The mock cherry and almond #blossom are doing well, this spring. I grabbed some quick photos, this morning.

The #NASA GOES-East satellite captured the new #Moon passing above the #Sun this morning from its vantage point in a geostationary orbit. #astronomy #NewMoon

Are #funghi the key to environmentally friendly ski slopes, better tasting frozen vegetables and eco-friendly refrigerants or even cloud seeding? With code borrowed from #bacteria, through horizontal #gene transfer they can raise the freezing point of water in clouds. earthsky.org/earth/hidden...

3 years from today a 360 metre #asteroid, #Apophis, will pass within 32 000 km of Earth reaching naked eye visibility of mag 3.1 for observers in Australia, southern Asia, southern Europe and Africa. earthsky.org/space/astero... #astronomy

As newly discovered moons around Saturn and Jupiter were announced this week, a puzzle remains as to how Jupiter got four large moons and Saturn only one. New studies suggest it's strong magnetic field created cavities in its disc for large moons to grow in. earthsky.org/space/jupite... #astronomy

#Artemis II returns to Earth today, with #splashdown planned for 20:07 PST (01:07 BST, Saturday, 2026 04 11). www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio...

There is less water ice on the Moon than previously thought according to a survey by NASA's Shadow cam. In shadowed regions at the poles it was expected there would be 20-30% water, but they found less than 10%. This could impact future missions earthsky.org/space/ice-in... #astronomy #Moon #water

Air ambulance helicopter leaving the scene after an incident on the field next door. Hopefully, everyone is OK. I have no further information. #helicopter #AirAmbulance #rescue

#Waning #Moon Date: 2026 04 04 Time: 00:03:54 UTC Altitude: 12° 24' Distance: 398 072 km Phase: 96% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/250s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm For full resolution, open the image in a new tab. #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

This is a photo of the Moon as I was waiting for the clouds to completely clear. FYI, they did not! I'm sure the Artemis crew are not experiencing the same visibility problems I did. At least they now have a functioning toilet! #astronomy #Moon #Artemis

#Waning #Moon Date: 2026 04 02 Time: 23:18:17 UTC Altitude: 21° 11' Distance: 394 136 km Phase: 99% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/50s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm For full resolution, open the image in a new tab. #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Full #Moon Date (UK): 2026 04 02, Date (US): 2026 04 01 Time (UTC): 01:23:47, Time (EDT): 21:23:47 Artemis II Mission Elapsed Time: 02:48:35 Altitude: 27° 34' Distance: 390 482 km Phase: 100% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/400s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #Artemis

Artemis II has successfully launched and begun it's journey to the Moon. Congratulations to all involved and good luck to the four astronauts who will now make the six day journey to the Moon. All photos courtesy of NASA. #Artemis #astronomy #rocket #launch

Artemis II launch countdown has begun, with the 2 hour launch window opening at 18:24 EDT (22:24 UTC / 23:24 BST) on 1 April 2026. For more information visit the NASA link. www.nasa.gov/blogs/missio... #astronomy #spaceflight #Moon #Artemis

#Waxing #Gibbous #Moon Date: 2026 03 29 Time: 19:35:05 UTC Altitude: 40° 43' Distance: 378 412 km Phase: 89% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/160s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm Due to cloud, only a single frame was captured tonight. #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

The clair-obscur effects of the Lunar X and V are well known, but there are others visible at the same time. A second X appears below the well known V and further down is an L. These are circled in yellow, with the originals in red on my photo. #astronomy #Moon #clair-obscur #X #V

#Waxing #Gibbous #Moon Date: 2026 03 28 Time: 21:21:49 UTC Altitude: 53° 25' Distance: 374 569 km Phase: 82% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/12, 1/125s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm For full resolution, open the image in a new tab. #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

Tonight's close conjunction of Mars with the Moon announced on Facebook is false. Whilst the Moon is high in the night sky, Mars will be well below the horizon and not visible at night. A web search shows that the event occurred on this day in 2023 and is confirmed with Stellarium. #astronomy

