Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 3hSeriously, if anyone important at NASA starts referring to AI as "Super Intelligence" I will throw up like a cat hoiking up a hairball. Boot-licking Trump like that would be absolutely pathetic. 040
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Photographed the Moon last night with my Seestar after getting home from work. Always fun. ("What are you DOING? Why are you pointing THAT way?? Look! It's right THERE! That big bright round thing!").... 090
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Interesting rock seen by Perseverance on Mars yesterday (sorry, don't know the scale, just thought it looked cool!) Processed mosaic of several images. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/S Atkinson 0214
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Last night's gorgeous #HarvestMoon, photographed from Kendal using my Seestar S50 (mosaic of two images, cropped and processed)... 0206
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Paging @louiestowell.bsky.social ... date for your diary next year? 240
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Weather apps... seriously FUPPING useless... TWO told me clear sky thru to midnight so I left my Seestar out taking pics of Veil Nebula... Just went out after 30 mins to check and... !!!! 360
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Just sent in a feature to three different astro magazines. Hope one of them takes it... 080
Reposted by Stuart AtkinsonKarin Celestine @celestineandthehare.com · 22/09/2026It is the autumn equinox tomorrow The equinox hare is on their way. Those who are quiet of heart and walk the hedge might catch a glimpse. Do say hello if you do 1459
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Had a loooooong list of writing jobs to do today on my so-called "day off" but they're all done, so time now to just chill with J and probably fall asleep like this ... 140
Reposted by Stuart AtkinsonAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 20/09/2026BlueSky! Any Sunday chores on your to-do list today that would benefit from an audio accompaniment? Here is me & Jason Goodyer (editor of BBC Science Focus) having a lovely long blether about reality. Suitable for both cooking and cleaning activities. You're welcome 🤗🧪🔭 🔗: pod.link/1296673906/e... 45514
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Precious time with Jess last night, she dozed in my arm, "you're not going anywhere" paw clamped firmly on my knee while I binge-watched Neagley... 160
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Seestar S50 image of the Pacman Nebula, taken in the early hours of Sept 20th. I know, I must be the last Seestar user on the planet to take a pic of this nebula, but it was worth waiting for :-) 4487
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026In the early hours of this morning I set up my vintage Seestar S50 to take some more images of the galaxy NGC 7331 with the supernova shining near its centre... 080
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026No, seriously - whatever you're doing just stop and take a moment to admire the pure beauty of these ancient Martian rocks, seen by Curiosity just a few hours ago... Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/S Atkinson (that big twisty, dark, knobbly one HAS to be a meteorite, surely?) 0224
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Clear sky earlier so had the Seestar S50 out in the yard, taking pics of the supernova in galaxy NGC 7331... 0255
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026This TEMU Bond villain simply will not be satisfied until the night sky is totally f***d. Who the **** made him Emperor of Earth with the right to destroy the ground beneath our feet and the sky above our heads? 1113
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Cats... Graceful, elegant, refined, mysterious... 060
Reposted by Stuart AtkinsonMary McIntyre @marymcintyreastro.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Tomorrow (Sat 19 Sept) at 12:30pm UK time, I'm doing a talk about astronomy sketching and art for the Photonica festival. It's being streamed live for free on YouTube so if you'd like to watch live or catch up afterwards, here's the link: youtu.be/7eJu5EpIOKA?... 0157
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Lots to do tonight, clearing the Admin decks before starting a Big Writing Job tomorrow morning... so of course J had other ideas. She was there curled up in my arm with her head in my hand for almost an hour. But that's ok, it's in my Cat Dad Contract. :-) 170
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026You might want to sit down for these... 5,014 days after it landed, the Curiosity rover sent back these absolutely stunning images of Mars. The rover's incredible team deserves some credit from NASA's bosses for their achievement. Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/Additional processing S Atkinson 512031
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026The Curiosity team just marked, and I'm sure celebrated, a huge milestone in the mission: 5000 days on Mars! HUGE congratulations to them - and shame on NASA bosses, including Administrator Jared Isaacman, for totally ignoring it. New NASA is "Moon! Moon! Moon!", and pretending Mars doesn't exist. 1201
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Close-up of the beautifully-layered, wind- and time-sculpted rocks currently being cracked and scrunched beneath Curiosity's weary wheels... Love how abstract this looks... Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson 390
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026...meanwhile, on Mars, Curiosity is driving over some fascinating-looking rocks as she works her way up the valley high up on the slopes of Mt Sharp in the centre of Gale Crater... Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson 050
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026"Mars is boring. It's just covered in rocks and they all look the same!" Oh yeah? The Curiosity rover begs to differ. Look at this amazing view taken yesterday. (No, I don't know the scale, or what they are, I'm just *showing* you!) Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/S Atkinson 1182
Reposted by Stuart AtkinsonRex Burke is SciFiRex @rexburke.bsky.social · 14/09/2026SCI-FI GIVEAWAY! Launch day tomorrow for Wild Skies & I have a deal for UK-based readers (it's a postage thing, sorry) Pre-order Wild Skies tonight (14/9) by 23.59, tell me you've done it in the comments, & you're in the draw for one of 3 limited-edition paperback copies of book 1, Special Delivery 2138
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026It's a popular astronomy cliche that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth. Hard to visualise that, of course, but look at these two images with very different fields of view... Mind-blowing, right? And very beautiful too, I think... 0317
