Autumn is here, and it's a wonderful time for stargazing. Find out what's up from Spaceweather PHONE.
LEONID METEORS: This weekend's Leonid meteor shower was supposed to be faint--and mostly it was--but observers in Europe and Australia saw some amazing fireballs.
"I was in the middle of taking a wide-field photograph of Leo when this spectacular meteor blazed its way through the constellation," says Noeleen Lowndes of Queensland, Australia. (continued below)
"What I noticed most was the beautiful colours and its glorious green tail that left a smouldering smoke trail as it faded--it was absolutely stunning!"
2006 Leonid Meteor Gallery
More to come? There is a slim chance of more Leonids tonight around 8:30 p.m. EST (0130 UT on Nov. 21st) when Earth runs through another, minor cloud of comet dust. Meteor enthusiasts should remain alert.
MINI-GREEN FLASH: Photographer Chuck Baker was watching the sunset from coastal Carlsbad, California, on Nov. 16th when a puff of green came out of the top of the sun:
Individual, high-resolution frames: #1, #2, #3, #4
"It was a mini green flash," says Baker. Look closely and "you can see sunspot 923, too."
The strange shape of the sun is a mirage. Inverted layers of warm and cool air above the Pacific sea surface divided the usual solar disk into horizontal slices of varying width. Even sunspot 923 was affected: watch it stretch back and forth as the sun sinks toward the sea. Strongly-miraged suns often develop green flashes--and sometimes blue ones, too. Look for them whenever the sunset seems out of whack.
TRANSIT OF MERCURY: A new batch of photos has been added to the Transit of Mercury Photo Gallery: browse.
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