The Fall/Autumnal Equinox is TODAY at 2:19 PM EDT. That's the time at which our Sun is directly over the Earth's equator, signaling the start of Northern Hemisphere astronomical fall. The Earth’s northern hemisphere will continue to tilt further from the sun through the Winter Solstice on Dec 21.

A landscape orientation view of the redwoods - although you don't get the sense of height, I think I prefer this. Trees are so lovely :) #Berko #LocalPhotography #CanonR6II

Not the best of images but last night I did manage to catch the shadow of Titan on Saturn’s cloud tops. 🔭

13 years ago today I got to see Space Shuttle Endeavour flying over Tucson, AZ on its way to its new home in L.A. A few years later I got to visit it in person at the California Science Center.

🚨 Possible brightening in comet 3I/ATLAS! Observers report an uptick since Sept 17 (UTC). Our @Unistellar data shows 2 points brighter than predicted—promising but sparse. As 3I nears the Sun it’s getting tougher to spot, so more observations in the next few nights are key! #exocomet

I just got my COVID booster and my flu shot. 💪

[Huey Long voice]

The colors of sunrise nicely complement the volcanic action right now at Kīlauea. 🌋

Fountaining at Kīlauea is happening now. Watch it here: www.youtube.com/live/tk0tfYD...

This is the kind of news I need these days. www.npr.org/2025/09/19/n...

From NASA: Check out the view from up here! As the Curiosity rover continues to climb the flanks of Mt. Sharp, it has captured an extraordinarily clear panorama of Gale Crater's rim...and even the lands beyond. Details: photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA2...

Can Japan's #Hayabusa2 touchdown on asteroid 1998 KY26?  A new study that includes VLT observations reveals the mission’s target asteroid to be three times smaller and much faster than previously thought. Read more: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2515/ 🔭 🧪

Nice lava action at Kīlauea right now. Lava fountaining my start later today. www.youtube.com/live/tk0tfYD...

New books in the post by @scalzi.com and @rweingarten.bsky.social One is for fun and one for the times we live in. #booksky

Over night gor the 1st time in months we had measurable rain which means that this morning the snails are out. 🐌

PowerPoint's AI Text is whacked. Here's how it captioned a graph I added: "A graph showing the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of the number of AI-generated content may be incorrect."

Jupiter with a 2x tele-extender (left) and 4x extender on the right. I thought 2X would be a clear winner for detail, but I'm torn. I'm also happy because I lucked out and caught the great red spot. #Astronomy #Astrophotography

Ever wonder what happened to that $100 million interstellar spaceship program? Me too. www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Lately, photographer Ragnar Visage started sharing video footage of past Iceland eruptions and I feel like no one sees it. Check out this video and his channel. So mesmerizing! ⚒️🧪 #Geology 🌋 youtu.be/aSOdrS2R3jA?...

From last night here's Barnard’s Galaxy (NGC 6822), a dwarf irregular galaxy in the Local Group located 1.6 million light years away. 🔭

Tomorrow, newly-discovered #asteroid 2025 RJ2 will miss the Moon by 13,000 km. Shortly before close approach, it will pass through the Moon's shadow.

Another gorgeous view of the @eso.org's Extremely Large Telescope under construction in Chile. It's expected to begin scientific operations in 2030. 🧪🔭 www.eso.org/public/image...

Know what creates empathy? Books. Reading about people unlike ourselves and experiences we'll never have. Which is why some people want to remove those books and discourage reading. Kids and adults should read widely. Most spend their spare time online, which is where indoctrination often begins.

Current status: imaging Barnard’s Galaxy (NGC 6822), a dwarf galaxy in the Local Group located 1.6 million light years away.

Cassini's final full view of Saturn 🪐 a mosaic comprising 11 color-composites captured by the spacecraft in visible light filters on September 13, 2017. The following day it dove into Saturn's atmosphere, ending its mission after 13 years in orbit.

Available now!

I just finished reading John Williams: A Composer’s Life by Tim Greiving and it was an absolutely wonderful biography of the greatest composer of film music. #booksky

A few selected images of Mars processed from a new batch of data from the EXI camera aboard the Hope probe. The dates and times of the images and some details are in the ALT text.

#Emirates #Mars Mission 🌈 مسبار الأمل 2025-02-05 #Mars #Phobos Spacecraft altitude: 21526km #EXI 635 546 437 filter Mode xos1 sdc.emiratesmarsmission.ae UAESA/Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre/j.Roger

The relationship between the people of Hawaiʻi and astronomy on Maunakea has been complex. I have witnessed both missteps and sincere efforts to be respectful and find common ground. Hopefully this is a welcome development. 🧪🔭

Waning gibbous 77.5% on Friday morning at 5.24 AM (UTC+7).

One third of Americas energy needs! Thats how much demand could be met by waves along America’s coasts. 🌊⚡ LA just launched the nation’s first wave-energy pilot. The floating Eco Wave system, still in pilot stage, offers a renewable source that is constant, unlike wind or solar. @apnews.com

The coming months promise to be a treat for skywatchers. Whether you’re in the northern or southern hemisphere, the night sky will feature a parade of comets—each with its own story and best window of visibility. www.seti.org/news/an-autu...

This is wonderful. youtu.be/V7U6gAnVrMg?...

#Makemake A Southwest Research Institute-led team has reported the first detection of gas on the distant dwarf planet Makemake, using JWST. This discovery makes Makemake only the 2nd trans-Neptunian object, after Pluto, where the presence of gas is confirmed. The gas was identified as methane. 🧪🔭

Here's the story and image from JPL last year about the "leopard spot" rocks found by the Perseverance rover: www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-p...

Tomorrow "my" asteroid, (227310) Scottkardel, will be at opposition and in the sky all night long. Alas, at magnitude 19.8 it is too faint for me to capture with my backyard telescope. 🔭

“Star Trek” premieres 59 years ago today. “It was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate — but take a special delight in — differences in ideas ..” - Gene Roddenberry #RIP @georgetakei.bsky.social

Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon) 2025. Finally, after waiting for 3 years, I could capture the Blood Moon with my DSLR, although I couldn't get all the phases due to the clouds.

🖖 Wonderful!

Slightly diminish a book The Acquaintances Of The Ring.

Ohhhhh, #RadioAstronomy friends! 📡🔭 @thenrao.bsky.social has several openings available if you're looking for new opportunities! 👇 jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/aui/CA...

More than 85 scientists say that a recent U.S. Department of Energy report is full of errors and misrepresents climate science.

Got a view of the lunar eclipse!! 🙌

Gotcha!

My cartoon for the @theguardian.com books autumn reads special.

The #LunarEclipse is underway: the full moon is slowly moving into the Earth's shadow. Totality starts at 17:30UTC. If you're stuck under clouds and/or sunlight, timeanddate are live streaming the moon as seen from the dark clear skies over Cyprus and Dubai 🔭🧪 🍿: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Sx...

Yay! #astrophotography #sydney #australia