Kenneth Becker
LightNews LightNews
banner
geophotographer.org
Kenneth Becker
@geophotographer.org
1.2K followers 2.2K following 900 posts
Geoscientist/canine caretaker. UAF alum. Based in Alaska

Seismology/Volcanology/Meteorology/Astronomy/Space Weather, & Science Communication

Sometimes successful at photography

See my starter packs for more science!
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
geophotographer.org
Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 13h
From the AEC:

"Here's a serving of earthquake science about this morning's magnitude 6.0 to go with your holiday meal"

www.facebook.com/share/1Wt9xT...

#AlaskaEarthquake
#SouthcentralAlaska
#Anchorage
#Willow
#Wasilla
#EagleRiver
#Palmer
#MatSuValley
#Girdwood
#HoustonAlaska
#AEC

⚒️🧪⚠️
Magnitude 6 Susitna Earthquake Shakes Up Thanksgiving | Alaska Earthquake Center
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake beneath Susitna, Alaska, was felt by thousands of Alaskans at about 8:12 am on Thanksgiving morning.
earthquake.alaska.edu
geophotographer.org
An excellent visualization of the subduction zone up here and the location of the earthquake. Thank you for sharing @judithgeology.bsky.social!
🧪⚒️
#earthquake
#alaska
judithgeology.bsky.social Dr. Judith Hubbard @judithgeology.bsky.social · 16h
⚒️ 🧪

This morning, a M6 earthquake struck at ~70 km depth near Anchorage, Alaska.

Earthquakes are a regular part of life here: this is a subduction zone, with earthquakes deepening east to west. M6 earthquakes fall well within the range of "normal".

USGS page: earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...
Map, cross-section and timeline (2020-present) of earthquakes around Anchorage, Alaska, colored by depth.
November 28, 2025 at 1:34 AM
geophotographer.org
From the AEC:

"Here's a serving of earthquake science about this morning's magnitude 6.0 to go with your holiday meal"

www.facebook.com/share/1Wt9xT...

#AlaskaEarthquake
#SouthcentralAlaska
#Anchorage
#Willow
#Wasilla
#EagleRiver
#Palmer
#MatSuValley
#Girdwood
#HoustonAlaska
#AEC

⚒️🧪⚠️
Magnitude 6 Susitna Earthquake Shakes Up Thanksgiving | Alaska Earthquake Center
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake beneath Susitna, Alaska, was felt by thousands of Alaskans at about 8:12 am on Thanksgiving morning.
earthquake.alaska.edu
November 27, 2025 at 11:53 PM
geophotographer.org
A message from AKDOT for Alaska residents regarding this morning's earthquake:

www.facebook.com/share/p/1KLZ...

#AlaskaEarthquake #SouthcentralAlaska #Anchorage #Willow #Wasilla #EagleRiver #Palmer #MatSuValley #Girdwood #HoustonAlaska
🚧🛣️👷👷‍♀️🏗️🏢🏠🦺⚠️
Nov. 27, 2025 Good morning Southcentral Alaska! After a significant seismic event, such as the 6.0 we experienced this morning, DOT&PF conducts inspections of our highways, bridges, airports, and tunnels. While travel impacts are unlikely, we will report any finding here and on our 511 system. The image features a rectangular graphic with a bright orange background. In the center, on a pale yellow rectangle with rounded corners, there is text related to earthquake response. The top section displays an emblem featuring a landscape with mountains, water, an airplane, and a building, encircled by the words "TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC FACILITIES STATE OF ALASKA" in a blue and gold ring. Below the emblem, the heading reads "Earthquake Response" in large blue letters. Following this is a short dividing line, beneath which is a block of text in smaller blue letters describing the actions taken by Alaska DOT&PF after seismic events.
November 27, 2025 at 11:40 PM
geophotographer.org
Reminder to anyone who felt the shaking, even if you didn't get a video:
If you haven't already, submit your felt report for the magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Willow, Alaska here:

earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...
🧪⚒️
#alaska
#earthquake
#dyfi
#usgs
The image is a screenshot of a webpage from the USGS, displaying information about an earthquake. The USGS logo appears at the top left with the tagline "science for a changing world" below it. To the right, the title "Earthquake Hazards Program" is shown with a note that it is in cooperation with "AK." Below, in large bold text, there's the earthquake magnitude "M 6.0" followed by the location "12 km WNW of Susitna, Alaska." Additional details, including the date "2025-11-27 17:11:29 (UTC)," coordinates "61.570°N 150.751°W," and depth "69.4 km," are displayed beneath the location. At the bottom, the text "Felt Report – Tell Us!" is prominently featured.
November 27, 2025 at 11:26 PM
geophotographer.org
AEC's FB:

*We've gotten a number of videos that people have shared to our Facebook feed. Thankfully there is no significant damage reported, likely because the earthquake was so deep, but people were certainly shaken thoroughly. Here's a scene from Palmer."
www.facebook.com/share/p/17bY...
🧪⚒️
Powerful Earthquake! #earthquake #earthquakes #earthquakesurvival
YouTube video by McSpeed Alaskan Adventures
youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:59 PM
geophotographer.org
From AEC's Facebook page:

"This interesting video of this morning's shaker demonstrates the arrival of two sets of felt waves -- S waves and then surface waves. Play with the volume on to hear the shaking!
Thank you to Bryanna in Anchorage."

www.facebook.com/share/v/169m...
🧪⚒️
#earthquake
#alaska
November 27, 2025 at 10:55 PM
geophotographer.org
More info on the M6.0 earthquake NW of Anchorage

earthquake.alaska.edu/event/ak2025...
FB page
www.facebook.com/Akearthquake

AEC is requesting anyone with video footage or photos from this earthquake to send them to:

uaf-aec@alaska.edu

(or message through FaceBook)

🧪⚒️
#earthquake
#alaska
Willow M6.0 | Alaska Earthquake Center
Alaskan Earthquake Center
earthquake.alaska.edu
November 27, 2025 at 10:45 PM
geophotographer.org
Perseverance gathered years of radio data from Martian dust storms, and new analysis confirms the signals match lightning discharges rather than wind. The finding points to active electrical activity within Mars’s evolving weather
#Mars
#NASA
#PlanetaryScience
🧪🔭
Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
NASA Recorded Lightning Crackling on Mars For The First Time
A lonely rover toiling among the sands of Mars has now answered an age-old question: If lightning crackles on the red planet and no one hears it, does it still make a sound? In recordings obtained by ...
www.sciencealert.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:21 AM
geophotographer.org
Last light, UAF Geophysical Institute, Fairbanks, Alaska, January 2022

📷
#photography
#sunset
#winter
#alaska
The image showcases a winter sunset over a snowy landscape. In the foreground, snow-covered ground is visible, with outlines of parked cars partially buried in snowbanks. Leafless trees are scattered throughout, silhouetted against the setting sun. The sky is a mixture of warm oranges and yellows at the horizon, transitioning to purples and blues higher up. Two evergreen trees frame the scene on the left and right edges, adding depth to the composition. The overall atmosphere is serene and calm, with a contrasting interplay between the warm sunset and cold snow.
November 26, 2025 at 4:26 AM
geophotographer.org
A brief dip in starlight points to a possible tiny moon around Quaoar, estimated at 30 to 38 kilometers wide. JWST did not detect it, so researchers say more occultations are needed to confirm the object for now. #KuiperBelt
#TNO
#Quaoar
#JWST

🧪🔭
Paper
arxiv.org/abs/2511.07370
Trans-Neptunian Object Quaoar Has Two Moons, New Study Suggests | Sci.News
The newly-discovered moon has an estimated diameter of 38 km (23.6 miles) and a V magnitude of 28, likely making it the faintest satellite ever found around a trans-Neptunian object.
www.sci.news
November 26, 2025 at 4:14 AM
geophotographer.org
Voyager 1 will reach one light-day from Earth in a little less than a year!

Mark your calendars, if you haven't already: November 15, 2026
🧪🔭📡🛰️
#Voyager1
#NASA
#SpaceExploration
#Spacecraft
Voyager 1 is almost one light-day from Earth
The intrepid spacecraft will cross a major distance milestone in November 2026.
www.popsci.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:03 AM
geophotographer.org
Subsurface rock beneath the Appalachians shows a mantle heat mass that formed during the Greenland and North America split ~80 Ma. It migrated ~1,800 km and now lies ~200 km under New England.
#Tectonics
#MantlePlume
⚒️🧪
Paper
pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/...
Giant hidden heat blob slowly travels beneath the U. S.
An immense pocket of hot rock deep beneath the Appalachians may be a wandering relic of the breakup between Greenland and North America 80 million years ago. Researchers suggest this slow-moving “mant...
www.sciencedaily.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:33 AM
geophotographer.org
Hayli Gubbi in Ethiopia’s Afar region produced its first documented eruption, sending an ash plume to about 45,000 feet that drifted toward Yemen and Oman. It has no recorded Holocene eruptions, meaning it has not erupted in at least about 10,000 years.
🧪⚒️🌋
#Afar
#Ethiopia
#Volcanology
#AshCloud
November 24, 2025 at 12:39 AM
geophotographer.org
NASA’s Webb telescope revealed multiple carbon-rich dust shells around Apep and confirmed a newly identified third star shaping them. Two rare Wolf Rayet stars sit at the center, shedding material quickly. Webb’s data clarify how the dust forms and how the stars move.
🔭🧪
#JWST
#StellarEvolution
Webb First to Show 4 Dust Shells 'Spiraling' Apep, Limits Long Orbit - NASA Science
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a first of its kind: a crisp mid-infrared image of a system of four serpentine spirals of dust, one expanding
science.nasa.gov
November 20, 2025 at 5:37 AM
geophotographer.org
Good news everyone!

Alaska Earthquake Center’s 15-month Gen 3 overhaul modernizes how AK quakes are detected/shared. The open-source system links 250 stations, improves real-time mapping and workflows, and sets up tools that can help communities understand shaking sooner
🧪⚒️
#Earthquake
#Seismology
A Complete Overhaul—Under the Hood | Alaska Earthquake Center
You might not notice as you browse through our interactive map and events list, but the Alaska Earthquake Center has completely rebuilt the engine that drives this information.
earthquake.alaska.edu
November 19, 2025 at 3:03 AM
geophotographer.org
PAHs in Early Triassic rocks from Svalbard show that wildfires continued after the Permian extinction. Sediment and climate modeling finds these fires shaped ecosystem recovery and questions the idea of a long fire free interval.
#Wildfire #Climate
🧪⚒️🔥
Paper:
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Early Triassic sediments reveal Earth's hidden wildfire past
An international team of scientists, including a senior researcher at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, has uncovered new evidence of ancient wildfires that reshapes our understanding of ...
phys.org
November 18, 2025 at 2:05 AM
geophotographer.org
Aurora Borealis photos from November 11th and November 12th 2025, Fairbanks, Alaska

More in comments

All photos credit Kenneth Becker
📷
#photography
#auroraborealis
#starscape
#nightsky
#alaska
#aurora
#winter
The image depicts a vivid display of the aurora borealis against a dark night sky. Dominating the scene is a large, green, fan-like aurora pattern spreading outward with a sense of motion. The luminous green hues contrast with the deep blackness of the sky, where numerous small, white stars are scattered across the entire image. The aurora appears to emanate from a central point near the bottom right, creating a dynamic and expansive visual effect. The image depicts a night sky filled with numerous small, bright stars scattered across a dark backdrop. In the lower right quadrant, there are faint green and reddish hues, resembling the aurora borealis, with soft, wispy trails spreading outward. The colors blend subtly into the dark sky, creating a calm and ethereal atmosphere. The image depicts a night sky illuminated by the aurora borealis, displaying vibrant shades of green and red. The lower section of the image shows the silhouette of trees, creating a jagged horizon line against the sky. Stars are scattered across the sky, enhancing the celestial atmosphere. The aurora forms soft, flowing patterns across the sky, creating a dynamic visual contrast between the colors and the dark tree line. The image captures a celestial scene, centered on Polaris. Streaks of white light are scattered across the image which are star trails due to long exposure photography. The background features swirling hues of green and red aurora, presenting an ethereal and dynamic atmosphere. The overall texture appears smooth, with soft gradients blending the colors seamlessly. The edges are dark, creating a vignette effect, which adds depth to the central composition.
November 15, 2025 at 9:33 AM
geophotographer.org
A new study using distant radio galaxies suggests our solar system moves over three times faster than current models predict. The finding raises questions about how our motion fits into the cosmic web and requires further study. #Cosmology #RadioGalaxies
🧪🔭🌌

Paper
journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
Our solar system is moving 3 times faster than expected
earthsky.org
November 15, 2025 at 8:21 AM
geophotographer.org
Archaeologists in Kenya’s Turkana Basin found early stone tools showing that ancient humans used the same designs for about 300,000 years, from 2.75 to 2.44 Mya, even as the region’s climate grew drier and less stable. #Archaeology #HumanEvolution #History
🧪⚒️
Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
2.7-million-year-old tools reveal humanity’s first great innovation
Researchers uncovered a 2.75–2.44 million-year-old site in Kenya showing that early humans maintained stone tool traditions for nearly 300,000 years despite extreme climate swings. The tools, remarkab...
www.sciencedaily.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
geophotographer.org
Satellite data show ground near Iran’s Taftan volcano rose about 9 centimeters between 2023 and 2024. The uplift may indicate new underground movement after roughly 700,000 years of dormancy, highlighting the need for closer monitoring.
#Iran
🧪⚒️🌋
Paper
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
An Iranian volcano appears to have woken up — 700,000 years after its last eruption
Taftan volcano near the border of Pakistan has shown signs of unrest in recent years.
www.livescience.com
October 16, 2025 at 9:56 PM
geophotographer.org
Troposphyre, Fairbanks, Alaska, October 2025

Photo credit Kenneth Becker

📷
#photography
#SunsetPhotography
#Cloudscape
#SkyLovers
#NaturePerfection
#EveningGlow
The image depicts a dramatic sunset sky with vibrant colors. Dominating the upper portion is a large expanse of clouds, richly colored in shades of deep pink and purple, creating a striking contrast with the serene gradient of the sky that transitions from soft blue to a light orange near the horizon. The bottom of the image shows silhouettes of buildings on the right and sparse treetops, along with a streetlight glowing a pale green. There is a blend of silhouettes which adds depth to the scene without distracting from the vibrant sky.
October 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
geophotographer.org
Scientists applied an AI model to seismic data from Italy’s Campi Flegrei between 2022 and 2025, detecting over 54k small earthquakes. Results map a shallow ring fault system beneath the caldera and show no indication of new magma movement.
🧪⚒️🌋
#AI
#Seismology

Paper
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
AI model reveals hidden earthquake swarms and faults in Italy’s Campi Flegrei
A new AI model detects thousands of previously unseen earthquakes in near real time, helping scientists understand changes in an Italian volcanic area where earthquakes have been intensifying since 20...
sustainability.stanford.edu
October 13, 2025 at 7:14 PM
geophotographer.org
The Moon’s largest impact crater, the South Pole Aitken Basin, formed about 4.3 billion years ago and spread radioactive elements across its far side. New data show elevated thorium and uranium in nearby terrain. #LunarScience #Moon #Geology #PlanetaryScience
🧪⚒️🔭
Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The moon's biggest impact crater made a radioactive splash
New analyses of the largest impact crater on the moon reveal unexpected insights into its tumultuous past. They also suggest that once astronauts return to the moon, they will have access to a veritab...
news.arizona.edu
October 12, 2025 at 9:23 PM
geophotographer.org
Astronomers using NASA’s Swift telescope found signs of water coming from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, even while it was far from the Sun. The faint vapor suggests icy grains on its surface were warming and releasing gas earlier than most comets do
#Comet
🧪☄️🔭
Paper
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Physicists uncork a message in a bottle from another star
For millions of years, a fragment of ice and dust has drifted between the stars — a frozen message in a bottle from another world. This summer, that message reached our solar system as 3I/ATLAS,...
www.eurekalert.org
October 11, 2025 at 5:37 AM
geophotographer.org
Astronomers observed a rare, long gamma-ray burst, GRB 250702B, lasting for hours instead of seconds. Data suggests it came from a star being pulled apart from within by a mid-size black hole, a process unlike typical stellar collapses
🧪🔭

#Astrophysics
#GRB

Paper
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...
Long-lived gamma ray burst could signal a new kind of cosmic catastrophe
Some theorists think unusual event could be a black hole devouring a star from within
www.science.org
October 9, 2025 at 2:28 AM