We're still riding high on Mandalay and Ascendancy fever, and in that spirit of exploration we're setting a new type of challenge: a photoessay! What is a photoessay? A photoessay combines a series of themed images with minimal text accompanying each photo. Together, the photos and text should tell a non-fiction story exploring a topic.
In this case, your photoessay's theme should be exploration or exobiology, but we advise you choose a more specific topic on top, for example: 'the life of a solo explorer in the farthest reaches of the galaxy'. We recommend between five and 15 images. Don't forget to give your photo essay a name and be sure to verify your images via social media.
This is a tiered bounty, offering 20 $10 rewards as well as a $50, $30, and $20 reward for the best photoessays.
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This reward closed to entries at 4:10pm on May 6, 2025 but you can still reply, react, and join the conversation below! If you’d like to enter other rewards which are still open, click here.
My destination: Lyed YJ-I d9-0m AKA Amundsen's Star. When viewing the galaxy map from top-down, this system is the furthest "south" one can go. It's not the most far-flung you can get from Sol, but since it's at the extreme edge of the galaxy you get some amazing views!
After travelling for weeks, it's almost terrifying to see the whole galaxy -where all other life resides- light up the night sky. And not a stray star up there; just the inky dark of intergalactic void.
After collecting critical supplies and leaving a massive tip at the bar, I explored more of the system. Lyed YJ-I d9-0 has three(!) water worlds orbiting its main star, and one of them is a possible candidate for terraforming (seen below). I wonder if we'll ever send a colony ship out this far...
Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Amundsen's Star. I fuel scooped the main star, just to carry some atoms of the extreme frontier with me back to the Bubble...
LCU No Fool Like One - when I saw this was a video rather than images, I thought 'Ah no, looks like this'll have to be a rejection'. Then I watched the video... absolutely brilliant and very creative! The top prize of $50 is yours!
As for your question on Bluesky, we don't currently support it but rest assured it is on our radar, and we do hope to integrate it soon. Let me or Boomer know if we can help with the Instagram connection issue in the meantime; we also have this bug report form.
Was going to Felice Dock - Meene to get my Asp Explorer some new outfitting as she deserved it.
Then he slided into my DMs:
He just slided into my DMs as I docked
Dude wanted me to study some Guardian obelisks and bring back the data to him.
I read it, but didn't think much about it until several days later, when I found out it could get you 110 million in credits if you got all the scans. For a fresh and broke pilot, that was a lot wasn't it.
"I would be able to buy a bunch of new ships when I complete this quest!". I said, and fitted the Asp for it.
Did a bit of study and marked out my journey:
Not too far out, perfectly fine for a fresh ship
After about 10 jumps or so, I'm out there:
Approaching the first Guardian ruin
I guess they used to perform some kind of rituals in these sites during their time
Some how I didn't take any photo of the obelisk up close, such an newbie mistake! But it took me a bit to figure out how to scan them, by grabbing the cargo I needed for each sign. It's some kind of puzzle, might be hard to understand at first, but when you got a grab on it it's pretty easy to do.
Of course I had to take some photos of my lovely ship
After half of hour or so of driving around on my SRV scanning obelisks (including getting lost), I managed to have all of them. "Great! Only 10 more sites to visit or so." Then I took off to my next target body.
Decided to take it with the control UI on because it felt somehow "documentary-ish", I know, I was just being dumb
The soil looks like we could grow some brain trees here.
Sag A* feels a bit further here, or am I just dizzy from all these obelisks?
Another site:
It's night time here, took me a hot minute to get all the scans.
Another apology for not turning off the UI, I just thought it would look cool in some ways
Fast forward to 10 more planets or so, approaching the last body.
It has funny color.
And it has a twin.
Not really a common color that you'll see every day honestly. So I decided to take a selfie with it.
o7
Of course I side tracked on some other bodies to look at geological signals:
The whole trip took me 2-3 days or so. The journey was long, but exciting. There was nothing interesting on my way back, was falling as sleep on my chair, gosh, when can they autopilot this thing to auto jump?
