Stuart Atkinson
@mars_stu
Martian amateur astronomer, writer, astropoet, Outreacher & Author of 'Felicette: The Space Cat' (on Kindle) & 'A Cat's Guide To The Night Sky' (Hachette)
A long overdue biography of Felicette, the space cat... a collection of Mars-inspired poetry... a ghost story set beneath the northern lights and a novel telling the tale of the first cat to go to Mars... all available now on Kindle. RTs appreciated :-) amazon.co.uk/FELICETTE-Spac…
A couple of new sweeping martian panoramas, made from images sent back by the rover Curiosity currently exploring the slopes of Mt Sharp on Mars... Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Still only 2 replies out of the 13 agents I queried my MG SF Mars novel "Plains of Gold" so will try indie publishers next. It's an amazing story, kids would love it, but I don't think I'm what agents are looking for, I don't tick their marketing boxes...so...
Nice dust devil caught whirling and twirling across Mars yesterday, by the Perseverance Mars rover... Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Coming soon: a very close encounter between Venus & Jupiter. At their closest - on the morning of August 12th - they'll look like a beautiful "double star" in the pre-dawn sky. No telescope needed, both planets will be v obvious to the naked eye. Chart made with @skysafariastro
Sooooo many Apollo books out there now, which should you buy? Here are my top three Absolutely Must Have recommendations, by @andrewchaikin @AndySaunders_1 and @Martin_Impey / @alifeofriley Each one is a classic and belongs on your shelf.
Love the depth of field of this image taken recently by the Mars rover Curiosity... Just look at the rubble-strewn foreground close to the camera, with the distant rim of Gale Crater in the background... Beautiful image! Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/fredk/S Atkinson
Jess, so unimpressed (as usual) by my latest feature for @skyatnightmag - a look-back at how beautiful Comet Hale-Bopp was - that she'd rather watch squirrels and pigeons messing about on CatsTV than read her dad's work. Thanks J. ;-)
Jess proving again, bless her, that she is the worst Hide and Seek player in the world...
"I love the bravery of this series, the sheer bravado of taking on this all-time sci-fi classic and taking the story beyond the bounds of the original, and in a style that Mr Wells himself would likely approve of!" More info martiandiaries.com #audiobook #scifibooks
You hear it all the time: "Mars is awful", "Mars is a dump". Well don't go, don't look at it or even think about it. Leave it for those of us who see the beauty in its rocks & hear the singing of its icy winds to enjoy. Perseverance Images Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/S Atkinson
Ansel Adams would have loved the rugged, raw landscapes of Mars so much... Curiosity images, Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Stuart Atkinson
6 wks after sending my "Plains of Gold" queries to 13 agents, only two have replied so far. Disappointing, but 2 more than at this stage of previous queries, so yaaaaay... :-)
Just a quick note for any users of the excellent @skysafariastro apps... They've been having trouble adding the "interstellar comet" 3I to the apps but it's all sorted, so you can now use them to plot the comet's path/plan your attempts to observe it over the next few months. :-)
I've read a lot of books about Mars, and I can honestly say this is one of the best ever written. Essential reading for anyone interested in the red planet.
The story of those years and what happens next is told in our book @search_mars @MarsSocietyUK
It's almost a month since any new images were posted to the "Gateway to Astronaut Photography" gallery website. Does anyone know if it has been culled, like so many other NASA websites? eol.jsc.nasa.gov
Beautiful display of noctilucent clouds seen from Kendal, Cumbria, in the early hours of Sunday July 13th 2025, with Venus lower right and Pleiades star cluster to Venus' upper right. Image: S Atkinson 2025
...meanwhile, on Mars, Perseverance, a nuclear-powered robot geologist (with an interest in biology) is driving around the outside of an ancient impact crater, and sending back stunning view like this one, taken yesterday... Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S Atkinson
Very pretty display of noctilucent clouds seen from Kendal, Cumbria in the early hours of Sunday July 13th. All images: S Atkinson
