NASA's DART probe just separated from Falcon 9 rocket 2nd stage. Now on its way to asteroid Didymos. In 10 months, DART will collide with the asteroid's 160m moon Dimorphos at 24,000 km/h. If all goes well, the moon will be slowed slightly. This is a test of #PlanetaryDefense.

NASA's DART spacecraft seen moving away from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket upper stage a short while ago. DART is now on its 10-month journey to destroy itself when it impacts asteroid Didymos' tiny moon Dimorphos as a test of altering a target's trajectory.

Night launches are certainly worth the effort to see. This one from California was for #NASA's #DARTMission as part of evaluating #PlanetaryDefense. The last night launch I witnessed was a Soyuz crew launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, in 2013.

The last section for the Russian portion of the #InternationalSpaceStation is about to be launched in about 13 minutes from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lG…

I was shooting the #Moon last night with my DSLR when an intruder got in the way!

My nephew William (pictured) sails tonight on the maiden #Antarctic voyage of Australia's brand new, state-of-the-art icebreaker/research ship RSV Nuyina (pronounced noy-yee-nah, means ‘southern lights’ in palawa kani, language of Tasmanian Aborigines). antarctica.gov.au/nuyina/about/?…

Another major milestone just completed for the James Webb Space Telescope, but many more have to take place as it makes its way out to 1.5 million km from Earth.

A good time at Mt Coot-tha Lookout with Craig Craig Zonca on ABC Brisbane - a beautiful morning with Venus, Mars, Jupiter, the Moon, & Saturn spanning the sky. Despite twilight, easily saw over a dozen bright Starlink flares near the bright Moon. Some flared to Jupiter brightness.

I just watched the International Space Station appear bright and passing close to the Moon and Jupiter at 5:37am. Yesterday morning at around that time I was watching Starlink satellite flares with Craig Craig Zonca on ABC.

My lunar & Martian meteorites I had with me for yesterday's ABC Brisbane broadcast when Craig Craig Zonca & I were observing Skylink satellites as well as the Moon & Mars. If it had been cloudy we still would have seen bits of the Moon & Mars!

At Brisbane airport for 1st of 3 flights to Dunedin, New Zealand, for the Australasian Planetarium conference. It will be good to catch up with some colleagues not seen since pre-COVID-19.

This week, we were at the Australasian Planetarium Society meeting in Dunedin, New Zealand. Mark Rigby, retired former curator of Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, presented “Come Fly with Me” using #Digistar 7 at the Tūhura Otago Museum.

Nice phone-in with KAT FEENEY💃🚲🤪 on ABC Brisbane this afternoon. Talked about my late father, artist John Rigby (1922-2012) - johnrigbyart.com.au - and some of the many portraits he painted, including this one of me from 1993 when I still had a beard.

Not in Florida for Artemis 1 launch, but watching weather & thinking of some of the launches I've seen. When possible, I allowed margin for technical & weather delays, e.g. 6 weeks for last Apollo (went on time) & 2 months for 1st space shuttle (slipped 2 days). Some I missed.

One month from today until sailing from Fremantle for total solar eclipse viewing off Exmouth on April 20. It will be my 12th total solar eclipse trip - hopefully my 11th success. Taking Indian Pacific train across Australia beforehand (Image by Mark Rigby - 2017 eclipse.)

Aboard the P&O Pacific Explorer for today's total solar eclipse. Just sailed past the US North West Cape facility and currently about 5 km off Exmouth.

Minutes from totality on the P&O Explorer.

Nearing end of 2-week trip to Sydney: caught Indian Pacific train to Perth; lovely Fremantle; 5 nights on P&O Pacific Explorer - anchor off Exmouth for magical total solar eclipse (my 11th success out of 12 & my sister's first); time in Perth, now inflight to Brisbane.

The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium late today on the 45th anniversary of its official opening. Also visible is the Moon with Venus to its lower left. Nearly 2 years since I retired as Curator of the facility after more than 36 years.

Saddened to hear of the passing of Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford. Fortunate to have told him of my rare sighting of his Apollo 10 rocket burn to leave Earth orbit for the Moon in 1969. I also witnessed his 1975 ASTP launch to link up with Soviet cosmonauts. A remarkable person.