Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

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.

59 520 2.1K

Reposted by Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 17h

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

9 150 500

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 12h

We are so doomed

1 2

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 17h

I mean, holy fuck

1 23

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 17h

Read more:

www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS

1 1 17

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 17h

9 150 500

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 21h

Earth, Venus, Mars

Ryan Teague Beckwith @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social · 1d

Editor in chief, city editor, features editor

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

Probably.

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

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 · 1d

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

3 4 80

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

Good photo of a Nazi

1 1

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

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

1 1

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

shit

I dropped it

1 1

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 1d

I'm not saying this is a threat.

I'm not not saying this is a threat.

Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.bsky.social · 2d

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.

5 2 50

Reposted by Paul Byrne

Casey Dreier @caseydreier.bsky.social · 1d

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