David Dickinson

Oct Astronomy 4-Saturn at opposition 5-Moon occults Mars 6-Moon occults Jupiter 7-Moon occults Regulus 8-Draconid meteors peak 10-New Moon 11-Mars transits M44 12-Mercury greatest elongation 14-Moon occults Antares 21-Orion Meteors peak 24-Venus at inferior conjunction 26-Full Hunter’s Moon

skyandtelescope.orgChile’s Light-Pollution Standard Takes Full EffectThe South American country, which hosts some of the world’s major astronomical observatories, promises to protect its night skies, from the Atacama Desert to Tierra del Fuego.

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Chile's new nation-wide light pollution regulations are now in effect - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne... - Via @skyandtelescope.bsky.social

The Sun is flirting with spotlessness today. The Earthward face of our host star is very nearly spotless, as numbered sunspot active region AR 4560 rotates out of view. Two emerging proto-spot regions (one rotating away, and one rotating into view) may break this trend in the next few days.

The Sun has been spotless 4 days in 2026, or 2% of the time. We’re coming off the max for Solar Cycle No. 25, meaning more spotless days are to come. But the Sun isn’t entirely quiet. SDO’s AIA 1700 imager provides a deeper view, showing the growth of faculae around the new sunspot regions:

Am finally turning my attention towards the satellite-shadowing intrigue currently going on in LEO. Russia’s Kosmos-2612 satellite recently passed < a few hundred meters from ICEYE-X36, a Finnish-American satellite providing intelligence imagery to Ukraine. S2s systems documented the approach:

Just what the intentions of Kosmos-2612 are remains a mystery. Russia tested what appeared to be a ‘kill-sat’ from Kosmos-2543 in 2020, and tested a ground-launched anti-sat missile in 2021. Certainly, LEO doesn’t need more debris, with the growth of mega-constellations like Starlink and friends.

Both sats are also visible to ground-based amateurs. ICEYE-X36 is listed as NORAD IDs 59103/2024-043F, while Kosmos-2612 is IDs 68762/2026-083H. Unfortunately, both are currently only visible from southern latitudes 30-60S, and high Arctic latitudes 60N northward. Less us know if you see ‘em!

David Dickinson reposted

Replying to @astrodave.bsky.social

I've worked with POSS data (possibly not the POSS-I red though, I've forgotten) and the part about dust and hairs cannot be overstated. There's a lot of crap on them. Fingerprints, even.

David Dickinson reposted

Replying to @astrodave.bsky.social

oh, lol, possible fragments, but probably vaporized. i guess this is exhibit A in why we use rockets and not ground-based acceleration alone to send things into orbit.

David Dickinson reposted

Replying to @astrodave.bsky.social

I think the transients are interesting, even if they are artifacts, but then again I have a weird interest in artifacts. The fact that they even bother mentioning aliens makes me extremely dubious about the rest of the work.

David Dickinson reposted

Replying to @geckzilla.bsky.social

seems important to mention the two POSS images are 36 years apart, but I see no mention of that. the image quality of the POSS-I red plate is... not great, either, if the article figure represents the actual data they were working with.

nature.comUse of machine learning to enhance detection of transient astronomical phenomena in historical observatory images - Scientific ReportsScientific Reports - Use of machine learning to enhance detection of transient astronomical phenomena in historical observatory images

Very strange. I’d file this one on the very fringe of plausible, and I probably would’ve given it a pass if it weren’t for the fact it was published in Nature… a study looking at pre-Space Age sky images claims to have spotted transients. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The rate seems to drop in Earth’s shadow, but also increases around atmospheric nuclear testing events. These could be simple spurious image artifacts… or if anything, it could point to fragments kicked temporarily up into low Earth orbit, pre-Sputnik. Strange to consider.

petapixel.comFarmer Discovers Metallic Space Object in His CornfieldIt's not science fiction.

Farmer Discovers Metallic Space Object in His Cornfield petapixel.com/2026/10/22/f... - Via @petapixel.bsky.social - Interesting. Looks like a booster tank end cap(?)

youtu.beMIURA 5 Progress Update - October 2026.YouTube video by PLD Space

Spain-based PLD Space recently provided updates, on its next gen orbital rocket Miura-5. youtu.be/Z6in6nupDNo?...

en.wikipedia.orgMiura 5 - Wikipedia

Miura-5 is a two-stage rocket capable of carrying a maximum payload capacity 1,080 kg (2,380 lb) to Low-Earth Orbit. The rocket will eventually incorporate an additional kick-stage as well. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miura_5

spacenews.comPLD Space delays Miura 5 debut to 2027Spanish launch company PLD Space is now planning a first orbital launch of its Miura 5 rocket in the first half of 2027.

PLD Space plans to carry out the inaugural flight of Miura-5 from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana on a sun-synchronous orbit sometime in early 2027. spacenews.com/pld-space-de...

twz.comRussian Satellite's Unprecedented Shadowing Of A Very Particular Radar Imaging Satellite Is A Big DealRussia's Kosmos 2612 came very close to ICEYE X36, which reportedly has Ukraine connections, after weeks of highly unusual maneuvering.

Satellite-shadowing intrigue in low Earth orbit: www.twz.com/news-feature...

universetoday.comFrom Dusk, Towards Dawn: Venus Slides Past the Sun This WeekendWhere have all the planets gone? Late October 2026 sees a decided dearth of planets in the dusk sky, with only bashful Mercury receding from view, and Saturn fresh off of opposition. Venus, the former...

Venus has left dusk. This vanishing act allows for a dramatic transformation this weekend, as our nearest planetary neighbor brushes past the Sun & transitions into the dawn sky. Here’s our guide to Venus at inferior conjunction for @universetoday.com www.universetoday.com/articles/fro...

theconversation.comNASA’s Mars orbiter fleet is getting old – here’s how that could affect future explorationNASA lost contact with its Maven spacecraft – the youngest of its Mars orbiters – at the end of 2025. The others in its fleet are over two decades old.

NASA’s Mars orbiter fleet is getting old – here’s how that could affect future exploration - theconversation.com/nasas-mars-o... Via @us.theconversation.com - We need some new blood in our Mars orbital fleet.

Go, little doom’d sungrazer… SOHO’s Sun-staring LASCO C3 field of view is getting busy once again: first off, an ill-fated Kreutz Group sungrazing comet can be seen taking the plunge on October 19th, coming in at about the five o’clock position:

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Next up, Venus is about to enter SOHO’s view. The slim crescent reaches inferior conjunction on October 24th, and then heads into the dawn sky. Günther Strauch caught the 1% illuminated crescent against the daytime sky on October 20th:

And there's Venus starting to peek into SOHO's view, from < an hour ago: soho.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtim...

Pre-SOHO, only a handful of sungrazers were known of, though the mission has shown us that these icy interlopers are constantly hitting the Sun. Over its quarter-century plus career, SOHO has discovered 5,204 sungrazers and counting.

David Dickinson reposted

p.s

@p-s-v.bsky.social

ISS Transit Directly Past Jupiter. There are Seven People in the Frame of This Picture Credit Correct_Presence_936 www.reddit.com/r/spaceporn/...

astrobin.comMilky Way over Castildetierra in Spain - AstroBinMilky Way over Castildetierra in Spain imaged with Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN (Art), Sony A7III, 5m of total integration, by Marzena Rogozińska on AstroBin.

Here's a great deep-sky capture over the Spanish landscape: www.astrobin.com/nv8iuw/?utm_...

skyandtelescope.orgJapan Launches the Martian Moons Exploration MissionAn ambitious mission will explore the moons of Mars, and bring back the first ever sample from Phobos.

An H3 rocket lit up the skies over Tanegashima, Japan early on the morning of October 20th with an exciting mission headed Mars-ward: JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration mission (MMX). Here’s our post on the mission for @skyandtelescope.bsky.social - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

petapixel.comThe Vaonis Atlas Is a Smart Telescope Crossed With a DSLRComing next March.

The Vaonis Atlas Is a Smart Telescope Crossed With a DSLR petapixel.com/2026/10/15/t... - Via @petapixel.bsky.social - Got a cool $4,000 to spare?

theaviationist.comStarfighters Space Will Test Starlaunch 1 Suborbital Development Vehicle on an F-104 in DecemberStarfighters Space is preparing to conduct in December a captive-carry test flight of its new Starlaunch 1 suborbital development vehicle on one of the

nteresting. Florida-based Starfighters Space will perform a test launch of a sub-orbital rocket payload this coming December 2026. The company flies modified F-104 Starfighters, purchased from the Italian Air Force. theaviationist.com/2026/10/17/s...

These are some of the final F-104 Starfighters still flying, and the sub-orbital rocket seems to have the dimensions and flight profile similar to the U.S. Air Force’s AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. December’s test is fixed flight, followed by a drop test later next year.

Tomorrow: we’ve got two high-interest dawn launches worldwide, both with high ‘space jellyfish’ potential.

nextspaceflight.comBandwagon-5 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Next SpaceflightSpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket with Bandwagon-5 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA.

First up, SpaceX is launching the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from the Cape tomorrow at 6:30 AM EDT. Unfortunately for the most of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, this one is headed to the SE, but Florida and islands across the Caribbean should see a show. nextspaceflight.com/launches/det...

nextspaceflight.comMartian Moons eXploration (MMX) | H3-24L | Next SpaceflightJAXA will launch a H3-24L rocket with Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) from LA-Y2 at Tanegashima Space Center, Japan.

Next, JAXA is launching the Martian Moons eXploration mission from the Tanegashima Space Center. Liftoff is set for 4:41 AM local time, also before local sunrise. This ambitious mission to the Martian moons plans to bring back a sample of Phobos. nextspaceflight.com/launches/det...

universetoday.comOrionid, Taurid Meteors Haunt October SkiesFall meteor season has begun. Late October not only sees dusk falling ever earlier as ghouls and goblins walk the Earth on Halloween, but it also sees the peak of two fine annual meteor showers kickin...

Late October sees the peak of two fine annual meteor showers kicking off Halloween season: the Orionid and Taurid meteor showers. Here’s our latest post on the upcoming Orionid meteor shower for 2026 and the Taurid ‘Halloween Fireballs’ for @universetoday.com www.universetoday.com/articles/ori...

petapixel.comPhotographers Capture 'Space Jellyfish' Left Behind by Rocket PlumeIt was seen across the Eastern Seaboard.

Photographers Capture ‘Space Jellyfish’ Left Behind by Rocket Plume - petapixel.com/2026/10/15/m... - Via @petapixel.bsky.social - it was a great show (too bad Monday morning's SpaceX launch is headed off to the SE...)

universetoday.comCuriosity Greets a Spectacular Dawn Sky on MarsMars is a planetary geologist’s paradise. NASA’s Curiosity rover drove that home recently, with a captivating panorama seen from the slopes of Mount Sharp. The image shows a stunning vista, and was no...

Mars is a planetary geologist’s paradise. NASA’s Curiosity rover drove that home recently, with captivating panorama. The image shows what a viewer might see at sunrise standing of Mars. Here’s our post on Curiosity’s enviable view, for @universetoday.com - www.universetoday.com/articles/cur...

Hello. We’ve got a large new sunspot (Active Region 4551) that has grown in size in recent days, and harbors the potential to kick off an X-class flare or two over the next few days. AR 4551 is also ‘cocked and loaded’ and currently aimed Earthward today as it crosses the solar mid-point.

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory’s AIA 1700 imager shows the evolution of massive sunspot AR 4551 over the last few days: sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/assets/img/d... Said large sunspot group is nearly large enough to see with eclipse glasses, no magnification needed.

petapixel.comNASA Perseverance Mars Rover Sets New Record for Off-World Distance DrivenAnd there's still more distance to cover.

NASA Perseverance Mars Rover Sets New Record for Off-World Distance Driven - petapixel.com/2026/10/13/n... - Via @petapixel.bsky.social - And Percy beat out Curiosity, which has been on Mars for much longer.

universetoday.comESA's Hera Mission Targets Binary Asteroid Pair in NovemberIn just one more month, the European Space Agency’s Hera mission will make history. Moving at 12 kilometers per second versus Earth, the mission is about to rendezvous with the binary Dimorphos-Didymo...

In just one more month the ESA’s Hera mission will make history. The mission is about to rendezvous with the binary Dimorphos-Didymos asteroid pair. @esa.int recently released a look at the perspectives of Hera. Here’s our latest post for @universetoday.com - www.universetoday.com/articles/esa...

petapixel.comCameras on Earth and in Space Form the Frontline of Wildfire DefenseCameras are the frontline defense against wildfires.

Cameras on Earth and in Space Form the Frontline of Wildfire Defense - via @petapixel.bsky.social - petapixel.com/2026/10/12/c... - FireSat launched on a recent rideshare.

skyandtelescope.orgNASA Initiative to Study the Moon's EnvironmentNASA announced three new scientific payloads that will head to the Moon to better understand lunar hazards and resources.

If we’re going to the Moon to stay, we’re going to have to understand the day-to-day environment. NASA recently announced the selection of three scientific payloads that will do just that. Here’s our post on the selections for @skyandtelescope.bsky.social - skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

Heads up. We have prospects for (two?) coast-to-coast launch jellyfishes tonight.

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nextspaceflight.comCRS SpX-35 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Next SpaceflightSpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket with CRS SpX-35 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA.

Next, we’ve got a Falcon-9 launch from the Cape early tomorrow headed to the NE w/CRS SpX-35 and Cargo Dragon headed to the ISS. Skies look clear up the eastern seaboard, and it’ll be worth watching for Dragon chasing the ISS in the minutes after the launch. nextspaceflight.com/launches/det...

Did you see it? We had a great view here in Bristol Tennessee of this AM's Cargo Dragon launch: spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload... youtube.com/shorts/j7INb...

Saw it... caught sight of this AM's Crew Dragon launch from Bristol Tn...

science.orgProblems in 22 scientific fields had solutions hiding in plain sight. An AI has found themTeams led by physicist used “BootLoops” software to produce 36 papers in weeks on everything from linguistics to health policy

Problems in 22 scientific fields had solutions hiding in plain sight. An AI has found them | Science | AAAS - www.science.org/content/arti... - A couple of these were astronomy-related, including a Bootloops look at sunspot aging: bootloops.ai/summaries/su...

Heads up. We have prospects for (two?) coast-to-coast launch jellyfishes tonight.

nextspaceflight.comStarlink Group 15-25 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Next SpaceflightSpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket with Starlink Group 15-25 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg SFB, California, USA.

First up, SpaceX will launch a Falcon-9 tonight from Vandenberg Space Force Base with Starlink Group 15-25. And although the launch is currently set for 00:11 UT pre-sunset, the mission window runs until 3:00 UT, past sunset into prime jellyfish territory. nextspaceflight.com/launches/det...