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MOONBOW CHALLENGE:
Experts once thought that moonbows--that
is, rainbows formed in moonlight--were only visible around the time
of a bright full Moon. "Amateur astronomer Martin McKenna has
just broken that rule
by photographing a moonbow only 7 days before the new moon,"
announces atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley. "The challenge
now is to image one even closer to a new moon." Readers, can
you do it? "Who knows," says Cowley, "I might even
offer a prize of an umbrella!" Submit your images here.
GREAT CONJUNCTION:
Last night, the three brightest objects
in the night sky converged, producing a triple-conjunction of stunning
beauty. Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon were crowded into a
patch of sky just a few degrees across when Steve
Lantz took this picture from the Garden
of the Gods near Colorado Springs:
Photo Details: Canon
PowerShot G2, ISO 50, 15 seconds at f/2.5
"The rock formation in the foreground is called Kissing Camels
rock," says Lantz. "We had some clouds, but that was no
problem. Venus and the Moon beamed right through them."
In the 10-year history of Spaceweather.com, no single event has
generated more photos than this one. Submissions have poured in
from six continents, dozens of countries, kingdoms, democracies,
theocracies, ships, planes, cars, and even from a military aircraft
refueling 35,000 feet over Iraq. We're building a gallery to display
a selection of the best shots. Stay tuned!
LUNAR OCCULTATION
OF VENUS: En route to last night's Great
Conjunction, the Moon ran right over Venus. The event, which astronomers
call a "lunar occultation," happened directly over Europe
where Romanian photographer Stanescu Octavian took this picture:
Photo details: Canon
300D + a homemade 250mm Newtonian telescope
"I caught Venus just before it disappeared behind the dark
edge of the Moon," he says. Venus remained hidden for more
than an hour, then popped out again to form a spectacular triangle
with Jupiter and Luna as opposing vertices. "What a very nice
vision!"
Lunar occultations of Venus happen about twice a year. The next
two: Feb 28, 2009, over Antarctica and Apr.
22, 2009, over North America. The North American occultation
is going to be good, occuring in a lovely pre-dawn Spring sky while
Mars hovers nearby. Mark your calendar.
more images: from
Frank Ryan Jr at The Burren, Co. Clare, Ireland; from
Deirdre Kelleghan of Greystones, Co Wicklow Ireland; from
Eduard Masana of Barcelona, Spain; from
Luis Carreira of Leiria, Portugal; from
Erwan Henry of Saint-Rieul, Brittany, France; from
Monika Landy-Gyebnar of Balatonakarattya, Hungary; from
Brian Fitzsimons of Cavan, Ireland; from
Günther Strauch of Borken, NRW, Germany; from
James Canvin of Cullompton, Devon, UK; from
Wojciech Piskorz of Gliwice, Poland; from
Claudio Bottari of Sava, Italy; from
Eddie Guscott of Corringham, Essex, England; from
John Durston of Plymouth, UK; from
Martin Campbell of Dungannon, N.Ireland; from
Elias Chasiotis at the Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily,
Italy; from
Guenter Kleinschuster of Feldbach, Styria, Austria; from
John Fitzsimons of Sligo, Ireland; from
Luigi Fiorentino of Bari, Italy;
Nov.
2008 Aurora Gallery
[Previous Novembers: 2007,
2006, 2004,
2003, 2001,
2000]
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