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#astrophotography #cosmicrose The Cosmic Rose Galaxy. Now you might look at this and think 'hey, that's nothing'. In fact it is a pair of interacting galaxies about 300,000,000 light years distant (that's a lot of kilometers!) and receding from us at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light.

A pair of galaxies forming the prettily named Cosmic Rose. An upper spiral galaxy forming the flower and a lower that has passed through the upper forming the stem.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

#bird #egret Three versions of The Squabble between two Little Egrets. The original, and two versions in homage to Robert David Atkinson's style. Look at the 'anger' in the face of the bird at the back and fear in that at the front. I've not noticed that you can see expression in bird faces before!

The original of The Squabble a fight between two Little Egrets, grassy hummocks either side of the bird in front the red interior of the bird behind's beak the expression on the faces of each!A choppy water surface backdrop.

A version of The Squabble, a fight between two Little Egrets, grassy hummocks either side of the bird in front the red interior of the bird behind's beak the expression on the faces of each!A choppy water surface backdrop. This is in the style of American photographer Robert David Atkinson.

A second version of The Squabble, a fight between two Little Egrets, grassy hummocks either side of the bird in front the red interior of the bird behind's beak, the expression on the faces of each! A choppy water surface backdrop. This is in the style of American photographer Robert David Atkinson.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

#trevethyquoit The enigmatic prehistoric burial chamber, Trevethy Quoit. Happily the skies were clear here and a couple of hours trying this and that eventually gave me this image. I'd just packed up when the gate to the field squealed and someone came through to take their dogs for a midnight walk!

The silhouette of Trevethy Quoit, Liskeard, Cornwall, UK a prehistoric and enigmatic burial chamber here seen under the Milky Way in the dead of a summer night.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

#astrophotography #elephantstrunknebula #nebula I'm owned by Astrophotography, recently. This is The Elephant's Trunk Nebula from several hours of mosaic images stacked to provide a much more detailed view of this star birthing region of space in the constellation Cepheus 2,400 light years distant.

The Elephant's Trunk Nebula a vast area of star birthing gas in space which is being ionised by the UV light from the young stars so we see a reddish glow from the activation of the Hydrogen atoms present. The 'elephant's trunk' of the name protrudes into the space from the right.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#bird #egret #littleegret #robertdavidatkinson Another image in homage to the work of American Photographer Robert David Atkinson. Captured early in the year, before the heat moved in and dried up all the water, a Little Egret, slightly windblown, stalks the shallows in the search for prey.

A stylised image of a Little Egret stalking through water looking left. The use of some textures in the image give the appearance of rain.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#bird #tit #longtailedtit #passerine Seeing one of these little beauties flitting through the garden this morning, I was minded to post a pre-prepared photo. I give you the beautiful, the delicate, the longest tailed Long-tailed Tit. Long may it flit 😊.

A Long-tailed Tit looking right on a tangle of twigs against a blurred background.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

2 views of las night's full moon. Left a single image stacked from frames of a video. Right the same image but with the colours of the minerals that cover its surface from post creation volcanic activity teased out by some work in Photoshop.I'm pleased as I've wanted to try this for some time.

A normal view of the moon as a black and white image against the black of space.

The same image with the colours of minerals covering the moon surface teased out with Photoshop.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#flowerpast #seedcase #columbine Columbine After the Bloom is Over i.e. seed head 😊. Still maintaining that slightly alien appearance. Once fully dry the casing will split freeing all the seeds trapped inside and screaming for release - flower fantasia!

The seedcase of a Columbine flower glowing against a dark out of focus background.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#bankvole Meet "Banksy". Banksy is a Bank Vole that lives in a hole (in a bank, not the kind where you get money!). I bought some seeds Banksy was fond of them. I set up the camera for remote shooting. Initially Banksy didn't like the sound of the shutter. That changed with the arrival of a grape 🤣.

A Bank Vole sits at the entrance of it's burrow eating a black grape surrounded by the green leaves of plants, grass and moss.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#river #stream #rivertrevillet The River Trevillet runs through St Nectan's Glen it finally enters the sea in an inaccessible bay at the end of the Rocky Valley near Tintagel Cornwall. Thel river rises in moorland at Venn Down, forms the attractive St Nectan's Waterfall before flowing to the sea.

A small, rocky, stream runs between banks lined with trees and other greenery. A small patch of blue sky is visible at the top of the image.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

#Hoverfly #flower #yellow #stjohnswort Incoming! A Hoverfly heading at speed toward the delights of a St. John's Wort flower.

To the left a Hoverfly heads toward the yellow flower of St John's Wort on the right a blurry background of flowers and foliage.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

#flower #plant #daisy #inula I think this is an opening bud of Inula hookeri a plant I picked up from a local wetland nature reserve. I'm attracted to the slightly alien look.

The opening bud of a flower. Thin yellow petals emerge from hairy, green spikey sepals. The background is a blurry brown.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

#flower #vipers-bugloss Such a great name this one Vipers-bugloss, much beloved by bees (and me 😊).

Bright blue Vipers-bugloss flower with red anthers tipped in blue coming out of the image.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

#space #nightsky #moon #fullmoon Here she is when full, the time before she was eclipsed. Majestic lady of the night sky with a little arboreal obscura on the left 😊.

Two images of a full moon. On the left some vegetation obscures the left hand side.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

#fly #diptera #blowfly #greenbottle #ant #hymenoptera #wildcarrot Greenbottle Blowfly and Black Ant on Wild Carrot. I'm not fond of finding either of these in my kitchen but imagine a world with no blowflies. We'd be knee deep in corpses so don't knock the job they do it is very important.

Greenbottle Blowfly and Black Ant on Wild Carrot flower.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

#flower #sunflower #flowerpower #seeds #birdfoodofthegods Recall the huge Sunflower? It finally succumbed to its own weight and the wind. Those patterns! A feast for the birds once ripened.

Sunflower seedhead of a very large plant.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#andromeda Two images from the other night on finding clear skies when I woke at 1am. For a short time of capture it has come out surprisingly well. The difference is that one image has had 'fake' Newtonian spikes added. I can't seem to stop myself doing this atm. Which do you think looks better?

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#insect #hoverfly #deathtoaphids Eye to eye with a Hoverfly, I believe Myathropa sp., on an I think species of Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina) flower. A wee friend lurks below. To me this flower has an overpowering smell that actually becomes unpleasant. Lot of guesswork here 😊.

A hoverfly facing forwards large compound eyes to either side of a yellow beak, wings open sitting on a yellow flower.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

#bee #honeybee Simply a Honey Bee on a Fennel Flower.

Honey bee sipping nectar from the yellow flowers of a Fennel plant.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

#orionnebula Early on 28/08 drove 30minutes to a location for eclipse photography. Heavy mist. Returned to forest and set-upshots of a moon already eclipsed to maximum. Went to try with the scope and cloud arrived. So pointed at Orion instead. This is the result of just 30 minutes data capture!

The Orion Nebula a dense mass of gas in the constellation of Orion where new stars are formed.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

#astrophotography #nebula #C9 #cavenebula #cephus The latest nebula from Sway, New Forest. This one C 9 (the Cave Nebula) is an active star forming region roughly 3,000 Light Years from home in the constellation Cephus. With added Newtonian star spikes just because I like them 😊.

An active star forming nebula in the constellation of Cephus called C 9 (The Cave Nebula).

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

#shade #gateway #entrance #exit #sunlight The Gate. Could be anywhere. In fact it is a way into or out from Milford on Sea's Norman Church. I like it for the seclusion.

A shaded archway of vegetation leads along a path to a white painted, iron gate in full sun.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

#city #chester 1) A Queue for a pop-up shop snakes around the mock-Tudor building ahead while a person crosses the road in the foreground 2) A view along the canal 3) People magnet fishing in the canal watched by a small dog 4) The Old Shot Tower once used for the making of lead shot for muskets

A person crossing the road carries a bag behind them a mock Tudor building around which a long queue of people wait their turn to enter a shop sale.

The canal through Chester towpath to the left bordered by orange coloured brick buildings reflections in the canal of trees and buildings on the right bank the most prominent is the tall tower used for making lead musket balls in the past.

A black and white image of 2 people magnet fishing in a canal. Behind them a bridge crosses the canal. In front a small dog watches the activity.

