Jason Major
@jpmajor.bsky.social
I post cool pictures of stuff in space. (Everything is in space.)
45 years ago today we got our first closeup of the Solar System’s very own “Death Star!” Captured by Voyager 1 on November 12, 1980 as it passed Saturn, this image (PIA01968) shows the moon Mimas with its 139 km wide, 5 km deep Herschel crater making it resemble the Empire’s infamous space station.
November 12, 2025 at 7:01 PM
45 years ago today we got our first closeup of the Solar System’s very own “Death Star!” Captured by Voyager 1 on November 12, 1980 as it passed Saturn, this image (PIA01968) shows the moon Mimas with its 139 km wide, 5 km deep Herschel crater making it resemble the Empire’s infamous space station.
On November 10, 1967 #OTD NASA captured its first color picture of the entire daylit side of Earth from space using the Multicolor Spin-Scan Cloudcover Camera on the ATS-3 weather satellite from an altitude of about 22,000 miles. (More on the MSSCC here: journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...)
November 10, 2025 at 11:11 PM
On November 10, 1967 #OTD NASA captured its first color picture of the entire daylit side of Earth from space using the Multicolor Spin-Scan Cloudcover Camera on the ATS-3 weather satellite from an altitude of about 22,000 miles. (More on the MSSCC here: journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...)
While shooting the moonrise last night (since the eastern horizon was relatively free of clouds) I did get to capture another nice green flash along the Moon's upper limb. (Really more of a wavering flicker than a flash, but it was visible through the viewfinder.) 📸🌖
November 7, 2025 at 10:32 PM
While shooting the moonrise last night (since the eastern horizon was relatively free of clouds) I did get to capture another nice green flash along the Moon's upper limb. (Really more of a wavering flicker than a flash, but it was visible through the viewfinder.) 📸🌖
Jupiter's colorful, lava-coated moon Io imaged by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on October 16, 2001
October 16, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Jupiter's colorful, lava-coated moon Io imaged by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on October 16, 2001
Dione in front of Saturn, captured by Cassini 20 years ago today on October 11, 2005 🌖🪐
October 11, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Dione in front of Saturn, captured by Cassini 20 years ago today on October 11, 2005 🌖🪐
A little bit of the "green flash" captured during Sunday night's sunset
October 8, 2025 at 1:04 AM
A little bit of the "green flash" captured during Sunday night's sunset
The Moon and Earth together captured with a camera aboard the ESA European Service Module during NASA's Artemis I mission on November 28, 2022. The spacecraft was about 42,000 miles beyond the Moon when this picture was taken.🌖🌍
September 23, 2025 at 12:25 AM
The Moon and Earth together captured with a camera aboard the ESA European Service Module during NASA's Artemis I mission on November 28, 2022. The spacecraft was about 42,000 miles beyond the Moon when this picture was taken.🌖🌍
The Sun eclipsed by the Moon—a photo captured in the midst of the brief period of totality during the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse.
September 19, 2025 at 12:08 AM
The Sun eclipsed by the Moon—a photo captured in the midst of the brief period of totality during the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse.
Cassini's final full view of Saturn 🪐 a mosaic comprising 11 color-composites captured by the spacecraft in visible light filters on September 13, 2017. The following day it dove into Saturn's atmosphere, ending its mission after 13 years in orbit.
September 14, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Cassini's final full view of Saturn 🪐 a mosaic comprising 11 color-composites captured by the spacecraft in visible light filters on September 13, 2017. The following day it dove into Saturn's atmosphere, ending its mission after 13 years in orbit.
Io in front of Jupiter. This is a color-composite made from images captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in red, green, and violet wavelengths on September 6, 1996. Io is the most volcanically-active world in our solar system.
September 6, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Io in front of Jupiter. This is a color-composite made from images captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in red, green, and violet wavelengths on September 6, 1996. Io is the most volcanically-active world in our solar system.
Tonight’s waxing gibbous Moon 🌔
September 2, 2025 at 12:54 AM
Tonight’s waxing gibbous Moon 🌔
Fair enough. Look baby turkeys (yesterday) !!
June 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Fair enough. Look baby turkeys (yesterday) !!
This is a closeup of the 1909 Lincoln penny that's been on Mars as part of Curiosity's MAHLI calibration target for almost 13 years
April 16, 2025 at 1:08 AM
This is a closeup of the 1909 Lincoln penny that's been on Mars as part of Curiosity's MAHLI calibration target for almost 13 years
Fun fact: all of the other planets in the Solar System—and Pluto too—lined up edge-to-edge (not including any rings) could fit between Earth and the Moon
April 14, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Fun fact: all of the other planets in the Solar System—and Pluto too—lined up edge-to-edge (not including any rings) could fit between Earth and the Moon
The crescent Moon with earthshine next to the Pleiades tonight 🌒✨
April 2, 2025 at 1:20 AM
The crescent Moon with earthshine next to the Pleiades tonight 🌒✨
Saturn's moon Mimas with the 139 km wide Herschel crater positioned dead-center along the terminator, imaged by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on March 20, 2006
March 21, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Saturn's moon Mimas with the 139 km wide Herschel crater positioned dead-center along the terminator, imaged by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on March 20, 2006
Blue Ghost's landing on the Moon in Mare Crisium captured by NASA's SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar-Plume Surface Studies) cameras
Source: www.nasa.gov/general/nasa...
Source: www.nasa.gov/general/nasa...
March 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Blue Ghost's landing on the Moon in Mare Crisium captured by NASA's SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar-Plume Surface Studies) cameras
Source: www.nasa.gov/general/nasa...
Source: www.nasa.gov/general/nasa...
"Images downlinked from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed that Athena was on her side. After landing, mission controllers were able to accelerate several program and payload milestones[...]before the lander’s batteries depleted." intuitivemachines.com/im-2
Ad luna per aspera 🫤
Ad luna per aspera 🫤
March 7, 2025 at 7:50 PM
"Images downlinked from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed that Athena was on her side. After landing, mission controllers were able to accelerate several program and payload milestones[...]before the lander’s batteries depleted." intuitivemachines.com/im-2
Ad luna per aspera 🫤
Ad luna per aspera 🫤
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the
Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the surface from a distance of about 190 km on March 2, 2025 about 9 hours after touchdown. (Source: lroc.asu.edu/images/1406; image upscaled, my edit.)
Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the surface from a distance of about 190 km on March 2, 2025 about 9 hours after touchdown. (Source: lroc.asu.edu/images/1406; image upscaled, my edit.)
March 5, 2025 at 4:43 PM
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the
Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the surface from a distance of about 190 km on March 2, 2025 about 9 hours after touchdown. (Source: lroc.asu.edu/images/1406; image upscaled, my edit.)
Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the surface from a distance of about 190 km on March 2, 2025 about 9 hours after touchdown. (Source: lroc.asu.edu/images/1406; image upscaled, my edit.)
On November 11, 1935, the National Geographic/Army Air Corps-operated Explorer II mission launched a balloon with a pressurized gondola to a record altitude of 72,395 ft. The two-man crew captured the first photos showing the division of the troposphere and stratosphere, and Earth's curved horizon.
February 21, 2025 at 3:03 AM
On November 11, 1935, the National Geographic/Army Air Corps-operated Explorer II mission launched a balloon with a pressurized gondola to a record altitude of 72,395 ft. The two-man crew captured the first photos showing the division of the troposphere and stratosphere, and Earth's curved horizon.
41 years ago today: Bruce McCandless piloted his Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) nearly 100 meters away from Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41B. Iconic shuttle era moment!
February 7, 2025 at 7:24 PM
41 years ago today: Bruce McCandless piloted his Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) nearly 100 meters away from Space Shuttle Challenger during STS-41B. Iconic shuttle era moment!
Tonight’s Moon and Venus
February 2, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Tonight’s Moon and Venus
A rare “green flash” captured above the rising full Moon on October 17, 2024. This optical effect is caused by light refracted through the atmosphere near the horizon, briefly separating the green wavelengths from the red and orange.
January 28, 2025 at 3:24 AM
A rare “green flash” captured above the rising full Moon on October 17, 2024. This optical effect is caused by light refracted through the atmosphere near the horizon, briefly separating the green wavelengths from the red and orange.
How the Lunar Roving Vehicles were deployed from the quadrant 1 bay of the Apollo LMs. This is television camera video from Apollo 15 in July 1971 showing Dave Scott; Jim Irwin off frame (3 separate clips spliced together playing at 5x speed with overlaid audio at normal speed.)
January 27, 2025 at 10:12 PM
How the Lunar Roving Vehicles were deployed from the quadrant 1 bay of the Apollo LMs. This is television camera video from Apollo 15 in July 1971 showing Dave Scott; Jim Irwin off frame (3 separate clips spliced together playing at 5x speed with overlaid audio at normal speed.)
Here’s a view of Uranus’ moon Miranda, a 470 km-wide spheroid of ice and rock with some of the most contorted terrain in the Solar System. This view comprises 8 images captured by Voyager 2 on January 24, 1986 from 32,000 km away.
January 24, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Here’s a view of Uranus’ moon Miranda, a 470 km-wide spheroid of ice and rock with some of the most contorted terrain in the Solar System. This view comprises 8 images captured by Voyager 2 on January 24, 1986 from 32,000 km away.