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David Dickinson

@astrodave.bsky.social
803 followers 418 following 2.7K posts

Writer, Space pundit, Skywatcher

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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 15h
We have the launch today, of a SpaceX Falcon-9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida with Crew Dragon Grace headed to the ISS. Launch is set for 11:10 AM EDT/15:10 UT, and Dragon will arrive at the ISS tonight at 11:00 UT/7:00PM EDT. Live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZiU...
youtube.com
NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Launch
YouTube video by NASA
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Starship’s first orbital flight put its heat shield to the test – how it fares could determine if SpaceX’s vision is possible - theconversation.com/starships-fi... - via @us.theconversation.com - still sleuthing out the tracking TLEs for those version 3 Starlinks...
theconversation.com
Starship’s first orbital flight put its heat shield to the test – how it fares could determine if SpaceX’s vision is possible
Starship’s heat shield is made of up of an array of ceramic tiles. Each is a small component, but together they have large consequences.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Oct Astronomy 4-Saturn at opposition 5-Moon occults Mars 6-Moon occults Jupiter 7-Moon occults Regulus 8-Draconid meteors peak 10-New Moon 11-Mars transits M44 12-Mercury greatest elongation 14-Moon occults Antares 21-Orion Meteors peak 24-Venus at inferior conjunction 26-Full Hunter’s Moon
Juppy OccultationMoon v Jupiter
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Reposted by David Dickinson
Justin Walsh @jstpwalsh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Shane Ross at Virginia Tech created a simulation of what 500k orbital data centers, as proposed by SpaceX, would look like from your home latitude sdross0.github.io/orbital-data...
sdross0.github.io
What would orbital data centers look like from your sky?
500,000 satellites from SpaceX's FCC filing, two published brightness models and the real stars, for any latitude, date and time. Computed in your browser.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Saturn is putting on a fine view, leading up to opposition - www.flickr.com/photos/fraud...
flickr.com
Saturn and four moons - evening of 21 September
An evening of excellent seeing enabled me to capture more detail than usual on Saturn with the 12inch scope I have kindly loaned to me while mine is still back with the manufacturer for repair. Only ...
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Reposted by David Dickinson
23SkidooEight @23skidoo8.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encelad...
en.wikipedia.org
Enceladus Orbilander - Wikipedia
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tomorrow: the waning gibbous Moon occults (passes in front of) the Messier 45 open star cluster (The Pleiades/Seven Sisters/Subaru) for northeastern Europe and the Arctic centered on 18:17 Universal Time (UT). The rest of us will see a close pairing of the two.
Occultation
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Why we need a dedicated mission to Saturn's moon Enceladus - www.404media.co/alien-life-c... via @404media.co
404media.co
Alien Life Can Survive on This Tiny Moon—We Just Need to Go Find It
Scientists have discovered that Earth-like microbes could potentially survive conditions inside Enceladus’s subsurface ocean, and that detecting signs of life on the moon may be easier than expected, ...
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
.@operations.esa.int's first outer solar system orbiter, the Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE) made a scheduled flyby past Earth early of the morning of Monday, September 28th. Here’s our post on the flyby and the mission for @skyandtelescope.bsky.social - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Tomorrow: SpaceX plans to launch Starship Flight 14 from Texas. This will be Starship’s first attempt at reaching orbit. This will also be Starship’s first operational deployment of 26 larger version 3 Starlink satellites for the company’s mega-constellation. nextspaceflight.com/launches/det...
nextspaceflight.com
Starship Flight 14 | Starship-Super Heavy v3 | Next Spaceflight
SpaceX will launch a Starship-Super Heavy v3 rocket with Starship Flight 14 from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, USA.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Here's an exoplanet that punches well above its weight - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne... - Via @skyandtelescope.bsky.social
skyandtelescope.org
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
NASA has announced the selection of a new infrared workhorse for development: the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics. PRIMA will cover the Far-Infrared regime between JWST and ALMA. Here’s our post on the mission for @skyandtelescope.bsky.social - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...
skyandtelescope.org
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
...and here's our shot of tonight's Harvest Moon 2026 rising:
Moon
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Here's a great shot of Comet 10P from last month: www.astrobin.com/n3qfcp/?utm_...
astrobin.com
Still Consistent Nearly Two Weeks After Perihelion and Earth's MOID, Comet 10P/Tempel on Aug 15 2026 - AstroBin
NGC 7221, 13 PsA, The star 13 PsA imaged with Celestron RASA 11", ZWO ASI6200MC Pro, 3h 28m of total integration, by Dan Bartlett on AstroBin.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This weekend’s Full Moon is also the Harvest Moon for 2026, falling closest to the September Equinox. Back in the day (before artificial lighting) this provided farmers a few extra hours of illumination to get the fall crops in.
