iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

Inspired by FlanFlinger, here's #My9albums Many stories behind each one.

My9Albums from the website of the same name. L to R top to bottom
Floodland The Sisters of Mercy
The Doors The Doors
Oxygene Jean Michel Jarre
Little Earthquakes Tori Amos
Delicate Sound of Thunder Pink Floyd
Different Class Pulp
Spirit of Eden Talk Talk
The Head on The Door The Cure
Gods Own Medicine The Mission

drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026

This. No colour. Unless its a very strong storm indeed. Compare this to the pic i posted earlier in my timeline. I could see the rightmost pillar with the naked eye. The lwftmost was washed out in the light pollution. Relax your eyes. And averted vision often […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

A black and white view of tonights aurora, simulating what can most likely be seen with the naked eye in good conditions.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/10/2026

Here's an unprocessed shot from tonights geomagnetic storm. Purple rays were visible with the naked eye (no colour, white streaks). North Oxfordshire. 10s iso 1600 and f2.8 17mm #Aurora

The Aurora seen tonight, 10th Oct 2026 from North Oxfordshire. Unprocessed. Straight off the sensor.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

Iridescent clouds now. Quite the sky show this afternoon.

Iridescent clouds just to the right of a cloud hidden sun.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026

Right then. Any #meteorologist s or #cloud (sky) experts know,what these clouds are? Overhead right now here in Oxfordshire. A very defined line and then wisps fan out from that line. Further away are other narrow wisps

Strange fan like clouds in the sky over Oxfordshire

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026

Anybody in the UK got any ideas how to do something about this? It's an advert link on Youtube that goes to a fake BBC News Web page.

Fake BBC News Webpage linked to from a scam ad link in Youtube. They are faking an article from a real BBC reporter.

Scam advert link from Youtube showing a confrontation outside the BBC in London. Picture is fake.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

My other successful capture from last night's impromptu bit of stargazing - The Eastern Veil Nebula in Cygnus. Caught an hour of photons. Stacked and tweaked in the Seestar app. There's a strange glow in the corners of the image, not sure what's going on there […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

The Eastern Veil Nebula in Cygnus
Thin diaphanous tendrils of gas and dust from a supernova some 25 thousand years ago, drift acros a carpet of stars.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Anyway, here's 22 mins of M16 photons, tweaked in the Seestar App. I love watching the image build as tbe signal to nouse ratio improves.

M16 featuring tbe iconic Pillars of Creation.
Seestar S50 22 mins of data capture.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/09/2026

Finally! Been ages! Some clear skies and I have the Seestar out to do some #Astronomy / #Astrophotography Aaand I nailed the EQ alignment so running 30sec subs at the moment (fist pump*) Aaand we had rain, so the dust etc has been cleared from the lower […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

Quick screen shot of M16 the Eagle Nebula being captured by my Seestar S50

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 05/09/2026

Plans for #astrophotography this evening thwarted by the worst sort of cloud. The thin stuff that taunts you with gkimpses of starlight.... grrrrr!

It's dark and it's cloudy with annoying thin low clouds that mean NO ASTRONOMY for this evening I think

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026

Is this a 'Scarce Emerald Dragonfly'? Sitting on some blackberries? #Damselfly #Dragonflies #Insects There's a wee 'hook' just fprward of the wings on the thorax.

A Damselfly sit on a blackberry and suns itself in the sun.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/08/2026

I think this is a female Southern Hawker Dragonfly? Anyway it was supervising the sunday morning Blackberry harvest (which was joooooceeee) in my neck of the woods. #Sunday #Dragonflies

A female Southern Hawker Dragonfly suns herself on some blackthorn leaves.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/08/2026

Hmmm. I've been able to see Vega for about 10 - 15 mins now. So since before 21.00 BST. It showed up only 25mins or so after sunset. Which seems awful early

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026

Just moments past max #eclipse yesterday. From Brill in North Oxfordshire. Working on the 3D 180VR timelapse of the event.

An ipad shows the eclipsed sun just a few moments past maximum eclipse (91%) at Brill in North Oxfordshire. In front of the telescope and tripod are a great many eclipse watchers looking out from the hillside and down into the vale of Oxford. August 12th 2026

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

Here's the Seestar in its protective blanket as well. #Eclipse

A Seestar S50 in its thermal blanket waiting to go eclipse watching.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/08/2026

Gearing up for the 91.6% partial #Eclipse here in Oxfordshire. Sky is clear... it's ... 😲😲😲 37 degrees here!!! Heading to viewing location shortly.

This wee fella is an insta 360 evo 3D camera. In its DIY thermal blanket for the Eclipse.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026

Anyone else in UK at around 51 degs north seeing this to the north west? It's VERY late for #Noctilucent ckouds but I can't think what else it could be. Thoughts? #astrophotography

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/08/2026

I reported a #Youtube Ad to #Google to see what tbeir response would be. The ad was a scam ad for 'free wifi forever with this £38 dongle' AI generated, complete BS. In clear and obvious violation of what the advertising standards authority would accept ( and […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

Google Trust & Safety Team
To You :

Dear David,
We're writing to let you know that we reviewed your report
(ID 7421275957141419112).
Here's what we found
We decided not to take this ad down. We found that the ad
doesn’t go against Google's policies, which prohibit certain
content and practices that we believe to be harmful to
users and the overall online ecosystem.
(If you have additional information that might help us
reverse this decision, you can let us know by

within six months.)

About our review process

Your report was reviewed by Google's Trust & Safety

team to check if it violates any of our policies. When we

find an ad that breaks our rules or the law, we remove it.

Egregious or repeat violations can lead to an advertiser's

account being suspended, which means they can no

longer show ads through Google.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/07/2026

In 2020 I turned a cheap (wine fuelled) purchase of an above ground pool into one surrounded by raised flower beds and a decking area. It was a Covid lockdown project. Its 9pm. Its still 30 degrees out, and this is the best DIY project I've ever done! Only problem is, I gotta get out of it I guess.

This is the view from inside an above ground pool I put in the garden back in the Covid lockdown of 2020. The best DIY project I ever did.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/06/2026

I'm lucky that I have a sash window. So i used a piece of thin mdf (cardboard not really strong enough tbh) and cut two holes to take the input and exhaust vent. You should do similar if your window opens outwards, and make a couple of triangles to seal the top and bottom. 7?/

Mdf air vent for a portable airconditioner. This one fits in a sash window. Lots of tape has been used

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/06/2026

Right then UK folks who have a rubbish single hose portable air conditioner - here's your quick guide to converting it to a dual hose and thus making it a LOT more efficient. 1/an amount

A single hose portable air conditioner has been converted to a dual hose airconditioner to make it more efficient and cheaper to run. Cardboard, tape and a flexihose have been stuck together to make it work

View of the rear of the single hose air conditioner, showing the original exhaust hose location.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/06/2026

And here is the widefield view of the conjunction with Mercury highlighted once again. #Astrophotography

Three Planets sail into the west as the light fades from the day. In the foreground there is a 17th century windmill, watching, as it has for over 300 years. Jupiter and Venus are in conjunction and over to the right low on the horizon lies Mercury. Above the black horizon, yellow fades to green and then to blue.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/06/2026

Just a beautiful evening to photograph the #conjunction of #venus and #Jupiter (feat. special guest planet #Mercury ) This was taken around 22.30 BST from the windmill at Brill in Oxfordshire. #Astrophotography

An hour after sunset as the dusk begins to fade, a 17th Century Windmill stands a top a hill overlooking Oxfordshire. In the sky just to the right two bright points of light can be seen. They are Venus and Jupiter in conjunction. further right and just above the horizon to the left of some low cloud, hangs Mercury, glinting out of the dusk light. Two red circles highlight the positions of the three planets.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/06/2026

Quick opportunist handheld smartphone snap of Venus and Jupitet sailing into the west. Beautiful planetary conjunction #Astrophotography Fancier pics with windmills in them tomorrow

Venus and mighty Jupiter 'hold hands' as they sail into the west. Beautiful planetary conjunction.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/06/2026

Not quite a #SilentSunday given all the birdsong! But this was a very restful walk indeed. A lovely Oxfordshire flood meadow in full bloom.