#Waxing #Gibbous #Moon Date: 2026 03 27 Time: 19:10:12 UTC Altitude: 56° 53' Distance: 371 130 km Phase: 72% Nikon Z8 iOptron Rumak 150 Exposure: f/12, 1/125s, ISO-400 Focal Length: 1800 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #Gibbous #Moon Date: 2026 03 27 Time: 18:44:57 UTC Altitude: 55° 05' Distance: 371 191 km Phase: 72% Nikon Z8 iOptron Rumak 150 Exposure: f/12, 1/60s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1800 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters #jet #aeroplane #airplane

#Waxing #FirstQuarter #Moon Date: 2026 03 25 Time: 18:56:22 UTC Altitude: 63° 18' Distance: 365 549 km Phase: 50% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/125s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

NASA announcement: #Artemis III will not be landing on the #Moon, it will instead be placed in low Earth orbit to test systems in preparation for a #landing with Artemis IV. earthsky.org/spaceflight/...

#Waxing #Crescent #Moon Date: 2026 03 22 Time: 19:33:03 UTC Altitude: 33° 13' Distance: 363 414 km Phase: 18% Nikon Z8 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/20s, ISO-400 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #Crescent #Moon Date: 2026 03 21 Time: 18:56:57 UTC Altitude: 26° 25' Distance: 364 259 km Phase: 9% Nikon Z8 iOptron Rumak 150 Exposure: f/12, 1/40s, ISO-800 Focal Length: 1800 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters #supercrescent

Did astronomers just observe a planetary collision in data from 2016? A grad student spotted that the brightness of Gaia20ehk had started flickering wildly and astronomers think it is due to debris blocking light from the star. earthsky.org/space/comple... #astronomy

My 60 year old Japanese, Hinode 50 mm refractor on my Skytee II mount. The views through it are surprisingly good and I can't wait to try it on the Moon. It has a 20x - 80x zoom eyepiece and helical focuser. #astronomy #refractor #telescope

A recent, November 2025, paper proposes a methodology for achieving high resolution imaging of the lunar surface from Earth, using radar. The claimed resolution, after wideband synthesis, is 3 m x 9 m. Wideband image of Albufeda region is shown below ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/112... #astronomy

Featured on the 'Ay Up me Duck Trail' in Derbyshire, is Astro Duck. The trail comprises a total of eight large, painted duck sculptures by local artists in four Derbyshire towns, Alfreton, Belper, Heanor and Ripley. www.visitambervalley.com/inspire-me/a... #astronomy #telescope #constellations

#Waning #Gibbous #Moon Date: 2026 03 05 Time: 00:55:20 UTC Altitude: 32° 30' Distance: 385 556 km Phase: 97% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/100s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #Gibbous #Moon Date: 2026 02 28 Time: 21:40:56 UTC Altitude: 56° 38' Distance: 369 084 km Phase: 92% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/200s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

With the much hyped upcoming #planetary #alignment, here is the last one I imaged. This one will be much less spectacular. See alt for more... Date: 2021 10 10 Time: 17:57:04 UTC Nikon D3200 Sigma 10-20 mm Zoom Exposure: f/4, 3s, ISO-1100 Focal Length: 16 mm #astronomy #astrophotography

#Waxing #FirstQuarter #Moon Hi-res image. Click to view full screen. Date: 2026 02 24 Time: 20:54:20 UTC Altitude: 51° 04' Distance: 365 193 km Phase: 54% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/30s, ISO-200 Focal Length: 2400 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #FirstQuarter #Moon Northern regions closeup Date: 2026 02 24 Time: 18:02:10 UTC Altitude: 63° 22' Distance: 364 470 km Phase: 53% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/80s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #FirstQuarter #Moon Date: 2026 02 24 Time: 18:02:10 UTC Altitude: 63° 22' Distance: 364 470 km Phase: 53% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/80s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

Why are snowman shaped contact binaries so common in the Kuiper Belt? Scientists may have found the answer, which is surprisingly simple. #astronomy #contactbinaries #KuiperBelt earthsky.org/space/snowma...

