It would also help with Russian economics. A master strategist indeed.

Also CCD/CMOS become more accessible.

J.D. Vance was the last person to visit the previous Pope and an American took his place. That leaves us with Cuba.

NEOWISE was a stunner, especially from a dark location. It looked in 45mm focal lenght as Lemmon appeared in 135mm.

We have been spoiled the last three years with a serious of beautiful and bright comets (Nishimura, Pons-Brooks, Olbers, Tsutsinshan-ATLAS, Lemmon, and C/2024 G3 ATLAS for the southerners).

That is some first class cable management. Clear skies!

C/2025 R3 is turning into a very beautiful comet. The next 10 days will be great, as this icy visitor is heating up and leaves behind a nice gasy tail. A pity it will subsequently get lost in Sun's glare.

A comet with a round, bright green coma and a long, structured tail with knots and streamers extending beyond the edge of the frame. There is also a short dust tail. Equipment: 8-inch f/4 newtonian telescope, 294MC-Pro, guided Prometheus-astro tyr, controlled by StellaVita. 30x30s, with moonlight interfering. Sitia, Crete. Edited with DSS, SIRIL and Ps.

Comet MAPS may have not survived, but C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is putting on a show in the early hours sky. As of 8 April 2026, it has grown a long ion tail, and there are hints of a dust tail and is visible with large binoculars. Perihelion is on 11 days. #cometWatch #astrophotography

Nothing has reappeared after perihelion, the comet disintegrated completely.

Don't forget that this was illuminated by the nearly full Moon.

Oh the spike grows shorter 🙁

👀 🤞

The comet has also entered LASCO C2 field which provides a more zoomed in view. soho.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtim...

A comet appearing like a bright teardrop with long tail is approaching the blocked Sun from the left. The image is from the CCOR1 instrument on board GOES 19, 6:45 UT. https://ccor.nrl.navy.mil/ccor_realtime/last_image_MinBckgnd.png

Today comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) reaches its fiery perihelion. You can follow its progress in space coronographs like SOHO and CCOR1. ccor.nrl.navy.mil/ccor_realtim... soho.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtim...
I hope it survives! #cometWatch

Operation spiderweb was on 1 June 2025, but that was a different beast.

50x30s with an 8-inch f/4 Newt. More info in alt.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 29 March 2026, 2:45 (UTC). The comet has features a round, green coma and a nice ion tail, over a degree long, extending beyond the edge of the frame. Coma is about 7 arcminutes across. The two brightest stars visible are 40 and 41 Pegasi. GSO N203/800 with coma corrector, unmodified M4/3 camera. 50x30s from B4 skies, eastern Crete. Edited with DSS, SIRIL and Ps.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) on 29 March 2026, finally, after nearly two cloudy weeks. It is about mag 7.5 and has developed a nice long ion tail. It will continue to brighten up to mid April, when it will pass between Earth and the Sun. #cometwatch #astrophotography

They violently cut down a tree in 1976.

It is approaching Jupiter, shining at around mag 18.

What a catch. I also like NGC 3921 bottom left. I rarely see anyone photograph that weird galaxy.

A comet with round green coma (up to 9' across) and a short whiteish tail in front of a starry field. Some distant galaxies are also visible at the bottom. Equipment: GSO N203/800 with TS GPU coma corrector, Prometheus astro TYR mount, Toupket 294C-Pro, SV305c guide camera with 30mm f/4 guidescope, Stellavita astrostation. 83x60s light frames, from eastern Crete (B4.5). Edited with DSS and SIRIL. Star stack and comet stack combined in GIMP. Some final touches with Ps.

Periodic comet Schaumasse, this time with a dedicated astrocamera. The comet features and exteded fainter coma and a rather short dust tail. The comet is located in Serpens Caput and is moving away both from the Sun and the Earth. #cometwatch #astrophotography

IIRC, the Turkish straits are closed for warships since 2022.

A small comet with round coma, condensed nucleus and a hint of tail towards the left is seen moving among the stars. Equipment used: GSO N203/800 with TS GPU coma corrector. 58x30s from B3 skies of eastern Crete. Edited with DSS and SIRIL, image is cropped.

My first decent image of C/2026 A1 (MAPS). Located rather low for northern latitudes, it may become briefly very bright in early April as it plunges next to the Sun. Currently around mag 11, with condensed nucleus, round coma and hint of tail. #cometwatch #astrophotography

So USA did it...

Iran Update Evening Special Report, March 3, 2026 The combined force has designed its campaign to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities before it depletes its interceptor stockpiles.

Yeah, longer logistics. But the counterpoint is that the US/IDF have targeted Iran's missile launchers and storage accesses and that is why the attacks are fewer. understandingwar.org/research/mid...

The problem with this logic is you won't deplete the enemy defences if you are not firing at them. Fewer drones and missiles mean less defences are used and more are left to protect against "the good stuff".

I don't know (well other than it is a NATO member - USA ally)

To protect Bulgaria (although another NATO member, Turkiye, would probably eliminate threats from Iran before reaching Bulgaria).

For brighter or fainter? I think a brighter comet would be easier to estimate visually. Also, any ob of C/2026 A1?

This has to be sarcasm.