SUNSET SKY SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southwest. Venus and Saturn have gathered in a loose conjunction just above the rosy glow of sunset -- and the crescent Moon is moving in to join them. The three celestial bodies will form a must-see triangle on Wednesday evening. Sky maps: Nov. 1, Nov. 2.
THE CROOKED CRESCENT MOON: Even the Moon dressed up for Halloween. It went as a crooked crescent. John Stetson photographed young Luna from his home on the shore of Sebago Lake, Maine:
"When I saw it on Oct. 31st, the Moon was only 29 hours past New," says Stetson. Temperature gradients near the lake's surface caused the atmosphere to act like a weird lens, "distorting the color and shape of the crescent as the Moon approached the horizon. It was a real treat!"
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
SPOOKY AURORAS: Earth is exiting a stream of solar wind that produced magnificent auroras around the Arctic Circle during the last week of October. Although the storms are subsiding, there was still enough residual solar wind to shine an eerie light over Tromsø, Norway, on Halloween:
"Let me introduce Albert," says Egon Filter who took the picture. "He has been observing Northern Lights from Tromso for many years. Albert says it keeps him young!" Egon and Albert were traveling with Marianne's Heaven on Earth Aurora Chaser Tours, a proud supporter of Spaceweather.com.
As Earth leaves one stream of solar wind, another is in the offing. A cluster of minor coronal holes on the sun is spewing plasma into space, and the material should reach our planet on Nov. 4th or 5th. Geomagnetic activity is possible on those dates, with a resurgence of lights around the Arctic Circle. Free: Aurora Alerts.
Realtime Airglow Photo Gallery