Stuart Atkinson
@stuartatkinson.bsky.social
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.
Day off, and I was *this* close to getting an article finished and then a black and white Time Thief jumped up on the sofa, pawed at my arm and pushed herself inside it, and the laptop away, and now I'm stuck ...
January 14, 2026 at 11:24 AM
Day off, and I was *this* close to getting an article finished and then a black and white Time Thief jumped up on the sofa, pawed at my arm and pushed herself inside it, and the laptop away, and now I'm stuck ...
One of the most gentle, loving souls I've ever known. (She's fine, by the way, I just love the pic in black and white)
January 13, 2026 at 11:46 PM
One of the most gentle, loving souls I've ever known. (She's fine, by the way, I just love the pic in black and white)
J wondering what it would be like to live on a planet covered in cat litter...
January 12, 2026 at 6:07 PM
J wondering what it would be like to live on a planet covered in cat litter...
An utterly miserable excuse for a day here in Kendal today, even by Cumbrian standards, with icy rain slopping down relentlessly from a gunmetal-grey sky. J definitely has the right idea...
January 11, 2026 at 2:18 PM
An utterly miserable excuse for a day here in Kendal today, even by Cumbrian standards, with icy rain slopping down relentlessly from a gunmetal-grey sky. J definitely has the right idea...
Freezing cold in Cumbria today as the world outside the window goes to hell in a hand basket. Lunatics rule America & want to conquer the world and a mad billionaire laughs as his mutant AI child creates pics of kids in bikinis. Who else is terrified? I'm keeping J close today.
January 7, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Freezing cold in Cumbria today as the world outside the window goes to hell in a hand basket. Lunatics rule America & want to conquer the world and a mad billionaire laughs as his mutant AI child creates pics of kids in bikinis. Who else is terrified? I'm keeping J close today.
No, Jess, I don't think I should have to go to work on New Year's Day either, not after working Christmas Day AND Boxing Day too. But I'll see you later...
January 1, 2026 at 7:26 AM
No, Jess, I don't think I should have to go to work on New Year's Day either, not after working Christmas Day AND Boxing Day too. But I'll see you later...
BIG new batch of images sent back by Perseverance! Took some work, and my laptop struggled, but what a wonderful view... Look at those beautiful dust dunes, sculpted by Mars' icy winds...
As they say, "Welcome to my world..." ;-)
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
As they say, "Welcome to my world..." ;-)
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
December 28, 2025 at 9:18 AM
BIG new batch of images sent back by Perseverance! Took some work, and my laptop struggled, but what a wonderful view... Look at those beautiful dust dunes, sculpted by Mars' icy winds...
As they say, "Welcome to my world..." ;-)
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
As they say, "Welcome to my world..." ;-)
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
Here we are then, Christmas morning... Merry Christmas from Stella, myself and Jess, to all our family and friends, wherever you are. Time to open the final door of Jess' Advent Calendar... :-)
December 25, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Here we are then, Christmas morning... Merry Christmas from Stella, myself and Jess, to all our family and friends, wherever you are. Time to open the final door of Jess' Advent Calendar... :-)
December 22nd already? Better get door #22 of Jess' Advent Calendar opened!
December 22, 2025 at 8:55 AM
December 22nd already? Better get door #22 of Jess' Advent Calendar opened!
December 21st, let's see what's behind door #21 of Jess' Advent Calendar...
December 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
December 21st, let's see what's behind door #21 of Jess' Advent Calendar...
December 20th... Time to open door #20 of Jess' Advent Calendar...
Awwww.... :-)
Awwww.... :-)
December 20, 2025 at 6:31 AM
December 20th... Time to open door #20 of Jess' Advent Calendar...
Awwww.... :-)
Awwww.... :-)
New view sent back from Mars by the Curiosity rover yesterday... love how she can see for miles and miles across the crater floor far below her now... 🙂
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
December 19, 2025 at 9:50 AM
New view sent back from Mars by the Curiosity rover yesterday... love how she can see for miles and miles across the crater floor far below her now... 🙂
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
December 19th... Door #19 of Jess' Advent Calendar is peeled open to reveal...
December 19, 2025 at 7:16 AM
December 19th... Door #19 of Jess' Advent Calendar is peeled open to reveal...
It's not (quite) Christmas yet, but the January 2026 issues of the monthly astronomy magazines are already appearing on the shelves, and although Jess is as unimpressed as usual *I'm* super chuffed to have a big feature in the New Year issue of Astronomy Now Magazine!
December 18, 2025 at 7:15 PM
It's not (quite) Christmas yet, but the January 2026 issues of the monthly astronomy magazines are already appearing on the shelves, and although Jess is as unimpressed as usual *I'm* super chuffed to have a big feature in the New Year issue of Astronomy Now Magazine!
December 18th, so let's open door #18 of Jess' Advent Calendar... :-)
December 18, 2025 at 6:32 AM
December 18th, so let's open door #18 of Jess' Advent Calendar... :-)
December 17th, and door #17 of Jess' Advent Calendar swings open, revealing...
Wow, that's an old pic! Look how young she was then! Still bombing around like a lunatic tho... ;-)
Wow, that's an old pic! Look how young she was then! Still bombing around like a lunatic tho... ;-)
December 17, 2025 at 7:27 AM
December 17th, and door #17 of Jess' Advent Calendar swings open, revealing...
Wow, that's an old pic! Look how young she was then! Still bombing around like a lunatic tho... ;-)
Wow, that's an old pic! Look how young she was then! Still bombing around like a lunatic tho... ;-)
December 16th, so time to open door #16 of Jess' Advent Calendar...
December 16, 2025 at 6:31 AM
December 16th, so time to open door #16 of Jess' Advent Calendar...
If you Follow me, or have Liked my Mars image processing work, I'd be grateful if you'd consider taking a look at some of my Mars-related science fiction and writing. All available now for Kindle (and some in print) from Amazon...
December 15, 2025 at 9:41 PM
If you Follow me, or have Liked my Mars image processing work, I'd be grateful if you'd consider taking a look at some of my Mars-related science fiction and writing. All available now for Kindle (and some in print) from Amazon...
Another - more detailed - view of Perseverance's wheel tracks meandering down the outer slopes of Jezero Crater... (Images taken Dec 7th)...
Which version do you prefer, colour or black and white?
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
Which version do you prefer, colour or black and white?
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
December 15, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Another - more detailed - view of Perseverance's wheel tracks meandering down the outer slopes of Jezero Crater... (Images taken Dec 7th)...
Which version do you prefer, colour or black and white?
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
Which version do you prefer, colour or black and white?
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
Struggled to process these new views because the focus of the Curiosity original images, taken up on the slopes of Mt Sharp in the middle of Gale Crater, is all over the place! But I think the dramatic landscape speaks for itself...
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/S Atkinson
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/S Atkinson
December 15, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Struggled to process these new views because the focus of the Curiosity original images, taken up on the slopes of Mt Sharp in the middle of Gale Crater, is all over the place! But I think the dramatic landscape speaks for itself...
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/S Atkinson
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/S Atkinson
Still raining here in Kendal but I've not heard of any flooding, which is good, so I'll wander out and see how high the river is later. In the meantime, let's take a look behind door #15 of Jess' Advent Calendar - ah, it's a memento from our recent Scottish trips today... :-)
December 15, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Still raining here in Kendal but I've not heard of any flooding, which is good, so I'll wander out and see how high the river is later. In the meantime, let's take a look behind door #15 of Jess' Advent Calendar - ah, it's a memento from our recent Scottish trips today... :-)
Two days ago, on Mars, a nuclear-powered robot geologist paused in its work to take a selfie and send it back to Earth... Perseverance images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
December 14, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Two days ago, on Mars, a nuclear-powered robot geologist paused in its work to take a selfie and send it back to Earth... Perseverance images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
New view sent back from Mars by Perseverance yesterday...
Reminds me of that line in "The Martian", when Mark Whatney is sat on top of that hill, looking out over the great plains...
"Everywhere I go, I'm the first..."
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Reminds me of that line in "The Martian", when Mark Whatney is sat on top of that hill, looking out over the great plains...
"Everywhere I go, I'm the first..."
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
December 14, 2025 at 11:41 AM
New view sent back from Mars by Perseverance yesterday...
Reminds me of that line in "The Martian", when Mark Whatney is sat on top of that hill, looking out over the great plains...
"Everywhere I go, I'm the first..."
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Reminds me of that line in "The Martian", when Mark Whatney is sat on top of that hill, looking out over the great plains...
"Everywhere I go, I'm the first..."
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
December 14th, and as the rain falls over Kendal - rain that's not due to stop for at least 24 hours more - let's take a peek behind door #14 of Jess' Advent Calendar... :-)
December 14, 2025 at 8:01 AM
December 14th, and as the rain falls over Kendal - rain that's not due to stop for at least 24 hours more - let's take a peek behind door #14 of Jess' Advent Calendar... :-)
I do like this new view of Mars, taken by Curiosity... This is what Jess would see if she was sitting beneath the rover (before she jumped up on the top and started knocking bits off it... ;-) ) Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
December 13, 2025 at 9:02 AM
I do like this new view of Mars, taken by Curiosity... This is what Jess would see if she was sitting beneath the rover (before she jumped up on the top and started knocking bits off it... ;-) ) Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson