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rkinnett.bsky.social
Ryan Kinnett
@rkinnett.bsky.social
2.1K followers 220 following 230 posts
Spacecraft systems engineer, amateur astrophotographer, general space nerd
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rkinnett.bsky.social
Ryan Kinnett @rkinnett.bsky.social · Nov 8
Hello BlueSky! I’m a spacecraft systems engineer, currently working on crewed moon landers. I’ll mostly be lurking around here, appreciating your space, science, and engineering related content, and maybe occasionally sharing a mediocre astrophoto of my own now and then. See ya around! 🦋
rkinnett.bsky.social
LET’S GOOOO!!!!! 🚀🌖

Next stop: the Moon!!!
November 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
stim3on.bsky.social
Ha! It looks like Avi Loeb silently edited his Medium post about the Perseverance Navcam images, after being called out for his wrong interpretation.
While he previously claimed the image was of 3I/Atlas, he now says the claim came from "social media". 🔭
A paragraph about the Navcam image that claimed the image is of 3I/Atlas was edited to say "This was claimed on social media to be an image" of the comet A paragraph that previously only mentioned the object creating the source could be much closer to the camera than Atlas was extended with a speculation that it could be one of the Martian moons.
October 9, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
eso.org
For the first time ever, astronomers have unveiled the shape of a supernova explosion just a day after detection, as the blast was breaking through the star’s surface.

Achieved by our VLT, this feat will help us understand how massive stars die: https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2520/

🔭 🧪 ☄️
A digital illustration of a star going supernova, surrounded by a gaseous disc in orange and red tones. The star is seen exploding in an olive shape, directed above and below the star.
November 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
watershedlab.bsky.social
Happy Exploding Whale Day to all those who celebrate! #ExplodingWhale www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CL...
Exploding Whale 50th Anniversary, Remastered!
YouTube video by KATU News
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2024 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
quartzcity.bsky.social
Short clip of that aurora outburst at 8:53p PST as seen at MWO www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Prq...
Aurora from Mt. Wilson Observatory tower cam 2025 Nov 11
YouTube video by Chris Barrus
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:36 AM
rkinnett.bsky.social
Stony Ridge Observatory, Los Angeles County, 34N latitude. #Aurora kicked into overdrive around 8:30 pm PST (4:30 UTC). It was easily naked eye visible for about 1 hr as pink glow.
November 12, 2025 at 5:32 AM
rkinnett.bsky.social
Not the prettiest view with all these clouds, but #Aurora is visible from Los Angeles county, 34N latitude.
November 12, 2025 at 2:43 AM
rkinnett.bsky.social
New Glenn is fueling up for launch at 2:45 pm EST (11:45 an PST). 🥜 🍀 🤞 🚀
cmdr-hadfield.bsky.social Chris Hadfield @cmdr-hadfield.bsky.social · 6d
Mars launch today - good luck sticking the barge landing for the first time, Blue Origin!
watch live stream: youtube.com/live/WUuH9fw...
(images: Blue Origin)
November 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
rkinnett.bsky.social
Majestic scene in Angeles National Forest last night, lit only by the moon 🌕.
November 8, 2025 at 3:03 AM
rkinnett.bsky.social
These must’ve been fun drives! Relatively high tilt on loose regolith with differentially articulated suspension.. rover planners would’ve been a little nervous here, but definitely earned their pay.
pomarede.bsky.social Daniel Pomarède @pomarede.bsky.social · 9d
Ah, Curiosity climbed out of the trough. This 360° panorama was acquired two days ago.

▶️ zoomhub.net/BwZX5
▶️ www.360cities.net/image/mars-c...

#Mars Nov. 4, 2025 - Sol 4709 🧪🔭
Credit images: NASA/JPL-Caltech
November 7, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
philplait.bsky.social
One of my all-time fave images. See the bright star just to the upper right of the cluster? That's Sher 25 and it will explode in <40,000 years. You can see a ring and wisps of gas on either side of it; it's the same kind of star with the same structure that blew up to become Supernova 1987A.
hourlycosmos.bsky.social Hourly Cosmos @hourlycosmos.bsky.social · 12d
Starburst Cluster Shows Celestial Fireworks - From Goddard Space Flight Center - https://flic.kr/p/8gUqgG
NASA image release June 6, 2010 Like a July 4 fireworks display a young, glittering collection of stars looks like an aerial burst. The cluster is surrounded by clouds of interstellar gas and dust - the raw material for new star formation. The nebula, located 20,000 light-years away in the constellation Carina, contains a central cluster of huge, hot stars, called NGC 3603. This environment is not as peaceful as it looks. Ultraviolet radiation and violent stellar winds have blown out an enormous cavity in the gas and dust enveloping the cluster, providing an unobstructed view of the cluster. Most of the stars in the cluster were born around the same time but differ in size, mass, temperature, and color. The course of a star's life is determined by its mass, so a cluster of a given age will contain stars in various stages of their lives, giving an opportunity for detailed analyses of stellar life cycles. NGC 3603 also contains some of the most massive stars known. These huge stars live fast and die young, burning through their hydrogen fuel quickly and ultimately ending their lives in supernova explosions. Star clusters like NGC 3603 provide important clues to understanding the origin of massive star formation in the early, distant universe. Astronomers also use massive clusters to study distant starbursts that occur when galaxies collide, igniting a flurry of star formation. The proximity of NGC 3603 makes it an excellent lab for studying such distant and momentous eve...
November 4, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
skycalpro.com
Isaac Roberts captured the Great Andromeda “Nebula” in 1888.

A 105 minute exposure of Andromeda, using a 20 inch "silver on glass" reflector (and 7" guide scope) mounted on a custom clockwork equatorial mount.

Pictured in his observatory and on display at the Science Museum in London

#Astronomy
November 1, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
astrokimcartier.bsky.social
Remember, if you see someone stealing groceries...no you didn't.
paleofuture.bsky.social Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 17d
California police boost patrols at grocery stores as millions set to lose SNAP benefits
California police boost patrols at grocery stores as millions set to lose SNAP benefits
www.foxla.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
hawaiianimages.bsky.social
Since @rkinnett.bsky.social just posted the Heart of the Heart Nebula, bringing back my version. Ryan, my 10" RC doesn't have quite the resolution of that 30", but I shot dual narrowband and got more dust and O[III] LOL. 🔭
Melotte 15, the Heart of the Heart Nebula, shot in dual narrowband, with a color palate that makes H-alpha gas look yellow and O[III] (ionized oxygen) appear blue. There are twisting pillars of gas and dust lit up by nearby stars. It's pretty out there.
October 23, 2025 at 10:48 PM
rkinnett.bsky.social
My latest astrophoto, Melotte-15 within the Heart Nebula, imaged last weekend from Stony Ridge Observatory. 1 hr integration 🔭 30” f/6.
#Astrophotography
October 23, 2025 at 10:36 PM
rkinnett.bsky.social
Los Angeles peeps: Trans Pride in Long Beach tomorrow (Sunday 10/19) is looking for volunteers.
October 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
rkinnett.bsky.social
Shout out to spacecraft signals analyst (among other talents) Scott Tilley @coastal8049.bsky.social for spotting these potentially illegal signals from spacex’ Starshield sats. Skip the article and see the whitepaper he linked in reply to NPR. Also, follow Scott ☑️
October 17, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
wafflecut.bsky.social
Learned that an anonymous outside expert on submersibles did an interview with the OceanGate Titan investigation, and they released a transcript, with all the names redacted. The first line of his first answer? "I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic."
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD ***************** Investigation of: LOSS OF THE SUBMARINE TITAN IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN ON JUNE 18, 2023 * * * * * * Accident No.: *********** * * * * * * Interview of: Co-designer/Pilot Deepsea Challenger DCA23FM036 via Microsoft Teams Friday, July 26, 2024 INTERVIEW OF 10 BY LCDR 11 Q. So how did you get yourself started into submersible 12 operations? 13 A. Well, I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic. When I 14 set down the path to make that film, the first thing that I did 15 was arrange to be introduced to the head of the submersible 16 program at the P.P. Shirshov Institute in Moscow, a guy named 17| Professor I. I did that through a mutual friend 18 of ours, a guy named , who is one of the preeminent underwater cinematographers in the world. And had been on a 20 submersible expedition out to Titanic the previous year with the 21 Russians. And that was organized by a Canadian company that was 22 doing an IMAX film which was released under the title Titanica.
October 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
ray-cassel.bsky.social
#SpacetoberChallenge Day 16 - Parachute
The parachute of Huygens on Titan
October 17, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
timesnewfishcat.bsky.social
grand finale
#spaceart #saturn #cassini
a close up of saturn. blazing a trail into its atmosphere is cassini during the grand finale
October 16, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
rkinnett.bsky.social
Happy to see former colleagues at JPL working together toward a better future for the JPL workforce - the lifeblood of our planetary exploration programs (among other talents). 💪
jplworkersunited.org
September 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
martian-observer.art
Share a thought for JPL people today, which includes the team that looks after and directs Perseverance rover
October 14, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
astro-kevin.com
Tomorrow about a third of Perseverance rover staff will be laid off, despite the mission being the penultimate step in a decades long effort to bring samples back from mars.

Reckless, needless budget cuts intended to hinder the pursuit of knowledge.
October 13, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
ai6yr.m.ai6yr.org.ap.brid.gy
Okay, if you were Reed Timmer, where would you go to zero meter a Southern California tornado? The 405? The 101? The 10? South Coast Plaza? The Getty?🤪 #tornado #cawx
Tornado Outlook for Tuesday, October 14, 2025, from Santa Barbara to Orange County
October 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Ryan Kinnett
jupiterbits.bsky.social
A bit of #Jupiter (NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstädt / Gabriel Fiset)
Photo of Jupiter's mid latitudes, displaying some of its cloud bands and the turbulence generated where pairs of them meet.
October 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM