Will Gater

Astronomer, author, astrophotographer. Former science journalist now working in the UK space sector to promote research, exploration & innovation.

[Will Gater @willgater]

I’m over here in case you’re also there. 🔭🪐

[Kirill Bakanov @WeatherSarov1]

Asteroid #C0WEPC5 in Olyokminsk, Russia

[European Space Agency @esa]

☄️ Asteroid #C0WEPC5 (temporary designation) entered Earth's atmosphere at 16:15 UTC/17:15 CET, creating a fireball over Yakutia witnessed by people in the region.

The object was discovered roughly 12 hours ago and is thought to have been around 70 cm across.

Thanks to observations from astronomers around the world, our alert system was able to predict this impact to within +/- 10 seconds.

[Will Gater @willgater]

Reports of a bright, blue-green fireball over the UK tonight around 7:30pm. Sightings from Aberdeenshire down to Surrey. If you saw or recorded something please submit a report/footage to: https://t.co/liSQEYVPSO. @UK_Fireball

[UK Space Command @UKSpaceCmd]

The team at the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) are tracking debris from the breakup of Intelsat 33E

NSpOC analysts, from @spacegovuk & UK Space Command, will continue to monitor this incident and risks to UK-licenced satellites, including @UKStratCom SKYNET satellites

[Goonhilly @goonhillyorg]

📡 New mission alert! 📡

Our Lunar & Deep Space Mission Ops team have been busy conducting Mission Readiness Tests to support @ESASolarOrbiter!

You can discover how our communication services are helping make more space science a reality in @esaoperations' recent blog ⬇️

[Will Gater @willgater]

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) from south Devon tonight. This is a stack of 30x30s exposures taken with a long lens & DSLR on a tracking mount.

[IMO Meteor Org. @IMOmeteors]

🪨 ☄️ Hardly was it discovered that it entered the Earth atmosphere... 2024 UQ was the 10th asteroid discovered before its impact. But there was hardly 2 hours delay between the two events!
https://t.co/jMUCtp5Icv

[Riding with Robots @ridingrobots]

The Visitor

C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS over Skull Valley, Utah, with the Milky Way and a little airglow

[Will Gater @willgater]

B+W process of Comet C/2023 A3 over the edge of Fernworthy Forest, Dartmoor, this evening.

[Will Gater @willgater]

Comet C/2023 A3 peeking through a brief gap in the rain clouds over Dartmoor tonight.

[UK Space Agency @spacegovuk]

We're conducting a survey to understand the future of Mars exploration science in the UK. 🔴

Your input will help shape the direction of our National Exploration Science programme. 🚀

Please share your thoughts with us here before 15 November 👉 https://t.co/qoebr83R58

[Will Gater @willgater]

Single, tracked, 20s exposure of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) tonight before the clouds closed in.

[Jure Atanackov @JAtanackov]

@willgater Still 10°+ with the naked eye under Bortle class 3 skies tonight. Indeed a great sight in binoculars.

[Will Gater @willgater]

Comet C/2023 A3 still hanging around naked-eye visibility. Could make out its tail, using averted vision, this evening as a short elongated smudge of light pointing towards nearby 4th mag star Lambda Ophiuchi. Bortle 5 sky & average transparency. Great sight in 10x50 binoculars.

[Will Gater @willgater]

An eerie view of Saddle Tor seen in silhouette last night as cloud enveloped the Full Moon. #Dartmoor #astrophotography

[Will Gater @willgater]

@SkyInspector Thanks! I actually only stacked on the stars. The 11 subs were flat field calibrated in Nebulosity with archive flats I've made for this lens. Then I stacked & did a curves stretch before bringing that in to PS & compositing with foreground of one of the subs (+ general tweaks).

[Will Gater @willgater]

A longer focal length shot of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) over Bonehill Rocks, Dartmoor, last night.

This is a composite image where 11x 5s subs have been stacked to bring out detail in the tail (a hint of the anti-tail is also visible if you look closely).

[Will Gater @willgater]

@paulshill Thanks, Paul! :)

[Will Gater @willgater]

The Full Moon rising through the Earth's shadow from Dartmoor last night. #astrophotography