'RING OF FIRE' SOLAR ECLIPSE: The sun is about to turn into a "ring of fire." On June 21st, the Moon will pass directly in front of the sun, producing an annular solar eclipse over Earth's eastern hemisphere. Greatest coverage occurs over the Himalaya of northern India. A partial eclipse will be visible over eastern Africa, the Middle East, India, and most of Asia. Watch: Animated Preview.
LUNAR OCCULTATION OF VENUS: This morning in Europe, astronomers witnessed a lunar occultation of Venus in broad daylight. Surrounded by blue sky, the Moon eclipsed the second planet. Didier Favre of Brétigny-sur-Orge, France, photographed the event moments before Venus disappeared behind the sunlit edge of the Moon:
"This was an extraordinary astronomical event--the first lunar occultation of Venus I have observed in 13 years," says Favre.
At the time of the occultation, both the Moon (4%) and Venus (8%) were thin crescents, adding to the beauty of the event. For more images, browse the realtime photo gallery!
Realtime Venus Photo Gallery
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NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS OVER OREGON: Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) have descended to their lowest latitude of the 2020 season: +44 N in Bend, Oregon. "I woke up at 3:30 am on June 18th to a very bright sky shining through the shades," says Bend resident Roy Reynolds, who photographed the silvery clouds lighting up the northern sky:
"I've been living here for 18 years and have seen this only two other times," says Reynolds. "Beautiful!"
NLCs are Earth’s highest clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, they float at the edge of space 83 km above the ground. The clouds form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise up to the mesosphere, allowing water to crystallize around specks of meteor smoke.
The low latitude record for noctilucent clouds is +34 N, set during the summer of 2019 when NLCs descended as far south as Los Angeles and Las Vegas. There's a chance the clouds could spread to similar latitudes in 2020. Record cold temperatures in the mesosphere are boosting the production of NLCs, pushing their electric-blue ripples farther south with each passing night. Stay tuned.
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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APOLLO 11 PROOF SILVER DOLLAR (COLLECTOR'S ITEM): Are you looking for a far-out gift? Consider this: On July 20, 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing), the students of Earth to Sky Calculus flew this rare proof silver dollar to the stratosphere:
The US Mint created the coins to celebrate the first Moon landing--but you can no longer buy them from the Mint. You can, however, get one from Earth to Sky Calculus. The students are selling the collector's item for $229.95 to support their cosmic ray ballooning program.
The silver dollar is curved and reproduces the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Reflected in Buzz's visor are Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander. The opposite side of the coin shows Neil's iconic footprint on the Moon. Included is a greeting card showing the coin in flight and a certificate of authenticity.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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