The space shuttle flies in April. Would you like a call when it soars over your backyard? Spaceweather PHONE!
AURORA SPRING: Today is the first day of northern spring--a.k.a. the "vernal equinox." This is good news for sky watchers because, statistically speaking, equinoxes are the best times of year to spot auroras. A solar wind stream is due to hit Earth on March 24th, so stay tuned for Northern Lights.
BONUS: Inspired by the coming of spring, artist Mark Siebold created a pastel interpretation of Earth's 23.5 degree tilt. The reason for seasons has never been so beautiful.
VENUS AND THE MOON: Actually, her name is Sabine. "Last night, my girlfriend posed for this shot on the beach at La Torche," explains French photographer Laurent Laveder. "I call it Moon Temple Guardian."
![](swpod2007/21mar07/laveder1_strip.jpg)
Photo details: Canon 30D, Sigma 70-300mm lens, 1/4 s.
Sabine and Laurent had lots of fun with the crescent Moon; they caught it in a net, lassooed it, and threw it like a boomerang. Click here for a gallery of images.
Tonight at sunset, the crescent Moon will appear again hovering just above the planet Venus: sky map. What will you do?
CHROMOSPHERE SURPRISE: It's enough to make you leap out of your seat: A magnetic vortex almost as big as Earth races across your computer screen, twisting, turning, finally erupting in a powerful solar flare. Japan's Hinode spacecraft recorded just such a blast on Jan. 12, 2007. Click on the image to see the movie:
![](swpod2007/21mar07/hinode1_strip.jpg)
Above: An H-alpha image of the sun from Japan's Hinode spacecraft.
The footage is visually stunning, but the most surprising thing is where the scene unfolds--in the solar chromosphere, a layer of the sun's atmosphere previously thought to be relatively uneventful. Get the full story from Science@NASA.
March 19th Solar Eclipse Gallery
Updated March 20, 2007