MORNING SHOW: Set your alarm for dawn. On Wednesday morning, Sept. 16th, Venus will rise in the east right beside an exquisite 7% crescent Moon. It's a beautiful way to begin the day: sky map. AUTUMN LIGHTS: For reasons not fully understood by researchers, the weeks around equinoxes are the best times to see Northern Lights. The northern autumnal equinox of 2009 is only a week away and--voilĂ !--the show has begun: "I had 8 people with me for an Aurora Photography Tour in Yellowknife on Sept. 12th," writes Yuichi Takasaka from the Northwest Territories of Canada. "Northern Lights started to appear from 10pm local time and stayed well after 4am!" At this time of year, the interplanetary magnetic field near Earth tends to point south, an orientation that weakens Earth's magnetic defenses against the solar wind. Under such conditions, the slightest gust of solar wind can fuel a lovely display. Polar sky watchers should be alert for Northern Lights in the weeks ahead. Sept. 2009 Aurora Gallery [previous Septembers: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001] JAPANESE SHIP FLARES, CHASES ISS: Japan's new cargo ship, the HTV-1, is in Earth orbit and chasing the ISS for a rendevous on Sept. 17th. Sky watchers who have seen the vehicle say it is bright, orange, and best of all, sometimes it flares. Marco Langbroek sends this photo from Leiden, the Netherlands: Photo details: Canon EOS 450D + EF 50/2.5 Macro, 10 seconds "I photographed the HTV-1 on its maiden flight to the ISS on the evening of Sept. 12th; it was as bright as a 1st magnitude star," says Langbroek. "The picture also shows the trail of an old Russian rocket stage." "Just before I took the picture, the HTV-1 briefly flared to mag. -1," he adds. Other observers confirm this, reporting flares as bright as mag. -3 or -4. The ship has few flat surfaces to reflect sunlight, so it is unclear what is causing the surges in luminosity. Pictures of the HTV-1 may be found in this JAXA press kit. Readers, check the Simple Satellite Tracker to see if you are favored with a flyby of HTV-1. The mystery-flares are worth a look. more images: from Pawel Warchal of Cracow, Poland; from Ralf Vandebergh of the Netherlands; from Quentin D. of le Havre, Normandy, France; Explore the Sunspot Cycle |