Author | Lightnews

Jason Betzner

@jbetzner.bsky.social

1.1K followers 1.3K following 750 posts

I’m a former science teacher with interests in photography, space, and art. I’m the “enemy within”. He/Him Silence is Consent. Resist. 🥄 🥄 https://linktr.ee/jbetzner

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Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · Jul 24

A photo of the Milky Way with the Lagoon and. Trifid.

Shot with a Rokinon 135mm and Canon 6D from my local dark sky site last night.

#Astrophotography

Colorful gases of the Milky Way, stars, and some pink nebulae.

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Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 12m

I am 95% sure that Egypt from HGTV’s Married to Real Estate is on my flight to Atlanta.

Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 1h

Trump has made it clear that if you are guilty of corruption he will pardon you as long as you lather him with praise and your corrupt actions benefit him financially.

Most corrupt president in American history.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2h

Breaking News: President Trump pardoned the billionaire founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao. Zhao admitted in 2023 to money-laundering violations that allowed terrorists, drug traffickers and other criminals to move money on the platform. nyti.ms/3J9mazz

Changpeng Zhao, wearing a dark suit and light blue tie, walks while holding a folder. A headline reads: "Trump Pardons Binance Founder With Ties to First Family’s Crypto Venture." Photo by Grant Hindsley for The New York Times.

Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 2h

Chicago, it’s been fun.

Heading home.

Reposted by Jason Betzner

Debra's Astrophotography @debraceravolo.bsky.social · 1d

Comet A6 Lemmon is very dynamic. Moving closer to the sun, the dust tail (yellow) is increasing and the bluish ion tail is being slammed by the solar wind. Captured it the morning of Oct. 14 with my 12 in telescope and filters. 1 hour total exposure time

#astronomy #astrophotography #cometlemmon

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Think Big (Peter Pat) @think-big.bsky.social · 21h

The Dragon's Egg Nebula.

This nebula in Norma is close to the famous "Fighting Dragons of Ara" hence its name. Captured from my Bortle 7-8 backyard in Sydney. This received a Highly Commended in the recent Astrophotography Prize & a top-pick on Astrobin: www.astrobin.com/qkmfea/ 🔭 #astrophotography

The Dragon's Egg. In the centre lies a compact pink, bipolar nebula with some intricate structure surrounded by a fainter, blue collar, or shell. Across the top of the frame is a red glow from interstellar hydrogen.

Technical details: 120 x 3 min exposures (nebula) & 60 x 30 sec exposures (stars)
Skywatcher 190MN on an AZ-EQ6 mount.
Antlia ALP-T dual-band filter (nebula), Optolong L-Pro broadband filter (stars)

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Ann @stellarpics.net · 20h

Starting to see nice separation of the dust and ion tails now. This is C/2025 A6 Lemmon from Oct 21. 60 minutes of data. Much better than where I started this week at 11 minutes. Captured with #Nikon D5300a and William Optics z73 430mm scope. #astrophotography #comet #nightsky

Comet A6 Lemmon showing bright green coma and separation in the dust tail and a large ion tail which moves off the screen. Captured at dusk on Oct. 21. Total of 1 hour of data at 30 second exposures.

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PictureTheSouth @picturethesouth.com · 17h

I obviously need to spend much more practice time with my #Seestar S50 #astrophotography scope. But happy to finally get a clear(ish) shot at #comets SWAN and Lemmon. May try further processing with Siril after returning home next week.

Coinjock NC, Bortle 4 skies, a bit after sunset.

Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN, currently a green dot and green coma against a background of stars.

Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon. Green head and coma, with green tail stretched across a field of stars to the right.

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Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 16h

Someone left their protest sign at a table on the street in Chicago.

Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 17h

Finally got to try Chicago deep dish pizza!

Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 1d

Had to see The Bean while I’m in The Windy City.

#Chicago #photography

Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 1d

I found Sue, the T-Rex!

Enjoyed walking through Grant Park to the Field Museum and long Lake Michigan.

#chicago

Yellow and orange leaves on trees with the Chicago skyline.

The Chicago skyline reflected in water by Lake Michigan

The Field Museum. A large neo-classical building.

Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 2d

Made it to Chicago

It’s 11am on Tuesday and absolutely zero sign of anything that would require National Guard presence.

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Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 2d

WOW. A third of ICE recruits can’t pass a fitness test that I do multiple times a week, and I’m a 51 year old woke cat lady with a nose ring who loves a soy latte.

Adam Weinstein @adamweinstein.bsky.social · 2d

Lecturing active soldiers about being too fat while dropping standards so low for the ICE deportation force that a third of their recruits can't handle the easiest PT test I've ever heard of www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

More than a third have failed so far, four officials told me, impeding the agency’s plan to hire, train, and deploy 10,000 deportation officers by January. To pass, recruits must do 15 push-ups and 32 sit-ups, and run 1.5 miles in 14 minutes.
“It’s pathetic,” one career ICE official told me, adding that before now, a typical class of 40 recruits had only a couple of candidates fail, because the screening process was more rigorous.

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Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · 2d

There’s never a dull moment in a field full of Sandhill Cranes! #birds

A group of large, grey birds with red forehead patches in a golden wheat stubble field. The ones in the foreground have wings spread and are jumping.

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Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 2d

This

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The Smartest Witch @twoint.bsky.social · 2d

I spent six hours photographing the Triangulum Galaxy from a local parking lot. I wish light pollution wasn't so terrible here.

#astrophotography #astronomy #photography #space

The triangulum galaxy, its spiral arms streching out from a small glowing core. Stars are present around the galaxy, and bright red areas of hydrogen gas are visible from afar.

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3I/ATLAS Fan Account @bigstape.bsky.social · 2d

Comets C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) and C/2025 R2 (SWAN).
#astrophotography #seestar #c2025a6 #c2025r2

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Rose Observatory @rose-observatory.bsky.social · 2d

The Iris nebula in constellation Chepheus. A star is born 1300 light years away from the dark clouds of interstellar dust.
#astrophotography

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Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 2d

Haha, I am sure someone at my hotel can make a recommendation

Reposted by Jason Betzner

Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 2d

He’s spending millions for a ballroom while American soldiers go without pay…

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Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 2d

While we spectate on The East Wing being torn down, it isn’t just another hallway, it’s where Eleanor Roosevelt built the modern Office of the First Lady, where WWII bunkers were hidden, and where the public enters the People’s House. Erasing it is rewriting history.

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𝙹𝚊𝚢 𝙵 𝙰𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚕𝚍 @jayfarrellarnold.bsky.social · 2d

Yeah. So The White House
is designated a National Historic Landmark.

That means:

It’s formally recognized as having exceptional national historical significance.

Any substantial changes, demolitions, or new construction affecting it are tightly restricted.

It’s not his house! WTF.

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Alex Spahn 🌋🌪️☄️ @spahn711.bsky.social · 2d

"Colors are the smiles of nature." #photography

A close-up drone image of a hill full of trees. About half are green, while the rest display fall colors of yellow, orange, and red.

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Jason Betzner @jbetzner.bsky.social · 2d

Heading to Chicago for a conference.

Might have time for the Field Museum while I am there.

Also, where’s a good place near downtown to get deep dish pizza?

🍕

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