John Melson

.NET developer 💻 and photojournalist 📷 covering space, weather and anything that I may find of interest. Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Oberlin College.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Annular solar eclipse collage. Albuquerque. 2023-10-14. #AnnularSolarEclipse #AnnularEclipse #SonyAlpha

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Tonight's sky: Jupiter (lower left) and Venus! Yeah some camera shake/blur. But amazing to see three of Jupiter's Galilean Moons (Io, Europa and Callisto)! 365 million miles away!

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

@ShorealoneFilms Yeah was there a few days ago. They didn't appreciate my parking by the side of the road. Said it was closed "due to the current situation." Whhaaatever.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Once in a Blue moon...

[NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin]

We go where we need to be, and today that was @NASAKennedy.

Some of my senior engineers and I spent time at @blueorigin with @JeffBezos and @davill, speaking with the workforce and seeing the damage at LC-36 firsthand. I appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from those working through the aftermath and better understand the challenges ahead.

There is a lot of work to do, but this is exactly why people choose careers in aerospace, whether at NASA, Blue Origin, or across the industry. The talent in this field thrives under pressure and performs at its best when solving the toughest problems.

We have been saying for months at NASA that we are not going to sit on our hands and wait for the capabilities necessary to achieve the nation’s most pressing objectives. We are going to take an active role alongside our partners, just as we did in the 1960s, to overcome setbacks, remove obstacles, and deliver the intended outcomes.

@NASA is committed to helping the Blue team recover, continue to advance their lunar lander and get New Glenn back to launching as soon as safely possible.

America’s greatest achievements in space were never the result of avoiding setbacks. They came from overcoming them. We have done it before, and we will do it again🇺🇸

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Tiangong space station transit of the moon viewed from southern California.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Tonight's Falcon 9 Starlink launch viewed from San Marcos - 220 miles away from Vandenberg. Barely visible as it was just after my sunset. Heavily processed in Lightroom. And no, I didn't see the jellyfish like in the photo with my eyes!

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Here's looking at you kid... Sony a7v Macro

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Photos from the 2023 Huntington Beach Pacific Airshow of one of the EA-18 Growlers (168895 "NJ-502") that crashed May 17, 2026, during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Clouds parted for part of the Tuesday May 5 SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink launch from Vandenberg viewed 220 miles away in San Marcos!

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Multiple vegetation fires in the SR76/I-15 Pala area visible on the UC San Diego Alert California cameras (https://t.co/KT5KXQyW1B)

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Last night's launch of a group of Starlink satellites from Vandenberg viewed from Double Peak in San Marcos (220 miles away). First stage, fairings and a cool lasting dusk glow.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

SpaceX launch viewed from north San Diego county

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Romain Grosjean at Long Beach for the second practice for the grand prix and as he walked through the paddock on Saturday. A former F1 driver, Grosjean was involved in a fiery crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

@AlexanderRossi during practice 2 at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday April 18, 2026.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Mick Schumacher before today's qualifying at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday as his car gets repaired from an earlier incident.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: 2 years ago today clouds rolled in a few minutes before totality and so my TSE experience was less than optimal. I took photos but they were totally black - but after processing I got a very different totality image!

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

SpaceX launch from Vandenberg viewed from north San Diego county (San Marcos). Jellyfish effect.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

The #MoreeFire, in @sanmarcoscity on the eastern side of CSUSM, was reported shortly after 3pm and is about 2 acres. I drove to Double Peak to get a better view. Here are my images! The helicopters filled up with water at two lakes in San Marcos - South Lake and Discovery Lake.

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

#Moree fire. San Marcos, Ca

[John Melson @JohnRMelson]

@ShorealoneFilms @Dillonshrop06 Saw the most recent re-entry and was from the SW from north San Diego county. Was low and not like the others from the north. I did see one image of re from the sw from LA. Its was 20ish degrees high. So there is hope. But initial timing was about 5pm and hoping that changes.