NEW SUNSPOT: A new sunspot is breaking through the surface of the sun's northern hemisphere, and it is crackling with C-class solar flares. These are minor explosions, which could intensify if the sunspot continues to grow. Stay tuned for updates. Free: Aurora alerts.
LUNAR ECLIPSE THIS FRIDAY NIGHT: The full Moon will lose some of its usual luster on Friday night, Feb. 10th, as an eerie shadow creeps across the lunar disk. It's a penumbral lunar eclipse, visible from parts of every continent except Australia. Graphic artist Larry Koehn created this animation of the event:
A penumbral eclipse happens when the Moon passes through the pale outskirts of Earth's shadow. It is much less dramatic than a total lunar eclipse. In fact, when observers are not alerted beforehand, they sometimes do not realize an eclipse is underway. Nevertheless, the shadow of Earth can be plainly visible to the naked eye.
The best time to look is Friday night around 07:44 p.m. Eastern Time (00:44 UT Saturday). That's the time of maximum coverage when Earth's shadow creates a clear gradient of light and shadow across the lunar disk. Check out this global visibility map to see if you are in the eclipse zone:
According to folklore, a full Moon in February is called the "Snow Moon." For northerners, it often feels like the brightest Moon of the year as moonlight glistens off the white landscape. For a while on Friday night, the Snow Moon won't seem quite so bright.
Realtime Lunar Eclipse Photo Gallery
FUNNEL CLOUD: Note to photographers: When you see a funnel cloud reaching down out of a stormy sky, the correct response is usually Run! Brazilian photographer Helio C. Vital made a different choice. Click! He snapped this picture on Feb. 7th from Rio de Janeiro:
"The cloud appeared about a half hour before sunset," says Vital. "It was part of a thunderstorm cell that was approaching, announcing the arrival of a new weather system that would bring rain to the city several hours later."
Meteorologists call this type of cloud a "tuba" -- a swirling mass of moist air that can hang down from an active thunderstorm. A tuba that touches the ground gets a new name: tornado. "Fortunately, in spite of its threatening appearance, this tuba did not reach the ground and no damage was reported," says Vital.
Click! was the correct choice after all.
SPACE JEWELRY FOR VALENTINE'S DAY: Did you know that cosmic radiation in Earth's atmosphere is increasing? It's true. These and other findings of the Earth to Sky Calculus ballooning program are funded not by government grants or corporate donations. Instead, the students rely on crowdfunding. Or rather, bling-funding:
To raise funds for their ongoing research, on Jan.27th the students flew a payload-full of these Tree of Life Pendants to the edge of space. You can have one for $79.95. A space rose is included, too, pressed for safekeeping. Each pendant+rose gift package comes with a Valentine's card showing the items in flight and telling the story of their trip to the stratosphere. Select 2nd Day Air at checkout to get it in time for Valentine's Day.
More out of this world gifts may be found in the Earth to Sky store.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery