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UK Space Agency

@spacegovuk

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The UK Space Agency sets the national direction on space. Part of @biztradegovuk.

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Seagull Nebula (IC 2177) 🪽

A vast emission nebula on the Monoceros–Canis Major border, about 3,800 light-years away. Ionized hydrogen glows red across the “wings,” while the OIII-rich core shows up in teal. Dark dust lanes and bright-rimmed pillars add depth, and the faint outer Ha structure sweeps around the complex.

🔭 Imaging Details
• Total Integration: ~30 hours (last year + added some new data)
• Lights: 360× 300s
• Optics: Samyang 135mm
• Camera: ASI533MC Pro
• Filter: Optolong L-Ultimate 2”(Ha +oiii)
• Mount: Sky-Watcher SA GTi
• Controller: ASIAIR Plus
• Sky Conditions: Bortle 9

SIRIL | ADOBE PS

#youresa #passioneastrofotografia #astrophotography #seagulnebula #universe

@optolongfilter @zwoastro

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A night under the stars.
We had a clear night on Friday so off I went to spend the night doing this 🙂. This is 350 photos all stacked together to show the rotation of earth. It took me over 3.5hrs just to take all the photos needed to create this then I had to put it all together to end up with this single photo. I've wanted this picture for ages so I'm chuffed to bits now I've finally done it 🙂.

#nightphotography #nightsky #startrailschasers #peakdistrictphotography #uk🇬🇧

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United Kingdom: The UK has committed more than £60 million to a national Active Debris Removal (UK ADR) mission to remove two defunct satellites from Earth’s orbit by 2032. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.

The mission will use robotic capture technology to secure the satellites and guide them towards atmospheric re-entry, reducing risks to operational spacecraft. ClearSpace UK has been selected as the industry delivery partner.

The UK Space Agency says the programme will strengthen British expertise in orbital debris removal and in-orbit servicing. The government also expects the initiative to support skilled jobs, domestic supply chains and the growth of the UK’s space sector.

🔗 Article Link In Bio

Video: UK Space Agency

#UkSpace #Innovation #AviationNews #AviationToday

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United Kingdom: The UK has committed more than £60 million to a national Active Debris Removal (UK ADR) mission to remove two defunct satellites from Earth’s orbit by 2032. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.

The mission will use robotic capture technology to secure the satellites and guide them towards atmospheric re-entry, reducing risks to operational spacecraft. ClearSpace UK has been selected as the industry delivery partner.

The UK Space Agency says the programme will strengthen British expertise in orbital debris removal and in-orbit servicing. The government also expects the initiative to support skilled jobs, domestic supply chains and the growth of the UK’s space sector.

🔗 Article Link In Bio

Image: UK Space Agency

#UkSpace #Innovation #AviationNews #AviationToday The UK has committed more than £60 million to a national Active Debris Removal (UK ADR) mission to remove two defunct satellites from Earth's orbit by 2032. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2029 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland.
The mission will use robotic capture technology to secure the satellites and guide them towards atmospheric re-entry, reducing risks to operational spacecraft. ClearSpace UK has been selected as the industry delivery partner.
The UK Space Agency says the programme will strengthen British expertise in orbital debris removal and in-orbit servicing. The government also expects the initiative to support skilled jobs, domestic supply chains and the growth of the UK's space sector.
Image: UK Space Agency

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The UK is launching a world-first mission to clean up space 🚀

A new spacecraft will remove defunct satellites from orbit, helping protect the GPS, communications and weather services we rely on every day.

Backed by more than £60 million in government funding, the mission will also build on UK strengths in satellite servicing, creating opportunities in a fast-growing global space market.

🛰️ The best bit? You can help to name the spacecraft that will lead this mission 👉 click the link in bio to enter, and comment your suggestions.

Image credit: ClearSpace

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Heart Nebula (IC 1805) in SHO

IC 1805, the Heart Nebula, is an emission nebula in the constellation Cassiopeia, roughly 7,500 light years from us. It spans about 200 light years and is shaped by the radiation and stellar winds of the young stars in the open cluster Melotte 15 at its core. Glowing hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur gas carve out the pillars and walls that give the nebula its heart-like shape.
Technical data:
Telescope: William Optics GT71
Mount: Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Filters & integration:
160 x 300” Optolong L-Ultimate (Ha + OIII), 30/09, 03/10, 04/10/2026
200 x 240” Optolong L-Synergy (SII + OIII), 10/10, 11/10, 13/10/2026
60 x 30” UV/IR cut (RGB stars)
Total integration: approx. 27 hours 10 minutes
Sky: Bortle 8-9
Location: Jaipur, India
Processing software: Siril, Photoshop
Credits: Aquib Ali (@capturedbyaquib)

#youresa #heartnebula #astrophotography #passioneastrofotografia #apodgrag

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Competition time! 🏆
The UK space agency needs your help naming their first national mission! 🛰️

The name should be a maximum of two words (acronyms are allowed), and should fit the theme of "Keeping space clean and safe for future generations" ✨

For more information go to space.blog.gov.uk/2026/10/15

#competition
#spacemission

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Competition announced! Do you want to name the UK’s first space clean-up mission?!
There’s a lot of old “space junk” circling Earth, like retired satellites and bits of rocket. It can damage the satellites we rely on for sat nav, weather forecasts and emergency services.
The UK is building a spacecraft with robotics to capture two old UK satellites and safely remove them from orbit. Now it needs a name, and UK Space Agency are running a competition to name it!
All you do is fill in the entry form with your idea.
💡 Suggest a name maximum two words
✏️ Write in under 150 words how it fits the theme: keeping space clean and safe for future generations
The competition is open to UK residents of all ages, with a special schools category for 7 to 18-year-olds. Entries from under-18s need to be submitted by a parent, carer or teacher, so it’s a great activity to do together as a family.
📅 Opens 15 October. Closes 5pm on 10 December.
👉 Competition entry link is in first comment
Your name could end up on the mission patch and the spacecraft itself!
Image credit: Clear Space.

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The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396A) is a concentration of interstellar gas and dust within the much larger ionized gas region IC 1396 located in the constellation Cepheus about 2,400 light years away from Earth.

The nebula is a dark, dense globule that gets its name from its appearance at visible light wavelengths, where there is a dark patch with a bright, sinuous rim.

The bright rim is the surface of the dense cloud that is being illuminated and ionized by a very bright, massive multiple star (HD 206267) that is just to the east of the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula.

The entire IC 1396 region is ionized by the massive star, except for dense globules that can protect themselves from the star’s harsh ultraviolet rays.

The Elephant’s Trunk Nebula is now thought to be a site of star formation, containing several very young (less than 100,000 yr) stars that were discovered in infrared images in 2003.

Two older (but still young, a couple of million years, by the standards of stars, which live for billions of years) stars are present in a small, circular cavity in the head of the globule.

Winds from these young stars may have emptied the cavity.

The combined action of the light from the massive star ionizing and compressing the rim of the cloud, and the wind from the young stars shifting gas from the center outward lead to very high compression in the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula.

This pressure has triggered the current generation of protostars.

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Kynance by Starlight ✨🌌

By day, Kynance Cove is one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited in the UK. But when the sun sets, it transforms into something truly magical.

As darkness falls, the Milky Way begins to reveal itself, with billions of stars illuminating the night sky above the rugged coastline. The stillness of the sea, the dramatic silhouettes of the rocks, and the sheer brilliance of the cosmos make this place feel almost otherworldly.

A reminder that some of the most incredible beauty reveals itself after dark. 🌌✨

Canon R6 MKII
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L II

Sky:
15 x 30sec exposures
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO 3600

Stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker

Landscape:
150 sec exposure
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 4000

#kynancecove #cornwall #astrophotography #nightscapephotography #darkskies

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