The old Shot Tower beyond the canal with low rise accommodation to each side.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

#flower #sunflower #giant I was so impressed by this self sown Sunflower's height that I took 5 attempts to get a photo with me in it for size reference; too slow to get all of me in the image in time 😂. I am 1.80m tall so this giant is close to 4m high!

A huge approximately 4m tall sunflower with a person beside it for scale a background of greenery and various other yellow flowered plants in front.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

#bird #corvid #crow #carrioncrow Continuing the Corvid theme we have a glossy Crow on a sea wall. Those shellfish obviously suit the development of a handsome/beautiful bird 😊.

A black Carrion Crow looking into camera, standing on a wall with blurred background.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#bird #corvid #magpie #jackdaw The Jackdaw. Of which we have many around here. It is a sight to see large flights of them wheeling through the sky, calling to each other, either just before settling to roost at night or for the sheer "joy" of it in windy weather. No anthropomorphism here 😊.

A portrait shot of a Jackdaw looking right.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#bird #corvid #magpie A birdy! I have a lot of photos of birdies 😊. An Imperious Magpie to start. Love these magnificent Corvids. A pair fledged 3 kids in a Willow at the end of the garden this year. They are still hanging around, the kids I mean!

A Magpie on a branch with a blurred background.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

#ruin #castle #corfe #corfecastle Three views of Corfe Castle, Dorset, UK from my recent day trip where 4 hikes up the steep hills to either side in blazing sunshine and at night carrying all my camera gear almost did for me as, insufficient liquid intake resulted in a nasty case of dehydration!

The ruins of Corfe Castle on its hill a grassy slope in the foreground with the sun setting to the right.

Corfe Castle ruins on its mound rolling hills and fields behind under a pale blue sky.

The ruined walls of Corfe Castle glowing creamily in late afternoon sun with the browning dry grassy slope behind under blue sky.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

#astrophotography #nebula #c27 The latest wonder from out there! C 27 (The Crescent Nebula) 20 hours of 30s image captures through my C30 pro in my back garden, stacked in Siril, added Newtonian spikes via Παναγιώτης Στέφος's script available through the Siril users FB group. A lot of fun really 😊.

C27, the Crescent Nebula in the centre of the image surrounded by clouds of Hydrogen gas showing up as red.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

#nebula #northamericannebula #pelicannebula Ridiculously busy capturing and editing astro files. Time for little else. The North American and Pelican Nebulae in Hubble Palette with added Newtonian Spikes. A lot more data is needed to improve the signal to noise quality but pretty never the less.

The North American and Pelican Nebulae in Hubble Palette with stary sky.

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Reposted by PhotographicRuss

Marburymoths @marburybirds.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Quite amazingly the Clouded Yellow let me get really close to it with my phone. It is beautiful as a flash of yellow but close up with its pink outline, pink legs and green eyes it is simply stunning!

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Reposted by PhotographicRuss

Janice @janiceroisl.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Good morning lovely people, coffee is ready ☕️☕️ It’s Friday, almost the weekend, have a nice day! 😊 Guten Morgen ihr Lieben, Kaffee ist fertig ☕️☕️ Es ist Freitag, fast Wochenende, habt einen schönen tag! 😊

A lake (Loch Morlich) with trees on the distant shore, a piece of land going out into the water on the left with trees and bushes, one dead tree leaning out over the water.

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Reposted by PhotographicRuss

JBGarrity Photography @joegarrity.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

It's amazing how gracefully this egret moves through the water without disturbing it or the fish it is preying on. #naturephotography #nature #wildlifephotography #wildlife #birdphotography #birds #egret #taiwan #asia #eastcoastkin #photography

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

#castle #history #ruin #corfecastle A wide angle view of Corfe Castle, Dorset, England. Originally Saxon, rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror after his defeat of the Saxon King Harold in 1066 surviving intact until its destruction by Parliamentary troops during the English Civil War in 1645.