Credit: Sculptor Lil
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Giant telescope project rejects La Palma as backup site | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... - The TMT just can't seem to get off the ground:
science.org
Giant telescope project rejects La Palma as backup site
U.S.-led Thirty Meter Telescope declines €1 billion Spanish offer to build the observatory on the Canary Islands
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Incoming. Katalyst Technologies LINK spacecraft is set to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere tomorrow… the current projected reentry time is set for September 25th at 4:03 Universal Time +/-3 hours: aerospace.org/reentries/69...
aerospace.org
LINK (ID 69792) | The Aerospace Corporation
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Reposted by David Dickinson
Huub Eggen @huubeggen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Here it is as imaged from my garden last night :)
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Never seen Neptune for yourself? Late September 2026 presents an ideal opportunity to cross the outermost ice giant off of your ‘life list,’ as the planet reaches opposition for 2026 this coming weekend, rising opposite to the setting Sun, riding high to the south towards local midnight.
Neptune.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sad, to be losing these sites: www.npr.org/2026/09/19/n...
npr.org
Archaeologists are racing to save precious artifacts in Alaska after last year's storm
Last year, remnants of a typhoon damaged homes, infrastructure and an archaeological dig site. Now, archaeologists are trying to get as many objects out as possible before the next storm.
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Reposted by David Dickinson
Andrea Luck @andrealuck.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Hey Martians, did I mention we now also have a video of epic Phobos passing over a Martian dust storm near Pavonis Mons? 🌪️🌋🥔 Video & full info: flic.kr/p/2rNN8wk Credit: ESA/DLR/FUBerlin/AndreaLuck CC BY @esa.int Mars Express HRSC 300 MP Photo quoted below Easy zoom: easyzoom.com/image/674026
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Happy (Merry) September Equinox 2026, marking the start of astronomical Autumn in the northern hemisphere, and Spring in the southern. This marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator southward, which occurs tonight at 8:05 PM EDT/(00:05 UT on the 23rd). science.nasa.gov/solar-system...
science.nasa.gov
Embracing the Equinox - NASA Science
Depending on your locale, equinoxes can be seen as harbingers of longer nights and gloomy weather, or promising beacons of nicer temperatures and more
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Mars is slowly coming back around again: www.flickr.com/photos/fraud...
flickr.com
Mars two ways 12th September
Mars is still only just over 5 arc seconds across so difficult with the 12inch I have on loan to capture much detail at that scale. Peter
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Late 2026 going into early 2027 is a special time for the major Jovian moons, as they trade places passing one in front of another as seen from our Earthly point of view. We call this mutual transit-eclipse season, a favorable time to catch the complex interplay of Jupiter’s major moons.
Jovian Moons.Juppy (Not to scale)
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This comet is 'greening up' nicely, ahead of a formal designation - www.astrobin.com/nfi2bm/I/
astrobin.com
Third Night on Unconfirmed Comet C46K1R1 from September 19 2026 - AstroBin
NGC 6088 imaged with Celestron RASA 11", ZWO ASI6200MC Pro, 4h 3m of total integration, by Dan Bartlett on AstroBin.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Mystery solved. Dan Bush’s all-sky camera caught a bright meteor over Albany, Missouri early on the morning of Tuesday, September 15th around 7:42 UT. The slow moving nature of the fireball made a strong case for a reentry. youtu.be/k6PsgumVH-E?...
youtu.be
Slow-Moving Satellite Re-Entry - Possible Meteor - September 15, 2026 2:42 a.m. CDT or 7:42UT
YouTube video by missouriskies
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Reposted by David Dickinson
Filipp Romanov @filipp-romanov.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
On September 8, 2026, I observed the bright supernova SN 2026aaiv in NGC 7331 using remote telescopes of iTelescope.Net. Color photo: 6x240 sec., stacked from the frames obtained with the 0.28-m telescope T68. @astrodave.bsky.social @davidbflower.bsky.social #PhotoHour #StormHour #astronomy #NGC7331
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Here's a great writeup on the new crater seen on the Moon - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne... Via @skyandtelescope.bsky.social
skyandtelescope.org
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Tonight is International Observe the Moon night: time to get out and enjoy our neighbor in time and space. The Moon just passed 1st Quarter phase yesterday, placing its half-illuminated disk in a prominent position in the dusk sky after sunset. science.nasa.gov/moon/observe...
science.nasa.gov
International Observe the Moon Night - NASA Science
You're invited! Each International Observe the Moon Night, people around the world celebrate lunar observation, science, exploration, arts, and culture.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
NASA’s New $4.3 Billion, 300MP Space Telescope Passed its First Tests One Million Miles Away - petapixel.com/2026/09/17/n... - Via @petapixel.bsky.social - Roman's commissioning is underway and going well, enroute to L2.
petapixel.com
NASA's New $4.3 Billion, 300MP Space Telescope Passed its First Tests One Million Miles Away
Roman Space Telescope aces its first tests in space.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Top space observing news today is what the Sun isn’t doing. The Earthward face of Sol is nearly blank today, as Active Region AR 4528 rotates ‘round the solar limb. If nothing rotates into view or pops up, tomorrow may be only the fourth spotless day for Sol for 2026.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thanks... looks like its tumbling too, based on how it's flashing.