Back to the station, ready to pick up my reward!
"You missed one scan." Ram Tah told me, and handed over 100 millions instead of 110, I told him it was no where to be found. He said that's what the bonus 10m are for, for the ones who are insane enough to find it. I guess I wasn't enough. Still a good pay, I will make another visit in the near future.
Somehow I missed one scan and Ram Tah didn't want to give me the 10m bonus for that :(
Hope my story inspire you, especially young pilots who want to go out there for the first time. 100m is not much, but for a kickstart is pretty decent, also it's a big oppoturnity to learn how to orbit and land on planets, and how to SRV.
The data collected will be delivered back to the Chamo system, to the minor faction New Chamo Free, under the mantle of Pranav Antal and for the purpose of enriching the source of galactic knowledge throughout Utopia.
Intro: Here follows a collection of photographs of ExoBiology species, grouped by genus, from searching, scanning & sampling my way to Exobiology Elite V over the past three years :]
Osseus species grow a single thick stalk from which emerges a wide, broadly circular, pitted endoskeleton. This structure is designed to dramatically increase the surface area of the organism, facilitating chemical capture and chemosynthesis on its catalytically active surface. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Fungoida live deep inside a planetary substrate. They share similar morphology to fungi but are not saprophytic, instead their mycelial body drives its metabolism through chemosynthetic and thermosynthetic processes. Some fungoida exhibit bioluminescent behaviours as a part of a metabolic process involved in the breakdown of accumulated toxins. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Anemones: despite their name, these organic structures more closely resemble the shells of sea urchins. They can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, and are able to absorb energy from nearby stars. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Fonticulua are photosynthetic colony organisms found exclusively on ice worlds, where they have embraced the surrounding frozen material as a form of protection. As the fonticulus develop they melt ice from around them, absorbing the liquid through tiny cellular pores and passing it to the colony's reproductive edge. Frond structures create a wide flat space that expose internal photosynthetic cells to as much light as possible. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Electricae are found exclusively on extremely cold ice worlds in the vicinity of frozen lakes. The visible tips can be observed protruding from the ice, often near fissures where it is thinnest. The surface structure exists to provide a connection point to the atmosphere, which in turn creates a point of potential electrical difference. A by-product of this is the bioluminescent display that runs through the organism. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Cactoida are photosynthetic organisms that have adapted to extreme conditions by reducing their surface area to volume ratio, thereby protecting more sensitive tissues from exposure. Deep, extensive root structures hold the organisms in place, and facilitate the extraction of trace minerals. Some cactoida species feature explosive seed distribution as a method of reproduction. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Bacteria are true unicellular extremophiles capable of living in the full spectrum of temperatures, chemical soups and atmospheres. They form a kaleidoscopic range of patterns and colours based on their method of metabolism. They derive energy from photosynthetic, chemosynthetic or thermosynthetic processes. There are believed to be the precursors for many life forms, and are often found in conjunction with other species. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Clypeus are extremophile organisms that have evolved to create hard shield structures, primarily to protect against stellar radiation. They also collect and condense traces of liquid material in the atmosphere, allowing the organisms to flourish in extremely arid environments. The shields are typically synthesized from surrounding inorganic material, which will frequently define their shape and colouration. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Concha are highly specialised complex extremophiles that have developed protective and sturdy motile shell structures. These open and close based on the suitability of the current environmental conditions. The shells are an organic structure with an excreted inorganic insulated and sometimes reflective casing that help the organism maintain homeostasis. The internal organisms, which are remarkably tough in their own right, are only exposed for metabolic and reproductive purposes. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Fumerola areextremophile organisms located in regions with active fumaroles. Their metabolism is driven exclusively through chemosynthetic and thermosynthetic mechanisms based on nearby volcanic activity. Proximity to volcanic heat allows them to survive in environments where the ambient temperature is naturally too cold for them. They frequently incorporate minerals from the fumaroles' ejecta, meaning they can appear inorganic at first glance and may sport exotic colours. [FromIn-Game Description ]
Sinuous Tubers are a species of Fungal Life that have been found on the surfaces of airless planets and moons across the galaxy. They were originally nicknamed "Tube Worms" by explorers due to their resemblance to tube worms found on Earth. [FromIn-Game Description ]
CMDR_M - excellent screenshots, but don't forget the text part of the photoessay. Please update your entry before the deadline if you want to be eligible for a prize. o7
CMDR_M that sounds like it could be very cool. The answer is 'yes, kind of.'
- We don't have a way to attach files, so it'd need to be a link to a place the PDF is hosted online (somewhere safe and secure). - We would still need you to authenticate the images via social media and share them in your reward submission, as you have already done here. - Ideally, as well as the PDF link and the social media post, you'd copy-paste the contents of the PDF into your reward submission, so it can be judged on-platform. Though granted, that's not always going to be possible, and we're lenient when it's not. For example, one of my favourite ever reward entries was this one, in which AlexGoesTheWorld created an entire fictional travel agency website.
As with that one, if we like what we saw, we'd be sure to include a link to your PDF or equivalent in any curated content we produced from this reward.
Hi again Alex, much thanks for the information re: PDF upload - did reply yesterday, but it seems that post disappeared… will do a layout if time permits, but first upload the rest of the pics here via X as usual - seems that’s best :)
When you arrive in a system that is thousands if not tens of thousands of light years away from the bubble, you explore it trying to find what you set out for.
Gather everything you need and enjoy the views from a planet where you are ONE, realizing that there is not a single living soul for hundreds of light years away.
Nebulae are clouds of dust and gas. Right now we, humans can observe them only through telescopes, but in Elite Dangerous, we can discover what lies inside them. Here's my trip to North America and Pelican Nebulae. I'll show you what have I found!
Nebulae from the distance of around ~20-40 Ly
First planet that I have landed on, full of massive craters and no atmosphere to watch the nebula above me
Another planet with slightly different view. Instead of craters, I have found a mountain range
Asteroid ring with a direct view at the North America Nebula
If you want to visit those nice-looking plants below, here's the system and planet: North America Sector JH-V C2-13, planet 5.
And in this field of dust, here I've found an emerald Fonticulua
More Fonticuluas
North America isn't very rich of planets with organic life. I've spent a couple of minutes before I have found anything than bacterium. But I wasn't expecting Electricae and Fonticuluas on the same planet here.
And this one was truly unexpected. Electricae Radialem Blue is on the same planet
A pair of large Electricaes
And for the end, a couple more images with Nebula view from the planet with atmosphere
Current system: BOEPH BA-P D6-131 Distance from Sol: 18,033.34 light-years Distance to destination (Colonia): 3,970.91 light-years
I'm a long way from home
I think I can call this set of photos "Heaven and Hell."
When I activated the full-spectrum scanner, a shiver ran down my spine. A fluctuation appeared on the frequency band slightly to the right, indicating a terrestrial planet. This was the first time during my journey of over 10,000 light-years that I discovered a terrestrial planet in an unexplored system.
Water, the essence of life!
Further scanning revealed that the planet's environment was astonishingly good: an atmospheric composition nearly identical to Earth's and a comfortable average temperature. The only downside was that its pressure and gravity were slightly low, but this did not prevent the environment from being highly favorable for humans. A visual inspection from orbit showed that the planet's surface was already covered in green, suggesting that the native plants on this planet also "disliked" green light (or perhaps the game developers were just being lazy).
Sunrise
This planet was located in a stable binary star system, which also contained a rocky planet and a metal-rich planet marked as terraformable by the system. I noted this system in my bookmarks as "A New Home," as it was indeed an ideal new home.
In contrast, there was a hellishly hot planet.
In another system, once the system scanner was charged, I glanced at the stellar composition. This system had five stars, all main-sequence stars: two A-type, one F-type, one K-type, and one M-type. The two A-type stars orbited each other very closely.
Well in real world I think the gravity of the two stars is going to pull them to the shape of egg
Additionally, the scanner picked up another planetary signal. However, when I aimed the scanner at the other three stars, I found nothing. Looking around, I finally found the planet orbiting the A-type binary stars.
Can you imagine seeing the two suns rise on this planet?
A-type main-sequence stars are young and scorching, mercilessly burning any celestial bodies that dare approach them. Unfortunately, this poor planet was only 0.09 AU away from its star.
The two white eggs are scorching the poor planet.
Under the relentless blaze of the binary suns, the planet's surface temperature reached a terrifying 4,816K, close to that of the Sun’s surface. At such a temperature, silicon on the planet’s surface existed in gaseous form, contributing to the dense atmosphere. The surface pressure, about 21,000 standard atmospheres, created an out-of-control greenhouse effect, which in turn maintained the planet's furnace-like temperature. This process was similar to what happened on Venus in the Solar System, but far more severe.
A super venus
In one direction, the stars seemed to grow denser. I think I was beginning to enter the inner region of the galactic ring.
Greetings, Commanders. I was, once again, traveling the Neutron Star Highway, and in one of the Neutron star systems where I stopped to refuel at the secondary star, I noticed some landable, atmosphere-bearing moons that had already been mapped but without any landing records, orbiting a Class III Gas Giant.
Being curious as I am, I scanned with the FSS and spotted this moon with three biological signals, and the most intriguing detail: an Argon atmosphere, relatively rare compared to those with Ammonia or Sulfur. Despite needing to move on with my journey, I couldn’t let an opportunity like this slip by.
As I approached, I noticed the beauty of the planetoid, as blue as the object it orbited. My scan confirmed the rare opportunity: a plant from the Electricae family! And in my case, they could only be Electricae pluma, and here’s why:
These rare specimens only thrive on worlds with atmospheres of Helium, Neon, or Argon, on icy planets that orbit Type A stars with a luminosity class of V or higher, Neutron Stars, or White Dwarfs. This conditions need to be fullfilled all at once... My case was even rarer! The planet orbited the boundary between an M-type star and a Neutron star. Life truly never ceases to amaze us. What a day to be alive!
Well, now it was time to get a closer look. Sometimes, I forget how beautiful planets with this kind of atmosphere are. Just look at the view I had from my Mandalay. And there they were, just as expected!
With the First Footfall confirmed, I began the manual search for different specimens to ensure the genetic diversity of the sample. I confess I was surprised by the sheer amount of life I found - the planet was “infested”! I thought I would have to search much harder, considering the inhospitable and eccentric conditions of this encounter.
As an exobiologist/explorer, of course, I wouldn’t leave the other species on the planet without the attention they deserved. After finishing the sampling of Electricae pluma (Red), I moved on to the less rare Fonticuluae campestris (Sage) and Bacterium vesicula (Red).
But this discoveries wasn’t over yet. Intrigued by the rare configuration I found, I decided to investigate the planetary system a bit more, as there were five other moons there. And this is where, besides capturing a beautiful photo of the Gas Giant (which, by the way, has Pristine Reserves of Monazite and Painite in its rings), I had a pleasant surprise: moons A and B were orbiting each other at an incredible tiny distance of 6.4 Mm!
One is completely white (AB 2 A), and the other completely black (AB 2 B), almost the same size (Radius difference = 209 Km), as if it were some kind of signal of balance here, as if it were a sign meant for me - who took the time to pay attention to a system already scanned and often ignored by other explorers in search of something uniquely theirs (which is totally understandable).
I had to see this up close, and the result is below (these two close bright dots southeast to the planet are the 2 mentioned moons).
Despite finding only geological signals, which don’t interest me as much, I felt compelled to land on AB 2 B to capture this moment (another First Footfall, but I don’t think it’s worth recording it here).
The image says it all, but I’ll reiterate: o7 CMDRs.
