Planetary geologist in the making.
Spaceflight and astronomy will be discussed here.
American/French
Astrophysics at MSP Maastricht University, Netherlands.
My first attempt attempt at capturing M104 Sombrero galaxy! 75 minutes total exposure 5 times 300s in each RGB filter. First time using image stacking like this.
The US government, citing national security authorities, has issued an export control directive to suspend all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States, including foreign national Anthropic employees.
The net effect of this order is that we must abruptly disable Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all our customers to ensure compliance.
Access to all other Claude models is not affected.
We apologize for this disruption to our customers. We believe this is a misunderstanding and are working to restore access as soon as possible.
Read our full statement: https://t.co/bwn0sximKZ
I have started work on my Artemis III infographic. While working on the models, I had this side thought. Instead of potentially rushing to have an orbital test HLS Starship ready for Artemis III (obviously it will not need to be a fully functional lander), which will be disposed of after the mission, why not refit a current Block 3 with a forward pressure section and docking port. By then, you would think SpaceX will have performed several Starship catches, it’s a perfect opportunity to test its docking ability and add another catch test, no wasted components. What are your thoughts, do you think that this is something they have considered?
Join us today for a live event where we'll share our @NASAMoonBase plans! At 2pm ET (1800 UTC), we'll update you on our progress toward a long-term presence on the Moon. Watch right here on X.
V3 Starship and its 33 Raptor engines ascending during their inaugural flight yesterday from up close, shot on a remote video camera!
Look at the ice coming off the front of Ship 39 and steam creeping back into frame at the end!! In love with this shot!
📽️ Me for @WeAreSpaceScout
A remarkably dark and prominent ring spoke captured a few days ago by veteran observer Tomio Akutsu. This is certainly among the most prominent ring spokes i've seen over the years.
Saturn’s ring spokes are faint, short-lived radial markings seen mainly in the B ring. They appear as bright or dark streaks depending on viewing geometry and rotate roughly with Saturn’s magnetic field rather than simply following ring-particle orbits.
The leading explanation as to their cause is that tiny dust grains in the rings become electrically charged, likely through interactions with solar ultraviolet light, plasma, and Saturn’s magnetosphere. Once charged, these fine particles can be lifted slightly above the ring plane by electromagnetic forces, creating temporary cloud-like streaks.
Stack of images taken of Mars taken by the @MissionToPsyche probe on May 16th after its flyby, processed to bring out detail on the planet's disc. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
Flyby over Syrtis Major Planum and Isidis Planitia
Mars captured by the Psyche spacecraft on 2026-05-15 at 19:40:16 to 19:55:14 UTC from 5.49 to 8.09 thousand km away.
First pictures of Mars as seen from the Psyche spacecraft during it's Mars flyby on May 15th! Taken with the onboard Multispectral Imager Camera at 515nm wavelength.
More pictures: https://t.co/0uzOEt9z1P
Infrared view of Mars as seen from the Psyche spacecraft on May 2, 2026. Taken from the Multispectral Imager Camera B at 943 nm. Mars closest approach is on May 15th.
Source: https://t.co/0uzOEt9z1P
Three years since the first flight of Starship, the next generation is here. New ship. New booster. New engines. New pad and new test site. SpaceX engineers are working to solve one of the most difficult engineering challenges in history: developing a fully, rapidly reusable rocket
@elonmusk Thank you, @elonmusk - the four of us glimpsed the red hues of Mars far in the distance as the sun slipped behind the Moon and there was zero doubt in our minds that the creative genius of our greatest minds will have us there very soon. LETS GO
And splashdown!
America is back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon and bringing them home safely.
Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy did an outstanding job. These talented astronauts inspired the world and represented their space agencies and nations as humanity’s ambassadors to the stars.
This was a test mission, the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion, pushing farther into the unforgiving environment of space than ever before, and it carried real risk. They accepted that risk for all we stood to learn and for the exciting missions that follow, as we return to the lunar surface, build a Moon base, and prepare for what comes next.
And they were not alone. The entire NASA workforce, our commercial and international partners, and the hopes and dreams of people all over the world were with them. The astronauts know it, and you should too. This mission would not have been possible without you.
Congratulations. Artemis II, mission accomplished.