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Lavonne @loveon9.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"The International Meteor Organization, the nonprofit that coordinates and publishes amateur and professional observations of meteor phenomena, said its infrastructure has suffered a “critical blow” from a cyberattack." FYI spaceweather.com @astrodave.bsky.social
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will use gravity as a magnifying glass to find distant planets - theconversation.com/nasas-roman-... - Go, Roman!
theconversation.com
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will use gravity as a magnifying glass to find distant planets
Massive objects bend light around them, a quirk that opens up unique opportunities for astronomical surveys.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Interesting. U.S. CSpOC Space-Track reports a fragmentation event for the USA 32 satellite in low Earth orbit. The event occurred earlier this week on September 13th at around 21:13 UT. No word yet as to how many fragments it produced.
Space Track
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Why AI agents invent their own language if you let them chat | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... - Now, that's wild (and more than a little disturbing).
science.org
Why AI agents invent their own language if you let them chat
“Weird terms” are a natural—but disturbing—byproduct of agent swarms, researchers find
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Tonight: we’ve got the launch of a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission is supporting U.S. Space Force with USSF-259, a classified launch which may deploy a batch of Starshield satellites, the military version of Starlink. nextspaceflight.com/launches/det...
nextspaceflight.com
USSF-259 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Next Spaceflight
SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket with USSF-259 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg SFB, California, USA.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Moon and (Venus) -set: www.astrobin.com/utiv31/?from...
astrobin.com
Moon and Venus
An astrophotograph by MrPhoton on AstroBin
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It’s a tale of two crescents… am seeing some great captures of yesterday’s lunar occultation of Venus from around the visibility region; it was a challenging daytime event for many, and a dusk event for SE Asia. spaceweathergallery2.com/indiv_upload...
Thierry Legault
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Filipp Romanov @filipp-romanov.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I also took these photos in September: red clouds at sunset, imaged on Sep 8, 2026, in Yuzhno-Morskoy, Nakhodka. @astrodave.bsky.social @davidbflower.bsky.social #PhotoHour #StormHour
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study - theconversation.com/physicists-z... - Tracing the birth of cosmic rays - via @us.theconversation.com
theconversation.com
Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study
Scientists recreated cosmic rays in a massive underground particle collider.
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Reposted by David Dickinson
Filipp Romanov @filipp-romanov.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The Moon and Venus on the evening of September 14, 2026, above the Sea of ​​Japan, imaged in Yuzhno-Morskoy using a mobile phone camera. I also observed them with the unaided eye while it was still daytime. @astrodave.bsky.social @davidbflower.bsky.social #PhotoHour #StormHour #astronomy #MoonVenus
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
If you live on either US coast, you have to good chance at seeing what’s become a common sky phenomenon and product of our modern technocene era: a space launch jellyfish. Here’s our latest guide on how to ‘land a space launch jellyfish’ for @universetoday.com www.universetoday.com/articles/how...
universetoday.com
How to Land a Rocket Launch ‘Space Jellyfish’
What used to be a rare sight gracing the twilight sky is now becoming strangely commonplace. If you live on either U.S. coast, you have to good chance at seeing what’s become a common sky scene in our...
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Photos of Bureaucrats From All Over the World - petapixel.com/2026/09/12/p... I think I've gotten visas in a few of those places... via @petapixel.bsky.social
petapixel.com
Photos of Bureaucrats From All Over the World
All taken on medium format cameras.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
It’s getting crowded up there. While Starlinks get all of the press, another set of artificial ‘stars’ are silently crossing the night sky. AST Mobile’s latest batch of BlueBird satellites are now unfurled, and we’re in the midst of series of visible evening passes for the trio for the eastern U.S.
BlueBird
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The occultation sequence courtesy of JWST in the article is pretty nifty - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne... - @skyandtelescope.bsky.social
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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
If Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Elon Musk all agree that we have to slow down - and now - something serious clearly happened with a frontier AI model. Journalists should be digging in to this. We aren’t getting the whole story here.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Moon is busy over the next few evenings… first up, the Moon is fresh off of New on September 11th 3:26 UT, marking the start of Brown Lunation Number 1283. Tonight’s slim +4% waxing crescent Moon is a tough one, low to the west near -0.6 magnitude Mercury.
Dusk MoonspottingDusk September 12th
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A NASA Photo Processing Technique to Study Mars Has Discovered Ancient Art on Earth - petapixel.com/2026/09/09/a... - Here's a nifty (and unexpected) application for NASA tech - via @petapixel.bsky.social
petapixel.com
A NASA Photo Processing Technique to Study Mars Has Discovered Ancient Art on Earth
From processing photos of Mars to discovering ancient art on Earth.
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David Dickinson @astrodave.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
An @esa.int chase plane team successfully documented the reentry of ‘Tango,’ the last of four Cluster satellites. The reentry occurred over the South Pacific on September 1st, and the campaign has successfully demonstrated safe end-of-life disposal for future missions. www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
esa.int
Cluster’s encore for reentry science a success
The Cluster mission danced its final dance as Tango reentered the atmosphere on 1 September, at 23:30:31 CEST. The end of the Cluster mission in 2024 turned into the start of the reentry data collecti...
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