SOLAR WIND, INCOMING: A stream of solar wind is approaching Earth. Estimated time of arrival: Sept. 23rd. Flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun's atmosphere, the gaseous material could spark the first auroras of northern Fall. Free: Aurora Alerts
THE MOON, MARS AND MOONDOGS: Two months after its close approach to Earth, Mars is still one of the brightest objects in the night sky, outshining Sirius by 10%. Tonight, the waxing gibbous Moon will pass right by Mars, joining the red planet in a loose but beautiful conjunction. Look south after sunset: sky map.
On Sept. 18th, Marek Nikodem photographed the Moon approaching Mars over Szubin, Poland:
"The view was exceptionally beautiful, because in addition to the Moon, the planets Mars and Saturn were also visible," says Nikodem. "All three were bracketed by paraselene--a.k.a. 'moondogs.' It was great!"
A moondog looks like a comet with a rainbow-colored head. In fact, it's a phenomenon of Earth's atmosphere, closely-related to sundogs. Ice crystals floating in cirrus clouds 5 to 10 km above the ground intercept moonbeams and bend them into a variety of shapes, not only 'dogs, but also luminous rings and pillars. Watch for them all tonight as the Moon meets Mars.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
FLY ME TO THE MOONSTONE: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Nothing says "I love you" like a moonstone from the edge of space. On Jan 27th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this moonstone wrapped in a hand-crafted sterling silver Celtic love knot 35.1 km (115,158 feet) above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $179.95. The students are selling these pendants to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the item in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space. All sales support the Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray ballooning program and hands-on STEM research.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education