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Whatever you're doing, please, just stop for a moment to imagine you're kneeling down on the surface of Mars and trailing your gloved fingers through this beautifully coloured grit covering the ground around you... (Curiosity image) NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/S Atkinson 67919
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026As you read this, 261 million km away on Mars, a nuclear-powered robot geologist/astrobiologist called Curiosity is looking down at the ground between its torn and weary wheels and seeing this beautiful sight... NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/S Atkinson 13911
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Mars has some spectacularly insanely huge features - towering volcanoes, deep valleys, vast deserts - but kneel down in the cinnamon-hued dust and you'll also see it has exquisitely beautiful smaller features on its surface too... Sept 14th Curiosity images credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson 03212
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Just over a month to go until the 63rd anniversary of the flight of Felicette, the first & only cat to fly into space, on Oct 18th 1963. I'll be making an extra effort to commemorate it this year, so I hope all my cat-people Followers will help me with that? 171
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Some recent pics of my girl Jess, to cheer up anyone who needs it on this dreary, grey, damp Monday morning... 0112
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 13/09/2026To be honest, I'm not really sure why, but I *love* this new image from Curiosity showing Martian rocks and pebbles covering a low dust dune, high up on the slopes of Mt Sharp... Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/S Atkinson 07910
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026If you like my Mars image processing then a) thank you! and b) you might also like the SF I write, set on the red planet. Here are details of/links to some of my books for you to consider. (More Mars images soon, but I plug lots of books by other authors so I'm plugging my own today!) 160
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Today, on the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, it’s good to remember that the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity carried small pieces of wreckage from the fallen World Trade Centres, as tributes to those who were murdered. Image NASA / JPL-Caltech / Cornell/S Atkinson 1101
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 11/09/2026...meanwhile, on Mars, Curiosity is continuing to explore the upper slopes of Mt Sharp, a mountain in the centre of the ancient Gale Crater. She's currently making her way up a valley, and is in something of a low dip in the terrain, so her view of The Clayborne Range... 150
Reposted by Stuart AtkinsonAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Happy publication day morning to me!! Dear friend @chrislintott.bsky.social said on record that it was "Truly unique! Sparkling with charm and interest & uncompromisingly clear". In person he said "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but it was surprisingly good" 🥳 Major compliment! 🤗🧪 2132859
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Congratulations @astroroyalscot.bsky.social !! 160
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Loving this new view sent back from Mars by Curiosity... Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson 0568
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Look at this @racheldelahaye.bsky.social Straight out of your brilliant book "Day of The Whale"! 110
Reposted by Stuart AtkinsonAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Mutuals from twitter times will remember my very dark yrs of Long Covid 😵💫 I lost so much, but found a wonderful silver lining to the dark cloud: I decided to use all the time in bed to v slowly write a book. It took 3yrs. I can't quite believe that tomorrow is publication day & Fri is book launch! 🥹 1516132
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Astrofolk! Tomorrow is a very special day for @astroroyalscot.bsky.social - it's her book's publication day! The best astro books are written by Outreachers, and she is one of the very best there is, so you should definitely check it out. Jess says it's available from your local bookshop or online! 4224
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Of COURSE the amazingly cool, triple spacewalking astronaut is a Star Trek fan! SciFi has inspired so many real life scientists, explorers and astronauts over the past 60 years. Here's to the next 60! 020
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Just been out photographing the supernova in NGC 7331 (47m LY away!) with my Seestar S50. Better pics later after processing but for now here's a zoomed-in screenshot. The supernova is the bright "star" near the galaxy's centre. Quite chuffed with this! 0497
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 08/09/20269 years ago today, four *months* after we brought her home from her fosterer at the rescue organisation, Jess came to me, curled up in my arm and went to sleep for the first time. It was a moment I'd started to believe would never come. Now she's superglued to me every day. 4161
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 07/09/2026No, Jess hasn't been turned into an inflatable balloon by a freak transporter accident. This was one of the hundreds of amazing kites we saw yesterday at the St Annes Kite Festival! 190
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026The Perseverance rover team are paying a lot of attention to this rock.Just look at the stunning detail visible in this close-up image, taken just a few hours ago on Mars... Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson 3296
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026In an ideal world they'd land at Jezero crater and collect the sample tubes the new Moon-obsessed NASA has just stupidly and criminally abandoned there, after spending all that time and money getting them. 2120
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Really like these beautiful new views of Mars, sent back by Perseverance a couple of days ago... Original images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU, Additional stitching/processing: S Atkinson 03613
Stuart Atkinson @stuartatkinson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Hmmmm.... don't think I've ever seen straight lines like these on a Mars rock before... Fascinating...! Images taken by Perseverance yesterday. Original Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP Processed Images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/S Atkinson 1121