THANKSGIVING SKY SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southwest. A whisper-thin crescent Moon is passing by Venus in the sunset sky. Jupiter is there, too, if you know where to look. Happy Thanksgiving!
VENUS, JUPITER, AND A NORTH KOREAN ROCKET: North Korea kicked off the American Thanksgiving holiday with an unexpected rocket launch. Two short-range projectiles were launched from Ryonpo around 5 p.m. local time, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shortly thereafter, Filipp Romanov of Yuzhno-Morskoy, Russia, went outside to see the sunset and noticed rocket exhaust meandering among the planets:
"I took this picture from the coast of the Sea of Japan (in my small homeland, in Yuzhno-Morskoy, near Nakhodka, Russia)," says the 22-year old amateur astronomer. "At the time I did not know anything about the launch of the rocket, but noticed the trail in my photographs. As the sky darkened the exhaust became more visible."
Analysts familiar with stalled denuclearization talks between the USA and North Korea believe this could be the start of a busy campaign of launches to end 2019--a gambit by North Korea to tilt negotiations in its favor. Stay tuned for more exhaust?
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WALKING THE DOG IN NORWAY: On Nov. 27th, a minor stream of solar wind brushed Earth's magnetic field. In Tromsø, Norway, minor is often enough. "While out walking the dog, this amazing display appeared in the skies near my home," reports aurora tour guide Marianne Bergli.
"Kara is a trained rescue dog, trained by my daughter Sara, and when Kara sees aurora and snow she is very very happy indeed," says Bergli.
In that case, Tromsø is the perfect place for Kara. She's living beneath Earth's persistent auroral oval. A gentle rain of solar wind electrons, guided to Earth by our planet's curved magnetic field creates a polar ring of Northern Lights that intersects the latitude of Tromsø. Even the gentlest stream of solar wind can spark a howling-good display. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
ANNIE JUMP CANNON IN THE STRATOSPHERE: Pioneering astronomer Annie Jump Cannon invented the modern system of stellar classification. To honor her, the US Mint has created a $1 American Innovation coin featuring Cannon's silhouette and a spray of stars. On Nov. 11th, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew some to the stratosphere, 111,221 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have a roll of 25 for $149.95. The students are selling the coins to support their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each roll contains 25 one dollar coins with uncirculated finishes. Cannon is shown on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other. Individual coins make great Christmas stocking stuffers for young scientists--or give the whole roll as a special gift. Your order comes with a greeting card showing the coins in flight.
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