An Oxfordshire flood meadow in full bloom. White flowers, yellow flowers, common orchids. All sorts to be seen. It teams with butterflies and dragonflies. And birds can be heard making a racket in the woods.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/05/2026

It's #Sunday and we could all do with a cheer up. So here's a picture I took of a brown Labradoodle?? Sitting in the passenger seat of an Austin Seven and keeping her/his hoomin company at a classic car meetup. Yes those are actual flying googles. And yes […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

A brown dog wearing flying goggles (possibly a labradoodle) is sitting in the passenger seat of a pre war two seater Austin Seven classic car.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/04/2026

Alan thinks he's being clever having a pop at the leader of the Lib Dems. He isn't. Uk fuel tax works like this: Every litre is taxed at a flat rate of 52.95p But then... the price of the fuel per litre also attracts VAT at 20% & thats on both the fuel supplier […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

Alan Beattie: Another one who thinks the response to a global shortage of
something which makes it more expensive is to subsidise people
to buy more of it. Truly British politics is blessed with genius.
Ed Davey ® @eddavey.libdems.org: British drivers have been hit with a £1 billion surcharge at the pumps due to Trump's illegal war in Iran. As families feel the pinch, the last thing they need is to be hit with more tax. We must cut fuel duty immediately and put that money back in your pocket.

Cost of Iran war to drivers at the pumps set to hit eye watering £1bn. Analysis found the extra amount motorists have shelled out since the conflict sent for...

www.dailymail.co.uk

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/03/2026

M97 the Owl Nebula and M108 the Surfboard Galaxy in this this image. #astrophotography Again an hour of capture time.

The Owl Nebula, M97 a green (I’m going to say turquoise) planetary nebula, and M108, the ‘surfboard’ galaxy can be seen here. M97 has two ‘eyes’ that are darker, hence it looking a bit like an owls face - if you try hard enough I guess!
The surfboard galaxy looks like a surfboard! There’s a dust lane running through it as well.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/03/2026

Because the UK sky gods continue to smile upon me, here’s some more #SeestarS50 #Astrophotography This is NGC 3631, a ‘small’ spiral galaxy seen face on. You can find it in Ursa Major, and it’s an absolute gem. An hour of imaging here. Noise reduction by Seestar […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

A small but perfectly formed spiral galaxy floats in a sea of stars.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/03/2026

So just below M84 here is a wee smudge of pixels. They are vaguely pinkish (zoomed in here so the colour is an artefact). Those pixels a PGC169281 a galaxy that is A) travelling away from us at 11% the speed of light & B) is 2 BILLION light years away! Blows my […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

Tge galaxy M84 in Virgo. But just below in this screen grab is a cluster of pinkish pixels... that PGC169281 a galaxy and it is TWO BILLION light years away!

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/03/2026

And to finish (skies STILL clear!!!) it got me good photons from M51 and NGC5195 - total result frankly. #Astrophotography 7/

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/03/2026

So I sent it off to see if it could get The Sombrero Galaxy. Where I am, this is a hard target. It only gets 26 degrees above the horizon, and you are fighting light pollution, and er trees. But. The. Skies. Stayed. Clear! So hear it is. #Astrophotography […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

M107 The Sombrero Galaxy. Captured at low altitude above the horizon. The dust lane running through it gives it the distinctive look of a sombrero.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/03/2026

So I carried on. This is the last one I observed directly. It seemed likely that after this clouds would stop play. But around 23:30 I went after M105 and M96. M96 is bottom right. Top left is a triangle of NGC 3384 (top), M105 (right) and NGC 3389 (left). Again […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

We have 3 galaxies clustered top left of this image - they are NGC 3384 at the top. Then NGC3389 down and to the left. And rightwards of those two, and completing the points of a triangle, we have M105. M96 is to be found in the lower right of this image.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/03/2026

Then on to the Leo Triplet. M66, M65 and NGC3628. Again an hour of observation time. Processing as before. And still it wasn’t cloudy… #Astrophotography 4/

The Leo Triplet of galaxies in the Constellation Leo. Bottom left is M66. Over to the right is M65. Up top centre is NGC 3628 which we see edge on and thus can see a dust lane running along the middle of the galaxy.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/03/2026

Then on to M101 the Pinwheel Galaxy for an hour. Only ever seen the core visually. This was a wonderful sight as the detail built up. Image processing as before. 3/