A late night view of the ruins of Corfe Castle, Dorset, England to the left of the image back lit by the lights of the village and passing cars with the majestic Milky Way rising from the valley in the centre of the image.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

#astrophotography #andromeda Bored with timelapse Milky Way photography on Friday night due to many interruptions, went home and setup for Andromeda Galaxy. Am delighted with the results of just a couple of hours worth of data. This image is directly from the scope using local editing tools.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The ride along Hurst Spit was brutal in those places where the stones and gravel of the spit had been recently reinstated as the bike wheels just buried themselves in the lose surface and I'd grind to a halt. A section of the original Henry VIII fort for protection against French is at bottom right.

A lighthouse with small building to the right and the original Henry VIII fort bottom left with the stary sky and Milky Way behind.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

#viaduct Dent Head Railway Viaduct in Yorkshire. Photo stitch taken from the roadside. This structure is just up the line toward Carlisle from the Ribblehead Viaduct famous for that Hogwarts train hurtling across it taking the trainee wizards off to school for a new term of magical learning.

The Dent Head Railway Viaduct in Yorkshire in the centre surrounded by the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales. This structure is just up the line toward Carlisle from the Ribblehead Viaduct famous for that Hogwarts train hurtling across it taking the trainee wizards off to school for a new term of magical learning. Shame the author has turned out to be some kind of right wing narrow minded monster.
A small ruined building can be seen in the lower left.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

This is the final result of all my clambering up and down ridiculously steep slopes in Corfe Castle. As you can see I had to come down from the heights above the castle ruins to get my image due to serious mis-calculation over the angle I could get to on the heights. This might mean a forced return!

Sorry this is probably difficult at the bottom of the image, in silhouette, is the Corfe Castle ruins on its mound moving to the right there is a dip in the ground before it rises again to the West Hill and rising from that gap is the Milky Way, the bright band of stars that form out Galaxy.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

#wildflowers Did something 'stupid' a couple of days ago. Trekked up and down the East and West Hills of Corfe Castle, Dorset, twice for recce and photo in high temperatures with insufficient water and became severely dehydrated. Horrible effects! Some nice photographs though. Even these by phone!

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

#waterfall #wensleywaterfall #yorkshire The heat, the heat! It's way beyond where I can sit at a desk and accomplish anything. Time for a break until things cool down 😊. See you on the other side! This would be an ideal cooler-downer 😊.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

#ladybird #honeybee #spider #crabspider A Seven Spot Ladybird choosing grit over Greenfly for lunch 😂. And a Crab Spider having caught a Honey Bee for its lunch. Luckily a healthy hive has plenty of spare workers!

A Seven Spot Ladybird on a gravel background

A White Crab Spider with it's Honey Bee prey on a purple Lavender flower.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

#hoverfly #hypericum A Hoverfly deciding whether to land on Hypericum flowers.

A hoverfly approaching yellow Hypericum flowers from the right.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

#Milkyway #astrophotography St Aldhelm's Chapel on a headland near Swanage, Dorset, UK one night when chasing the dark but failing to allow for the moon. And a shot straight out of the Seestar scope of the Milky Way.

St Aldhelm's Chapel long exposure under the Milky Way.

A straight from Seestar Milky Way image from a 30 minute shot.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

#insects #blowfly #greenbottle #beetle #soldierbeetle A Soldier Beetle on a pink Clover Flower. A useful wee beast pollinating plants as it feeds on nectar and pollen and keeping down pests when browsing on other insects and their eggs. And a Green Bottle fly on Carrot flower.

A green bottle blow fly facing forwards on a Wild Carrot flower head

An orange Soldier Beetle black eyes and antennae facing the viewer sitting on a pink Clover flower.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

#flower #wildflower #salsify #seeds #dispersalmechanisms Salsify! Like a dramatic Dandelion seed puff, a puff with attitude 😊.

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

#rose Too hot to edit and post photos even now at 9pm!

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PhotographicRuss @rus5.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

#insects #butterfly #bee #carderbee Just back from a wonderful week in North Yorkshire. There haven't been enough insects in my life this year. Too many chemicals sprayed! A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly on Bramble flowers and the same butterfly sharing a bunch of Bramble flowers with a Carder Bee.

A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly on Bramble flowers, green, leafy, background.

A Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly sharing some Bramble flowers with a Carder Bee with a green, bramble leafy, background.

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