GEOMAGNETIC UNREST EXPECTED: A stream of solar wind is expected to reach Earth on Jan. 8th, passing mainly north of our planet's magnetic field. The grazing encounter could spark auroras around the Arctic Circle, albeit not a full-fledged geomagnetic storm. The gaseous material is flowing from a northern hole in the sun's atmosphere. Free: Aurora Alerts.
WEEKEND CONJUNCTION: Set your alarm for dawn. This weekend, Mars and Jupiter are in conjunction, side by side, shining through the twilight glow of sunrise. Andrea Aletti photographed them on Jan. 6th from a hotel in the Swiss Alps:
"An incredible conjunction!" Aletti says. "The planets were so clear, I could see them through gaps in clouds, and I was able to take their picture using only a simple and not expensive smartphone."
If you missed the show on Saturday morning, try again on Sunday, Jan. 7th. The two worlds will be little more than a quarter of a degree (1/4o) apart--half the width of a full Moon. They won't be this close together again until March of 2020. [sky map]
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
SPACE STATION VISITS THE BAY OF RAINBOWS: Sometimes, the best astronomy happens in a fraction of a second. On Jan. 5th, astrophotographer Maximilian Teodorescu experienced one of those moments. "I took a short trip outside Bucharest for a much shorter astro-event: the transit of the International Space Station (ISS) over the Moon."
"The station passed in front of the large lava-filled crater Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows)," he says. "This short video shows the transit happening about 10 times slower than real time."
Lunar transits by the ISS are not rare, but they are challenging to observe because the space station traveling 17,000 mph crosses the 0.5o face of the Moon in a split second. Usually the human behind the camera sees nothing until a later search through video frames reveals the fleeting silhouette. Teodorescu knew when to look, and where, thanks to predictions from Calsky.com.
VALENTINE'S DAY IS ONLY 6 WEEKS AWAY: Christmas is over. Next up: Valentine's Day. If you are looking for a far-out Valentine's gift, consider this:
On Dec. 29, 2017, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew a payload-full of these 18k rose gold plated Valentine's pendants to the stratosphere onboard a high-altitude helium balloon. The necklaces traveled alongside an array of cosmic ray sensors, which the students use to monitor deep-space radiation penetrating Earth's atmosphere.
You can have one for $119.95. Each glittering pendant comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its journey 36 km (118,110 feet) above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California. Sales support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All proceeds support hands-on STEM education