Will Gater
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willgater.bsky.social
Will Gater
@willgater.bsky.social
460 followers 250 following 95 posts
Astronomer, author, astrophotographer. Former science journalist now working in the UK space sector to promote research, exploration & innovation.
willgater.com
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Reposted by Will Gater
tgjenkins.bsky.social
🚜 🛰️ @ukspaceagency.bsky.social is supporting two innovative projects that will use satellite data and digital tools to help farmers make more informed decisions, boost productivity and care for the environment.

space.blog.gov.uk/2026/01/20/u...
@ukspace.bsky.social @nfudc.bsky.social
Unlocking Space for Agriculture
The UK Space Agency is funding two four‑month pilot projects, using satellite data and digital tools to help farmers make more informed decisions, boost productivity and care for the environment.
space.blog.gov.uk
January 21, 2026 at 4:06 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Here’s a time series of the evolution of what I suspect are proton aurora at the edge of Monday night’s display. These were incredibly dynamic features and you can kind of see how blurred they are in these 10s exposures.
A montage of 6 photos showing bright green patches of aurora appearing and changing close to a bright band of red and green auroral curtain which occupies most of the bottom right of the frame.
January 22, 2026 at 12:04 AM
willgater.bsky.social
Lots of shots to go through from tonight’s incredible auroral show over Dartmoor. Here are four of my favourites so far. While the camera does see far more than the naked eye, the colours in tonight’s display were the best I’ve seen in 30 years of mid-latitude aurora watching. #NorthernLights #Devon
A photograph of rippling auroral curtains in hues of red, green and white over a silhouetted horizon which occupies a small portion of the lower frame. A photograph of a bright and vibrant auroral curtain with red rays seen behind a scattering of backlit clouds. Silhouetted moorland hills sit at the bottom of the frame. A photograph of a diffuse red and green auroral curtain with subtle ray structure over a misty moorland valley. A photograph of a vibrant swathe of green and red aurora over a silhouetted moorland hillside. Clouds drifting across the middle of the frame appear silhouetted against the auroral light.
January 19, 2026 at 11:56 PM
willgater.bsky.social
MAJOR naked-eye aurora visible through cloud gaps from Dartmoor in Devon right now. Vibrant red and green colours easily visible to the eye with direct vision. Here’s back of DSLR view from a few moments ago.
A photo of the back of a DSLR preview screen showing a photo of Aurora and clouds
January 19, 2026 at 9:12 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Diffuse photographic aurora showing up from South Devon (50°N). It’s currently hugging the horizon between Alkaid and Deneb. #NorthernLights
December 12, 2025 at 9:14 PM
willgater.bsky.social
🌌 It’s the peak of the Geminid meteor shower this weekend and with the Moon below the horizon for most of Friday & Saturday night it should be a great show this year.

To find out more see my latest piece for the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social blog over at: space.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/08/g...
Glimpse a Geminid meteor this weekend
The peak of the Geminid meteor shower occurs this weekend and with the Moon out of the way you’ve got a great opportunity to spot shooting stars.
space.blog.gov.uk
December 10, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Will Gater
aberuni.bsky.social
🪐 The #ExoMars team at the University has welcomed the UK Space Agency’s renewed backing for the Rosalind Franklin rover mission, a flagship project that will see Europe’s first Mars rover launch in 2028.

🖱️ tinyurl.com/d3m5ysah

@esa.int
@ukspaceagency.bsky.social
@abercompsci.bsky.social
December 4, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by Will Gater
coreyspowell.bsky.social
NASA's Curiosity Rover found evidence of tides in the sediments of an ancient lake. Today's Martian moons aren't big enough to to do that.

Mars may once have had a much larger moon, which then shattered (perhaps repeatedly), creating the smaller moons of today. 🧪🔭

agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/me...
This graphic traces Curiosity’s path to the Jura outcrop on Vera Rubin Ridge. Color-enhanced images from the rover show the layered rocks interpreted as evidence of tidal rhythmites, with similar layers in an Earth setting shown for comparison. Credit: Ranjan Sarkar, Priyabrata Das, Suniti Karunatillake
December 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
willgater.bsky.social
☀️ £131 million commitment from the UK for the crucial Vigil space weather mission.

🚀 Rosalind Franklin rover’s future secured. Mars-bound in 2028.

🌌 £511 million commitment to ESA’s core budget backing space science like the PLATO & Ariel missions.

More from @ukspaceagency.bsky.social below.👇
ukspaceagency.bsky.social UK Space Agency @ukspaceagency.bsky.social · Nov 27
Ministers’ negotiations at @esa.int #CM25 in Bremen, Germany, have now concluded. 🤝

So, what are some of the outcomes? 👇

The UK will invest £1.7 billion in ESA programmes, driving economic growth, strengthening national security and supporting innovations in connectivity and public services.
£1.7 Billion UK investment in the European Space Agency
November 28, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Reposted by Will Gater
wildernessvagabonds.com
This is the nicest shot of the night, via two different cameras that captured the same meteor.

Crestone, Colorado USA November 12, 2025 at 2:36am MST

#astronomy #astrophotography #meteor #aurora
A meteor streaks diagonally on the top right side of the frame, with a couple pulses of brighter light. The meteor is above a red/yellow/green aurora borealis. The scene is moonlit and chamisa and cottonwood trees are visible in the foreground, along with a house. The Rocky Mountains are in the background. The sky is full of stars. A meteor streaks diagonally in the center of the frame, with a couple pulses of brighter light. The meteor is above a red/yellow/green aurora borealis. The scene is moonlit and chamisa and cottonwood trees are visible in the foreground, along with a house. The Rocky Mountains are in the background. The sky is full of stars. There are some moonlit streaks of cloud on the right side, and some puffier clouds low on the left.
November 12, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Will Gater
ridingrobots.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 1:48 AM
willgater.bsky.social
Substantial geomagnetic activity underway now with naked-eye aurora being reported down to US mid latitudes. Aurora has been building in this live cam view from Northumberland over the past hour with bright isolated patches up to 20+° above the horizon. m.youtube.com/watch?v=8vZZ...
Northumberland Aurora Cam LIVE Stream (Cresswell, UK)
YouTube video by Northumberland Astro
m.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:29 AM
willgater.bsky.social
Just stepped outside as the sky had cleared and saw a beautiful (I’m guessing from direction Taurid) meteor fireball at 23UT. Brilliant turquoise & white then a really vibrant blue with two white fragments continuing then fading. About 15° long from near Mira down to Theta Ceti area. @ukfall.org.uk
November 8, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Reposted by Will Gater
ryanjfrench.bsky.social
A trio of monster active regions have rotated into view over the Sun’s eastern horizon. Whilst the front of the Sun has been quiet for a while, these regions were producing significant activity on the Sun’s backside. They will rotate to face Earth later this week. #spaceweather
November 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM
willgater.bsky.social
So long Comet Lemmon! Here’s a moonlit shot taken from Dartmoor tonight with the tail pointing straight up from the western horizon. Blustery up on the moor, so this is just a 5 second single exposure at high ISO, hence the noise.
A photograph of a comet over a rocky tor outcrop and moorland landscape lit by moonlight. The comet appears as a fuzzy spot of light two thirds of the way up the frame with a diffuse tail extending above it into a starry moonlit sky.
October 29, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Will Gater
ridingrobots.bsky.social
Auroras on the planet Jupiter, imaged by the star tracker camera aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. nasa.gov/juno
landru79.bsky.social Landru79 @landru79.bsky.social · Oct 27
Algunas imágenes recientes con la SRU de la Juno

#Juno Stellar Reference Unit #SRU
Target: #JUPITER #IO
ORBIT 69 70 71

planetarydata.jpl.nasa.gov/img/data/jun...

NASA/JPL/SelexGalileo/j. Roger
October 27, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Will Gater
operations.esa.int
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft is ready to aim its instruments at interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS! 🪐☄️

Here’s what’s happening and why it’s such a rare opportunity 🧵
Artist's impression of ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope
October 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Here’s a wider shot, taken with a 50mm lens, showing Comet Lemmon (along with numerous bright satellite trails) over Dartmoor tonight. #astrophotography
A photograph of a hillside in darkness with clouds billowing on the horizon and up to the centre of the frame. Above is a blueish twilight starry sky with a comet above centre. Numerous satellite trails appear as lines at various angles across the frame.
October 21, 2025 at 8:44 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Comet C/2025 A6 glowing through thin cloud tonight over Dartmoor National Park, Devon. Single 8s exposure at ISO2500. #CometLemmon
A photo of a comet against a starry twilight background that is speckled with innumerable stars. The comet appears as a bright swathe of light in the centre of frame and is composed of a bright turquoise green-white head and two tails - one whitish and curving slightly, the other pointing straight away from the comet’s coma. A handful of brighter stars in Bootes are visible near the comet.
October 21, 2025 at 8:39 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Had some brief cloud gaps on Dartmoor around 8pm and was able to see the head of Comet Lemmon clearly by eye (with direct vision) as a fuzzy star just below Sigma Bootis. With averted vision could make out the tail extending about 1.5° up and to the right. #CometLemmon
October 21, 2025 at 7:43 PM
willgater.bsky.social
We’re lucky at the moment to have a comet visiting the inner Solar System that’s bright enough to see with a pair of binoculars, and it may in the coming week or so just reach naked-eye visibility.

To find out more, see the @ukspaceagency.bsky.social blog: space.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/21/c...
Catch Comet Lemmon in autumn’s night sky
Comet Lemmon is paying our inner Solar System a visit and may reach naked-eye visibility in the coming week.
space.blog.gov.uk
October 21, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Will Gater
imometeors.bsky.social
🛑 Fireball Alert - Spain 🇪🇸 🛑
An extremely bright fireball ☄️ was observed and video recorded over North-West Spain on Oct 15 evening, around 18h 38min UT (20h 38min, CEST).

If you observed and/or recorded it, please share your observation with the international community: fireballs.imo.net
October 16, 2025 at 10:29 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Lucky to get some brief glimpses of Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) from Dartmoor this evening around the end of astronomical twilight. This is a single 13s shot taken with a tracking mount at 135mm focal length.
Looked great in binoculars too with a grey-green coma and short section of the tail visible.
A long exposure photograph of a starry twilight sky with the blurred silhouettes of a treeline forming the foreground along the bottom of the frame. Above on the left hand side are the bright star Cor Caroli (shining through thin cloud giving it a misty appearance) and just above it Comet Lemmon. The comet has a bright greenish coma at its head and there is a faint, white, misty tail extending far across the frame up and to the right.
October 16, 2025 at 8:26 PM
willgater.bsky.social
A great opportunity for experienced amateur astronomers in Europe to help refine the orbital ephemerides for Ganymede, and so help ESA’s mission to the icy Jovian moons.

Anyone in the UK going to try it?
science.esa.int ESA Space Science @science.esa.int · Oct 7
On the night of 13-14 October, Jupiter's moon #Ganymede will pass in front of star HIP37442.

Observing this occultation pinpoints Ganymede's position even more precisely, helping our Juice mission reach its target.

Can you help?

Details from @obs-paris-psl.bsky.social 👉 bit.ly/4hcPguB
Illustration of the Juice spacecraft seen in space, at Jupiter. Text reads 'Juice needs you'.
October 7, 2025 at 7:12 PM
willgater.bsky.social
Summer skies giving way to autumn as the the Great Cygnus Rift and the Milky Way dip toward the western horizon. Taken a few nights ago from Dartmoor National Park in Devon. #astrophotography
A photograph of a star filled sky over a silhouetted treeline. The trees fill the bottom third of the frame while above them the diffuse band on the Milky Way meanders through the star flecked background. A dark weaving band appears within the Milky Way - these are the dust clouds of the Great Cygnus Rift.
October 3, 2025 at 7:56 AM