SUBSIDING CHANCE OF STORMS: Earth is exiting a stream of solar wind flowing from a large hole in the sun's atmosphere. As a result, the chance of geomagnetic storms is subsiding. Arctic auroras might finally ebb after several nights of bright activity. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
THE HARVEST MOON: Tonight's full Moon has a special name: The Harvest Moon. It's the full Moon closest to the northern autumnal equinox. Long ago, farmers depended on the light of the Harvest Moon to gather ripening crops after dark. Post-Edison, we appreciate it mainly for its beauty:
Juan Manuel Perez Rayego took this picture from Merida, Spain, on Oct 1st. "The Moon was 99.81% full," he says. "It was colored orange by scattering in the low atmosphere--much like a pumpkin!"
Find your own Harvest Moon tonight. It rises in the east at sunset and stays up all night long. Submit your photos here.
Realtime Harvest Moon Photo Gallery
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CELESTIAL TRIFECTA: The Harvest Moon. Mars. Northern Lights. "This was the trifecta I didn't know I needed, but now am so very excited to have captured," says Sacha Layos, who sends this picture from Fairbanks, Alaska:
"The aurora seemed to burst across the sky on Sept. 30th," she says. "Adding in the water, the Red Planet, and a Harvest Moon halo made me a very happy photographer."
Believe it or not, the view is about to improve. On Oct. 2nd, the Moon and Mars will converge until they are only ~1 degree apart. Imagine Mars deep inside the moon halo, almost touching the Moon. That's what it will look like. Don't miss it! Sky Map.
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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THE PINK AURORA PEARL: Inspired by the color of rare pink auroras, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a pink pearl to the stratosphere on Sept. 25th. It hitched a ride onboard the students' cosmic ray balloon, and reached an altitude 112,205 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $249.95. The students are selling space pearls to support their cosmic ray monitoring program. Measuring 9 mm in diameter, the Aurora Pearl is mounted on a 925 sterling silver infinity twist and suspended on a matching 17 inch long sterling silver chain. Each pearl comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Mars Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter