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AURORA WATCH:
A high-speed solar wind stream is buffeting Earth's magnetic
field. Polar sky watchers should be
alert for auroras
tonight.
SPACESHIP SIGHTINGS:
Space shuttle Atlantis is docked to the International
Space Station (ISS) and together the two spacecraft are putting
on a good show in the night sky. On Nov. 19th, Tamas Ladanyi
caught the pair arcing over Balatonaliga, Hungary:
"I took the picture using a Canon
450D and a fisheye lens," he says. "In the full-sized
photo you can see Jupiter peeking through the branches
of the tree and the Moon setting in the distance. It was a
beautiful autumn night at Lake Balaton."
On Nov. 25th, Atlantis will undock from the
ISS. At that time, the brilliant streak shown above will split
in two and double flybys will commence for a couple of nights
while Atlantis prepares to land on Earth. Monitor the Simple
Satellite Tracker for sighting opportunities.
more images: from
P-M Hedén of Ålbo, Sweden; from
Janusz Krysiak of Koluszki, Poland; from
Nicolas Biver of Versailles, France; from
Jiri Srba of Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic; from
Pawel Warchal of Cracow, Poland; from
Dewey Vanderhoff of Cody Wyoming;
EXTRA SUN HALOS:
Normally, when we see an ice halo around the sun, it is a
single
ring. But yesterday in Sumrall, Mississippi, sky watcher
Barry Russell counted more. "There were [at least] 3
halos around the sun! I was really shocked to see 3 of them
at once," he says. (continued below)
Where did the extra rings come from? Atmospheric optics expert
Les Cowley explains: "Ice crystals with pyramid-shaped
ends made these halos. Most of the halos we see are from six-sided
plate-shaped and pencil-shaped crystals with flat ends. Put
pyramids on their ends and the sun’s rays can pass through
them in several more ways to make odd-radius
halos. Here, in addition to the familiar 22o
circular halo we have ones of 9o, 18o,
23o and 24o radius."
" Pyramidal halos are often overlooked," Cowley
notes. "Search for them whenever cirrus clouds drift
in front og the sun."
November
Northern Lights Gallery
[previous Novembers: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2004, 2003,
2002, 2001]
2009
Leonid Meteor Gallery
[previous Leonids: 1998,
2001,
2002,
2006]
Explore
the Sunspot Cycle |
