looking rock on Mars, photographed Sunday.

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

Good photo of a Nazi

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

You're going to die a slow, agonizing death so we're even

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

shit

I dropped it

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

I'm not saying this is a threat.

I'm not not saying this is a threat.

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 4d

Your aperiodic reminder that this is the true scale of Saturn's moon Enceladus and the biggest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons on Mars.

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Reposted by Paul Byrne

Casey Dreier @caseydreier.bsky.social · 3d

Today is our Save NASA Science Day of Action! You can take actions online to support the nearly 300 registered participants on the ground with me here in the D.C.

planetary.org/dayofaction

The Day of Action to Save NASA Science

Take action with us to help reject cuts that threaten NASA's science and exploration programs.

planetary.org

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 3d

I made this pic. Free to share with attribution.

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