Jason Baluyut

Two nebulae in a wide field of stars. The larger (closer) one below is the Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8), about 4,000 light years away, a stellar nursery with a cluster of massive young stars at its heart, lighting up the surrounding gas clouds. At its upper right is the smaller (farther) Trifid Nebula (Messier 20), 5,000 light years away, with a striking pattern of dark dust lanes against illuminated pink and blue clouds. Data collected (by members of the Amateur Astronomers Association) from the Gateway Remote Telescope in Texas, stacked and processed by me in Siril with additional editing in GIMP. H/T the Vera C. Rubin Observatory website for nebula information.

Photo of the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101) in a wide field of stars. A face-on spiral galaxy 25 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major, it spans an area 170,000 light years across — nearly twice the diameter of the Milky Way — and contains at least a trillion stars, including new ones being born in glowing star-forming nebulae along the galaxy’s spiral arms. Data collected (by members of the Amateur Astronomers Association) from the Gateway Remote Telescope in Texas, stacked and processed by me in Siril with additional editing in GIMP. H/T NASA’s website for galaxy information.

I recently joined the NY Amateur Astronomers Association and signed up for an #astrophotography class, which lets me process data collected (by more experienced members) from a remote-controlled telescope in Texas. Here are my first attempts. Grateful to work with these images! More in the alt text.

Photo of a dandelion seed head in a community garden, with about a quarter of its white tufts missing, blown away by the wind. The remaining tufts form a crescent oriented like a “C,” with some white bristles standing out against a dark metal fence post. Out of focus beyond the post are some bluebells and greenery.

#FotoVorschlag
“Federleicht” / Light as a feather

So light that a gentle breeze blew part of it away, right before I could take my intended shot.

#flower #bloomscrolling #dandelion #photography

Monochrome closeup of the upper half of a dandelion seed head. White, feathery pappus tufts sit on stalks that fan outward from the head at bottom frame, evoking almost an architectural effect, like a cathedral archway. Scattered dewdrops sit on the very tops of the pappus bristles. The background is an unfocused field of sunlight shining through leaves, softened into bokeh.

#FotoVorschlag
“Federleicht” / Light as a feather

#flowers #bloomscrolling #dandelion #photography #monochrome #blackandwhite

Photo of a sunset over a calm sea. Silhouetted sailboats glide along the horizon. Two distant swimmers poke their heads above the water at the center of the image. A mass of dark clouds pushes in from right frame, but the sky is mostly clear, in a gradient from pale blue to orange-gold.

Boracay Island, Philippines. Paraw (sailboats with bamboo outriggers) cruise along the horizon at sunset. A follow-up to last week’s #MeerMittwoch photo.

#photography #seawednesday #sea #seascape #sunset #goldenhour #boracay #philippines

The answer to fascism is connection and a repairing of our communal ties. We have to reinvigorate the feeling that we are all connected as fascism feeds on isolation.

Millions of Americans need your help and if we sacrifice them or any one else to the fascists we only make them stronger.

The fascistic attacks on immigrants, vulnerable communities, and the people they have brought to dangerous poverty are attacks on all of us, and in order to stop this murderous project we must come together.

Donate to food banks, shelters, any mutual aid you can. We must rebuild our communities.

Fascism happens when capitalism destabilizes society to the point where open state oppression is required to control the people and dehumanize the victims.

We are experiencing the shift now and unless we band together and recognize our interdependence, the results will be horrific.

A War Against the People: Fascism will Steal Everything From Us 42 million Americans will lose food assistance this week. This is a crime against the people.

Over 40 million people will lose their food assistance because the wealthy require fascism to further line their pockets.

We have to link arms and take care of one another while recognizing these motherfuckers will take everything unless we stop them.

jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/a-war-agai...

Photo of the front tire of a red car, parked on damp, glistening pavement after a recent rain, partly reflected in a puddle in the foreground.

#FotoVorschlag
“Dem Boden ganz nah” / Close to the ground

#photography #urbanphotography #reflection

Photo of blades of grass and tiny plants, taken low to the ground. Out of focus in the background are trees and a couple of container cranes, under a mass of cumulus clouds moving through a blue sky. Photo taken at Governors Island in NYC on a sunny summer afternoon.

#FotoVorschlag
“Dem Boden ganz nah” / Close to the ground

#photography #landscape #grass #clouds

Please I'm begging people to share this with your friends if you're still on twt/x and get the hell outta there.

Opinion | Will New York Voters Choose to Speed Up Housing Construction?

Good pro-vs-con op-ed on Props 2, 3 and 4 on the NY ballot (gift article). New York, VOTE NO! The language is about “fast-tracking” housing, but it’s really about sidelining the city council, our elected reps who can push back against unscrupulous developers.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/o...

Infographic from the Black Solidarity Coalition. Text reads: BALLOT PROPOSALS 2-4 USE LANGUAGE LIKE "FAST TRACK" AND "AFFORDABLE HOUSING," BUT HERE'S THE TRUTH: PROPOSAL 2 GIVES MORE CONTROL TO UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS TIED TO DEVELOPERS. PROPOSAL 3 REMOVES OVERSIGHT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL. PROPOSAL 4 CREATES A BACKROOM BOARD THAT CAN OVERTURN COMMUNITY OPPOSITION.

Infographic from the Black Solidarity Coalition. Text reads: BALLOT PROPOSITION 2: FAST TRACK FOR DEVELOPERS VOTE NO BALLOT LANGUAGE: "FAST TRACK PUBLICLY FINANCED AFFORDABLE HOUSING. FAST TRACK APPLICATIONS DELIVERING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE COMMUNITY DISTRICTS THAT PRODUCE THE LEAST AFFORDABLE HOUSING, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING REVIEW TIME. MAINTAIN COMMUNITY BOARD REVIEW." WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS: THIS BALLOT QUESTION WILL: • LET DEVELOPERS SKIP FULL PUBLIC REVIEW IF THEY GET ANY GOVERNMENT FUNDING • SET NO AFFORDABILITY STANDARDS (UNITS CAN GO TO PEOPLE MAKING $145K/YEAR) • TARGET WORKING-CLASS COMMUNITIES FOR AGGRESSIVE UPZONING • TAKE ZONING DECISIONS AWAY FROM YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Infographic from the Black Solidarity Coalition. Text reads: BALLOT PROPOSITION 3: "MODEST' REZONING TRICK VOTE NO BALLOT LANGUAGE: "SIMPLIFY REVIEW OF MODEST AMOUNTS OF ADDITIONAL HOUSING AND MINOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING REVIEW TIME. MAINTAIN COMMUNITY BOARD REVIEW, WITH FINAL DECISION BY THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION." WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS: THIS BALLOT QUESTION WILL: • ALLOW DEVELOPERS TO INCREASE BUILDING SIZE BY 30% • REPLACE 3-4 STORY BLOCKS WITH 17+ STORY TOWERS • AVOID MIH RULES - SO NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIRED • REMOVE CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL - ONLY CITY PLANNING COMMISSION DECIDES

Infographic from the Black Solidarity Coalition. Text reads: BALLOT PROPOSITION 4: MAYORAL POWER GRAB VOTE NO BALLOT LANGUAGE: "ESTABLISH AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING APPEALS BOARD WITH THE COUNCIL SPEAKER, LOCAL BOROUGH PRESIDENT, AND MAYOR TO REVIEW COUNCIL ACTIONS THAT REJECT OR CHANGE APPLICATIONS CREATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING." WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS: THIS BALLOT QUESTION WILL: • CREATE A 3-PERSON BOARD THAT CAN OVERRIDE THE CITY COUNCIL • GIVE THE MAYOR FINAL SAY WITH JUST 1 ALLY'S VOTE • SILENCE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S VOTE ON LAND USE • UNDERMINE COMMUNITY PROTECTIONS AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

NYC, VOTE NO on Props 2, 3 & 4. They were put on the ballot by Eric Adams and his developer pals and are deceptively worded (see infographics from Black Solidarity Coalition). If passed, we’ll see more displacement, no real commitment to affordable housing, and less power to push back.
#uspol #nyc

Closeup photo of the flat, reflective surface of an abstract sculpture (part of Jennie C. Jones’ outdoor installation “Ensemble,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC). The surface reflects a vague, dreamlike image of people standing in front of a dark hedge on a sunlit terrace under a clear blue sky. In the right half of the photo, a narrow red triangle appears to split the image apart; in reality it’s the space between two parts of the sculpture which tilt in slightly different directions, with the red side of one part visible to us due to the camera’s angle.

A rupture in the dream.

#MinimalismMonday #minimalism #abstract #abstractart #photography

Photo of the crowns of two leafless trees, close together at bottom frame: one more slender and vertical, the other more rounded with radially spreading branches. The rest of the image above them is taken up by a blue sky with white cumulus clouds.

#FotoVorschlag
“Bäume” / Trees

#photography #naturephotography #trees #tree #clouds #cloudscape #sky

If you have it please donate cash to the food banks. $10 in their hands will feed more people than the $10 worth of canned goods you can buy for retail prices. Also check on your elders. Many of them will not admit they rely on these programs so grocery gift cards or a surprise bag of staples

Photo of a city scene at sunset. Behind a chain link fence in the foreground, a road with yellow and white markings curves past some low buildings illuminated by the fading light. A tall wooden power pole rises into a darkening sky with luminous orange clouds. At the center of the image is the full moon, small in the sky, seen through some circular loops of cable attached to the power lines extending from the pole.

#SilentSunday
#FramingTheMoon

#photography #urbanphotography #sunset #goldenhour #moon

Your Neighborhood Is On The Ballot

New York, VOTE NO on Props 2, 3 and 4. They say pretty words about “affordable housing” but really allow developers to sidestep oversight from YOUR elected reps and build without accountability. Don’t give up your own voice in what gets built in YOUR community. More info at:

www.whatsonmyballot.nyc

Yes. 😭💕

We Have to Move "There are living, breathing people all around you who need your sense of decency to be made material. Don’t give up on them, or on you."

tell you what, it's a fucking terrible time to have even one molecule of human empathy. I have moments where I think that.

And then I read something like this, by the great @mskellymhayes.bsky.social (GET HER EXCELLENT NEW BOOK) and I know I need to move organizingmythoughts.org/we-have-to-m...

Rewriting the Future - Dreamforge Magazine I was writing hopepunk before there was a word for it. That’s not some hipster boast —I’m much more feminist nerd than cool kid— but my […]

If you're interested in #hopepunk—as a storyteller, game dev or just interested in telling different stories about the world, you might like this article I wrote about hopepunk as the bin everyone's rummaging around in to freshen up their stories.
#writing
dreamforgemagazine.com/story/rewrit...

Photo of a glazed ceramic teacup filled with brown masala chai, held up by the handle in front of a screen door with a view of a backyard garden. The cup is white with a blue rim and handle, and is decorated with striped almond shapes hand-painted in blue brushstrokes. The backyard is out of focus and pixelated by the mesh of the screen door.

#FotoVorschlag
“Alltagsgegenstände im Fokus” /
Everyday objects in focus

Masala chai helps to bring things into focus as well.
#photography

Photo of a handsome gray tabby cat with distinctive dark stripes, on the lap of a teenage girl (her face out of frame) who is sitting cross-legged and wearing a gold necklace, white shirt, and blue jeans. He rests a forepaw on her knee as he nestles in the crook of her lap, his eyes slightly closed in a relaxed, satisfied expression.

A memory of Max in his safe space.

#photography #caturday #cats #catsofbluesky

This is it, friends. This is who we have to be. We have to stand up for EVERYONE. No one gets thrown under the bus. Do not accept anything less from any leader. We ALL belong.

blacksky.community/profile/did:...

I am TIRED of the racism, the Islamophobia, the transphobia, the antisemitism, all the fucking Nazi shit, all the bigotry in all its forms.

All of it is unacceptable.

All blessings on Mamdani for shining a light on this.

No more, in any corner of our politics.

US ‘on a trajectory’ toward authoritarian rule, ex-officials warn A network of former intelligence and security officers says democratic decline is accelerating under Trump’s rule

Retired intelligence analysts confirm what the political scientists are telling us — and what the world outside is telling us — the goal of these people is the end of law, the end of democracy, and the end of a recognizable republic.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Good for him for making it plain. If you are silent about your pain, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it. Time to speak truth to power for the 10's of thousands of Muslim children in this city.

This is incredibly deep and I am tearing up.

Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are the worst of us.

Mamdani is one of the best.

When you vote in this election, whatever your faith, you are making a moral decision that will reflect on your character and your soul forever.

YouTube video by Eyewitness News ABC7NY LIVE | Zohran Mamdani gives remarks on Islamophobia outside a mosque in the Bronx, NYC

STARTING SOON: Zohran Mamdani gives remarks about Islamophobia outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx

dear US friends, when a sitting president (re)builds the seat of government, it almost always means the president has no intention of leaving at the end of term. your African friends with decades of experience