M101 - hard to see visually in my experience unless you have a big scope. But here in the Seestar, you can see the spiral arms laid out like whisps of smoke on velvet. Some bits are clumpy, others more tenuous. Just a wonderful view.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/03/2026

First up an hour of M81 and M82. I used the Seestar noise reduction and then set the black point, vivid, definition and sharpening using the iOS tools. Nothing fancy at all. Watched all of this come in. 2/

M81 is the lower spiral galaxy in this image and above it is M82 showing hints of colour as well as dust lanes and areas of star formation. If the image isn’t too compressed, there’s also a faint smudge to the left of M81 - a dwarf galaxy.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/02/2026

Finally!!! A clear night. Moon is up and being annoying but ya gotta work with the conditions ya got. Quick dry run with a bit of the Cone Nebula, then I'm going to try get a decent portrait of the Orion and Horsehead and Flame Nebulae. Will the sky stay clear? […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

A shot of an iPad running the Seestar astrophotography capture application. Signifying the for the first time since early January, this amateur astrophotographer can do some stargazing. This is or will be the Cone Nebula.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/01/2026

Never. Stop. Chasing! The #Aurora once again. Through the clouds in a gale! North Oxfordshire UK just a short while ago. This #SolarStorm is one for the books. If you have clear(ish!) Skies get looking and good luck! I need a coffee.

The Aurora. Through the clouds. In a gale. North oxfordshire. Jan 20th 2026 at 17.40 UTC

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/01/2026

Finally! #Aurora from North Oxfordshire UK just before local midnight. The clouds parted for 5 mins. Visible to naked eye but no colour. Strong showing on camera. Samsung S23 Ultra. Good luck whever you are chasing!

The aurora 51 deg north from the great solar storm of jan 19th 20th 2026. Taken from Oxfordshire UK

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/01/2026

Don't EVER talk to me about how #Apple is the north star for user design. IOS26 is a usability disaster zone and this is just one example of tbe shoddy work here. This hapoens afyer every update on my phone.

A photo showing the appalling usabity and accesibilty failiure of the iOS26 iphone unlock screen after an OS update. We have nine very dark grey circles with black text inside and some sort of rubbish background glow effect.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/12/2025

Last Light of 2025. The sun sets in the small corner of a small planet in a big ‘ole universe. Next light will be a new year and the second quarter of the 21st Century. See you on the flip side you lovely fediversians. Happy New Year. #Sunset #NewYearsEve

Almost gone… The last light of the sun in a sea of orange and red hues, as it head below the distant hills. December 31st 2025 North Oxfordshire

The sun sets on 2025 and indeed the 1st quarter of the 21stC

Aircraft contrails etch the darkening blue sky as the sun goes down on December 31st 2025 Taken from North Oxfordshire UK

And away…. When the Sun next breaks the horizon, it will be a new year and the start of the next 1/4 of the 21st Century.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/12/2025

6/ #ClimateDiary Used EV demand is UP 29% here in the UK year on year vs 2024. And according to RSymons (UK based independent EV car dealer who you can judge based on his Youtube channel) EV sales of new cars will by 25% of sales this year. The graph below is […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

A photo of a graph showing that in the UK, used EV demand is up 29% on 2024 numbers over the past 12 months.

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 03/12/2025

Spectacular #Sunspots visible in this stacked picture of the Sun, taken from North Oxfordshire in the UK today. There are two very (very!) large sunspots visible in the lower third of the disk. Leftmost is 4296 and next to it is 4294. The ‘small one’ to the […] [Original post on mstdn.social]

The Sun photographed today Dec 3rd 2025 from North Oxfordshire in the UK. There are two very large sunspots visible in the lower left third of the suns disk. To the right is a smaller sunspot, but still the size of Earth. Lots of granulation is also visible on the ‘surface’ of the Sun

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drs1969 (David Smith) 🇬🇧 @drs1969.mstdn.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/11/2025

‘I met a traveller from an antique land…’ This is #3I/Atlas imaged just a few mins ago in the pre dawn sky here in Oxfordshire UK. With my #Seestar50 It’s quite bright! Showed up immediately on the screen. I’ve only gone and captured an interstellar comet! @&*!@#£!!! #Astrophotography

This is the interstellar comet C3/ATLAS imaged from Oxfordshire UK on the morning of November 17 2025. It’s brighter than I expected.

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