#Waxing #FirstQuarter #Daylight #Moon Date: 2026 02 24 Time: 15:02:34 UTC Altitude: 46° 26' Distance: 365 553 km Phase: 52% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/320s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #Crescent #Moon Date: 2026 02 20 Time: 21:01:46 UTC Altitude: 28° 10' Distance: 368 140 km Phase: 31% Nikon D800 Skywatcher 200P Exposure: f/5.9, 1/60s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #Crescent #Moon Date: 2026 02 20 Time: 18:54:20 UTC Altitude: 22° 15' Distance: 371 934 km Phase: 12% Nikon D800 iOptron Rumak 150mm Exposure: f/5.9, 1/60s, ISO-400 Focal Length: 1200 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

#Waxing #Gibbous #Daytime #Moon Reprocessed version, sharper and clearer. Date: 2026 01 28 Time: 15:55:44 UTC Altitude: 36° 20' Distance: 362 914 km Phase: 77% Nikon D800 iOptron Rumak 150mm Exposure: f/12, 1/160s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1800 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters

The iOptron Rumak and Askar 60F mounted on my Skytee II with Skywatcher guidescope and finder. #astronomy #telescopes #refractor #maksutov-cassegrain

I've just fitted a new dual speed focuser to my Skywatcher 200P. Very easy job, just 20 mins with a screwdriver and 7mm socket. Everything lines up and #collimation is barely affected. This should make focusing easier. #astronomy #telescope

The upcoming #annular #solar #eclipse, 2026 02 17, will be visible from Antarctica. Partial phases may be seen from Argentina, Chile and southern Africa, including Botswana and Madagascar. #astronomy #solareclipse

Skywatcher have just launched a new 200mm f/10 Mak-Cass with a flat field of 44mm dia with just 22mm central obstruction. The central spot is cut into the meniscus, so it could be a Rumak. Selling at £1499 it offers good value. #astronomy #telescope www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-s...

SpaceX is to focus settlement plans on the Moon, instead of Mars. Unless we have legislation, we could see the Moon's face change as the night part lights up and buildings proliferate. Get imaging it, now, to preserve a record of its natural appearance. www.space.com/astronomy/mo... #astronomy

The European-Japanese BepiColombo mission is on its way to study #Mercury up close. Launched in 2018, the probe has performed six flybys of Mercury, but its real science mission will begin shortly after it enters orbit around the planet in late 2026. earthsky.org/space/mercur... #astronomy #space

A potentially daylight visible comet, this April? Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS), a sungrazer could be just that. www.astronomy.com/observing/a-... #astronomy #comet

If we could get some clear skies I could try out my new toy: it's a Lacerta Brewster-angle solar wedge. Hopefully, this will reveal plages and granulation on the Sun. #astronomy #kit

I'm planning to start doing some deep sky imaging soon, so I bought this quadruplet back in October, last year. It will be riding on my Skywatcher AZ-EQ5GT mount for imaging with my Zwo ASI178MM camera. #astronomy #astrophotography #telescope #refractor

Small telescopes for micro-satellites Complete, small catadioptric monolithic #telescopes, containing both refractive and reflective surfaces, crafted from a single piece of glass are becoming a reality, some no bigger than an eyepiece. www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-p... #astronomy

#Waxing #Gibbous #Daytime #Moon Date: 2026 01 28 Time: 15:55:44 UTC Altitude: 36° 20' Distance: 362 914 km Phase: 77% Nikon D800 iOptron Rumak 150mm Exposure: f/12, 1/160s, ISO-100 Focal Length: 1800 mm #astronomy #astrophotography #craters