Kosmo [ENG]: space in pictures

What it is

Kosmo [ENG] is the English-language Telegram channel of Kosmo, a popular science project. The project also runs a large Russian-language channel, @kosmo_off (about 90,000 subscribers when we checked), and a YouTube channel. The English edition had about 6,200 subscribers. Its description calls it a channel for inquiring minds about space, the universe and the things around us, and the avatar says just that: KOSMO, marked EN.

The format is visual. There are one or two posts a day, each a photo or video with a one- or two-line caption. Sometimes a short fact comes with the picture, and now and then there's a link to a new episode on the project's YouTube. Over the years the channel has piled up nearly 3,000 photos and more than 1,000 videos.

Why we picked it

It's a calm, good-looking feed with no news-cycle churn. Nobody's rewriting press releases here. The channel just shows you what the universe and our planet look like when you pay attention.

The mix keeps changing. In the past month the feed included a bird "transiting" the Sun, shot by astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy; ISS astronauts closing the Cupola windows so nothing disturbs their sleep; Olympus Mons on Mars, with the note that it's wider than Saturn's moon Enceladus; Stromboli erupting with volcanic lightning; an animation of the orbit of the black hole Gaia BH3 and its companion star; drifting clouds on Saturn from Cassini; and close-ups of Martian rocks from Perseverance.

Earth gets plenty of attention too. There's a red sprite, a rare electrical discharge above a storm; the Reykjanes Peninsula before and after its eruptions; the UK and Ireland from space on a rare clear day; the Himalayas from the ISS; a heart-shaped aurora; and Mauna Loa and Kīlauea erupting in Hawaii.

Where to start

• Scroll through the last week to get the feel of the channel.
• Find the Olympus Mons post. It's a quick example of how a fact gets paired with a picture here.
• Watch the Gaia BH3 orbit animation, a clear look at how astronomers find "dormant" black holes.
• If you like it, check out the project's YouTube episodes. Links sometimes show up right in the channel.

Who it's for

Anyone who enjoys space through pictures rather than formulas. Captions are short and simple, so the channel works for kids and for English learners, since a line or two under an image is easy to read. Teachers will find ready-made visuals for class.

One caveat: this isn't a news channel about launches and missions. It's closer to a daily gallery. Captions are minimal, and the photographer isn't always credited.

Quick answers

Is this the official Kosmo channel? It's the project's English edition. The description links to Kosmo's YouTube channel and Patreon, and the avatar shows the KOSMO logo marked EN.

What does it post? Photos and videos of space, the planets, the Sun and Earth from orbit, plus the occasional episode from the project.

How active is it? When we checked, it was posting daily, most recently the day before.