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Call It 'Space Porn'

Charlie Martin | 6:59 PM on October 11, 2024
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

So, is anyone else tired of politics? Like really, really tired of politics?

I know I am.

So let's rise above all this just for now. Something I follow on Twi—, er, X is a number of accounts with astrophotography or other photography that's basically really cool. I keep the links in a folder labeled "spaceporn."

Just as a warning, this time I'm not attempting to make any particular story out of these choices. They're just my favorite recent pictures. If you find them interesting and want to see more, I can certainly be convinced.

So, first up: You may not have noticed, but we had a dramatic occultation of Saturn by the Moon not long ago. An occultation is when one celestial object passes in front of another, concealing it from view. This picture is from one of my favorite purveyors of space porn, Andrew McCarthy — not the lawyer by the same name.

I suspect the colors on the moon are a side effect of a long exposure to get a good image of Saturn — I think the Moon is still the color of a burnt-out charcoal briquette to the naked eye.

Like this.

Here's one I picked just because it is so much clearer than anything astronomers had when I was a college freshman taking astronomy.

Next, several posts by the Curiosity account, which is generally excellent.

Here's a great shot of the moon. Again, I wouldn't bet on this being the color you'd see with the naked eye; I think the contrast might be dialed up a little.

And one where I'm sure the photographer said something like, "Holy crap, what's that?" You couldn't plan a shot like that.

And here's another.

How about some pictures of the Earth from space?

If you've ever wondered if that map of Great Britain was realistic, have a look.

And Hurricane Milton:

Let's finish off with a picture of the Earth that looks like it must be a picture from a science fiction movie: the recent Northern Lights seen from the space station.

So that's it for this... week? I don't know. If you want more of this, let me know in the comments. And now a word from our sponsor.

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Charlie Martin

Charlie Martin writes on science, health, culture, and technology for PJ Media. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Category: COLUMNS
Tags: SPACE

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